Describe how methods of stress management can help to reduce recidivism. 

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When working with offenders through the process of reentry, it is important to utilize methods and interventions that have been shown to be effective and that help to reduce recidivism. Social psychology has many applications in the rehabilitation of offenders. This assignment asks you to combine these elements to determine how the principles of social psychology apply to evidence-based practices when working with this population of individuals.

Imagine you have been selected to write an article for a peer-reviewed journal on correctional program support services and recidivism.

Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word journal article on evidenced-based practices in offender rehabilitation that reduce recidivism. Include the following:

  1. Describe a minimum of three evidence-based practices utilized in correctional program support services that have shown to reduce the effects of stress, foster happiness, and reduce recidivism in offenders working towards reentry.
  2. Explain the elements of social psychology discussed throughout the course that must be taken into consideration when structuring and administering services to aid offenders in reentering into society.
  3. Describe how methods of stress management can help to reduce recidivism.

Include a minimum of 3 peer-reviewed sources.

Format your journal article according to APA guidelines.

Describe how the familiarity heuristic (familiar items are seen as superior to those that are unfamiliar) in conjunction with mental set can contribute to errors in perception when it comes to solving social conflicts.

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Question:

Describe how the familiarity heuristic (familiar items are seen as superior to those that are unfamiliar) in conjunction with mental set can contribute to errors in perception when it comes to solving social conflicts. Do you feel there is a way to reduce or prevent these errors? Explain and give specific examples. Support your reasoning with information from the text and other course materials.

Reply to 2 people

Baiann Hweidi RE: Discussion 2

Familiarity heuristic is described as, “judging events as more important or frequent because they are more familiar in memory,” (Ashcraft). The familiarity heuristic is based on using past actions as a guide or structure for how we behave in new situations or social settings. We favor familiar things over strange or foreign things. Familiarity is associated with safety and having no risk, versus trying new things, (Feldman). This is essential because it allows us to save time when entering a new situation because we use what knowledge we have in the past of how we used to behave to figure out the correct behavior to use in a social setting we have never been in before. However, sticking with what you know and have always done can create some issues and errors in perception. Some psychologists believe that this type of bias that we have in our life can lead us to choose self-defeating options in our daily life or routine. We as humans are more likely to choose those safe and automatic choices in our head, specifically when we are under pressure, and bad choices can increase our stress, which will lead to a never-ending cycle of making bad decisions, (Ashcraft). For example, a group of scientists at Standford University conducted an experiment. These scientists brought in a group of men and women to solve puzzles. One group was told that they had 4 minutes to complete the puzzle, while the others were told that they had as much time as they needed. Then all of them had to choose between what two puzzles they wanted to complete. One puzzle was short, and the other was long. All of them were told this: the shorter puzzle was created by a complete stranger, while the longer puzzle was created by someone that they knew. You would think that it wouldn’t matter who created the puzzle because the goal is for you to finish the puzzle quickly. Yet, every single person chooses the longer puzzle because it was created by someone that they were familiar with. This type of preference literally made no sense, logically, however being that they were familiar with the person, they choose the longer puzzle. All of the volunteers who participated in the experiment stated that the reason they choose that puzzle was that it seemed like less of a risk and safer, (Herbert). This is a prime example of how familiarity heuristic combined with mental set can cause errors in perception when it comes to solving social conflicts. I don’t know if there is a way to reduce these errors, because I believe that we as humans are innately drawn to safer things. And these safer things are things that we are familiar with.

Ashcraft, M.H. (2006). Cognition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; Pearson Education Inc. ISBN 013198229X

Feldman, Robert S. (2017). Understanding Psychology 13th edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.

Herbert, Wray. “The Familiarity Heuristic: How Sticking with What You Know Could Hurt You.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 16 Mar. 2011, www.huffpost.com/entry/familiarity-heuristic_b_833955.

