Category: Psychology

Social and Abnormal Psychology

Discuss the following concepts

  • Nature v. nurture.
  • Meta-consciousness.
  • Subjectivity v objectivity
  • Normal v. abnormal
  • Top-down v. bottom-up processing.

Assignment: z-Test

Hypothesis testing is the foundation of conducting research in psychology. Researchers must first determine the question they wish to answer and then state their prediction in a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis. Once the hypotheses are stated, researchers move on to data collection. However, once the results come in, the real challenge is to determine if they have meaning; that is, are the results statistically significant or just due to random variation?
This application will allow you to practice hypothesis testing by using z-scores to compare a single score to a population mean in order to determine if results are statistically significant. Download the data set that you will use for this Assignment from the Weekly Data Set forum found in the Discussions area of the course navigation menu. Be sure to watch this week’s instructional video in the introduction or Learning Resources folder before beginning your Assignment.
Scenario: Lucy wants to know how her fourth-grade daughter, Monica, scored on a test of reading comprehension compared to the population of other fourth graders in the school district. Luckily, Lucy has taken this course and knows that a z-score will help her understand Monica’s reading score in relation to the population. You can find the data for this Assignment in the Weekly Data Set forum found on the course navigation menu.

State the dependent variable.
Explain whether Lucy should use a one-tailed or a two-tailed z-test and explain why.
State the null hypothesis in words (not formulas).
State the alternative hypothesis in words (not formulas).
Calculate the obtained z-score by hand. Describe your calculations (i.e., show your work).
When alpha is set at .05, the critical value is ± 1.96. Should the null hypothesis be retained or rejected? Explain why.
Are the results statistically significant? How do you know?
What should Lucy conclude about Monica’s reading comprehension score in comparison to the population?
Lucy is excited that she remembers how to compute a z-score and does some additional computations to find Monica’s z-score in math. You can find the information you need in the Weekly Data Set forum. Use it to calculate Monica’s raw math score by hand. Provide your calculations in your Assignment submission (i.e., explain your work).
Submit responses to the following:
Be sure to fully explain the rationale for your answer to each question, including evidence from the text and Learning Resources.
Provide an APA reference list.

Week 3 Data Set
Monica’s reading comprehension score = 107

Mean fourth grade reading comprehension score = 109

Standard deviation of the fourth grade’s reading comprehension = 0.6

Monica’s z-score in math = 2.4

Mean fourth grade math score = 210

Standard deviation of the fourth grade’s math scores = 11.1

Learning Resources
Heiman, G. (2015). Behavioral sciences STAT (2nd ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage.
Chapter 5, “Describing Data with z-Scores and the Normal Curve” (pp. 68–84)
Chapter 6, “Using Probability to Make Decisions about Data” (pp. 88–102)
Chapter 7, “Overview of Statistical Hypothesis Testing: The z-Test” (pp. 106–123)
(I will upload them tomorrow morning)
and
Videos

Reliability and Validity in the field of psychology

Assignment 1: Reliability and Validity
Locate an established survey, which is commonly used in the field of psychology then provide the following information:
Title of Instrument
Include full title and name of developers.
Description
Provide a full description of the instrument. This includes the intended use of the scale and the target population. Also include the number of
items within it and note if there are any subscales within the entire scale. Include any other relevant information, not including psychometric
properties. This should be about 1 page in length.
Psychometric Properties
SECOND PAGE
Summarize two major types of Reliability. Specifically, define each term and discuss the application and relevance to the instrument, which you
have chosen (1 page in length).
THIRD PAGE
Summarize two major types of Validity. Specifically, define each term and discuss the application and relevance to the instrument, which you
have chosen (1 page in length).
PLEASE FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

Psychology Ethical Codes (Review Questions and Answers)

Read the following conversation between three therapists (psych/PT/OT): (10 pts)

Luke: Sometimes, I find it really difficult to make decisions. I am often compelled to breach the confidentiality of the client because not doing so would harm the client.

Nancy: Yes, I understand what you are saying. And, sometimes, clients show us no respect. They expect us to always find solutions to their problems. As if we’re magicians!

Harry: One of my clients kept insisting on my hugging her. In a way, I thought, how much would a hug hurt? But then it would be breach of ethics, right?

