...1. Substances alter a person’s state of mind in various ways. Depressants tend to slow the central nervous system giving the user a sense of relaxation. Examples of depressants include alcohol and antianxiety medication. Since the substance slows the nervous system it is normally easy to recognize because of the impaired motor reflexes. Stimulants are the second type of substance. This substance increases the nervous system’s activity. Examples include cocaine and crystal meth. This type of stimulant gives feelings of euphoria and alertness. Since cocaine also can block the reuptake of our natural neurotransmitters, the use of this drug sometimes can lead to extreme highs when the user is taking and lows when the user if off of it. As someone who has witnessed a cocaine addiction in a friend, I first recognized it by the sudden change of mood that would happen when the person would use. Opiates are the next type of substance. Opiates work by numbing pain and elevating moods. They tend to trick the neurotransmitter to thinking they are natural endorphins. Eventually the brain will stop producing these endorphins naturally. This is one of the reasons why addiction is common with opiates. Signs of opiate addiction are normally physical such as weight loss or weigh gain, track marks, and bad outward appearances. The last type of substance is hallucinogens. This type of substance is known to create sensory or perceptual distortions. The science behind the effects of...
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...With Freud, we need to set aside all the elaborate concepts of psychoanalysis (e.g. oedipal complex, penis envy) and really start with the basics. What is Freud saying about the way we experience the world? To start with we can identify three propositions. They are: 1. infantile dependency 2. repression 3. transference Freud recognized the significance of the fact that humans, contra other mammals, spend the first few years (and likely more) of their lives dependent on their caregivers for survival. Dependency is a mixed bag. Q1: Give an example of the last time you were in a situation where you felt dependent on another. On one hand, dependency can be wonderful. The beauty of infancy is that there are moments when we experience our needs a being completely met, perhaps the closest thing to paradise that we ever experience (maybe this is where the Old Testament got the idea?) However, there are other moments when our needs go unmet and there is nothing we can do about it. In these moments, we are in hell, tortured, miserable. In infancy we vacillate between these two experiences of dependency. In fact, according to Freud, the pain of infancy is so overwhelming we have to forget it. Freud has a special term to describe this kind of forgetting. He calls it repression. We make those experiences unconscious (not subconscious-Freud didn’t like that word nor did he like the buried metaphor it implied). Over his life, Freud developed two distinct theories...
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...rhvekrv;ev fv d dv your writing skills, the better your degree classification: The majority of marks which contribute to your degree classification will come from exam essays or other written work (assessed essays, third year project). • This education is costing you, so get your money’s worth. What students want help with Style conventions in scientific writing (1) 76.6% Lab report writing skills (2) 70.2% Thinking skills (2) 70.2% How to reference properly (3) 59.6% Presentation skills (4) 55.3% How to revise your written work effectively (5) 51.1% Learning / Research skills (6) 48.9% Essay writing skills (7) 44.7% Basic writing skills (8) 12.8% Unfortunately, you need to get to grips with (8) before you can truly master (1)…. Writing Skills for Psychologists Factors which contribute to your written work’s grade include (1) Your general writing skills. (How to write) (2) Your understanding of what is required of an undergraduate essay / lab report / presentation. (Why to write) (3) Your understanding of the topic. (What to write) This lecture will focus on 1 and 2. HOWEVER improving 1&2 will inevitably lead to improvements in 3! The following factors are equally important, and are down to you. 1. How interested you are in the topic. 2. The importance you attach to receiving a high grade for a particular piece of work. 3. The amount of effort you are prepared to make given other academic commitments. Writing Skills for Psychologists ...
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...Salvatore D’Angelo Throughout the previous chapters Briggs discusses deviant behavior and how pertains to the normal behavior of children. She uses examples through empathy, ownership of feelings, and potty training. I think that she is certainly being realistic and not making excuses for the behavior. Just like every one else, children have real feelings and emotions that need to be understood and taken seriously. If a child’s emotions and feelings fail to be acknowledged then they will feel as though their feelings don’t count and are not important. The first example Briggs uses pertains to having a child own his or her feelings. She explains a situation where child wants a candy bar and the parent feels it will ruin their lunch. The child makes a seen when the parent says no, by hitting his brother. The mother scolds him and tells to say sorry to his brother. Briggs states that the mother could have avoided this situation by telling the child that he has a right to his feelings even if they differ from hers but he will have to wait until after lunch. I feel as though this is the right tactic for this situation because it helps the child realize that his feelings are being acknowledged and taken seriously with out giving into the child’s demands. They second example Briggs uses pertains to using empathy when dealing with a child’s deviant behavior. She states that if you try to relate to a child’s feelings instead of immediately rejecting them, you will...
