For this assignment, you will present a draft of your signature assignment. The purpose of this assignment is to gather feedback so that you can make improvements for your final submission, which is due in Week 8. You are expected to present a complete paper that meets all of the original assignment criteria.

For this assignment, choose a news story from the APA at http://www.apa.org/news/psycport/, or search the Internet to select a credible news article that reports on a specific topic or issue from the field of psychology. The article must have been published in the past year.

In your critique explain the conclusions, implications and/or consequences of the information presented in the article. Speculate on the effect this information could have on real-world situations such as health care, political movements, economics, lifestyle, moral attitudes, and social belief systems, and support these assertions with specific evidence and detail from the article and what you learned in class.

Do not:

Do not merely summarize or quote the article. Be sure to select an article with some depth and substance so that you have enough material to evaluate.

Do:

Read, analyze, and synthesize with objectivity and focus.

Write a critical consideration of the current information available about the subject matter presented in the article. Briefly and purposefully, summarize and analyze the article to create a unique and valuable piece of writing that evaluates current theories or work in the field of psychology.

Review the literature with a focus on the hypothesis or main idea, address any scientific research mentioned, and analyze the results or premises presented.

Include the following in your critique:

1. Identify and articulate the key issue(s) in the article in a brief and pointed summary.
2. Identify information/evidence in the article that supports the point of view and conclusions presented in the article. Quote and paraphrase with internal APA citations.
3. Identify background information relevant to the point of view and conclusions presented in the article. Use prior knowledge and you may use your course materials.
4. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the findings and conclusions presented.
5. Explore and evaluate the issue(s) relevance to real-world problems and solutions.
6. Clarify your own position, perspective, or hypothesis on the ideas presented in the article.
7. Explain the conclusions, implications, and consequences of the article as it pertains to the field of psychology or the subject being addressed.

Your critique should be between 5-7 pages long, in addition to a title page and reference page.

Additional sources are not required, but you may choose to include them. You may reference your text.

Use APA format to style your paper and to cite your sources. Your source(s) should be integrated into the paragraphs. Use internal citations pointing to evidence in the literature and supporting your ideas. You will need to include a reference page listing those sources.

Assignment #1

Journal 1: must answer all of the questions comment on 2 students

Questions

1. What is the speaker’s main argument? Or what is his thesis?
2. Name at least 3 specific examples/pieces of evidence he uses to support his argument? What kind of evidence does he provide to prove his point? Were you surprised by his findings? What does he claim is happening in the United States? Why?
3. What was the biggest takeaway that you had from this video? What interested or shocked you the most?
4. John Oliver uses humor to present a very important issue, food waste: why do you think he chooses to present the information in such a way?
5. What might be Oliver’s purpose for using humor in this segment? Is his use of humor successful?
6. Are you guilty of food waste? What was the last thing you threw away (food-wise)? Could it have been eaten?

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8xwLWb0lLY

Assignment #2

Journal #2 : Must answer all of the questions and comment on 2 students

Questions

1. What is the speaker’s main argument? Or what is his thesis?
2. Name at least 3 specific examples/pieces of evidence he uses to support his argument? What kind of evidence does he provide to prove his point? Were you surprised by his findings?
3. What was the biggest takeaway that you had from this video? What interested or shocked you the most?
4. How does Stuart first become concerned with food waste?
5. What are some of the consequences of food waste? To humans? To the environment?
6. Looking back to the first video by Oliver: how does Oliver’s segment compare to Stuart’s? Who do you find more credible? Why? (Be specific.) Both author’s present true facts: how does the way they present those affect their reliability and relatability?
7. As many of you identified in your charting activity, Stuart’s tone is much more serious and academic. What would happen to the reliability of his argument if he used a tone more similar to Oliver’s?
8. In the end, Oliver and Stuart present almost identical information (content) and argue a similar claim. Why do their presentations, then, look and sound so differently?

Video: https://www.ted.com/talks/tristram_stuart_the_global_food_waste_scandal

Assignemnt #3:

Now that you have some knowledge about the issue of food waste, please complete the following chart by developing three questions you still have about the issue at hand. Once you have your questions, think of what you may already know or what you can guess about the answers. Finally, as you watch the two videos and review your articles from last week, fill in any information the sources give you that can be helpful in finding these answers.

1. Browse through the GSS codebook.

http://sda.berkeley.edu/sdaweb/analysis/;jsessionid=A4E4DD1AE2F86C7E2FD937D7C3B818FD?dataset=gss16

The dependent conceptual variable (FEMINISM) was assigned to each group last week; therefore, you need to find an independent conceptual variable to formulate your theoretical proposition.

You can browse using the expandable topic list that appears on the main page of this site, or you can click on the link to the codebook. A good way to search for articles that used a specific GSS variable is to go to Google Scholar and search with the keyword GSS and the variable name in quotes.For example, search for GSS “RELITEN” to see articles about religiosity that used this variable in the GSS dataset.Don’t forget to enclose the variable name in quotes.Based on the topics available in the GSS, derive a theoretical statement that incorporates both an independent and a dependent conceptual variable. Write the statement below.

1. Select variables that may serve as indicators of each of the concepts in your theoretical statement.You should try to identify multiple indicators for either the independent or dependent conceptual variables, or for both (For your dependent conceptual variable each group has been assigned, try to decide which GSS variable or variables you intend to use as indicators).Make sure your selected variables are all from the same year in GSS and asked of the same respondents. Working with the Berkeley GSS website, copy down the names of the variables, the wording of the survey question, and the number of valid (non-missing) cases available in the data set.