Candy Soto RE: Discussion 2

“The familiarity heuristic leads us to believe that familiar items are superior to those that are unfamilar”(Feldman,2017). What does this exactly mean? Let’s say you and your friends are trying to figure out where to go for dinner. Do you choose a new place or the great Italian place that you guys always go to. More than likely you are going to pick the Italian place because it familiar and you feel it is superior to all other places. This can be the same sort of example in solving social conflicts. The school bully that always picks on other kids is trying to behave and be better, but a kid hits him and says that the bully started it. You would be more inclined to believe the other child than the bully because that is what you are familiar with. The text gives a great example if doctors use familiarity heuristic when practicing medicine. If they only saw one symptom and missed the others, they could diagnosis the patient incorrectly. As nurses we can come across the same kind of familiarity heuristic. I feel the way to reduce or prevent these errors is look at the whole picture and examine all the materials before making a decision. If you take the time to step back and examine the situation as a whole instead of jumping to conclusions you leave less of a chance of errors.

Feldman, Robert S. (2017). Understanding Psychology 13th edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.

Describe a situation not associated with war that you have observed that would be likely to arouse dissonance?

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Cognitive Dissonance

NOTE: This assignment is multi-part. Be sure to complete all the parts!
The situation described may or may not call for an imagination stretch or mirror your own experiences and personal views depending on your circumstances. It’s important to approach the first topic from a scholarly perspective and with respect for those whose duties have led to deployment and who do their jobs regardless of personal worldviews. You must anchor your posts in course concepts rather than respond from purely personal opinions and remember if disagreeing, do so respectfully with statements such as, “My position on the topic is…” rather than “I couldn’t disagree with you more…”
Here is a little piece of creativity from YouTube on Cognitive Dissonance at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp39qSdyTc4&feature=player_embedded. Watch as much of it as you can stand.

1) Consider Pat who is active duty military or in the Reserves. Pat enlisted during a time when jobs were scarce, and our country had not been involved in armed conflict for a number of years. At the time it seemed like enlistment was the best chance of getting job skills, and perhaps a college education when the period of enlistment ended. Considering these very real benefits, Pat mentally blocked the possibility that a war could break out and military and Reserve personnel could be required to serve in it: the mere thought was scary and, besides, Pat grew up in a family with shared opposition to war and hearing from older relatives about all the problems associated with the Vietnam War. Just months before Pat’s period of enlistment was to end, a war broke out and deployments were rapidly underway. If you were Pat, how do you suppose you would feel about this war and your involvement in it? In particular, how do you think you would feel when hearing from those who took the position, “I support our troops, but I oppose the war”? Using the concept of cognitive dissonance, reflect on whether such a belief system is even truly possible (i.e., how can one hold both those two beliefs in the same mind and feel both supportive and oppositional?)
2) Describe a situation not associated with war that you have observed that would be likely to arouse dissonance?

What role does motivation play?

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Thinking, Memory, Problem Solving, and Creativity Questions

Select any threeof the following items to write about.  Each response should be 1-2 pages long. You may combine all responses into one paper and provide headings for each item.

1. Distinguish between the human mind and computers as tools for thinking. What does the human mind do better and why? What does the computer dobetter and why? Weigh in on the debate over artificial intelligence and support your claims.

2.  Take this free creativity problem solving test or one of your choosing, and weigh in on the results.  Do you feel they were on target?  Do you think the survey questions accurately assess problem-solving creativity? Are there reliable ways to measure creativity? Why is creativity an imortant area of study for psychologists?

3. Describe and discuss the role of consolidation.  Identify how psychologists study this process and why. Provide examples from your life that demonstrate the process of consolidation in action.

4. Describe mental imagery (theories and processes) and explain why people might use it for different reasons. How is it different from hypnosis. Identify a scientific study related to this process and describe the results. Weigh in on the effectiveness of mental imagery.  What role does motivation play? Have you ever tried to incorporate it in to your life? Explain.

5. Select one memory disorder to research and detail its causes, symptoms, and treatments (traditional and emerging).  Explain how therapists and/or psychologists can help support patients experiencing memory loss.

6. Research ways that culture influences how we categorize the world. Present a scenario using at least two different cultures to demonstrate the idea. Compare and contrast attitudes and perceptions based on cultural categorizations.  Why is it important to recognize this distinction?