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...Discuss the roles of hormones and genes in gender development Everyone has 23 pairs of chromosomes and of these one set of sex chromosomes and these establish our sex. Females have XX chromosomes whereas males have XY chromosomes. Although the Y chromosome doesn’t carry much genetic information it does determine an individual’s sex, this causes changes to the embryo from a very early stage. Usually there is a direct link between our chromosomes and our internal/ external reproductive organs. It is these chromosomes that stat a chain of events that establish the individuals sex. Chromosomes determine a person’s sex but most gender development is actually governed by hormones. Hormones are released prenatally and in adolescence when we are exposed to a surge of hormones during puberty. To study hormones Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is looked at, this is an inherited disorder, present at birth which affects babies adrenal glands and therefor their ability to produce certain hormones. Research into this is Hines and Kaufman, they found girls with CAH played equally with boys and girls Whereas biologically normal girls choose their sex 90% of the time. This supports the theory that genes determined gender development as the change in genes caused by CAH resulted in these girls behaving differently and not being split into gender groups like a genetically normal gender. One evaluation to this study is that it lacks control, as it was a case study there was little if any...
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...Outline and evaluate explanations of conformity. (12 marks) Normative social influence says people conform because they feel they need to be accepted and belong to the group. They accept the majorities’ views publicly, but privately they disagree – this type of conformity is compliance. The majority control the other group members, and use the fear of rejection to get others to conform. This is because humans are a social species and need companionship and are afraid of rejection. Research to support this explanation comes from Asch’s experiment, where participants knew the group was wrong privately but chose to conform in order to be accepted. This suggests that normative social influence is a valid theory of why people conform as it states we conform to be part of a social group, not because they believe the group to be right. On the other hand, in real life they aren’t part of that social group so don’t fear rejection, so factors other than the group may influence conformity. Another explanation of why people conform is informational social influence, where the individual changes their opinion both publicly and privately, which is described as internalisation. They do this as they believe the group are right. Conformity tends to increase when the situation is ambiguous, in matters of crisis or if they feel others are better qualified to make decisions. Fein et al found that participant’s opinions of political candidates in a debate were influenced by the reaction...
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...Behavior generation under constraints Name Institutional Affiliation Technology has led to development of computer with wits to perform human tasks. It employs the use of spaun which uses the same rules used by human brain in figuring things out. This is due to millions of simulated neurons which are set in a network taking after the human brain. In addition, dynamic adaptation is a major feature of the brains to help maintain their performance quality under increasingly difficult constraints. In examining the mathematical model, it helps to understand the dynamics of the brain-environment interaction system. This is done by modelling human behavior observed from the study of human behavior during completion of constrained tasks. The model fits the human performance data such that a reasonable performance is shown by the neural networks. This is due to the fact that, top scores are very close to the ones achieved by the human experts. However, the net-works could not able to perform at equivalent level with human players if at all there were no constraints imposed. The solution algorithm is based on propagation. Also, another learning model can be achieved from this solution algorithm. By learning limitations of human behaviour in extremes conditions and delayed cognitive activity because of the self-organization of the brain, the data knowledge can be used in simulation of neurons and come up with a program for a more advanced computer brain. The advancement in brain might...