  1. Explain how each of the above dilemmas can be handled in accordance with ethical guidelines.
  2. How should a practitioner determine what is ethical versus what is unethical?
  3. Discuss the guidelines practitioners should follow to ensure that they are practicing ethically.
  4. How will practitioners know when or if they commit a breach of ethics?
  5. Develop a fictitious case study showing a therapist engaging in unethical conduct. Refer only to the ethics codes that apply for this assignment. The case study should describe a therapist at work in a setting of your choice. Choose at least five ethical codes of conduct your therapist breaks. After you have written the case study, include a paragraph on which ethical codes have been violated, the corresponding code number, and how they were broken. (10 pts)
  6. Shifts in Your Thinking about Ethics Write an essay that clearly describes what you consider to be the most important shifts in your thinking about ethical practice (clarification of your views and beliefs, modifications in your thinking on a given issue, gaining new insights, or acquiring a new perspective).  What have you most learned about yourself and/or about what constitutes becoming an ethical practitioner? How has your thinking about ethics changed?  Do a brief evaluation of yourself as a learner in this course. How invested were you this semester?  To what degree did you challenge yourself? (10 pts)
  7. After moving from a big city to a rural setting, Janice is suffering from anxiety and depression because of adjustments to the change. She wants to seek counseling services to help her adjust. Janice has always valued her privacy and is finding it difficult to commit to seeing a counselor in a rural setting. The community has only one mental health counselor. Janice fears that if she begins counseling sessions, people will learn that she is undergoing therapy. In addition, Janice is a devoted Catholic and is aware that the counselor is a devout Jehovah’s Witness, as is most of the community. Janice is apprehensive that the counselor might try to encourage her to convert. She is desperate to talk to someone and does not know where to turn.
  8. Identify the ethical codes specific to Janice’s concerns that the counselor should follow to provide professional and ethical services.
  9. Why are the ethical standards important for client progress especially in this case? (20 pts)
  10. You have a client with an addictive sexual disorder, the sexual acting out has been repetitive and the lying egregious/ a lot.
  11. Identify the ethical code number and definition.
  12. At what point do you refer and where are the boundaries?
  13. Which therapies and techniques would be more effective? (20 pts)

Self assessment

Overview: Students will be expected to complete the assignment as described below.
Purpose: Please see Course Schedule for relationships between this assignment, course objectives, and competencies.
In this assignment, you will be asked to complete a reflective self-assessment, incorporating use of the DSM-5, if applicable, as well as the
biopsychosocial approach. This provides students with an opportunity to practice developing insight and skills of self-reflection, necessary in fieldwork. Students will also critically evaluate professional use of self when preparing to work with individuals with diagnosed with mental illness, or experiencing mental health symptoms, through effectively identifying sources of biases and information, and through considering the application of their strengths, boundaries, and challenge areas.
Format: Follow the directions below for successful completion of this assignment. Your Self-Assessment should consist of 4 parts. Limit your work to 5 pages maximum and use APA formatting.

Part 1: Introduction/Reflection on experience: Suggested length: 1-2 pages
This section should be preceded by an introduction to the assignment and a purpose statement.
Identify your personal beliefs about, and experiences with, mental health. It is important to note that there is no need for self-disclosure in this section. You may also write about your experiences from your professional or academic life, or what you have observed in larger groups, or from the media. As I am writing this, I am thinking about a youth who died by suicide and streamed it live on facebook – these types of seminal social events shape us as our own personal experiences do.
If you have personal experiences, you have the right to your privacy, and the purpose of this section is to assist you with self-assessment. There are many ways to respond to this that do not have to involve self-disclosure. For instance, you might write about observations that you have made in the third person or as if they happened to someone you know, etc. DO NOT write something you are not 100% comfortable sharing.

Your responses will be kept confidential, within limits of confidentiality according to the NASW Code of Ethics.
Writing Prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
How were your beliefs about mental health formed? When you think about the phrase, is mental health the same as ‘mental illness’ or did you develop a sense that mental health is like physical and social health? Where did these beliefs arise?
How did your experiences or what you have been exposed to shape your view of the current mental health system?
What has shaped your view of “normal” or “abnormal” with regards to mental health?
What causes mental illness? Where were these beliefs shaped? What are the best treatments? Why do you think so?

Part 2: Experiences as strengths: How will your self-reflection, beliefs, and experiences about mental health and the mental health system improve your practice as a social worker? Suggested length: 2-3 paragraphs
Writing Prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
Will you use self-disclosure, and if so, to what degree? Will you offer opinions on treatment options, and if so, to what degree?
What will guide your decision making in this area? Evaluate the benefits and risks you are considering in these decisions.
Professional boundaries are always the social workers’ responsibility. How will you practice professional boundaries in your work? How will you convey your genuine self?

Part 3: Biases: How might your personally held beliefs, experiences, or biases affect your practice with others as a social worker? It is important to note that we all have biases and being aware of one’s own biases is an essential part of competent social work practice. Suggested length: 3- 4 paragraphs
Writing prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
If you are currently working in the field or completing an internship, what things have arisen that required you to examine your personal biases? If you are not currently working in the field or completing an internship, in what areas of practice or types of practice settings/types of people do you anticipate being faced with personal biases?
In what ways are you working to minimize the effect these biases and experiences may have on practice?
How do these biases have a potential to compromise your approach to assessment, engagement or intervention with people dealing with
mental health concerns?

