Human Behavior and Personal Opinion in Psychology This paper will give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned this semester to a topic that interests you. You will act as an advice columnist named “Ivy” and answer a question about human behavior using specific information you have learned about in psychology.

Your response will not be about your personal opinion. You will carefully consider what we’ve studied and how it might apply to a problem, giving advice based on psychological research.

Human Behavior and Personal Opinion in Psychology Preparation

Select a “Dear Ivy” letter to respond to. There are several Dear Ivy letters based on your classmates’ submissions to choose from. Which is this:
Dear Ivy,
THe Empathizer Bunny
Find a reliable source (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. of information about how common or severe the problem in the letter can be or why it is important to address. If you are not sure whether a source is reliable/credible, email your instructor to ask.
Decide which concept you’ve learned about in class might be able to explain what is happening for this reader.
Here is a list of some key concepts:
Wondering which concept to use for solving your Dear Dr. Ivy problem? Here are some possibilities we’ve learned about in class this semester:
brain structures
neural communication
the endocrine system
natural selection
selective attention
sensory adaptation
circadian rhythms
altered states of consciousness
sleep and dreaming
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
observational learning
learning mindset
learned helplessness/learned optimism
memory processes
schemas and scripts
heuristics
confirmation bias
hindsight bias
fixation
intelligence
language development
Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
Erikson’s stages of socioemotional development
parenting styles
attachment theory
moral development
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
emotional display rules
Freud’s id-ego-superego approach
self-actualization
the “Big 5” personality traits
attributions
self-serving bias
fundamental attribution error
cognitive dissonance
persuasion techniques
conformity
social norms
obedience
the Just World Fallacy
victim-blaming
bystander effect
deindividuation
groupthink
altruism
prejudice
in-group bias
cultural differences
mental illness and therapy

Human Behavior and Personal Opinion in Psychology Document Preview

Preview the document that we have covered. Choose one that applies to the problem you are writing about. If you think of a different one you’d like to use, send me a message to get it approved first.
For your chosen psychological concept, review the relevant sections of the textbook (Experience Psychology 3rd Edition) as well as your class notes, asking yourself
What are key vocabulary terms a person needs to know to understand this concept?
Which psychologists conducted research to provide scientific support for this idea? What studies did they do?
How can this concept be used to solve the problem in the Dear Ivy letter?
Writing Your Paper
Your paper (response letter) should be 2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins using a standard 12 point font. It should include the following four components:
An introduction to the problem using your reliable source to highlight its importance. Your source should be a reputable news organization, professional association, academic research article, government report, or published book.

Human Behavior and Personal Opinion in Psychology Paper Format

Be sure to cite it at the end of your paper using APA format.
Thorough background information on a psychological concept from the provided list, including a full description of the concept, any major people we’ve discussed (Pavlov, Maslow, Ainsworth, etc), important research studies that helped develop the concept, key vocabulary, examples, etc. You must demonstrate that you fully understand the concept using your own words.
Advice about how the reader might use the concept you just explained to address their problem. Remember, your advice should be based on the science of psychology that you just described, not your personal opinion.
A referral to a psychological expert/organization who can provide further help with the problem. Look up and include the educational background or other credentials of the person/group you are recommending along with their contact information. A couple good places to find professional psychologists would be the Psychology Today Directory (Links to an external site.)