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...Foundations of Psychology Foundations of Psychology Psychology is an advanced study of human behavior, involving the mind and science. The ultimate goal is to understand humanity; however, many proposals have been rejected while some agreed upon. Psychology has not been an easy subject to understand fully or comprehend. Debates started when psychology established a subject different than biology or philosophy. The debate was to properly explain human behavior and the human mind. Many theories began to emerge, while others questioned the reliability and sources of the theorist. Many schools of thought have been created to teach and establish an understanding of the concepts involved (Psychology, 2003). Major Schools of Thought in Psychology Structuralism is the first school of thought created that is the most general. The concept is to break down the mental processes into the most basic concepts. Next functionalism was created from the concept of structuralism; it was formed to create a reaction to structuralism. Behaviorism was the next concept created in the 1950s. Behaviorism was based upon the environment and how the external environment has power over internal sources. Behaviorism is also constructed of observable behavior, the theories involved included classical conditioning and operant condition. Sigmund Freud founded psychoanalysis, which is the psychodynamic theory that addresses the influence of the unconscious mind on behavior. Freud believed that...
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...Review of the Roots of Youth Violence: Literature Reviews Volume 5, Chapter 2: Psychological Theories The issue of human violence is also a major topic within the academic discipline of psychology. As biosocial theorists do, psychologists focus on how individual characteristics may interact with the social environment to produce a violent event. However, rather than focus on the biological basis of crime, psychologists focus on how mental processes impact individual propensities for violence. Psychologists are often interested in the association between learning, intelligence, and personality and aggressive behaviour. In this section of the report, we briefly review some of the major psychological perspectives that have attempted to explain violent behaviour. These perspectives include the psychodynamic perspective, behavioural theory, cognitive theory and personality theory. We will also explore the possible relationship between mental illness and violence. The Psychodynamic Perspective The psychodynamic perspective is largely based on the groundbreaking ideas of Sigmund Freud. A detailed discussion of Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis is beyond the scope of this report. It is sufficient to note that Freud thought that human behaviour, including violent behaviour, was the product of “unconscious” forces operating within a person’s mind. Freud also felt that early childhood experiences had a profound impact on adolescent and adult behaviour. Freud, for example, believed that conflicts...
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...Case study: Jane As a young girl Jane was repeatedly beaten by her father for being naughty. She didn’t understand why because he never bothered to explain it to her. But she knew that her father was so big and she depended on him for everything so he must be right. She learned to try very hard to always get things right and to please her father. She learned two specific lessons: • to associate love with fear • no matter how hard you try, you will fail. All through Jane’s life, an aunt has developed a special relationship with her. This aunt showed the opposite kind of love, accepting, supporting and nonjudgmental. She saw the positive sides to Jane’s qualities and admired her for them. Jane was fond of her aunt but the relationship was not very regular because of distance. She was not a significant influence in Jane’s early life. As Jane grew older she learned that her father might actually be wrong. She also realized that her father was scared of being wrong. This gave her a sense of power over him, a redress of the unfair balance of power she experienced as a young girl. As she reaches adulthood she learns that she can use guilt and fear to make her father give her what she wants. He can’t hit her any more but he can now use money to keep her love. Jane then meets a man and marries. After the first three years her husband hits her for challenging him. He feels guilty and begs forgiveness. Jane forgives him and he takes her out to buy some new clothes...
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...“The Psychology of Writing” The writing process is an in depth and complicated method that helps a writer to compose a paper from beginning to end. The writing process is ongoing and it occurs more than once while writing a paper. This process helps the writer present information in an accurate and precise manner. There are three stages to the writing process. The three stages are planning, translating, and reviewing. Planning is a composing process during which you generate information and strategies, as well as set goals and solve problems. Translating is the execution of plans into writing that others will understand. Reviewing is the process in which you evaluate ongoing writing plans and translations. Together, these three stages make up the writing process. In my professional life, I have used the writing process many times. Being in the military, there are many schools that you have to go to in order to advance your career. One of the last schools you attend is the Senior Leaders Course. During this school, one of the tasks that must be completed in order to graduate is to write an essay on a specific issue in today’s military. This paper is very important. Not only is it a requirement to graduate, but it also helps distinguish who will graduate with honors and who will not. The topic I chose to write about during the Senior Leaders Course was the quality of this generation’s soldier against soldiers that had joined the military in the past. The...
