Psychology-Theory & Research

Respond to each question in 1- 1 ½ pages per question.
Total assignment should be 8-10 pages total plus a Title and Reference Page
Do not copy the questions in your responses. See APA style on how to create Topic Headings.  Suggested Topic Headings follow each question.  You may use them or create your own.

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Question One: Consider the Research by Zhu, Ziang, Fan, and Han in the text on Cross-Cultural Differences in Brain Activation When Considering the Self.  What does it mean to have a self-concept that is so fused with representations of others?  What does it mean to have a self-concept that is NOT fused with representations of others?  What might the behavioral implications be?
Suggested Topic Heading: Self-Concept and Cross-Cultural Differences
Question Two: Some psychologists have suggested that while individuals tend to use traits to describe themselves and others, this merely tells us something about the cognitive functioning of individuals and about their interpersonal perceptions– it does not tell us that traits represent the best tools for the scientific analysis of personality. How important is the fact that the layperson finds the trait a useful construct? If we accept the importance of the layperson’s use of this construct for theory development, does this also commit us to accepting the specific trait names and categorizations used by the layperson (e.g., honest, aggressive, sympathetic)?
Suggested Topic Heading: Trait Constructs
Question Three: Big five terms are great for describing differences between people. But are they also good for explaining people’s behavior? Is it reasonable to say that “Liz smiled and greeted people happily because she is an extravert”? Or is that similar to saying “It is sunny and warm in San Diego this week because San Diego has nice weather”? In other words, is this sort of “explanation” one that just takes you around in circles?
Suggested Topic Heading: The Five-Factor Model
Question Four: The text discusses research on brain systems involved in higher-level psychological functions, such as self-concept. How much do we learn about such psychological functions by studying the brain? In other words, since we know that some systems in the brain have to be involved in any psychological function, does an analysis of underlying neuroanatomy answer the most pressing questions about personality? Or does it leave unanswered critical questions about the ways in which these psychological capacities develop and function in the social world? In short: Can there be a neuroscience of personality?
Suggested Topic Heading: The Brain and Psychological Functions

Question Five:  Skinner suggests that since environmental control is ever-present, we should learn to make maximum use of these environmental influences.  He also suggests that concern with internal variables, such as emotion and motivation, as explanations of behavior has led psychologists astray. Do you think this approach would lead to a more scientific psychology?  Or might it instead create a psychology that fails to develop a science of important aspects of human experience?
Suggested Topic Heading: Skinner and Environmental Influences
Question Six: In considering Kelly’s constructive alternativism, does it seem odd to read about a theorist who holds little stock in idea that there is an objective reality or absolute truth to discover?  Can we conduct a science of persons if there is no objective reality or truth to discover?  How might Kelly’s constructive alternativism foster an even more fruitful scientific investigation of persons than other theories?
Suggested Topic Heading: Kelly’s Constructive Alternativism
Question Seven: B. F. Skinner questioned people’s capacity for free will and self-control. In what ways does social cognitive theory, and its associated programs of research, provide a counter-argument to Skinner’s position?. How does a focus on expectancies differentiate social-cognitive theory from behaviorism?  How does this shift enable social-cognitive theorists to explain why two people react differently to the same environment?
Suggested Topic Heading: Skinner vs Social Cognitive Theory
Question Eight: People seem to differ in their “moods.” Some people are commonly “upbeat” and “lively.” Others seem lower in energy. Some people seem commonly to be depressed. How does social cognitive theory explain these individual differences? Or does it? Might this be a limitation to the social-cognitive approach? What are your thoughts about problem-focused and emotion-focused coping?
Suggested Topic Heading: Social Cognitive Theory, Problem-Focused and Emotion-Focused Coping

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Psychology-Theory & Research

Psychology-Theory & Research