1. Prepare a one paragraph pre-proposal statement of your term paper topic, based on the General Social Survey (GSS), in which you:

a) Name the year from which your data will come

b) Name the concepts you wish to study and list the variable names from the data set which seem to measure these concepts

c) List the wording of the GSS survey questions used as indicators. List the number of valid cases for each variable.

d) Restate your theoretical statement (be sure to use the two-sentence format presented in lecture)

e) Based on the empirical variables/indicators you have chosen and the theoretical statement that you have postulated, derive a testable hypothesis (choose one indicator for your independent conceptual variable and one indicator for your dependent conceptual variable for hypothesis construction)

1. Complete the following diagram by inserting your conceptual variables and the corresponding indicators (empirical variables) that you used to derive your hypothesis. For the indicators, simply providing the variable name is sufficient.Indicate causal direction, association, and the form of the relationship (+/-)

(Note: There will be opportunities in the coming weeks for you to change or refine your topic as you explore the data, so this initial statement is not a ‘contract’ for what your final paper will include.)

Family Therapy Case Study

For this discussion, watch the video: Family Therapy Case Study. Use the information in the scenario to answer the following questions:

• Which approach to family therapy would be ideal for this family (e.g., structural, solution-focused, Bowenian)? Explain your thoughts and support your choices with aspects of the text or other scholarly sources.
• Is family therapy preferable to other options, such as individual therapy for Leo or parent training for Inez and Joseph? Explain your thoughts and support your choices with aspects of the text or other scholarly sources.
• What would be the most valid measure of psychotherapy outcome for this case? Explain your thoughts and support your choices with aspects of the text or other scholarly sources.

Reading and Resources

Please read the following chapters in your text:

• Chapter 16: “Group and Family Therapy”

Chapter 16 covers both group therapy and family therapy. For group therapy, you will learn about theory, practical, and ethical issues, as well as outcome issues. For family therapy, you will learn about systems theory and perspective as well as methods of assessment of families. You will read about essential concepts, ethics, and outcome issues.

Practice the concepts covered in this unit by completing the Unit 9 Key Terms Activity.

Web Resources

Read the following articles:

• Principles of drug addiction treatment: A research based guide
• Principles of effective treatment
• Drug Abuse and Mental Disorders: Comorbidity is Reality

The first and second articles address the question of how treatment of addiction problems is different from other kinds of psychotherapy. This article is a “teaser,” a brief overview of the issues and concepts. However, it is the overview of an online book on addiction treatment. Therefore, for those of you who plan to enter the field of addiction treatment, save this link, as this book can serve as a valuable resource in the future.

For the third article, you will read about the state of knowledge on best approaches when multiple issues affect the client. Often times, clients have multiple problems. They may have medical diagnoses including brain injury or brain illness. They may have chemical dependency as well as psychological disorders. For these individuals, the treatment becomes much more complex.

Journal Articles

Please review the Library Guide for a list of articles to read for this unit. These have been selected taken from various academic journals, all of which can be found in the Purdue Global Library. Though they are not required to complete the coursework for this unit, they will be helpful for anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of clinical psychology.

References/Textbooks

Pomerantz, A. M. (2014). Clinical psychology: Science, practice, and culture: DSM-5 update, 3^rd edition. Retrieved

This will be a 8-10 page paper in APA format examining some area of Group Dynamics with a strong connection to some form of Public Safety Administration. The paper should examine group issues within a public safety agency (if possible) and then choose one major topic to pursue–such as Leadership, Conflict, Power, Influence, etc. The paper should have depth and substance as it examines the agency, focuses on one area, and then develops depth in examining the situation. At least five different resources should be used, including our text.

This is a formal, APA style paper with proper title page, abstract, body (content) and sources page (bibliography).

Textbook: Group Dynamics by Donelson R. Forsyth Seventh Edition

From the Professor-

1) Submit your work to Turnitin, first, to check for similarities. A report will be generated immediately, and you’ll have the opportunity to edit if needed before submitting the final document through Blackboard (exactly the way you have submitted all your weekly assignments).

2) “It will be a 8-10 page paper..”: we tend to think that writing more makes it look like we have more to say but, most often, it only shows that we are unable to summarize!

3) “…in APA format…”: for four weeks I have insisted on that, and now you see why. The paper shall have the proper formatting, including a title page, an abstract, a narrative with a strong conclusion, and a reference page. If you still have doubts as to what APA entails, please ask, or consult the proper sources.

4) “The paper should examine group issues… and focus on one major topic…”: ONE major topic, this is important! Examine the situation “in depth”, following the thread of the topic you have chosen to focus on. It is only a 8-10 page discussion, not a strategic plan to save the world..

5) “At least five different resources should be used, including our text”: resources should be current and reliable. By “current” we mean no more than 5-7 year old (unless you cite older, well established theories); “reliable” means that they state facts that have been scientifically proven. Preferred are peer-reviewed articles and academic journals, which you can find in numbers in our virtual library. “At least five” means “the more, the better”.

Lastly, I would like to remind you of the upcoming survey (anonymous, with no bearing on your final grade, if that’s what worries you). Yes, I have already done that, but I want to make sure you know how appreciated your input would be. You can say anything you want, but say something! And if there is anything you’d like to address with me, please feel free, your feedback is always welcome!