...What made you into who you are today? For years psychologist have debated nature vs.nurture, something that has a great influence on a persons behaviour. Nature is a genetic material while nurture refers to the experiences you've had. In Truman Capote "In Cold Blood" Capote expresses that both nature and nurture play a role in a persons life. Richard "Dick" Hickock was a star athlete and a successful student. While Perry Smith has had a very traumatic life from moving, suffering from abuse, etc. What made these two very opposite people, come together to commit one awful crime? Smith had a terrible upbringing. Starting with parents that didn't get along, a mother who abandoned her family, and sister who committed suicide. Capote goes into full...
Words: 952 - Pages: 4
...think about how an individual is molded into who they are. Or is an individual born with these qualities? Are cold blooded killers naturally born as killers? The environment where you grew in may have a great effect on you. It influences the way you behave and respond to situations. What shapes us and how we...
Words: 1190 - Pages: 5
...in this constant battle of trying to control his monsters dangerous and impulsive behaviors while also keeping to his father's expectations. Although it is apparent that Victor can’t control his monster all the time and this results in death. Also, when Victor loses control of a situation or things don’t work out how they are supposed to he becomes very ill, in reference to the ego’s constant and tiresome battle to please both the id and the superego, that can really take a toll on the psyche.” During my first experiment, a kind of enthusiastic frenzy had blinded me to the horror of my employment; my mind was intently fixed on the consummation of my labor, and my eyes were shut to the horror of my proceedings. But now I went to it in cold blood, and my heart often sickened at the work of my hands.” -Victor (p.141). This quote shows Victor’s struggle with his excitement to create life and the horror of reality that struck him once he saw what he...
Words: 1320 - Pages: 6
...include attention, memory, abstract thinking and speed of processing information and social intelligence. Plastic – means the capacity for change; for example can you still improve your intellectual skills when you are in your 60’s or 70’s. Or may they be fixed by your 30’s Contextual – contexts include families, schools, peer groups, churches, cities, neighborhoods. Each is influenced by historical, economic, social and cultural factors. Normative age- graded influences- are similar for individuals in a particular age group Puberty Menopause Starting kindergarten Normative history-graded influences- are common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances. Living time during a historical event WWII, cold War, great depression, 9/11, The Great Depression Non-normative life events - Individual events that happen to people. Kindergarten parents died Hurricane Katrina, car wreck, young kid has a stroke. Development Stages Prenatal (conception – birth) from a single cell to a complete organism with a brain and behavioral capabilities. Infancy (birth – 24 months) – psychological activities (language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor coordination and social learning. Early Childhood (2-5 yrs.)- “preschool years” young children learn to become self-sufficient and care for themselves. Middle Late childhood (6-11) fundamental skills of...
Words: 2381 - Pages: 10
...separately, with no knowledge of their twinship. Neubauer also recognized the exceptional research possibilities such a separation offered. Studies of twins reared apart are one of the most powerful tools that scholars have to analyze the relative contributions of heredity and environment to the makeup of individual human natures. Identical twins are rare, however, and twins who have been separated and brought up in different families are particularly unusual. Neubauer was aware of a mere handful of studies examining twins reared apart, and in most cases the twins being studied had been separated for only part of their childhoods and were reunited at some point long before the study began. Here was an opportunity to look at twins from the moment they were separated, and to trace them through childhood, observing at each stage of development the parallel or diverging courses of their lives. Because the sisters shared the same genetic makeup, one could evaluate the environmental effects on the twins' personalities, their behavior, their health, their intelligence. Such a study might not set to rest the ancient quarrel over the relative importance of nature versus nurture, but there were few other experiments...
