Hints for Assignment 7

 It's about quality of daycare.  Here is a picture of some ducks and quakity of daycare. (Excuse the typo)

2 possible ways to do Assignment 7: 

(i)   Shut your eyes.  Don’t think about it.  It might go away.  (Not recommended!)

(ii)  Read up the work on daycare and enrichment studies.  See what other resources might be available.  Do a bit every day so that it’s finished well before the deadline.  Drink tea, coffee, alcohol or whatever at the appropriate times.  Hand it in or email it on time.  (Recommended)

Here is a typical Combi Psychology class of 1925 working at assignment 7:

Here’s a bit of help for method (ii).  First, you need to read the articles in the assignment.  Get to know what the assignment is about.  There are two articles here, one is about the long term effects of the quality of daycare;  the other is about enrichment programmes.  Enrichment programmes are usually politically based with the intention of putting lots of money into enriching the early years learning of children before mainstream schooling, i.e. three to five year olds. The first of these was project Headstart, set up by President John F Kennedy in the 1960s to help under privileged children in American Southern States.  It is mentioned in your class booklet, along with some evaluation.

Quality of Daycare – Stimulus 1.  Apart from the info in the class book, there is also info in Gross page 554  (5th Edition)  or page 502 (6th Edition).  There is a daycare mindmap on the website (link here).  You should  be starting to notice that there are things said in the articles that might agree or disagree with the text books.  Your job, for the assignment, is to use these as a jump-off point to discuss the issues.  The first issue is about working mothers leaving their children.  What does Bowlby say about this?  And was he right?  So already, there is the start of a small discussion with some possible evaluation.

OK.  Time for a break

Enrichment studies – Stimulus 2.  Same places for information, but there is an extra section about increasing IQ in the class booklet.  Basically, you should describe and evaluate enrichment projects generally and Headstart in particular, then describe the English system (Surestart and Helpcentres) and say whether you think they are working (they weren’t originally) and whether you think they will be successful, basing your answer, of course, on existing research.  And haven’t  you just been reading up on existing research?

And now, you show just how happy you are that you've finished.

Still having problems?   Some of you wanted some hints for evaluation.  Basically, it's this:  Does the research or theory that you're looking at, do or say what it's supposed to?  If it doesn't, where is it wrong, and what empirical support is there for you? (In other words, is there research to support what you say?)  Then, if it isn't right, where is it weak?  Then, outline some research which agrees with the theory and some research that disagrees.  Finally, look at the strengths and weaknesses.  Remember, there might not be strengths, or weaknesses!  So, think of Bowlby.  His monotropic theory tries to explain attachment and bonding.  That certainly is what the theory is about, so it is valid.  What does it do well?  It suggests that attachment is a survival process and that it is most probably inherited. What does it do badly?  It says that only mothers can be attached, or at least that is most important, and that the attachment of mother is essential to development.  But Shaffer and Emerson say that there is more than one attachment and that may not be female or mother.  Can you see how evaluation works any more clearly now?  If you need more help, then ask me.

And finally, your reward for doing the assignment.

   

The BIG Unit: 6 Credits!

Here are some notes and hints which reinforce the stuff we’ve been doing in the run up to the Easter Hols.

Let me just go over, once again, how I would like you to do these assignments.  (Of course, you can try them any way you like really, as long as the criteria are met.)   Assignment 11 is about the contribution each piece has made in the study of psychology.  You can concentrate here on the autism study by Baron-Cohen.  You should describe and evaluate the study first, using information from the assignment package, Gross textbook and any other resource.  But I suggest that you try to avoid the web because there is the possibility of overkill.   Also, you will encounter referencing difficulties.  Then, explain how it supports the ‘theory of mind’ explanation of autistic behaviour.  Finally, mention the other two studies (Zimbardo and Bandura) and say how they have contributed to our knowledge and understanding of human behaviour.  Remember the focus of this assignment is on the Sally’s marbles research – the other two pieces are dealt with in the other two assignments!

Time for a little reward.  

OK.  Hope you enjoyed that nice cup of tea and feel a bit better!

Assignment 12 is about ethics and methodology.  For this assignment you should be concentrating on the Stanford Prison Experiment.  Describe what was done, and evaluate the method as well as the research.  Again, the information is available in the class booklet.  There are also bnumerous sites on the web, some of which I have linked to from my website.  But then you should evaluate the ethics of the experiment, not just a review of the ethical principles but thye wider implications.  Was the research necessary?  Did the results justify the means?  Here, you should reference some ethical criticism where you can, but you also entitled to say whether you think participants were harmed based on your viewing of the video evidence.  Don’t forget also to consider the ethics around Bandura, and Sally’s marbles. (Remember the participants were children, and in the autism research they were also psychologically disadvantaged.)

