Integration of approaches assignment. Psychology Coursework

Integration of approaches assignment
WHY?
The same topic about behavior often is addressed in different ways by different psychological subfields.Despite this, no one approach is “right” or “wrong.” In fact, a multifaceted approach to understandingan issue may be needed (often crossing not only subfields in one particular discipline -- psychology inthis case -- but also incorporating other disciplines). Human behavior, whether a large societal problemor a smaller personal problem often has multiple causes. Explanations sometimes involve completelydifferent disciplines (e.g., economics + political science + psychology). Because so many issues involvehuman behavior, psychology is considered a “hub” science.
WHAT?
For this assignment, your focus will be on different sub disciplines in psychology. You will describe howthree different subfields could contribute to a problem facing society.
a. Select one of the following societal problems:
Societal problems (if you want to choose a different one, consult with me first)pollution (ineffective) education poverty terrorismnatural resource depletion pandemics (e.g., the Zika virus) social injustice hungercrime population growth gun laws homelessness
b. Select three of the following subfields (each has a short reminder about what they study). Note,these are all subfields we went over this semester.Subfield Quick reminder about approach (not exhaustive)biological Focuses on how the brain, neurons, and nervous system influence thoughts,feelings, and behaviors. People who work in this field often study how braininjuries and brain diseases impact human behavior.cognitive Often study things such as perception, motivation, emotion, language,memory, attention, decision-making, and problem-solving. Cognitive psychologistsoften use an information-processing model to describe how the mind works,suggesting that the brain stores and processes information much like a computer.learning/developmentPeople often use behavioral strategies such as classical conditioning and operantconditioning to teach or modify behaviors.Developmental psychology focuses on how people change and grow throughoutthe entire lifespan. Developmental psychologists often study things such asphysical growth, intellectual development, emotional changes, social growth, andperceptual changes that occur over the course of the lifespan.mental/physicalhealthMental health professionals help assess, diagnose, and treat a wide variety ofpsychological disorders including anxiety and depression.A goal is to improve interpersonal functioning throughout life by improving socialand emotional health as well as addressing concerns about health, work, family,marriage, and more.Health psychology focuses on how biology, psychology, behavior and social factorsinfluence health and illness. This field focuses on promoting health as well as theprevention and treatment of disease and illness.2social/personalitySocial psychology seeks to explain and understand social behavior and looks atdiverse topics including group behavior, social interactions, leadership, nonverbalcommunication, and social influences on decision-making.Personality psychologists focus on the study of the thought patterns, feelings, andbehaviors that make each individual unique. They may try to place people intodifferent categories based on the theory of personality they endorse.c. Write a 1-2 page paper in which you- describe 2-3 questions each of the subfields you selected might ask- also discuss how the answers to those questions can help solve the problem you choseDETAILSType your paper, completely double-spaced, with 1 inch margins, and a reasonable size fontOrganize your paper by content area to make it easier for me to follow.Submit your paper to the Moodle drop box I will make available.Type your NAME at the bottom of the paper [again, NO NAME = NO CREDIT]WHEN?Your paper is due by noon. on Friday, May 8 (the day our final is scheduled).Although it is not due until the very end of the semester, please do not wait to the last minute towork on it.EXAMPLE1. The next page has an example of my application of the different subfields to a societalissue not listed above (and one you may not select).Note: mine is very brief; it is intended only to help you understand the assignment. It isnot meant to suggest you should be this brief. Please expand on your answers. 3Societal problem: obesityAreas: I briefly discuss all five; you only need to use three.1. Biological: People taking a biological approach to obesity may conduct research looking forgenes that are different in obese vs. not obese people. If some sort of genetic marker exists, perhaps itwould be possible to alter that (e.g., with some sort of genetic treatment or drug to stop the gene frombeing expressed). It’s also possible that some sort of genetic test could let you know how high the risk isthat you might conceive a child at risk for obesity. Another approach to take it to determine if there aredifferent neural connections in people of different weights. Perhaps there is differential development ofvarious brain areas (e.g., an area that is missing, maybe a heightened – or diminished – sense of smell?taste?)2. Cognitive: Is there a difference in how “normal” weight vs “obese” people process information?Does weight influence how sensitive (attentive) you are to food-related words? How does your weightinfluence how you think about yourself? What motivates people to eat the foods they do? Do people ofdifferent weights remember eating experiences differently?3. Learning/development: Psychologists trained in an approach emphasizing learning may try toformulate behavioral strategies (e.g., using classical or operant conditioning) to address the issue.Maybe there could be programs that teach individuals about healthy eating (these could be targeted toyoung children, and/or targeted to parents-to-be, and/or targeted to individuals of different ages).Perhaps they could work to modify existing behaviors. Developmental psychologists could look at howweight changes over a person’s lifespan. Are there certain time periods when people are moresusceptible to gaining excess weight? What’s “normal” weight gain (e.g., children often grow “out”before having a growth spurt) vs. weight gain that signifies a problem may be developing?Developmental psychology focuses on how people change and grow throughout the entire lifespan.Developmental psychologists often study things such as physical growth, intellectual development,emotional changes, social growth, and perceptual changes that occur over the course of the lifespan.4. Mental/physical health: Do different weight people suffer from mental disorders at differentrates? For example, is there a relationship between being “obese” and suffering from depression?Maybe there’s a relationship between your marital status and your mental health (anxiety, depression,etc.). If such relationships exist, we cannot say that either caused the other, but we can see whethervarious treatments (talk therapy, drug therapy, art therapy, etc.) are associated with changes (in weightand/or mental health).Health psychologists are more likely to focus on incorporating exercise, mindfulness, yoga, etc. to try toget weight back to “normal” and to make people happier.5. Social/personality: Social psychologists are likely to investigate how others (real or imagined)influence what and how much someone eats. Are there patterns (e.g., for the big 5 personalitycharacteristics) that you see regularly with individuals of different weights?Your name4Grading rubric for Integration of Approaches Assignment (10% of final grade)FORMATTING (4% of grade)section% grade double-spaced, 1-inch margins4 proofread, no title page, reasonable size font clearly organized by content area name at bottom of last pagePERSPECTIVES: (96% of grade) Content area 1 32 Content area 2 32 Content area 3 32total 100