Words: 6661 - Pages: 27
...myself and iBottom of Form The Scientific Method Psychology is, like any science, a branch of knowledge that deals with a body of facts systematically arranged and shows the operation of general laws. In all sciences, including psychology, a special procedure, the scientific method, must be used to collect data to answer a question or to solve a problem. The scientific method not only answers the question at hand but also is used to construct scientific theories. A theory is systematically organized knowledge applicable in a wide variety of circumstances. (The amount of information available in any science is too vast to be useful unless it is organized through the use of theories.) Theories are also used to predict events or to answer questions in a specific scientific discipline. In psychology, theories are used to organize and predict behavior and mental processes. The findings of a particular study may support or lead to the alteration of a theory.While the scientific method doesn't provide a step-by-step recipe for dealing with specific circumstances, it does provide general guidelines for the following procedures in any scientific data collection. Formulation of the problem, design of the study, collection of data, analysis of data, conclusions drawn from data. The description of a study, its procedures, and its conclusions is frequently published as an article in a scientific journal. Careful attention to following the scientific method allows a second investigator to replicate or refute the...
Words: 2485 - Pages: 10
...The basic definition of the word criminal is someone who commits offending behaviour within society (Harrower, 2001). The crime may range from petty theft to murder. Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes. These theories represent part of the classic psychological debate, nature versus nurture. Are individuals predisposed to becoming a criminal or are they made through their environment. There are various theories within the biological explanation as to why individuals commit criminal behaviour, these include: genetic theory, hereditary theory, psychosis and brain injury theory. In the next few paragraphs examples of each will be shown. The first theory to be explored is the hereditary theory, which stems from Cesare Lombroso (1876) father of criminology, (Feldman, 1993) whose studies were carried out by morphology. Lombroso tried to show a relationship between criminal behaviour and physical characteristics. Lombrosco suggested that an individual was predisposed to becoming a criminal, as a result of internal or innate characteristics, rather than environmental factors. Lombroso observed both criminals and non- criminals by their physical abnormalities, such as physical measurements and examinations. He concluded that most prisoners show the same physical abnormalities, which...
Words: 2214 - Pages: 9
...l University of Phoenix Material Personality Theories Matrix THEORY | Psychoanalytic | Neo-Freudian | Trait | Biological | Humanistic |Behavioral/ Social | Cognitive | |School of Thought (List the factors that each school believes influence personality development) |Psychosexual stages: 1.Oral-Focus on mouth and a satisfaction of sucking and biting. 2. Anal-Pleasure of anus and a concern with feces. 3.Phallic-Fear and anxiety of castration from his father because of sexual desires for one’s mother. 4. Latency-Repression of infantile sexuality. 5.Gential-Maturity of sexuality, capable of genuine love. Concepts of Mental structure: 1. Id-Basic impulses, sexual and aggressive. Impulsive and irrational. This is also known as the pleasure principle when one seeks immediate satisfaction regardless of the consciences. 2. Ego-Test reality, seeks safety and survival, rational, and logic. 3. Super-Ego-Ideal and moral, strives for perfection, dictates, incorporative, imposes limitations on satisfactions. Unconscious Conflict: This is when a person may have a fear of certain things and may use other things to describe the fear. Example: If someone was afraid of an animal that they have never been in contact with. This may be a sign of a fear that is revealed as an unconscious conflict with something they know nothing about. |Alfred Adler: Strive for superiority: Born with a sense of inferiority. Striving to overcome these deficiencies of weakness and helplessness...
Words: 6510 - Pages: 27
...Michael Jackson fact file: Michael Joseph Jackson was born August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009 was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. Called the king of pop his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Michael Jackson has his own websites so his fans could check out his songs and updates also honour his music. Michael Jackson did his autobiography in a book and was published in February 1 in 1988. Five months after the release of Jackson’s 1987 Bad album, and named after Jackson’s signature dance move, the moonwalk. Michael Jackson was 58 when he died. Dubbed the "King of Pop," singer-songwriter Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana. As a child, he performed as the lead singer of the Jackson family's popular Motown group, the Jackson 5. No single artist – indeed, no movement or force – has eclipsed what Michael Jackson accomplished in the first years of his adult solo career. Jackson changed the balance in the pop world in a way that nobody has since. He forced rock & roll and the mainstream press to acknowledge that the biggest pop star in the world could be young and black, and in doing so he broke down more barriers than anybody. But he is also among the best proofs in living memory of poet William Carlos Williams' famous verse: "The pure products of America/go crazy." When Jackson died on June 25th, 2009, of apparent cardiac arrest...
