Post an explanation of the role of theory in research. Next, identify a theory in your discipline and explain its basic tenets. Then, with this theory in mind, consider your answer to the following question posed by Dr. Burkholder in last week’s reading:

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popular usage of the word “theory” may sometimes imply a singular, often grand idea. The world, however, is complex, and the systems designed to understand it, such as theory, are often intricate in order to sufficiently explain the world as it is. Indeed, as you will learn this week, theory is nuanced, and it can also be viewed as a combination of variables, ideas, or constructs to test or advance a research question. In addition, theory tends to play a different role in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research.

For this Discussion, you will consider the role of theory in research and the relationship between theory and philosophical orientations. You will also familiarize yourself with a theory in your field so that you may become more conversant in your discipline’s theoretical foundations.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post an explanation of the role of theory in research. Next, identify a theory in your discipline and explain its basic tenets. Then, with this theory in mind, consider your answer to the following question posed by Dr. Burkholder in last week’s reading: “What do I have to believe about the world and about human beings in order for me to accept or use this theory?” Finally, describe the extent to which the epistemological and ontological assumptions of your chosen theory align with the philosophical orientation that reflects your worldview.

Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources (attached) and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Write a 500- to 700-word magazine article that discusses visual and verbal imagery. Include the following in your article:

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Assignment 1: Discussion Question

Tisha recently completed a personality inventory as part of her executive training program. She was supposed to receive a printout of her results but got only the first page of the packet. This page indicated that she scored moderately high in Openness to Experience as well as Agreeableness, very high in Conscientiousness and Extraversion, and low in Neuroticism. However, the page offered no analysis of these findings because the analysis was part of the missing pages.

She has contacted HR to obtain the remaining pages of her feedback because she is interested in knowing what the results mean.

Based on the Big Five model of personality, explain the findings to Tisha. Include the explanations of each dimension of personality, and provide examples of each. Be sure to discuss research findings regarding personality measures and job performance.

Detail how the predictors of performance could be used to predict Tisha’s success as a manager. Do you think Tisha’s personality test suggests that she will be a successful manager? Why or why not?

Write a 500- to 700-word magazine article that discusses visual and verbal imagery. Include the following in your article:

 

  • A contrast of verbal and visual imagery
  • An argument about which of these you consider most important
  • A justification of your argument with research
  • Include at least three scholarly peer-reviewed articles, in addition to the course text.

Course text- Anderson, J. R. ( 2010). Cognitive Psychology and Its Implications. 7th edition. New York, NY. Worth Publishers.

Reflect upon the African and Asian desire for change and what it meant to them as societies as they began to rebuild after World War II.

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Week 1: Post–World War II and Decolonization

After World War II, as the world began to pick up its pieces, it soon became apparent that the pieces were not going to fit as they once had. As European and Western powers began to reluctantly part with their control of the Asian and African colonies, these colonies began to decolonize and rebuild. Asian and African people faced growing pains as their leaders attempted to force pieces into this puzzle and create new nations. They struggled with the decisions of how to rebuild, whether to rebuild in the footsteps of their repressors, or to build nations that were more democratic. Each of these pieces of the puzzle created a very different picture for the future of these nations.

As each piece finally began to find its proper place, new nations began to emerge. However, even when faced head-on with their newfound freedom, the Asian and African people were far from the end of conflict. These nations still had to determine what freedom actually meant to them and how they should embrace it.

Have these nations and their leaders truly answered these questions? Are nations at peace with these new structures or do power struggles still exist about the direction that the nations should be headed?

This week, you will trace the paths to independence for the peoples of Africa and Asia including the struggles they endured in their quest to be free from colonization.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, you should be able to:
  • Summarize the ways that leaders in Asia and Africa thought about, used, or rejected Western institutions and ideas in shaping a post-colonial era
  • Describe the path of a country’s economic growth, social justice, and struggle for independence following World War II
  • Identify elements and leaders involved in decolonization after World War II

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Nkrumah, K. (1960). Address by Kwame Nkrumah at the United Nations. 

Reynolds, D. (1997). The European response: primacy of politics. Foreign Affairs, (3), 171-184.

Reilly, K. (2012). The human journey: A concise introduction to world history. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
The Human Journey: A Concise Introduction to World History, 1450 to the Present, 2nd Edition by Reilly, K. Copyright 2012​ by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.. Reprinted by permission of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. via the Copyright Clearance Center.

Read sections on “The United States as a Global Power,” “Achieving Independence” and “New Nations on the Global Stage.”

The Constitution of Japan. (1946).

Tse-tung, M. (1949). On the people’s democratic dictatorship. 

Discussion: The Western Influences on Asian and African Leaders

World War II produced many of the most renowned political world leaders in Europe and the West. Each of these leaders had his own political and social ideologies that greatly influenced the new leaders of the Asian and African nations in their quest for independence after World War II.

