Rethink Questions Chapter 15 Module 46

1)   I totally agree with the opinion that the DMS should be updated every several years. Abnormal behaviors are very variable and changes over time, because nobody can really define the word “abnormal”. It is hard to say what is abnormal and what not, if there is no definition. Also psychologists always try to find out something new about abnormal behavior and try to find new ways to fight them. Another reason why the DMS should be changed regularly is that the society changes over time. People think different over their life and different over the world. This is the reason that new abnormal behaviors get created and it is important to keep the book updated that it includes the disorders, which are relevant to the present and not to the past.

 

2)   As an employer I would definitely consider the shoplifting of 15$ sweater by a good paid employee defiantly as a abnormal behavior. I think we could look at this problem from three different perspectives, behavioral, humanistic and sociocultural. From a behavioral perspective, because there must be something wrong with the employees behavior itself. If we look at it from a humanistic perspective, it could be the responsibility the employee has to himself, that he just was not aware of paying for such a sweater. The most reasonable perspective is certainly the sociocultural perspective, in which people act who they are use to it from their culture, family or society. When the employee experienced such shoplifting in his culture or society he lived in he would not know that it is not legal to do such things as stealing. I would probably fire the employee because if his problem is caused on a psychological disorder it is hard to change and takes a long time, and I would not like to have this risk. It would not matter to me if it is a 15$ sweater or something more expensive, stealing is stealing.

 

Rethink Question Chapter 6 Module 19

1)   There are two different learning styles, one is the relational learning style and the other one is the analytical learning style. In the relational learning style people learn the whole first and then little parts, whereby in the analytical learning style people learn first the smaller fundamental parts of something before they learn the whole. The analytical style is more often used in western schools but I think that schools could also work in a relational style. Even though the relational style is not that common it would work in schools in which students are doing a lot of experiments or games to learn. A student has to understand the whole purpose first before he or she can start an experiment or game. In some cases analytical learning is necessary, because the little parts have to get learned first. An example for analytical learning is the learning of golf, because it is not possible that somebody who does not know how to hit a golf ball is able to play a 18 hole golf course.

 

2)   When I would be a social worker I would give an advice to parents that violent media and video games can cause aggression by their children.  When children are playing these violent video games or watch violent media they get used to the violence and learn to think that the world is violent. After they get used to the violence they start to act aggressive, because they think it is normal to act aggressive like the characters in the violent video games or the media do. Because children learn a lot by imitation they try to copy the characters from the movies and the games, which are usually aggressive and use violence. Certainly it is hard for parents to control what movies their children are watching and what games they are playing, but it is important that they keep to look at it because it can have serious affects on their children.

Rethink Questions Chapter 6 Module 18

1)   Punishment is certainly a method to rear children even it is not always the most successful one. Also Punishment can be divided two different kinds, which are Positive Punishment and Negative Punishment.  Positive punishment works by adding something to a person, like yelling at somebody, whereby negative punishment is removing something, like taking the teenagers car keys. Both methods are certainly important by child rearing, because they are decreasing the behavior of people to do something.  Even Punishment works well in short time reinforcement is a better way to rear somebody over long time. I would suggest reinforcement to parents, because it is better for the psyche of their children, because the are learning how to deal with things on a positive way and not on a aggressive way in which they get punished. The problems with punishment are that people learn to see the world in an aggressive way that makes them aggressive.

 

2)   When I would be a teacher and would have to make students make their homework more often I would use a kind of reinforcement. It is more likely that students make their homework, when they receive positive reactions on their work, then getting yelled at if they are not doing it. When a teacher always punishes a student for not doing homework the student tend to do less homework because he or she does not feel sympathy to the teacher and does not want to do work for the teacher. This is different when a teacher is using reinforcement, because the student gets positive feedback the student tends to do the homework more often, to get more positive feedback from the teacher. I would use partial reinforcement schedule instead of a continuous one, because then students do not always get a reaction to their work and will work more harder to get a good respond.

