Chapter 8 First Impression Prompt – Memory

Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the Tag “Memory” on your post:

Option 1:

One of the topics we will discuss related to memory is study habits. For this post, critique your current study habits. Discuss what do you do well and what do you need to improve. In particular, I want you to discuss how you studied for the first exam in this class and share any changes you might make for the second exam to improve your preparation. We will see how closely your ideas reflect what the research says about improving your memory for learned information.

Option 2:

Not all memories are created equal. Some seem to be so powerfully etched in our minds that we can recall ...

Chapter 7 First Impression Prompts – Learning

Here are the two prompts for this week. Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the tag "Learning."

Option 1:

BF Skinner passionately believed in the power of operant conditioning. He thought it was such a powerful influence that it proved free will is an illusion. See Skinner make this claim here. Respond to Skinner’s assertion that there is no such thing as free will. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Option 2:

Violence in the media has been controversial for decades, but over the last 20 years there has been increasing attention to the amount of violence in video games. The rise of first-person shooters and games with graphic displays of blood and gore has led ...

Chapter 2 First Impression Prompts – Neuroscience

Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the Tag “Neuroscience” on your post.

For your blog prompt this week, you are to choose one of the following TED talks:

Chapter 4 First Impression Prompts – Development

Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the tag “Development” on your post. Here are the prompts for this week:

Option 1

Tiger moms, jellyfish dads, and helicopter parents. These terms all refer to various parenting styles and each has been both promoted as an ideal and criticized as “the problem with kids these days.” We will discuss parenting this week, but I'm curious what you think is the “best” way to parent. By “best” I mean most likely to produce children who grow up to be happy, healthy, and productive members of society. Write your post about the ideal way parents should raise their kids.

Option 2

While most developmental psychologists have focused on how we grow and change from ...

Bonus Blog Prompt – Theoretical Lenses in Psychology

Last week in class we discussed a number of different theoretical approaches to understanding human behavior and mental processes. For practice using these different theoretical lenses to explain behavior, you can use the following example:

Miguel has been struggling with his coursework lately. He has felt very tired in recent weeks and has found it difficult to focus on his studies. Even though he is always tired, he has trouble falling asleep at night, is irritable during the day, and picks fights with his roommates. He is a bit of a perfectionist and gets mad at himself when he makes even tiny mistakes. It’s gotten to the point where he doubts his ability to do anything right.

If you write a blog post where you explain what is ...

Chapter 1 First Impression Prompts – Research Methods

Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the Tag "Research Methods" on your post. Remember that these first impression posts are designed to be conducted based on what you already know or believe to be true, so you don't have to do any research before writing your post. Here are the prompts for Chapter 1:

Option 1

For this week’s discussion, I want you to design a research study about a topic you find interesting in psychology. You can choose any topic you would like as long as you relate it to human behavior or mental processes. In your post make sure to do the following:

List your research question
State your hypothesis (what you think the outcome would be and why)
Describe your procedure (what ...

Chapter 15 First Impression Prompts – Mental Health Treatment

Hand writing on a notebook

Here are the prompts for this week. Regardless of which prompt you choose, use the tag "Mental Health Treatment."

Option 1:

Your textbook lists 4 major types of psychotherapy (psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, and humanistic). Rank these types of therapy according to how helpful you think they would be if you needed therapy and explain what it is about each one that you like/dislike.

Option 2:

Former First Lady Michelle Obama contributed a considerable amount of energy and support into a campaign targeting increased awareness of mental health issues called Change Direction. Using the information provided on their website (http://www.changedirection.org) evaluate how effective you think the campaign will be in general. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the campaign? Will college students pay attention to this or not and why? If Etown was going ...

Chapter 14 First Impression Prompts – Mental Illness

Hand writing on a notebook

Here are the prompts for this week. Regardless of which prompt you choose, use the tag “Mental Illness.”

Option 1

Schizophrenia is often depicted dramatically in the media, and has been the subject of many major films like A Beautiful Mind, The Soloist, and Donnie Darko. Less frequently, however, do people get the chance to think about the daily life of someone who experiences hallucinations and delusions. Watch this video which simulates the experience of a person with schizophrenia, share your reactions, and compare this to how you typically see schizophrenia in the media.

Option 2

People often associate schizophrenia with the homeless population or mental hospitals, but rarely do we think about people who are professionally very successful. One person who is thriving despite her schizophrenia is Elyn ...

Thanksgiving Break Bonus First Impression Prompts – Motivation

Hand writing on a notebook

Here are the prompts for the bonus post for this week. It comes from Chapter 10. Whichever post you use, make sure to use the tag "Motivation." The first impression post is due at 12:30pm on Friday, 10/23, and the refinement post is due Sunday at noon. These posts will be treated like any other blog posts; they are NOT extra credit. If you're behind on posts, however, this is a great chance to catch up.

Option 1

America is currently facing an obesity epidemic that some experts have labeled the biggest public health threat we have today. We have all heard the recommendations to eat healthier and get regular exercise. Some people, however, are taking the message of healthy eating too far. A new mental health disorder called orthorexia nervosa ...