Psychology Tasks Analysis - Research Paper Example

Psychology tasks Task Natural selection is the regular procedure by which genetic, biological traits turn out to beeither less or more common in a population because of hereditary traits on the varied reproductive achievement of organisms cooperating with their environs. According to Milot and Pelletier, (446), Natural selection is a primary mechanism of growth or evolution. Disparity exists in all the inhabitants of organisms. This happens partly since random mutation ascends in the genome of a single organism, and these transformations might be passed to broods. All through the lives of the individual, their genomes interrelate with their environs to cause differences in traits. Individuals having particular variations of the trait might live on and reproduce too much than those with other less effective variants. Thus, the population progresses. Genetic difference drives natural selection, and genetic inheritance conveys adaptive characters from a single generation to the subsequent. If all the associates of a particular species were the same genetically, then genetic variation could not exist and, therefore, no natural selection. The organisms in this species might still diversely reproduce because of their adaptation; however, they would convey the same genes as those that did not manage to reproduce. Despite advancements in technology and medicine, along with the improved popularity of monogamy, studies indicate that humans carry on developing just like other organisms. The natural and sexual selection still has an effect on humans, however, the factors making some people able to live better, or have better achievements and give birth to more children, have transformed with time and vary in dissimilar populations (Milot et al., 17040). Task 2 Conferring to Staddon and Cerutti, (140), this is a behaviorist theory that is centered on the main idea that reinforced behaviors are likely to endure while punished behaviors will sooner or later end. Like all other learning theories, behavioral conditioning theory has both negative and positive aspects. There are numerous weaknesses as well as strengths to this theory. For instance, when children are rewarded for behaving well, they are more likely to go on conducting themselves that way. Without positive motivation or a reward, these children will lack motivation to continue with the good behavior. Additionally, if children misbehave, they should be subjected to some form of negative reinforcement that will build up their behavior. Subsequently, children who have been punished for acting in a particular manner will be less likely to repeat that behavior again. Applying negative and positive reinforcement procedures might change a child’s character problems. The children will be able to make a connection between the bad behaviors with punishments and good ones with rewards. Therefore, this theory helps to control the behavior of children. However, this theory tends to deal with only the bad and good behavior assuming there is nothing in between those behaviors. Additionally, as a teacher or parent you cannot continue to reinforce a childs behavior positively after the first few times. The child should be able to get into a habit of continuing the good behavior even when the positive reinforcement ends. If you continue rewarding a child for behaving well, the child is likely to discontinue the good behavior once the reward becomes extinct (Follette, 10870). Task 3 Diana Baumrind is a scholar who was concentrated on the grouping of parenting styles. Her study is recognized as Baumrind’s parenting typology. In her study, she established what she deliberated to be the four simple essentials that could assist shape effective parenting: demanding versus undemanding and responsiveness versus unresponsiveness. All through her research, she recognized three preliminary parenting styles: permissive parenting, authoritarian parenting, and authoritative parenting. Her styles were later on expansion by Martin and Maccoby and placed parenting styles into two different groups: undemanding and demanding. With these four new styles of parenting were created. In authoritative parenting, parents are responsive and demanding. This parenting approach is child-centered and embraces high hopes of maturity (Sorkhabi, 554). Authoritative parents understand their children’s feelings and teach them on how to regulate them. They are also very forgiving of any possible shortcomings and assist their children to get proper outlets to solve issues. Additionally, authoritarian parenting is a heavy style of parenting involving punishments and this parent force their children follow rules with little or no justification. Indulgent parenting is responsive then not demanding. Parents using this model are very lenient and have less behavioral expectations from their children. They are so much involved with their children; however, they place little controls or demands on them. They do not expect children to behave appropriately or regulate themselves. Lastly, in neglectful parenting, the parent is neither responsive nor demanding. The parents are low in control and warmth, and are not involved in the lives’ of their children. They fail to set restrictions, are disengaged, and dismiss their children’s opinions and emotions. They just prioritize themselves. Task 4 The duration children take in a day care center is linked with negative effects in the socio-development. Extra hours in a daycare in the early years of a child is linked to less social cooperation and competence, negative moods, conflict, additional problem behaviors, and aggression. These effects persist throughout the early stages of adolescence and childhood. Children who went through more hours in day care have poorer work habits and less social skills in the third grade. During the sixth grade, these children continue to display much more problems in their behaviors. At the age of 15, these children involve themselves in dangerous behaviors and impulsivity, including the use of tobacco, alcohol, among others. Lastly, lack of the ability to control their impulses appropriately is also shown in these children (Shpancer, 236). The issue of high costs