How psychological principles used to explain human behavior

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Reference no: EM132265178

Assignment: Chances are you have made a lot of casual observations of human behavior in your lifetime. You have probably also speculated about the causes of many of those behaviors (i.e., asked yourself "why did so-and-so behave that way?"). Psychologists are also keen observers of human behavior. However, in contrast to the average person, psychologists are interested in determining the causes of behavior using the scientific method and using what they learn to explain other instances of similar behavior. When we say psychology is an "applied" science, we are highlighting how psychologists use scientific inquiry to understand behavior and then apply what they have learned to solve problems in the real world. This assignment will teach you how to adopt the mindset of a psychologist and form specific, functional connections between the course material (i.e., the science of human behavior) and your own personal experience.

THE PURPOSE: After completing this assignment, you will understand:

1) How casual explanations of behavior made by the average person compare to those made by psychologists.

2) How psychological principles can be used to explain human behavior.

Skills: After completing this assignment, you will be able to:

1) Adopt the mindset of a psychologist and form specific, functional connections between the course material (i.e., the science of human behavior) and your own personal experience.

2) Use the information you have learned in this course (i.e., psychological terminology, principles, concepts, and/or theories) to explain behavior you observe in the real world.

YOUR TASK: You will need to recruit a friend or acquaintance to assist you with this assignment. This individual should be a person who has no formal training in psychology (i.e., has not taken a psychology course or received some other form of training on the topic). Ideally, this person will have the opportunity to make a behavioral observation along with you. That way, you are both witnessing the behavior in real time, under the same conditions and circumstances. Be sure to explain this assignment to your friend ahead of time and get permission to use her/his input in your write-up (see below).

Over the next few days, your task is to pay attention to your behavior and the behavior of others around you. You are looking for situations and interactions that you and a friend can collectively observe and then discuss, interpret, and analyze together. Your friend will provide the perspective of the "casual observer" (i.e., the average person). You will provide the perspective of the "social scientist" and use the information you have learned in this course (i.e., psychological terminology, principles, concepts, and/or theories) to explain what you have witnessed. For these reasons, you should focus on observations you can link to any of the topics covered in the course thus far in the semester.

Your behavior observation will be referred to as your "case study." Once you and your friend have completed the observation, you will construct a "case study write-up" that includes the following information:

1) Date of the behavioral observation (i.e., case study).

2) Location of the case study.

3) Brief Case Description. This description should include any and all details needed to provide a complete description of the event/observation for someone who did not witness it first-hand. Avoid specific personal identifying details, such as names, to protect the privacy of the people you observe but be sure to provide a comprehensive description of the event itself and the behavior of the persons involved.

4) Casual Explanation. This explanation will be provided by your friend/acquaintance. Ask your friend to describe what she/he observed and to provide an explanation for, or interpretation of, the behavior. How does the "average person" view the behavior(s) observed? What explanation does she/he give for those behaviors?

5) Psychological Application. This application will be provided by you (the social scientist). In doing so, you will seek to analyze/explain/interpret the behavior(s) you observed using what you have learned in this course. You will provide functional connections between your observations and relevant course material (i.e., a specific psychological concept, principle, or theory). Be sure to discuss your case study using appropriate psychological terminology. You must also incorporate information from ONE academic source into your analysis (this CANNOT be your textbook). Be sure to cite that source both in text and in a Reference list at the end of your assignment using APA editorial style. You should avoid internet sources, with the exception of electronic versions of articles from peer-reviewed journals.

6) Compare/Contrast. Compare and contrast the explanations provided by your friend (the casual observer) and you (the social scientist). Were the explanations similar or different? In what ways? Did you focus on different aspects of behavior when trying to explain it? If you focus on different factors/variables when trying to explain the behavior? What did you learn from this exercise about casual, everyday explanations of behavior and those provided by the scientific study of behavior?

7) Reference list. Provide a complete reference entry for any source cited in your psychological application discussion. The APA tutorial from Assignment 1 covers citation and APA format for journal article references. You are encouraged to use the APA resources posted in Blackboard for help with APA format.

Reference no: EM132265178

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