Ashford PSY352 Discussions Latest 2021 November (Full)

PSY352 Cognitive Psychology

Week 1 Discussion

Hot Topics in Cognitive Psychology

(Please remember this is due Thursday of your first week of class, no late discussions will be given credit unless you have a valid accommodation on file. The goal of this discussion forum is to offer you an introduction to the field of cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology is a discipline within psychology that is concerned with the scientific study of the human mind. The mind is responsible for a variety of functions and abilities, including perception, attention, consciousness, memory, reasoning, and decision-making. Most of our mental life is unconscious. If the objects of our attention are equated to the objects of our consciousness, it is reasonable to assume that we are aware of only a limited number of events in our daily lives.

For your initial post, complete the following steps:

Watch the video entitled, The Magic of the Unconscious: Automatic Brain (Links to an external site.). Don't forget to list this in your references!

Remember to include the question and THEN your response!!

A. Select a “hot topic” of cognitive psychology based on what you have heard and/or seen in the media and your personal interests. Consider using a topic that hasn't been in the news in the last few years, which we have heard a million times.

B. Look for a report in the media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, web pages of professional organizations, etc.) that refers to the selected topic such as “defendant cannot remember what happened,” “false memories explain UFO abduction stories,” and so forth.

C. Describe the content of the selected report and offer your own perspective. Namely, use your critical-thinking skills to examine the extent to which the claims made in the report and the evidence upon which the report relies are to be trusted.

 D. Then, discuss the real-life consequences of the evidence reported.

In your post, include a link to the selected report, and explain to the members of the class why you have selected it. Support your points with evidence from at least one peer-reviewed research article. Your initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.

PSY352 Cognitive Psychology

Week 2 Discussion

Understanding Working Memory

The goal of this discussion forum is to deepen your understanding of how working memory operates. For your initial post, watch the Models of Memory 1 Atkins+ Shiffrons Multi Store Model (Links to an external site.)video. Then complete the following experiments:

Digit Span

Serial Position Effect

Keep in mind that each experiment illustrates a procedure or task that is used by scientists to understand how working (short-term) memory functions. Consider what your performance on the selected task tells you about working memory and its strengths and weaknesses. Also, consider the extent to which the results of the selected experiment apply to real-life experiences and settings. Support your points with evidence from at least one peer-reviewed research article. Your initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.

PSY352 Cognitive Psychology

Week 3 Discussion

 How to Study More Effectively: Putting Knowledge of Memory Functioning to Work

In this discussion forum, you will explore the imperfect content of our memories of experiences. For your initial post, complete the following steps:

Watch the following videos:

False Memories (Links to an external site.)

Loftus Speaks: The Malleability of Memory (Links to an external site.)

In the videos, Loftus describes the ease with which false memories can be created or altered. Yet people like Paul Shanely are incarcerated, convicted of heinous crimes based on the testimony of men who have claimed to have repressed memories of years of childhood sexual abuse until adulthood. The two sides of the argument are referred to as “The Memory Wars.” For this discussion, choose one of the following prompts:

Analyze both sides of the Shanely case. Which side is best supported by the scientific evidence? Which one do you support and why?

Analyze the case of the Ramona family. How could the daughter repress such memories for so long? Does the fact that her father successfully sued the therapist prove that the memories are false?

Analyze the case of Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton. How is it possible to be so sure that you recognize a face when it is not the right person?

Provide an overview of Loftus’ research. How does that prove (or not) that memories can be created or altered?

Use your critical thinking skills and present a cogent analysis and argument for the position you choose to defend. Support your points with evidence from at least one peer-reviewed research article. Your initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.

PSY352 Cognitive Psychology

Week 4 Discussion

Problem Solving: Popular Beliefs and Evidence

In this discussion forum, you will assess the validity of popular assumptions and beliefs about problem solving. Please note that your answers need be supported by scientific evidence. For your initial post, complete the steps below:

Watch the video, Rory Sutherland: Sweat the Small Stuff (Links to an external site.), on how simplicity can benefit problem solving.

Select one of the following topics:

Laypersons and scientists alike often report that after having tried to solve a problem for an entire day, “sleeping on it” led to a solution. Does sleep indeed promote problem solving?

Laypersons and scientists alike often report that a solution to a problem may come to mind after having taken a break from thinking about the problem. Does incubation really work?

Select a theoretical view/model of problem solving (e.g., Gestalt psychology, information processing approach, etc.). What is the evidence that supports it? What evidence, if any, does not fit the model?

Are experts better at solving problems than non-experts? If so, what is responsible for experts’ superior performance? Is their superiority general or limited to their field of expertise?

Are there individual differences in problem-solving abilities? For instance, is working memory’s capacity linked to one’s ability to solve problems?

After you select a topic, access the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and Google Scholar and review the literature on problem solving. Then select a research article that answers the questions related to the selected topic. Finally, share the evidence you have uncovered and your critical examination of such evidence with the class. Your initial post must be a minimum of 300 words.

PSY352 Cognitive Psychology

Week 5 Discussion

Language, Perception, and Cognition

In this discussion forum, you will examine what language says about how the human mind works. More specifically, you will consider whether the language people speak (including the words that are available to them and the way words are organized to convey meaning) merely offers a window into human cognition or it can actually affect the way people perceive and understand the world. Please note that your answer to this question needs be supported by scientific evidence. For your initial post, complete the steps below:

Watch the videos, Steven Pinker: What our Language Habits Reveal (Links to an external site.) and Keith Chen: Could your Language Affect your Ability to Save Money? (Links to an external site.) on the links between language and cognition.

Read The New York Times article Does Your Language Shape How You Think? (Links to an external site.) to further your understanding of the links between language and cognition.

Access the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and Google Scholar, review the psycholinguist literature, and then select a research article that offers an answer to the question about whether language shapes perceptions and thoughts or merely reflects them. Share the evidence you have uncovered and your critical examination of such evidence with the class. Your initial post must include a minimum of 300 words.