Author Archives: lkerr1234

Spotlight Post #1

--Original published at Psychology 105

As rates of divorce have risen in the US, so has the amount of research on the effects of divorce on families and children. When it first became a hot issue in the 1970s, it seemed that the consensus was that it was detrimental for children to experience a divorce. Some more modern research echoes this conclusion. An article published on focusonthefamily.org claims that divorce inevitably causes children to suffer. It says that children who experience divorce have a greater risk of suffering financially and academically, as well as an increased risk of being incarcerated or engaging in alcohol or drug use. Additionally, the article states divorce causes psychological distress that can affect a child for decades after it occurs. Each of these claims is specifically cited by different studies and journals, which leads me to believe it is a credible article overall. Another article, published by Divorce Source, Inc., explicitly claims that divorce is a traumatizing experience for children. Unlike the first article, which seemed more concerned with overall risks associated with divorce, this source focuses more on explaining how divorce can disrupt order in a child’s life and cause them to question their own security and stability. It claims that there are certain “uncontrollable bad effects” that families experience such as financial instability and issues associated with relocating and adjusting to a new environment. It also details some potential difficulties like losing friends and family, difficulties with holidays and birthdays, and dealing with a new step-family.

Alternative research shows divorce often does have negative effects on children; however, these effects are often short term. An article on children-and-divorce.com states several negative outcomes of divorce that have been widely observed through research including sadness, anger, insecurity, and behavioral problems. It concludes, however, over time children learn to cope with the situation and overcome these effects as they mature. Overall, it says research shows that good parenting is more important than being raised in a traditional family structure. This source, as well as the second one that I included, are both websites that provide information to individuals who are considering or going through a divorce. I believe that they both seem relatively unbiased and they cite specific claims with other research or sources which is why I chose to include them as credible sources. The last article I will include also claims that over time children are able to adjust to divorce. The article, from scientificamerican.com says that only a small number of children experience issues after divorce and into adulthood. It cites a study that found the short-term effects of divorce, including anger, anxiety, and shock, diminish after only two years. It also references other research which concluded that most children who experience divorce become well-adjusted adults. The supporting research came from scholarly studies and the article itself was written by two professors of psychology, which is why I chose it as a credible source.

Overall, I personally believe that children can come out of a divorce without serious consequences. Divorce can lead to instability; however, I think after the initial shock children can learn to adjust to their new lives. My second source said, “the most important factor in a divorce is how a parent handles a divorce.” I think this is very important to consider, and why it is difficult to predict what the exact outcomes of a divorce on a child will be. My third source also mentioned an interesting point which was that there may be a causal relationship between how socially acceptable divorce is and how dramatic the outcomes of divorce are for children.  It seemed like in the 1970s, when divorce was nearly considered taboo, the outcomes of divorce were far more dramatic. Today, however, the outcomes seem much less negative, and this may be because divorce is viewed much less negatively overall.

 

Sources

Arkowitz, Hal. “Is Divorce Bad for Children?” Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2013, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-divorce-bad-for-children/.

“How Could Divorce Affect My Kids?” Focus on the Family, 1 Jan. 2006, http://www.focusonthefamily.com/marriage/divorce-and-infidelity/should-i-get-a-divorce/how-could-divorce-affect-my-kids.

“Outcomes of Divorce on Children.” Children and Divorce: Information, Tips and Real Life Stories for Divorced Parents., http://www.children-and-divorce.com/outcomes-of-divorce-on-children.html.

 “The Effects of Divorce on Children – Divorce Source.” Divorcesource.com, http://www.divorcesource.com/ds/children/the-effects-of-divorce-on-children-239.shtml.

 

Chapter 8 First Impression Post

--Original published at Psychology 105

There are many different techniques people use to study. As a verbal learner, I tend to prefer using written and verbal resources to study for exams. Usually, this begins with how I organize the materials from lecture. For this class, I write the lecture notes in an outline format which help me generalize overall concepts and break them down into more specific facts. Before the exam, I retyped all the notes on the computer so that I could review all the information I had and see if anything was missing that was outlined in the study guide. For certain things, like definitions, I made note cards which is a quick and easy way to see if I’m able to recall information. I also did review problems to see what specific areas needed to be worked on prior to the exam. I think these are some of the more beneficial techniques I use to study. However, some of my methods are not super effective. We were told that a portion of the exam would just be material from the textbook, but the only thing I did to prepare that material was reading the text itself. This led to an overload of information that I didn’t really study in any other way, so it was hard to remember certain concepts. I also didn’t really space out my studying that much and motly crammed the couple days leading up to the exam. This is the number one thing I would change for the next upcoming exam. I’ve already starting taking from the book, which are in the same hierarchical format as my lecture notes, which hopefully helps me memorize that information better.

 

First Impression Post #1

--Original published at Psychology 105

I watched the Mythbusters episode ‘Dream Weaver’ which asked the question, “does weaving through traffic actually get you to your destination faster?” The myth explored during the episode was that by staying in one lane, you can actually make it through traffic faster than you would by constantly changing lanes. Since this was the myth in question, I would say this is the original hypothesis for the experiment. The independent variable was the method of driving used: whether the driver was weaving through traffic or staying in one lane. The dependent variable then was the amount it time it took to travel a certain distance. There were two subjects in the test, and they were driving on the same freeway during the same time of day. I thought it was good that the two subjects were driving under the same conditions during this test because traffic can vary greatly depending on several factors. Do people drive more frantically in the morning while they’re on their way to work? Do they drive more carefully when it’s raining? I think these factors would impact the results as well so it was good to keep these controlled to keep them from hindering the overall goal of the experiment, even if it would have been interesting to see their impact as well. Ultimately, they found that it was not quicker to weave through traffic than it was to stay in one consistent lane. However, I think a weakness of the experiment is that there was only one trial conducted, and it was conducted with such a small sample size. It’s hard to tell how accurate the results are when they only ran one test. Also, people can have different driving abilities which may impact the results as well and this would be a difficult variable to measure and control. Overall, I think the experimenters did a good job controlling what variables they could, but it’s hard to gauge whether this myth holds true in general or was just supported in this specific case.

Introductory Blog Post

--Original published at Psychology 105

Hello, my name is Lauren Kerr and I’m a sophomore allied health major. I decided to take Psych 105 because I’m hoping to minor in psychology along with my major. I want to be a physician’s assistant, but I’m planning to specialize in behavioral health which is where I would specifically apply psychology in my career. In high school I took a dual enrollment introductory course; other than that, I have limited experience. When I think of the word “psychology” I think of the study of how the brain functions and its effects on human behavior. Since I want to go into mental health care, I’m most looking forward to the units on mental illness and psychotherapy. However, I’m also just personally interested in the units that downloadcover emotion and human morality.  I’m not really interested in learning about conditioning methods, obedience, or the unit on sleeping. These topics were covered fairly heavily in the other course I took, so that’s really the only reason I’m not super interested in learning about them again. I don’t really have any specific questions about psychology that I’d like to answer, but I would like to know the different ways that psychology and human health are related to each other by the end of this course so I can know where to take my studies next in this field.