7. Read the following excerpt from Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everythingas discussed bydelancyplace.com.  Devise and conduct a unique experiment to mimic the findings of the Moses illusion.  Detail your hypothesis, the experiment, the findings, and your analysis of those findings.

Find at least one scholarly source for each item to support your ideas. A minimum total of three sources should be cited and listed on your reference page.)

Use APA format to style your paper and cite and reference your sources.

Each response should be a 1—2 pages long, in addition to a title page and a reference page.

Refer to the rubric for more information on how your assignment will be graded.

Due: Sunday, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time)

Points: 100

Identify and explain at least 3 ethical concerns  as per the APA Ethical Codes and how you would resolve the concerns. 

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Assignment Instructions

In this case study, you will analyze a testing scenario using your knowledge of testing and ethics.

Part A: Review the Case

A school psychologist uses an IQ test to identify students who would benefit from gifted programs and special education. According to the school district policy, new students must be tested for placement. A student from a rural school relocates to an urban school within the same district. The school psychologist tests the student and observes a change in the IQ score from testing done two months prior.

Part B: Case Analysis

In a 5-6 page paper, addressing the following information:

1. Describe your immediate reaction to the scenario. What are the details you immediately noticed? What questions did the scenario raise about testing?

2. Identify and explain 3 factors that impact performance on IQ tests.

3. Identify and discuss 3 reliability and validity concerns with the scenario.

4.  Identify and explain at least 3 ethical concerns  as per the APA Ethical Codes and how you would resolve the concerns.

Integrate academic sources on psychological assessment to support your position.

Please ensure that your paper is in APA format, using 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with a title and references page. An abstract is not necessary. The paper should integrate 5-6 scholarly resources.

Explain, with as much visual information as possible, the client’s cognitive or behavioral symptoms based on your selected theoretical orientation

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Prior to beginning work on this interactive assignment, please review Cases 18, 19, and 20 in Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology (Gorenstein & Comer 2015) and any relevant Instructor Guidance.

In practice, clinical and counseling psychologists utilize psychoeducational tools (e.g., bibliotherapy, client handouts, worksheets, etc.) to enhance the client’s knowledge about mental health issues, coping strategies, and resources.

For this interactive assignment, you will create a visually interesting client handout based on the case study chosen for the Psychiatric Diagnosis assignment in PSY645 and your Week Six Psychological Treatment Plan in this course. You must attach your client handout document to your initial post in the forum.

The client handout will include the following required elements.

Education: Explain, with as much visual information as possible, the client’s cognitive or behavioral symptoms based on your selected theoretical orientation. You may choose to create diagrams, figures, or charts to illustrate the relationship between the client’s cognitions, affect, and behavior.

Intervention: Create a self-help exercise (e.g., a dysfunctional thought record, meditation, deep breathing, guided imagery, muscle relaxation, thought stopping, etc.) to assist the client in monitoring or reducing maladaptive cognitions, affect, and/or behavior outside of therapeutic sessions. Include an explanation about how the handout could be useful in reducing the client’s symptoms. You may choose to visually represent this exercise with charts, scripts, steps, or other media.

Resources: Assess current trends in psychotherapy, and list complete APA reference entries for five sources that would help the client learn more about his or her presenting problem(s), early warning signs of relapse, and managing symptoms. Please include hyperlinks if such exist for your resources.

What are the benefits and limitations of online intelligence tests versus traditional intelligence tests?

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Select and complete two online intelligence tests. Please include a link to the tests you have taken.

Here are a few examples of links to online intelligence tests:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/tests/iq/classical-iq-test

http://www.funeducation.com/Tests/IQTest/TakeTest.aspx

http://www.myiqtested.com/

Integrating examples and ideas from your readings and research this week, please consider the following questions: What was your experience with the tests? What are your impressions of the tests? Were the tests easy to use? How many items were on the test? Did you have any questions about the items? Did the items appear to be testing what they said they were testing? On which theory of intelligence does the test appear to be based? What are the benefits and limitations of online intelligence tests versus traditional intelligence tests?