Words: 16963 - Pages: 68
...PSYCHOLOGY and your life chapter 1 introduction to ps ychology 2 chapter outline A Gift of Life It was every subway rider’s nightmare, times two. Who has ridden along New York’s 656 miles of subway lines and not wondered: “What if I fell to the tracks as a train came in? What would I do?” And who has not thought: “What if someone else fell? Would I jump to the rescue?” Wesley Autrey, a 50-year-old construction worker and navy veteran, faced both those questions in a flashing instant yesterday and got his answers almost as quickly. Mr. Autrey was waiting for the downtown local at 137th Street and Broadway in Manhattan around 12:45 p.m. He was taking his two daughters, Syshe, 4, and Shuqui, 6, home before work. Nearby, a man collapsed, his body convulsing. Mr. Autrey and two women rushed to help, he said. The man, Cameron Hollopeter, 20, managed to get up, but then stumbled to the platform edge and fell to the tracks, between the two rails. The headlights of the No. 1 train appeared. “I had to make a split decision,” Mr. Autrey said. So he made one, and leapt. Mr. Autrey lay on Mr. Hollopeter, his heart pounding, pressing him down in a space roughly a foot deep. The train’s brakes screeched, but it could not stop in time. Five cars rolled overhead before the train stopped, the cars passing inches from his head, smudging his blue knit cap with grease. Mr. Autrey heard onlookers’ screams. “We’re O.K. down here,” he yelled, “but I’ve got two daughters up there...
Words: 17380 - Pages: 70
...PSY 200/203 Study Guide for Final Exam Chapter 1 - Scientific method A. Psychology has four basic goals regarding behavior and mental processes 1. Describe 2. Explain 3. Predict 4. Control B. Scientific method - set of assumptions, attitudes, and procedures that guide researchers in investigations 1. Events are lawful (follow consistent patterns) 2. Events are explainable 3. Events are approached with scientific skepticism (critical thinking) a. Minimize the influence of preconceptions/biases while evaluating the evidence b. Determine the conclusions that can be reasonably drawn from the evidence c. Consider alternative explanations for research findings Steps in the scientific method A. Formulate a testable hypothesis 1. hypothesis 2. variables 3. operational definition B. Design the study and collect data 1. descriptive methods 2. experimental methods C. Analyze the data and draw conclusions D. Report the findings Descriptive research methods – strategies for observing and describing behavior A. Naturalistic observation – systematic observation and recording of behaviors as they occur in their natural settings 1. Allows study of behaviors that cannot be easily or ethically manipulated in an experiment B. Case study – indepth investigation of an individual or small group of individuals 1. Allows study of rare, unusual or extreme conditions C. Surveys 1. Sample ...
Words: 5603 - Pages: 23
...Final Exam Review – Psychology 101 INTRODUCTION You are influenced by: 1. Physiology of your nervous system 2. 5 Senses 3. Cognition – Thinking and Problem Solving 4. Social Environment 5. Personality 6. Stress & psychological disorders Psychology is the science of what? Behavior * Science Aspect * Based on Experiments * Behavior * What is behavior? Observable through * Neural * Verbal * Social * Etc. * What is behavior driven by? * Mind * Body * Environment Basic Research vs. Applied Research * Basic Research is the seeking of more knowledge but not to solve a problem * Applied Research is using knowledge to solve a problem Figuring out what a part of the brain does is an example of? Basic Research Knowing what a part of the brain does and using that information to analyze why a part of a person’s brain isn’t working correctly? Applied research BEGINNINGS OF PSYCHOLOGY Who established the first laboratory devoted to Psychology, when, and where? * William Wundt, 1879, Leipzig, Germany Before 1800, questions of the mind were reserved for what field? * Philosophy From 1800 to 1879, rapid advances took place in what field? * Physiology Early psychology applied what methods to the study of the mind? * Physiological NEURONS 1600: Descartes & the Garden of St. Germain * Statues “came to life” as...