In this Discussion, you will analyze the major developments of post–World War II and their impact on the new leaders of Asia and Africa as they became free from the control of European and Western nations. You will also uncover the influence that European and Western leaders left with these new leaders as they continued their struggle for independence.

To prepare for this Discussion:

  • Review the readings in this week’s Learning Resources regarding Asian and African thoughts about Western influences and impacts.
  • Reflect upon Western political thought and institutions as they appear in the Japanese Constitution of 1946, Mao’s reflections of China’s revolutionary history in 1949, and Kwame Nkrumah’s analysis of African nationalist movements.
  • Think about how African and Asian colonies fought to rebuild after World War II, and how they struggled to steer clear of building the same institutions their repressors once formed.
  • Consider the European and Western leaders’ journey and reflect on how they affected the Asian and African leaders. What do you think Asian and African leaders adopted from the ideas of the European and Western leaders? What do you think they discarded in their move towards independence?
  • Draw from the Learning Resources this week. Recall the pressures that the African and Asian nations experienced when adopting and crafting their own policies.
  • Reflect upon the African and Asian desire for change and what it meant to them as societies as they began to rebuild after World War II.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 3

Post by Day 3 a summary (2–3 paragraphs) of the ways that leaders in Asia and Africa thought about, used, or rejected Western institutions and ideas in shaping a post-colonial era. Be sure you consider the role of the Cold War in shaping the relationship of these countries with the West, and the US. Summarize attitudes towards and influences of:

  • Western political thought and institutions as they appear in the Japanese Constitution of 1946
  • Mao’s reflections of China’s revolutionary history in 1949
  • Kwame Nkrumah’s analysis of African nationalist movements

Be sure to support your ideas by properly citing at least one of week’s Learning Resources, in APA format, within your initial post. As this is a post-first discussion board, you will not be able to see the work of your peers until you have posted the initial discussion requirement for the week.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to at least one of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

  • Ask a probing question.
  • Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
  • Offer and support an opinion.
  • Validate an idea with your own experience.
  • Make a suggestion.
  • Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Discussion: The Western Influences on Asian and African Leaders

World War II produced many of the most renowned political world leaders in Europe and the West. Each of these leaders had his own political and social ideologies that greatly influenced the new leaders of the Asian and African nations in their quest for independence after World War II.

In this Discussion, you will analyze the major developments of post–World War II and their impact on the new leaders of Asia and Africa as they became free from the control of European and Western nations. You will also uncover the influence that European and Western leaders left with these new leaders as they continued their struggle for independence.

To prepare for this Discussion:

  • Review the readings in this week’s Learning Resources regarding Asian and African thoughts about Western influences and impacts.
  • Reflect upon Western political thought and institutions as they appear in the Japanese Constitution of 1946, Mao’s reflections of China’s revolutionary history in 1949, and Kwame Nkrumah’s analysis of African nationalist movements.
  • Think about how African and Asian colonies fought to rebuild after World War II, and how they struggled to steer clear of building the same institutions their repressors once formed.
  • Consider the European and Western leaders’ journey and reflect on how they affected the Asian and African leaders. What do you think Asian and African leaders adopted from the ideas of the European and Western leaders? What do you think they discarded in their move towards independence?
  • Draw from the Learning Resources this week. Recall the pressures that the African and Asian nations experienced when adopting and crafting their own policies.
  • Reflect upon the African and Asian desire for change and what it meant to them as societies as they began to rebuild after World War II.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 3

Post by Day 3 a summary (2–3 paragraphs) of the ways that leaders in Asia and Africa thought about, used, or rejected Western institutions and ideas in shaping a post-colonial era. Be sure you consider the role of the Cold War in shaping the relationship of these countries with the West, and the US. Summarize attitudes towards and influences of:

  • Western political thought and institutions as they appear in the Japanese Constitution of 1946
  • Mao’s reflections of China’s revolutionary history in 1949
  • Kwame Nkrumah’s analysis of African nationalist movements

Be sure to support your ideas by properly citing at least one of week’s Learning Resources, in APA format, within your initial post. As this is a post-first discussion board, you will not be able to see the work of your peers until you have posted the initial discussion requirement for the week.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

By Day 5

Respond to at least one of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

  • Ask a probing question.
  • Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
  • Offer and support an opinion.
  • Validate an idea with your own experience.
  • Make a suggestion.
  • Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Select two articles based on the given thesis to analyze for this assessment. Consider using two articles from the Resources, or select other current scholarly and popular press articles based on the thesis.

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Complete a worksheet that distills critical information in a scholarly article and compares it to information in a popular press article.