 

 

Chapter 6 Rethink questions Module 17

1)   It is very likely that Little Albert recovered from his experience of fear of white fluffy material. Because the one basic phenomena of learning, Extinction, Albert learned over time that he does not has to fear from the white fluffy things like the Santa Claus beard. He will be learn that not everything which looks like a whit rat is bad it could even be possible that he will learn not to fear rats. But even he got used to the white and fluffy objects and does not fear it anymore, he will sometimes get remembered of his extinguished fear, because of an effect called spontaneous recovery. This effect of spontaneous recovery will make him remember his fear as a young boy and will make him scared.

 

2)   Classical Conditioning can be used very effective in advertisements, because it makes people think about something they usually would not think of in this moment. An example is the big golden M which people see when they pass a McDonalds, whenever someone passes this golden M he or she thinks about eating a burger and fries, because they learned over time that McDonalds offers these products and that they taste very well. Because of classical conditioning people learned over time what a sign or special sound in a commercial means and thinks about the product the company wants to sell. I do not think that in commercial any ethnical issues could occur, but if it certainly has consequences as we saw in the case little Albert.

 

 

 

Module 16

Module 16

 

1. Drug education campaigns have been largely ineffective, because younger people still come in contact with drugs. These teenagers go to parties, where drugs play a huge role. The education campaigns just tell them not to do drugs, but to some of the drugs a person get addicted right after the first try. When a teenager tries now these drugs it is hard to get away from them anymore. Often peer pressure deludes people to try drugs and what makes them addicted, and it can be hardly stopped by these education campaigns. A lot of people also try drugs because it is illegal, what makes them exited and interested in the drugs. Some states started now to legalize the drugs, which I think is not a good way to stop the drug problem. Even people would not be so exited anymore to take drugs; the opportunities to get drugs are much easier. Also people, who sell drug, could not get punished anymore because they do legal things.
2. From the perspective of a substance abuse counselor, it is hard to tell family members why somebody starts drinking. I would try to explain them that peer pressure, stress, or fear could cause a person to use drugs. It is easier for a person to handle stress or fear when the person is under the influences of drugs; everything seems to be easy. I would advocate drug prevention problems in which the whole family and some friends are coming together and talk about the problems the person who uses drugs causes in their lives. In a prevention program similar to the one described the person who uses drugs gets shown by their closest persons what the bad sites of his or her drug use is.

Time in a Bottle – Question

Time in a Bottle – Questions

 

1. I think that student who are drinking because of peer pressure actually drink less then others because they do not really like to drink. Somebody who just drinks because of peer pressure does not really like to drink; he or she is just drinking because other people are drinking. These people do not like the taste or do not feel better when they are drinking alcohol. These people just drink o parties where a lot of people are and where everybody is drinking. Compared to the students who are not drinking because of the peer drinking, these people would never drink when nobody else is with them or when the have the chance to drink alone. People who drink because of peer pressure drink much less then people who like to drink or are addicted to drinking because they have not the urge to drink.
2. Students who drink a lot think that other drink a lot also because the think that everybody is doing it the same way as they do. These students think that every college student is drinking a lot because it is a part of the college live, but it is not. These people go to every party and meet people they know there where they think that they are also going to every party and drink. Also these people are getting used to drink more, when this people are coming to an party where a lot of people are very drunk they think they have to be very drunk also, but they need to drink more to get to these level of being dunk. Many of these people have big problems because they think everybody is drinking as much as they do.
3. Students drinking behavior and attitudes might be modified by the perception of their peers drinking. Some people who are drinking are getting funny and brave, these features will might have a positive impact on other people so they want to drink too, to get funny and brave too. Other people are getting aggressive or starting crying, so if a peer sees this person he or she might be scared of drinking and does not start it. So the perception of students of their peers drinking can have different influences on their colleges, some are negative and some positive.

 

Module 15

Module 15

 

1. People in almost every culture use hypnosis to alter their states of consciousness. Hypnosis helps them controlling pain, reducing smoking, treating psychological disorders, assisting in law enforcement, or improving athletic performances. But hypnosis does not work with everybody, so some people are not able to get hypnotized. Hypnosis is not the only way to alter the stat of consciousness also meditation can be used. The advantage compared to hypnosis is that everybody can do it.

