at least 500 words create an essay response to Topic 1 or 2. Complete all parts
ID: 3491501 • Letter: A
Question
at least 500 words create an essay response to Topic 1 or 2. Complete all parts of the topic prompts. Write in complete sentences and use proper APA style and citations. Your essay should show evidence of Critical Thinking Skills and demonstrate a general understanding of psychological concepts to daily life.
The following are the principles of Critical Thinking:
Be skeptical.
Insist on evidence.
Examine definitions of terms.
Examine the assumptions or premises of arguments.
Be cautious in drawing conclusions from evidence.
Consider alternative interpretations of research evidence.
Do not oversimplify.
Do not overgeneralize.
Apply critical thinking to all areas of life.
Week 1 Assignment 1: Textbook Topic
Student Topic 1: American Psychological Association (APA)
One of the best resources on the Web is the American Psychological Association’s website, which can be found at http://www.apa.org. This extensive website has a plethora of information on psychology from the largest professional organization in psychology. The textbook discusses 15 areas of study within the field of psychology. The many study options within the field of psychology will often pique the interest of the beginning student and lead to the question, “What career opportunities are there in psychology?” The APA website can help answer this question.
Access the website at the address given below. Once there, click on the “Careers” link. From there, you will be able to click on several different links including brochures. Go directly to one of the brochures by accessing the following:
http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/careers.aspx
Select one of these career options that most intrigue you and write a summary based on this week’s assignment guidelines.
Explanation / Answer
Thinking is an identical activity and the process of problem solving. According to Valentine, thinking is an activity, which consists essentially of a connected flow of ideas, which are directed towards some, end, or purpose.
Traditionally, critical thinking has been variously defined as:
Contemporary critical thinking scholars have expanded these traditional definitions to include qualities, concepts, and processes such as creativity, imagination, discovery, reflection, empathy, connecting knowing, feminist theory, subjectivity, ambiguity, and inconclusiveness. Some definitions of critical thinking exclude these subjective practices.
What is Psychology?
Why people do the things they do is an age-old question. However, psychology—the science concerned with behavior, in both human and nonhuman animals— rst appeared in the 1870s. Despite its youth, it is a broad discipline, essentially spanning subject matter from biology to sociology. Psychologists have doctoral degrees. They study the intersection of two critical relationships: one between brain function and behavior, and another between the environment and behavior. As scientists, psychologists follow scienti c methods, using careful observation, experimentation, and analysis. But psychologists also need to be creative in the way they apply scienti c ndings.
Psychologists frequently are innovators, evolving new approaches from established knowledge to meet the changing needs of people, organizations, and societies. They develop theories and test them through their research. As
this research yields new information, these ndings become part of the body of knowledge that practitioners call on in their work with clients and patients, as well as with organizations and communities. Psychology is a tremendously varied eld. Psychologists conduct both basic and applied research, serve as consultants to communities and organizations, diagnose and treat people, and teach future psychologists and those who will pursue other disciplines. They test intelligence and personality. Many psychologists work as health care providers. They assess behavioral and mental function and well-being, study how human beings relate to each other and also to machines, and work to improve these relationships. And because the United States is undergoing sizable change in its population makeup, psychologists provide important knowledge and skills to help better understand diverse cultures.
Many psychologists work independently and also team up with other professionals—for example, with other scientists, physicians, lawyers, school personnel, computer experts, engineers, policymakers, and managers—to contribute to every area of society. Thus, we nd them in laboratories, hospitals, courtrooms, schools and universities, community health centers, prisons, and corporate of ces.
Psychologists traditionally study both normal and abnormal functioning and treat individuals with mental and emotional problems. They also concentrate on behaviors that affect the mental and emotional health and mental functioning
of healthy human beings. For example, psychologists work with patients to help them change behaviors that are having negative effects on their physical health. They work with business executives, performers, and athletes to reduce stress and improve performance. They advise lawyers on jury selection and collaborate with educators on school reform. Immediately following a disaster, such as a plane crash or bombing, psychologists help victims and bystanders recover from the trauma, or shock, of the event. They team with law enforcement and public health of cials to analyze the causes of such events and prevent their recurrence. Involved in all aspects of our fast-paced world, psychologists must keep up with what’s happening all around us. When you’re a psychologist, your education never ends.
As has long been true, opportunities in psychology for those with graduate degrees will be more plentiful and at a higher level than for those with undergraduate degrees. An undergraduate degree remains excellent preparation for continued graduate work in psychology or in another eld, such as business, medicine, or computer science. Many employers are interested in the skills that psychology majors bring to collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data and their experience with statistics and experimental design.
Some of the Sub fields in psychology:
Where do Psychologists work?
Psychology is an extraordinarily diverse eld with hundreds of career paths. Some specialties, like caring for people with mental and emotional disorders, are familiar to most of us. Others, like helping with the design of advanced computer systems or studying how we remember things, are less well known.
What all psychologists have in common is a shared interest in the minds and behaviors of both human and nonhuman animals. In their work, psychologists draw on an ever-expanding body of scienti c knowledge about how we think, act, and feel, and they apply the information to their areas of expertise.
Many psychologists work in more than one setting. For instance, college professors often consult for industry or see clients on a part-time basis. Although it is possible to identify a host of different work settings, for the purpose of this booklet, we’ll consider some of the most prominent examples.
Psychologists conduct ReseaRch
Many psychologists conduct research that runs the gamut from studies of basic brain functions to individual behavior to the behavior of complex social organizations. subjects of such scienti c study include nonhuman animals, human infants, both well-functioning and emotionally disturbed people, older persons, students, workers, and just about every other population one can imagine. some research takes place in laboratories where the study conditions can be carefully controlled; some is carried out in the eld, such as the workplace, the highway, schools, and hospitals, where behavior is studied as it occurs naturally.
Much of the laboratory research is conducted in universities, government agencies (such as the national institutes of health and the armed services), and private research organizations. Whereas most psychological scientists are engaged in the actual planning and conduct of research, some are employed in management or administration—usually after having served as active researchers.
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