Application Of Psychological Theory And Research Essay

Methods used in psychological research are used to obtain quantitative or qualitative data. Quantitative data is more often than not derived from methods such as experiments and statistics analysing data using surveys, questionnaires and interviews. Qualitative data tends not to be aimed at finding exact measurements in its findings, but is more concerned with evidence collection and analysis through practices such as observation and ethnography (using observations through involvement in activities over a period of time) (Brownlow 2011).

Depression is characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in weight or appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating, or recurrent thoughts of death. A diagnosis of major depressive disorder requires the presence of five or more symptoms during the same two-week period and

In Psychology 101, you learn about a personal fable; something that I have not lost. I have always wanted to change the world that I was destined for greatness and teaching elementary school students gives me that power. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Major depression is a commonly diagnosed psychological disorder affecting individuals’ ability to feel happiness and peace of mind. Those who suffer experience negative emotions, lack of motivation, changes in behaviour and dysfunctional cognitive symptoms. Depression is classified by the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-5) as five of more of the listed symptoms present persistently over the same two weeks. One of these symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities. Depression causes disruption to typical daily life such as inability to maintain friendships and jobs. Other symptoms outlined by the DSM-5 include; insomnia, fatigue and recurrent thoughts of death. There is much debate over what exactly causes depression. Biological explanations question hereditary and neurotransmitter factors. While psychological theories include the cognitive ideas of Beck’s negative triad and hopelessness theory. This essay will focus on the ways in which psychological and biological explanations contrast and how their theories can overlap to better understand depression.

It just may happen to be true that the greatest threats to the safety of young adolescents is young adolescents themselves or perhaps even society’s way of dealing with adolescents. At any age throughout the psychological development of the brain, the thought process is bound to be affected by environmental factors which later appear in manifestations attributed singularly to young adolescents such as binge drinking and higher mobile vehicle fatalities. In teenagers an important environmental factor often dictating their behavior is one simple somewhat expected part of life that modifies their behavior when compared to other age groups: peers. An individual at any age shows the same level of irrationality despite preconceived notions that teenagers and young adults have a higher propensity for such risky behavior. This

There are many theories that attempt to explain the cause of crime. Two theories for the cause of crime are the Psychological and Social Process Theory. According to Schmalleger (2015), psychological theorist believe “crime is the result of inappropriate behavioral conditioning or a diseased mind” (p. 78). Social Process Theory claims “crime results from failure of self-direction, from inadequate social roles, or from associating with others who are already criminals” (Schmalleger, 2015, p. 103). Another theory is Conflict theory, Schmalleger (2015) states that according to conflict theory “crime is a natural consequence of social, political, and economic inequities” (p. 77). Another approach to crime causation is the Sociological theories which argue “the individual is a product of his or her environment” (Schmalleger, 2015, p. 103).

Behavior Psychology Psychology is defined as a science that focuses on the study of and to

A debate rages in psychology. It is not one of the usual kind, dwelling on a specific aspect of the mind or a new drug, but a controversy dealing with the very foundations of psychology. The issue is determining how psychologists should treat patients and on what psychologists base their choices. Some feel that they must be empirically-supported treatments, treatments backed by hard data and scientifically supported. Others feel that this standard for treatments is much too confining for the complex field of psychology and that many good treatments cannot be backed by hard data. The American Psychological Association President Task Force on Evidence-Based Treatment came out with a plan for psychology that effectively maintains a high

The Halo Effect is the cognitive bias that generalizes that if an individual has one outstanding favorable character trait, the rest of that individual’s trait will be favorable. Specific to physical attractiveness, this is known as the “Attractiveness Halo.” Attractiveness plays an important role in determining social interactions. In fact, the physical attractiveness of an individual is a vital social cue utilized by others to evaluate other aspects of that individual’s abilities (Kenealy, Frude, & Shaw, 2001). Because of the attractiveness halo, attractive applicants trying to enter the workforce tend to

Previous research has found that the presence of irrelevant neuroscience information seems to pique the interest of the public when added to explanations of psychological phenomena. This effect of interfering with people’s ability to identify logical explanations from illogical ones does not seem to work when information from other sciences is added. We test this hypothesis by giving 340 undergraduate introductory psychology students some explanations of psychological phenomena that were from each of the 6 conditions, using a 2 (Quality: Good, Bad) by 3 (Neuroscience, Social Science, Hard Science) design. Participants on average rated good explanations better than bad ones and explanations containing neuroscience information as significantly higher than other sciences. The added neuroscience information had a significant effect on participants’ judgements of quality of explanations, while social science and hard science did not have the same effect.

There are many explanations for the origins of modern social psychology. It is therefore important to consider that social psychology cannot be traced back to one single source of origin (Burr, 2003). Hence, this is the reason why there are debates of what social psychology is. Allport (1985) described social psychology as the study an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours which are influenced by the actual, imagines, or implied presence of others. As seen from this definition there is a direct link between social science and the individual psychology (Sewell, 1989). Social psychology cannot be seen as a linear phenomenon. This is because social psychology has been derived from a combination of influences. The development of

What judgments do we make about others? Everyday we make judgments in our social interactions about why others act the way they do, which is known as

American Psychological Association is the leading scientific and professional body representing psychology in the United States of America. This paper will discuss the purpose, structure, function, mission, benefits and resources to the members and public at large.

This research article was taken from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) Journal. This specific issue had a total of ten articles, and while they are covering different topics and studies, some of them do focus on similar ideas. Psychology is all about the study of the mind, and how it has different parts intended for unique functions. It seems like a good portion of the articles for this specific journal deal with emotions and how the body interprets them. One article deals with the stress of different generations, while another deals with an individual’s willpower against sugar. There is an article about self-esteem and how that varies during a lifetime, as well as an article on cooperation. The article that will be specifically discussed in this research paper also has to deal with how the body interprets things when it comes to a stressful situation, such as a crime. It looks at how reliable eyewitness testimony is after traumatic events, specifically in regards to lineups.

Major Depressive Disorder is marked by sadness and any four of the following seven criteria: weight loss or weight gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, motor slowing or agitation, fatigue, worthlessness or guilt, impaired concentration, and thoughts of suicide or suicide attempt. Those with Major Depressive Disorder have never had mania or hypomania and may also have anxiety symptoms. When the Major Depressive Disorder is combined with melancholic features, then the person has a “loss of pleasure in all, or almost all, activities [and has a] lack of reactivity to usually pleasurable stimuli (does not feel better, even temporarily, when something good happens” (American Psychiatric Association, p. 185). Observations made by others, such as being tearful, is also a criterion of this disorder (American