Time for a bit more motivation.  You need this by now!

Feeling better?  

Assignment 13 is about the application of psychological research.  It’s great knowing all this stuff about psychology, but what use does it have?  Well, Bandura’s BoBo-Doll research has been used as a support for many theories and issues.  The original research was to develop a theory of aggression via imitative, or vicarious learning.  But in recent years, it has been used as a platform to argue the effects of violent videos on children and young people.  “Everybody knows that children who play violent video games and watch violent TV will become violent through imitating the characters in the videos.”   But everybody doesn’t know, because they haven’t done the research to find out.  So, to do Assignment 13, you should concentrate on Bandura’s research (describe and evaluate it) and then discuss the video violence issue, producing evidence for your discussion.  The best answers here will have two or three examples of research supporting and challenging the  video aggression argument.

Time for another quick break. 

I’ve put a new page into the website, especially for this unit, because the materials and resources are so scattered!  You could do worse than visit it by clicking here!

And remember, it may seem like a lot of work, but this unit does carry SIX BIG FAT CREDITS.

So, you’ve finished the big unit.  (Sounds like IKEA doesn’t it!)  Go on.  Relax.  Party.  You know you deserve it!

The KISS Principle in Operation

Oh dear, it's decision time for me!  Will it be a separate blog for the Combi ladies with new pages and a complicated linking system with blogs all over the place?  


Or perhaps I can just make two posts on the same day and let you read what you find most useful.  Or enjoyable.  Or whatever. The KISS Principle says "Combi class Assignment 6 - one post.  Main Course - Key Studies Assignments - another post.


The KISS principle won!  Jeff listens to his own advice!  So here is:

Just step back and look at the requirements of this assignment. You only need to concentrate on TWO of the topics. It’s your choice as to which two. But here are some pointers as to what is needed as a minimum to PASS the assignment.

First, a note about evaluation. Most of the resources you will be using have an evaluation section. You should start there. Evaluation should include (a) Is the research ‘good’ research (Oh how I detest value judgements!) in other words, does it show or demonstrate or explain what it sets out to do? (b) What doesn’t it do or explain? (c) Find some (at least one) empirical study or studies that support the research and (d) find some that either don’t support it or at least offer an alternative explanation.

Here's a bit of motivation for you.         

Bowlby’s monotropic theory.

Start by describing the theory. Hint – see the website! This is really about maternal deprivation. You have to evaluate the theory, and this implies that you should pose the question “What if attachment to mother is broken for some reason?” How might mental health be affected? So deal with the 44 thieves research, and evaluate it. That’s the minimum for this section. You might be so interested that you can’t stop and want to discuss privation and deprivation generally, who am I to criticise?

Harlow and Zimmerman.

This is one of several pieces of research published by Harlow and one or more of his colleagues. Basically, it’s Harlow and his rhesus monkeys. Describe the research in terms of aim – method – results – conclusion. Include evidence of strength of attachment, however distasteful you may feel about it. In fact, a brief evaluation of the ethics in Harlow’s research would not go un-noticed! But don’t forget there were two parts to Harlow’s research. Not only was there the investigation of ‘cupboard love’ theory, but also the effect of returning the subject monkeys to the rest of the herd. And make sure you evaluate. See the book page 65.

Schaffer and Emerson

Phases of attachment based on the longitudinal study of 60 Glasgow families. Nuff said.

Ainsworth and Bell.

Sensitive responsiveness and the strange situation. Types of attachment. Loads of opportunity for evaluation here. The really ambitious ones among you will go on to discuss the cross-cultural element. Often a long answer to this part, but if you are interested you can easily get carried away. I don’t mind, and again, it won’t go un-noticed!

If you find a connection between the two you are writing about, then mention it. For example, the strange situation relies on a characteristic of attachment described by Schaffer and Emerson...

By this time you are probably feeling like this:

Well, cheer up!  If you are reading this at the start of the holidays, you've got ages to think about it.  On the other hand, if it's due in tomorrow...

Hello! I'm back!

So, it’s been a while since anything new appeared on this blog.  Here is a recap for both courses – the Combi Course especially – who are now into assignments big-time.