 

1. Yes I would encourage people to use meditation during the workday. Even it steels people some work time they can work more effective when they use meditation. People can take a break on a hard working day and do some meditation so they get refocused after the meditation they can start working again. Even meditation has a lot of advantages it takes some time to do it, so it is probably not the best thing to do during work. Compared to Hypnosis everybody can meditate when he follows simple rules.

 

Module 13 and 14

Module 13

 

1. Painters use perspective to create 3D effects, even the painting is drawn it seems to the eye as it would be in 3D. An example for this is a railroad tack, our eyes are used to the picture that a railroad is going together in the distance even it is not really going together. When a painter draws it like it is going together our eyes see it as 3D, because our brain knows the pictures and who we see it normally not on pictures. Also the use of different sizes of objects create the feeling of 3D, so is an elephant usually taller then an antelope, but when an painter draws the elephant smaller then the antelope our brain recognizes that the elephant is further away.  Some African tribes cannot see the 3D effects because their brain is not used to 3D. Their brain does not recognize that a railroad tack, which is going together on a painting, creates a 3D illusion. Also the do not recognize the differences between size so they would see a elephant which is smaller then an antelope on the same level then the antelope.
2. If a member of my staff would propose a subliminal advertisement, I would argue that it is not proven that it really works. A lot of psychologists think it works but nobody can really prove if people really react on the picture the see but nor recognize. Also the prime (the image the persons sees but not recognize to have seen it) has to be intensive that it is affective, and even if people show reaction the subliminal advertisement does not hold on very long.

 

Module 14

1. If a pill would exist which let people sleep just for one hour the advantages would be that the person would have more time to work, or it would give people more spare time. Also sleeping disorders would not be so likely to occur, because people do not reach the stages in which the disorder occurs. But beside these advantages it would have serious disadvantages for people who would take this pill. People who just sleep one hour never reach stage five, REM stage, of the sleeping in which they are dreaming and which is the most important stage during sleep. Another disadvantage would be that with just one hour of sleep people would not dream, which is important, because it remembers us of material to which we have been previously exposed, based on the DREAMS-FOR-SURVIVAL THEORY. I would not use this pill because I would never really sleep in the REM stage.
2. I think the finding in sleep research are very important for maximize students learning. Students’ learning is more effective when they have enough sleep, because they can concentrate more on specific things. Enough sleep is also necessary for them because it during sleep important brain functions get build and new brain cells get developed. Sleeping in the REM stage is also important for them to remember material, which they have previously exposed.

 

Rethink Questions 11-12

Rethink Chapter 4 Module 11

 

1)   I do not think there would be a different perception of the world if people would have a second lens, because the body would have get used to it through the evolution and would see the world like it is and not up and down.

2)   In advertisements for people who are color blind I would not use colors like green and red because  these are the colors most of the color blind people can not see. So I would use other colors so that these people do not have a disadvantage.

 

 

Rethink Chapter 4 Module 12

 

1)   The research in the repairing faulty sensory organs is important. The advantages are that people can improve their disabilities in these organs to get the ability to bring their broken organs back to a normal level. The disadvantages are that people get used to the new facilities and their organs getting worst from alone.

2)   I would try to convince the child’s family members to let repair his deaf, because I just can be from advantage for him to have a additional sense. Even other senses already developed so that he can equate his deaf, it is a advantage to hear.

 

 

 

 

Rethink Questions Module 10

 

1. I think it is possible to have sensation without perception, because sometimes people feel something but do not analyze the in their brain why they felt it.   It is also possible that perception occurs without sensation, because some people are thinking that something exists even it is not existing in real life.
2. As a manufacturer I would use Psychophysics, to test if the psychological experience of a new product is better then of an old product. I would check wich product comsumers would take if they have just the choice between the old and the new product, and if they would choose the old product I would know that I have to change something.