MUST BE A MINIMUM OF 450 WORDS. MUST LIST REFERENCES. MUST INCLUDE LINK TO TESTS.

Describe ways in which Marcus and Athena could additionally help each other explore their concerns and requests during and after their first sexual encounter.

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Athena and Marcus have been dating for several months, and it is clear to both that they will soon be lovers. They are both excited and secretly a little worried about getting sexually involved. Marcus has only had one other serious girlfriend with whom he had intercourse, and she broke his heart. He is constantly worried about what Athena thinks and if she will cheat on him. He would have become sexually intimate much sooner if Athena had consented. Athena had some disappointing experiences with lovers who ignored her arousal needs and rushed her into intercourse. As a result, intercourse has usually been uncomfortable and she has never had an orgasm with a lover. She loves Marcus unconditionally and wants only to make him happy.

Although at first glance, this looks like a disaster waiting to happen, it is also potentially an opportunity for Athena and Marcus to experience both a deepening of their emotional relationship and a satisfying sexual encounter if they are both willing to talk about their concerns.

Given what you have learned from this module’s readings and lecture, answer the following:

  • What “love style” describes Marcus and Athena? Are they compatible?
  • Describe how either of them can begin a conversation and voice their concerns before they become sexually involved.
  • What reasons might hold both of them back from initiating such a conversation?
  • Describe ways in which Marcus and Athena could additionally help each other explore their concerns and requests during and after their first sexual encounter.

How would you work within each of these situations with your employees to increase employee motivation?

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Assignment 3: Person-Situation Interaction

There are six ways in which a person and the situation interact to shape a person’s goals, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

These are:

1. Different persons respond differently to the same situation.

2. Situations choose the person.

3. Persons choose the situation.

4. Different situations can prime different parts of the person.

5. Persons change the situation.

6. Situations change the person.

Tasks

Use your course readings and the Argosy University online library to research these dyads. In a Microsoft Word document of at least 500 words, address the following.

  • Discuss what is meant by each of these dyads.
  • Provide an example of how each one works.
  • Assume you are a supervisor. How would you work within each of these situations with your employees to increase employee motivation?
    How would your decisions be affected by each person-situation dyad?
  • Assume that you are an industrial/organizational consultant brought into the same office as asked to study these person-situation interactions
    in order to advise management how to best put them to use to increase employee motivation which research design would you use?
    Why is this design the best fit for this office situation?

Submission Details

  • Save your Microsoft Word document as LastnameFirstInitial_M1_A3.
  • Be sure to follow APA rules for attributing sources. Use this APA Citation Helper as a convenient reference for properly citing resources.
  • By the due date assigned, submit your document to the Submissions Area.

Assignment 3 Grading CriteriaMaximum
PointsExplained each of the six person-situation dyads.20Gave an example of how each person-situation dyad works.20Described the decisional process that a supervisor would use
with their employees within the context of each person-situation dyad.30Discussed which research design would be the best fit to study
the person-situation interaction within an office environment and why it is the best fit.10Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship
in accurate representation and attribution of sources; displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.20Total:100

explain how assumptions lend themselves to one or more research approaches.

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The Learning Resources in this first week will help you answer these questions, and they will provide you with a foundation in the philosophy of science that will help you appreciate various research designs and methods. With this foundation, you will be encouraged to reflect on how your assumptions about the acquisition of truth and the nature of the world influence your approach to the research process.

For this Discussion, you will identify an area of interest for a possible research topic. As you read about the different philosophical orientations in this week’s readings, consider if one of these orientations most closely aligns with your worldview and a particular approach to research.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 4

Post a brief description of your topic of research interest. Next, state the philosophical orientation that reflects your worldview and explain the epistemological and ontological assumptions of this orientation. Then, explain how these assumptions lend themselves to one or more research approaches.

Babbie, E. (2017). Basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

· Chapter 1, “Human Inquiry and Science”

Burkholder, G. J., Cox, K. A., & Crawford, L. M. (2016). The scholar-practitioner’s guide to research design. Baltimore, MD: Laureate Publishing.

· Chapter 2, “Philosophical Foundations and the Role of Theory in Research”