of daycare is also an issue as not all parents have the same income level to take their children to expensive day care centers that offer quality child care services. Due to these, the low-income families are forced to take their children to cheap day care centers that do not offer quality child care services. This makes their children to largish behind even up to the fourth grade and later on in life, they are not able to serve their nation due to the lack of quality early care they missed while growing. Therefore, to curb this effect of high-cost day care centers for children, the United States government should ensure the availability of affordable day care centers that offer quality early care for these children (Papero, 184). Task 5a Good mental health coupled with resilience is fundamental to the physical health, relationships, education, training, work, and achieving individual potentials. Association of psychiatry has formulated new diagnosis criteria to help in improving the accuracy of diagnosing a conditions example the DSMV. The aim of formulating new criteria is to improve the rate at which diseases are diagnosed and cured. As this method is seen to be advantageous it is has been argued that through the improvement of diagnoses the treatment of mental health conditions will not be necessarily be improved. The new methods for disease diagnosis are confusing and the patients who were initially put on medications through the previous method of diagnosis their medications will be interfered. It has also be noted that some individuals are not going to fit in any of the new methods of the improved diagnosis criteria, and their medication therapy is going to be halted. The confusion that comes with the improved diagnosis for mental health proves to be disastrous rather than advantageous to the individuals who are already put on medication. These individuals are soon going not to receive further treatment since they are considered to be well according to the new and improved methods of diagnosis. In some few cases, the improved diagnosis will help in treating the specific condition rather than a collection of symptoms presented by the individuals. Nonetheless, the disadvantages of improved diagnosis outweigh its merits in the treatment of mental health conditions. Task 5b Today, mental health problems are increasing in several countries. Therefore, health insurances should come up with policies that will help provide mental health coverage to everyone. It is a fact that the improvement of mental wellbeing of individuals is not something that the government can do it all alone; everyone has to play a part in contributing towards insurance. The government should take interest to note the problems of mental health in the contemporary society are inevitable. In addition, it should also note cases of mental health are on the rise hence good health policies will help in fighting the problem in the society (Gomory David, and Stuart, 122). Question 6 Several theories have been put forth to try to explain the acquisition of language. They present thinking over the past century on ways individuals acquire language or learn a new language. In midcentury, Frederic Skinner developed behaviorist theory that helped predicting human behavior could be learned through stimulus, response, positive or negative reinforcement processes. These processes aim at making the desired behavior on individuals become a habit that can be spontaneously be performed. A concrete example of behaviorism that is directly applied to training of higher level, because of Bandura’s work, is the use of the behavior. These terms are interchangeably being used. The use of such techniques like self-reinforcement and goal setting help in developing language acquisition and acquisition of characteristics of competent role model. Noam Chomsky also developed the second theory of language acquisition. He found out that in every individual there is an innate ability that enables him or her to acquire and use language. This innate ability is referred to as language acquisition device. Chomsky was not that concerned with the actual language that individuals do speak as with the unspoken but the rules that are understood which make the utterances appropriate and correct to the speakers who are native to the language. Noam argued that, the stages of development required for children to develop their cognitive abilities in other areas do not necessarily apply to language learning. The theories of language acquisition help in explaining how individuals can acquire new languages that they were not born with or any other new language that is different from what he or she is used to. The acquisition of language is different from any other cognitive process yet complex. It requires frequent repetition to enable the individual master the new language. Works cited Follette, W. C. “Operant Conditioning and Clinical Psychology.” International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. N.p., 2001. 10867–10873. Print. Gomory, Tomi, David Cohen, and Stuart Kirk. "Madness Or Mental Illness? Revisiting Historians Of Psychiatry." Current Psychology 32.2 (2013): 119-135. Business Source Premier. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. Milot, Emmanuel et al. “Evidence for Evolution in Response to Natural Selection in a Contemporary Human Population.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 108.41 (2011): 17040–17045. Web. Milot, Emmanuel, and Fanie Pelletier. “Human Evolution: New Playgrounds for Natural Selection.” Current biology : CB 23.10 (2013): R446–8. Web. Papero, Anna L. “Is Early, High-Quality Daycare an Asset for the Children of Low-Income, Depressed Mothers?” Developmental Review 2005: 181–211. Web. Shpancer, Noam. “The Effects of Daycare: Persistent Questions, Elusive Answers.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly 21.2 (2006): 227–237. Web. Sorkhabi, N. “Applicability of Baumrind’s Parent Typology to Collective Cultures: Analysis of Cultural Explanations of Parent Socialization Effects.” International Journal of Behavioral Development 2005: 552–563. Web. Staddon, J E R, and D T Cerutti. “Operant Conditioning.” Annual review of psychology 54 (2003): 115–144. Web. Read More