Words: 10769 - Pages: 44
...Different schools of Psychology to the advancement of the field of Psychology Psychology began or has its roots in philosophy, the mother of all sciences. Aristotle in his works speaks rather remotely on different aspects of psychology. Among some of Aristotle’s major and famous works namely metaphysics, De Anime; he speaks of the soul which in profound consideration could come to the conclusion that it sounds synonymous with our modern understanding of ‘mind’. Thus psychology was a part of philosophy from the very beginning through it stands independently now. Further long before Aristotle existed; philosophers like Thales, Pythagoras, Heraclites and Parmenides spoke on the same subject even though it was not that much elaborated. Here we cannot forget the contribution made by Plato. He very clearly explains in his dialogues further on this matter. Psychology originated very simply as a result of the development of the metaphysical approach of the people of different times. In sociology it is an acceptable fact that the prevailing circumstances and state of a particular social milieu make a great impact on a particular matter. This impact varies from place to place time to time depending on the social characteristics. By inferences the aforementioned is the reason why there are different schools in psychology. When we analyses it stands to reason that all psychologists were trying to deal with the same matter. They have seen the same problems or the issues with regard to ‘mind’...
Words: 4796 - Pages: 20
...their side-effects graudually come to the surface.firstly,to run a car need a lot of oil,which is getting less and less.the increasing number of cars contribute the lacking of energy.secondlly,as more and more cars are used,the traffic ecpecially in big cities is getting heaver and heavier,which lead to the serious social problem--traffic jam.in addition,the inceasing numbers of cars ,which excaust sent a huge quantities of carbon monoxide into atmosphere.it make the air of cities unbreathabe,it strip people contact with frensh air. therefore,the new energy should be explored to replace the oil so that our envionmental pollution can be avioded .and the strick law should be issued to keep the numbers of cars under control.thus,our heavier traffic can be solluted Private cars vs Public traffic As traffic problems become more and more serious in many cities of developed and developing countries, their governments have to try hard and loads of money and energy have been spent to deal with them. Firstly, it is not efficient for the commuters...
Words: 29495 - Pages: 118
...feL82809_ch01_002-047.indd Page 2 8/2/10 9:46 PM user-f465 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Psychology /Users/user-f465/Desktop feL82809_ch01_002-047.indd Page 3 8/2/10 9:46 PM user-f465 /Users/user-f465/Desktop Key Concepts for Chapter 1 MODULE 1 What is the science of psychology? ● What Psychologists at Work are the major specialties in the field of The Subfields of Psychology: Psychology’s Family Tree psychology? ● Where do psychologists Working at Psychology PsychWork: Licensed Social Worker work? MODULE 2 What are the origins of psychology? ● What are the major approaches in contemporary psychology? ● What are psychology’s key issues and controversies? ● What is the future of psychology likely to hold? A Science Evolves: The Past, the Present, and the Future The Roots of Psychology Today’s Perspectives Applying Psychology in the 21st Century: Psychology Matters Psychology’s Key Issues and Controversies Psychology’s Future MODULE 3 What is the scientific method? ● What role Research in Psychology do theories and hypotheses play in The Scientific Method psychological research? ● What research Descriptive Research methods do psychologists use? ● How do Experimental Research Psychological Research psychologists establish cause-and-effect relationships using experiments? MODULE 4 What major issues confront psychologists conducting research? Research Challenges: ...
Words: 22475 - Pages: 90