Combi Course should now be finishing off Assignment 4 and really getting into Assignment 5.  If you haven’t already realised, the Full Psychology groups will have already completed these.  What’s more, the same advice given to them applies – so here are links to the earlier posts to help you.  The Assignment 5 essay advice needs sound to run it.

Assignment 10 is now in the frame.  Just when you thought all the stress of presentation week was over, Jeff goes and dumps Assignment 10 on you.   Unfortunately, not everyone was able to come to the advice sessions, so here are some hints.

Assignment 10 is a bringing together of the research methods unit.  You’ve already done Assignments 1 and 2.  (Combi ought to to read this as well!) This time, you are looking at real research that you have studied and become familiar with.  Assignment 10 asks you to choose some and evaluate the methods used.  You need to find some examples of the research, and I can see that might be a problem.  Life’s full of little problems I guess.  Have a glass of wine.  It won't solve the problems, but it makes them a bit more manageable! 

  Here are examples of the research methods in action!

•          Correlation:  Bowlby 44 thieves perhaps?  (Which two variables are related? Might it be separation and later delinquency?)
•          Experiment:  Klaus & Kennell? (Is there an IV, a DV and an experimental design?  If so, it’s an experiment most likely)
•          Case Study:  Doesn’t have to be one person, could be a small group.  Bulldog Banks springs to mind, but there are others)
•          Questionnaire/survey:  Look closely at Thomas and Chess, and ask yourself, how did they get the information about temperament?
•          Observation:  I suspect Rosenhahn and colleagues had some observations to make when they were stuck in those insane places!  What type of observational study was this?  Participant or non-participant?  Covert?  This study is full of evaluative points.
•          Longitudinal Studies:  Most developmental studies.  You might consider Tizard et al.

Remember – only THREE for the assignment!  And remember – you should focus on evaluating the method itself – although obviously an evaluation of the research would not go unnoticed!

By the way, if you should need more help in evaluating the methods (and there is a fair amount in the class booklet) then look here in my website.

Christmas is gone but the Assignments haven’t

As I write this, the snow has all but melted away, there are a couple of extra inches on the waistline and thoughts go towards the end of the holiday.  When I get around to it...

Assignment 4 Again


Enough of that! But just in case you are still struggling with Assignment 4, here are some suggestions that may help.


Possibly the most difficult part is finding a health improvement programme on which to base your assignment. You could look in at your local surgery, where there will be leaflets for all kinds of health issues. Your local chemist may have some. But the internet is helpful here. Try looking for anti-smoking campaigns – here is a helpful site - http://www.smokefreeaction.org.uk/archive/images/pdfs/GoingSmokefree.pdf
And because it is a pdf it can be downloaded and printed easily.
The NHS has loads of campaigns on its website. 
 http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/Pages/Livewellhub.aspx
You could take “NHS weight loss” as a general health campaign for the purposes of the assignment, and flag up all the examples and references to the two models you need.


Is there a part of the programme where you have to decide whether or not you will carry on with your present behaviour even though it might be considered antisocial? e.g. smoking, unprotected sex, flu injections, child immunisation? If so, show how the theory of reasoned action/theory of planned behaviour are involved. Is there a part of the programme that tries to encourage you to continue, even though you may have tried before and failed? Could this be explained by perceived behavioural control?


Applying the Health Belief Model (HBM) to a health promotion programme is similar. Think in terms of perceived susceptibility and severity. Does the promotion play on how likely you might suffer if you continue your present behaviour? e.g. scare tactics for smoking (lung cancer photographs, heart disease statistics) or obesity. Perhaps it will ask “Do you smoke a lot? Are you coughing up green lumps every morning?” - the idea being that if you fit the profile, you had better do something about it, i.e. a cue to action. Is there a section that describes – directly or indirectly – the benefits of taking up the programme? Direct benefits may mean better health, longer life. Indirect benefits might mean better job or social prospects. Does the promotion suggest how you might overcome any barriers? A clinic that opens in the evenings and at weekends, for example. And if there are no suggestions as to how barriers might be overcome, you could perhaps suggest some. That could point to a higher assignment grade!


How successful is your chosen campaign? Any assessment or evaluation should surely contain some statistics or statement of success (or failure!). What can you find?
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/middleagespread.aspx is an example of a case study, which could be acceptable in the assignment.