Part 4: Psychosocial Assessment: Referencing the biopsychosocial assessments that have been introduced, as well as the concerns about diagnosis that have been covered: how do you envision using these tools in your social work practice? A conclusion should follow this area, tying together your self-reflective piece and referring to your initial purpose statement. Suggested length: 1 page Writing prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are
meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
What elements are most important in a biopsychosocial assessment?
What would you add to a biopsychosocial approach for a more complete assessment of mental health?
What is the social worker’s role in completing assessments, particularly in areas outside our scope of practice (e.g. medical, medication)?
How might you discuss the conclusions of your assessment and recommendations? What are some of the risks and benefits? How might this change with type of diagnosis and prognosis?
How will you address the ambiguity of some diagnoses to establish methods for valid and reliable diagnostic and assessment work?
**** Recommended Guidebook for APA Style Formatting
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.

Forensic Psychology (QRS Discussion Assignment)

Read the article “Driving While Impaired” and critique it using QRS.

QRS Discussion Assignments

There will be 4 QRS Discussion Assignments, worth 15 points each. These will coincide with the 4 research
articles (A-D) that I will provide in the Content section of D2L. See grading rubric below.
QRS stands for Question, Reaction, Summary. Through QRS, you will engage in higher order thinking skills by
(1) Reading a research article; (2) Extracting central concepts; (3) Recognizing areas where your understanding
of the reading is weak; (4) Formulating specific questions; (5) Critically analyzing the data supporting central
concepts in the research article; and (6) Relating content from the article to previous knowledge learned in class.
Q stands for Questions. These are questions that occur to you when you’re reading the research article. You
should write these questions down as they arise.
R represents Reaction. This is your emotional response to the reading. Did you like it or dislike it? Was it
confusing or easy to understand? There is a documented link between emotion and memory. Thus, by thinking
about your emotional reaction to the research article you are promoting retention of the information.
S signifies Summary. You will write a brief summary of what you think are the most important points for you
to acquire upon reading the research article. What is the takeaway?
For each QRS Discussion Assignment, you will start by reading the assigned research article. You will likely
need to read the article more than one time to fully comprehend it. Then, you will identify questions that occur
to you while reading the article. Then, you will prepare an emotional reaction to the research article. Lastly, you
will prepare a brief but thorough summary of what you think are the most important points of the research
article. All parts of this assignment should be typed into a Microsoft Word document that is no less than one
page long, single-spaced, but no more than two pages long, single-spaced. After running spell and grammar
check, and proofreading, then copy and paste your assignment into the appropriate D2L discussion forum. Your
response will be visible to your classmates. You will not be able to view your classmates’ QRS Discussion
Assignments until you submit your posting. After submitting your QRS Discussion Assignment into the D2L
discussion forum, take the opportunity to view your classmates’ responses.

Eating Disorders: Sociological Factors

For many years, researchers and clinicians who work with individuals with eating disorders including anorexia and bulimia have been dedicated to working predominantly with Caucasian females. For example, as noted in Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, “Ninety to 95 percent of all cases of anorexia nervosa occur in females” (Comer, 2016, p. 280). However, this may be changing in some significant ways, as evidenced in the video program entitled The Perfect Image. This documentary on eating disorders in elite gymnasts depicts one man’s experiences with anorexia nervosa, demonstrating that eating disorders can also affect men. In a similar way, the section titled “Multicultural Factors: Racial and Ethnic Differences,” beginning on page 295 in the textbook, highlights increasing similarities between women from other ethnic minority groups and Caucasian American women with respect to their concerns about weight and appearance, their dieting practices, and their vulnerability to the development of eating disorders. In this week’s Discussion, you will comment on and share your reactions to this changing landscape for eating disorders.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the Learning Resources on eating disorders, including the article by Jackson & Chen (2015).
Consider the role of sociocultural factors in some of these recent developments in the area of eating disorders.
With these thoughts in mind:

Post an analysis of the sociocultural risk factors contributing to a rise in eating disorders in both men and women in a variety of racial and ethnic groups. Include in your analysis an explanation of the factors that present the most risk for these groups, as well as your thoughts about why there has been an increase in and “spread” of these disorders. Be sure to justify your response with citations from the Learning Resources as well as at least one outside resource. Finally, given your new understanding regarding the development of eating disorders, comment on whether you think it is possible to develop a comprehensive sociocultural risk factor model and why (refer to Chapter 2, “Models of Abnormality”).

Support our assignment with at least one reference (textbook or other scholarly, empirical resources). You may state your opinion and/or provide personal examples; however, you must also back up your assertions with evidence (including in-text citations) from the source and provide a reference.

Learning Resources
Comer, R. J. (2016). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (8th ed.). New York, NY: Worth
Chapter 9, “Eating Disorders”
Chapter 10, “Substance Use and Addictive Disorders”
and

and articles

Psychological disorders

If you had to give yourself a psychological disorder, what would it be? Describe the disorder and its criteria and explain why you may have it. (give examples of your behavior)

Examining Student Motivation

After reading Chapter 3, Examining Student Motivation, completely answer each question.

1. Explain flow theory and give an example of appropriate task difficulty.
2. Describe some strategies that you think might help you be successful in encouraging your
students to focus on task mastery.
3. Why do children’s levels of motivation seem to change as they become adolescents?
4. What teaching behaviors can you use to help your students feel connected in your class?