This assessment is designed to help you describe scientific research methods as presented in scholarly psychological literature. It will also help you learn to differentiate between scholarly and non-scholarly sources. By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

  • Competency 2: Describe scientific research methods presented in scholarly psychology literature.
    • Describe the hypothesis and purpose of a research study from a scholarly research article.
    • Describe the study design (including observations, programs, population, etcetera) used in a scholarly research article.
    • Describe the participants from a scholarly research article.
    • Describe the measures used in a scholarly research article.
  • Competency 3: Apply research findings from scholarly literature to current issues in the field of psychology.
    • Summarize psychology research findings.
  • Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
    • Summarize the main points from a popular press article.
    • Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics, as expected of a psychology professional.
    • Use current APA format and style.

Psychology is often viewed as a career in which the professionals become therapists in order to treat mental health issues. In fact, psychology is a broad and diverse science that offers a wide variety of career options and opportunities. Because psychology is considered a science, learners must understand the concept of systematic behavioral observation and the scientific process.The goals of psychology are to describe, understand, predict, and change or control behavior. Part of psychology is helping people, families, groups, and social situations make changes for the better. If you think about it, control is essential to functioning in a social and cultural world. Imagine cities with no traffic signals or children being permitted to wander aimlessly around streets. This would be a chaotic and scary world. Thus, we want to be able to manage human behavior in ways that are productive and helpful without being exploitive or damaging.

Because human behavior is so remarkable, psychologists also get to choose to study from a wide variety of specialties. For example, psychologists can specialize in childhood or adult development; learning; biopsychology; clinical, organizational, or health psychology; or many other areas. You name it, psychologists study it. This is both the joy and challenge of our field.

The scientific method consists of six steps:

  1. Observing, which we do all the time.
  2. Defining a problem that we perceive from our observations.
  3. Proposing a hypothesis or an educated guess about why the problem exists.
  4. Gathering evidence to test our hypotheses.
  5. Developing or evaluating theories about behavior based on the research results.
  6. Publishing the results of our research.

Required Resources

The following resource is required to complete the assessment.

SHOW LESS

Suggested Resources

The resources provided here are optional and support the assessment. They provide helpful information about the topics. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The PSYC-FP1000 Library Guide can help direct your research. The Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.

Introduction to Psychology
Neuromyths
Understanding Scholarly Articles
Research Links

Preparation

Critical evaluation of a source requires locating the thesis statement. Note: You may wish to review the Anatomy of a Scholarly Article Campus page, linked in the Resources, which demonstrates where to locate the critical information in a scholarly article. The thesis statement will be the sentence or two that describes what your paper or presentation intends to prove. This differs from a hypothesis, which is used in experiments. For example:

  • Thesis example: Heads-up displays should not be used in cars because they distract drivers from the road. Note: The thesis tells a reader what a paper or article will be about. It lets the reader know right away what the conclusion will be.
  • Hypothesis example: We predict heads-up displays in cars will distract drivers from the road and cause more accidents. Note: The hypothesis provides a prediction (what will happen in the future) that can be tested in an experiment.

In our daily lives, we often conduct little experiments to detect cause-and-effect connections. If you are interested in gardening, for example, you might try adding plant food to one bed of flowers but not another, and then ask the question, “Does the use of plant food (the independent variable) affect the size of the flowers (the dependent variable)?” Your hypothesis might be: flowers that receive plant food will have larger and more blooms than flowers not receiving plant food. By comparing unfed plants (the control group) to those receiving plant food (the experimental group), you could then find out whether the plant food is worth using. To understand your results, you would also need to consider possible extraneous variables, such as differences in how much light both groups of flowers were exposed to, and how much water each group of flowers received.

Instructions

The Source Analysis Worksheet is provided in Resources for this assessment to help you successfully complete your work, based on the following scenario.

Scenario

Suppose you work for a nonprofit agency, providing services and support for people with intellectual disabilities. While fundraising, your supervisor ran into a number of false beliefs about the brain and psychology. She wants you to do some research into the common neuromyths—common misconceptions about brain functions, particularly associated with learning and education—and has asked you to report on one research article and one credible popular press article on neuromyths. She has asked you to evaluate the sources and information from the two articles, based on the following thesis:

  • Even professionals believe in neuromyths that harm the services they offer.

In order to accurately report your evaluation of the sources, your supervisor has asked you to complete a Source Analysis Worksheet. In Section 1 of the form, you will record information on the scholarly article. In Section 2 of the form, you will record information based on the non-scholarly article.

Steps
  1. Select two articles based on the given thesis to analyze for this assessment. Consider using two articles from the Resources, or select other current scholarly and popular press articles based on the thesis.
  2. Complete the Source Analysis Worksheet.
    • Follow the prompts and instructions on the worksheet.
    • The scholarly article should appear in the first section and the popular press article should be addressed in the second section.
    • Provide the full reference for each article in the proper box. Use proper citations throughout.
    • Identify how each article can be used in relation to the given thesis. This should be a well-developed paragraph with proper citations for each article.

Additional Requirements

  • Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message. Original work and critical thinking are required in your assessment and scholarly writing.
    • Your quotations should include quotation marks and citations.
    • Your paraphrases should include citations.
  • APA formatting: References and citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
  • Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.