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...Psychology Research Paper: 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment Joseph Roby Carrington College Wednesday, December 4, 2013 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment It’s been over 42 years now since an illustrious experiment was performed by a couple of Stanford Psychologists that would ultimately change the course on how we look at people with the right of authority. In 1971, Psychology Professor Dr. Phillip Zimbardo operated a psychology experiment called the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment to see just how ordinary people would react when given authority over another helpless being. This experiment would take place inside the psychology rooms of the Stanford College, and would durate between the dates of August 14, 1971 to August 20, 1971. Guards would be hired and given legitimate power over mock prisoners to see what levels of domestication they would impose on them. The experiment would start off cool and harmonious, but would eventually take a blinding turn for the worst. After just six days the experiment was brought to an unforeseen end and never reached the two week frame that it was given. In just those six days Dr. Zimbardo, and eventually a wide audience, would forever know the 1971 Stanford prison experiment as an experiment that would change the amount of power someone could and will be given in a title of authority. It was never Dr. Zimbardo’s intention to create something so impactful, or maybe just not in the way it impacted our society. Before his experiment...
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...The effects of pictures and words on short-term memory recall. Abstract The aim of this research is to observe if there is a difference between the numbers of pictures and words recalled by the participants. Considering the findings of the results the participants are able to remember more objects accompanied with the pictures rather than if the objects accompanied as words. This research used 20 participants aged 16 years and above and the participants were divided into group A and group B. A list of 30 objects consists of fifteen words and fifteen pictures were given to the participants to review for two minutes and another two minutes were given to write down as many as they could remember. The mean, median and model numbers recalled pointed that the subjects were extremely good at remembering the pictures if objects accompanied with the pictures compare to if objects accompanied as words. The result used in analysing the difference between two sets of data has proved that there is a difference between subjects’ ability to remember more pictures compare to the amount words. For this reason, the hypothesis was accepted which can be concluded that there is a difference between pictures and numbers of words recalled by the participants. Introduction The major study of memory within psychology is known as cognitive psychology. Generally, the cognitive approach believes that information received from the senses (touch, taste, smell, sight) is developed by the brain...
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...Foundations of Psychology This paper will identify the major schools of thought in psychology and examine their major assumptions. The two beginning schools of thought were structuralism and functionalism. The major schools of thought in psychology are the psychodynamic, behaviorist, cognitive, and evolutionary perspective. This paper will also identify the primary biological foundation of psychology linked to behavior. These primary biological foundations are the central nervous system and the behavioral genetics. Psychodynamic Perspective The Psychodynamic perspective is a school of thought that was initially developed by Sigmund Freud. This perspective focuses on three main points. The first point is that an individual’s actions are determined by the way thoughts and emotions are connected in the individuals mind. The second point is that most of the mental events happen outside of conscious awareness. The third point is that the mental events that happen tend to conflict with each other. Many psychologists disagree with this theory because there is nothing that relates scientifically. The psychologists that agree with this theory are working on incorporating the concepts into scientific psychology (Kowalski & Weston, 2011). Behaviorist Perspective The behaviorist perspective focuses on what is common between the environmental events and the actual observable behaviors. “According to behaviorist, scientific knowledge comes from using experimental methods to study...
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...Foundations of Psychology Quandra Johnson Psychology/300 General Psychology March 07, 2014 Bradley Johnson, Ph.D. Foundations of Psychology Psychology is the study of the nature of homo sapiens, better known as scientific study and investigation of mental stabilities and activities. Through knowledgeable psychology was established from a powerful history of human beings that endeavored to acquire practical insight into one’s consciousness or demeanor. This type of study teaches what influences the behavior and mindset of men. Psychology has obtained roots in philosophy. There are numerous major schools of thought along with fundamental theories and assumptions which will be examined within this paper. Behavioral neuroscience or behavioral psychology involves evolution, heredity, adaptation, and ability to learn. The first psychology research laboratory ever launched was by Wilhelm Wundt that led to acknowledgement of psychology as a science in 1879(Peterson, &Nelson, 2011). In the early 1900’s it was thought that an individual’s environment affected learned reactions and behaviors. Maslow believed that people acquire and improve responses from incentives in their surroundings (Maslow, 1982). The Four Main Psychological Perspectives Are: The Psychodynamic Perspective This method was formed by a man named Sigmund Freud who thought ones actions dictated their mental thoughts or they were connected in some way (Robin Kowalski, 2011). Also he believed our mental...
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