Assignment 5 - That Essay Thingy


I've put together a powerpoint which may be helpful.  Link to here.  Depending upon your browser software, you may have to enable the active-X stuff.  Look for an annoying little yellow bar at the top of the screen when you try to play it.  You will need sound, as I have made a couple of Xtranormal videos as part of the powerpoint.  You must also play it in slideshow mode to catch the videos.


AND FINALLY ... if you're stuck, email me.

Three and Four - just to keep you busy in the snow!

How to do assignment 3

The assignment really only does ask for notes.  You can do an essay if you want to, probably about 3000 words to do it justice I suppose.  Try  to think of the style you get in a revision book.  Not too worried about punctuation,  might be just bullet points and one liners.  But how do you make your own notes? 

If you look at the assignment,  you might notice that the headings follow the sections in the course booklet.  So you will probably want to start with the health belief model.  Describe it.  Who first devised it?  Aha!  A possible reference here! 

You will see some evaluative points mentioned, but the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Reasoned Action are seen as social cognition models.  You might want to evaluate them jointly.  Fine! 

… and so on to the end of the assignment.  Don’t forget a reference section. 

How to do Assignment 4

You should find this one easy and enjoyable.  Well, enjoyable if you like.  First pick yourself a health promotion campaign.  Anti-smoking, perhaps?  Or the chlamydia campaign in the college.  What about obesity, dental health, or immunisation of infants?

What I want you to ultimately submit is a kind of portfolio, with some leaflets, possibly some web material  and some writing.  Think of anti-smoking promotions.  Do they see smoking as social or anti-social?  Do they try to make smokers frightened?  And what about the benefits of a cure?  To do the assignment, you should look for such things in the campaign literature and say how the health belief model or theory of reasoned action/theory of planned behaviour apply.  You can be critical or supporting or neutral, it doesn’t matter as long as you give a  balanced evaluation of the campaign.

Here’s an example:  how to lift things properly at work (or in the home).  Do you have to lift things?  Do you do it properly?  Why not?  Perhaps you don’t think you are likely to slip a disc.  Perhaps you haven’t got the equipment.  Perhaps, as a young man, it’s macho to lift heavy things?  All these are the kind of balances and pressures on people to take on a particular health behaviour. 

Here’s a site with some campaign ideas – for example, how serious is smoking portrayed?  Will it happen to me?  - these are some of the possible beliefs in the HBM.

http://www.bhf.org.uk/keeping_your_heart_healthy/preventing_heart_disease/smoking.aspx

The format for the assignment is really up to you.  A small folder with some leaflets, cuttings etc. and the written assignment or notes will be fine.  But you must have a reference section somewhere.  You can obtain a pass with the course booklet alone, but the really good assignments will have gone into some extra resources.  Gross is good, and so is any other major text book.

ALERT!!  ALERT!!  OMG I’ve just noticed a major problem for you.  There are no references for Health Belief Model or Theory of Reasoned Action in the Course Booklet.  I’ll sort them out for you in the next few days.

Assignment 2 already.

You will be getting Assignment 2 this week – that is if you haven’t got it already!  As I write I know that there is at least one completed assignment 2 waiting to be marked. 

So, some hints as to how to do this one.

First, look at the hints on the assignment brief.  I’ve copied and pasted it here:

Hint:  The key word here is “assess”.  So, if you are considering for example the issue of informed consent, in order to achieve a pass you must identify the issue, explain it, and show how it applies to your chosen investigation.  Did the investigation meet the demands of the ethical issue?  Could it have been done differently?  Did the ethical requirement impact on the aim of the investigation, and if so, how?  Was the whole investigation ethically sound?

But there are more issues to discover than informed consent.  Look in the class booklet, at the ethics section tables.  “2.9  Ethical Guidelines for conducting research” For human research, there are seven headings, not all of which will apply to your experiment.  But even so, you should list them all.  In fact, if you really want to please me then present it this way:

• Consent:  what it means, did it apply to your experiment, and how was it dealt with?   (or controlled – means the same thing.)
• Deception:  was there a deception in your example?  Probably not, in which cased you can say so and move on.
• Debriefing:      (and so on…)

 There is quite a bit about ethics in the booklet.  Much of it is centred around the research of Stanley Milgram and obedience to authority.  Although we will look at Milgram in much detail later (Unit Conformity and Obedience) his research makes fascinating reading.  If you get a chance, try and read it up for yourself.

I’ve updated the “What’s New” link in the resources section with some interesting articles.  And there are some items in the Health Psychology link.