PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY
(Chapters 14, 4 & 12)
Total Points: 50
STRESS, LIFESTYLE, & HEALTH: CHAPTER 14 ASSIGNMENT (20 points)
Instructions: Answer the following questions thoroughly in paragraph format (complete sentences).
Provide an example of a stressful situation that may cause a person to become seriously ill. How
would Selye’s general adaptation syndrome explain this occurrence?
Review the items on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Select one of the items and discuss
how it might bring about distress and eustress.
Job burnout tends to be high in people who work in human service jobs. Considering the three
dimensions of job burnout, explain how various job aspects unique to being a police officer might
lead to job burnout in that line of work.
Discuss the concept of Type A behavior pattern, its history, and what we now know concerning its role in heart disease.
Consider the study in which volunteers were given nasal drops containing the cold virus to
examine the relationship between stress and immune function (Cohen et al., 1998). How might this
finding explain how people seem to become sick during stressful times in their lives (e.g., final exam
week)?
STATE OF CONCIOUSNESS: CHAPTER 4 ASSIGNMENT (20 points)
Instructions: Answer the following question(s) thoroughly in paragraph/essay format.
Describe the changes/stages the human body undergoes as it shifts from deep sleep to REM sleep. What problems can occur if individuals don’t receive sleep?
Describe in detail the process of hypnosis. Is hypnosis effective? What are the pros and cons?
Freud believed that dreams provide important insight into the unconscious mind. He maintained that a dream’s manifest content could provide clues into an individual’s unconscious. What potential criticisms exist for this particular perspective?
Healthcare professionals often work rotating shifts. Why is this problematic? What can be done to deal with potential problems?
If theories that assert sleep is necessary for restoration and recovery from daily energetic demands are correct, what do you predict about the relationship that would exist between individuals’ total sleep duration and their level of activity?
How could researchers determine if given areas of the brain are involved in the regulation of sleep?
What types of studies would be most convincing regarding the effectiveness of meditation in the treatment for some type of physical or mental disorder?
What advantages exist for researching the potential health benefits of hypnosis?
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: CHAPTER 12 ASSIGNMENT (TOTAL = 20 points)
Instructions: Answer the following question(s) thoroughly in paragraph/essay format.
Describe the two general types of attributions people use to explain the behavior of themselves and others, and discuss key concepts in attribution theory, such as the fundamental attribution error, the self-serving bias, and the just-world hypothesis.
Compare and contrast situational influences and dispositional influences and give an example of each. Explain how situational influences and dispositional influences might explain inappropriate behavior.
Define the meaning of cognitive dissonance. Give an example (one not used in class or your text) of cognitive dissonance and how an individual might resolve this.
Describe how seeking outside opinions can prevent groupthink. Compare and contrast social loafing and social facilitation.
The evolutionary theory argues that humans are motivated to perpetuate their genes and reproduce.
Using an evolutionary perspective, describe traits in men and women that humans find attractive.
Imagine that you work for an advertising agency, and you’ve been tasked with developing an advertising campaign to increase sales of Bliss Soda. How would you develop an advertisement for this product that uses a central route of persuasion? How would you develop an ad using a peripheral route of persuasion?
Explain and provide examples of how people from individualistic and collectivistic cultures would differ in explaining why they won an important sporting event.
Most students adamantly state that they would never have turned up the voltage in the Milligram experiment. Do you think you would have refused to shock the learner? Why? Looking at your own past behavior, explain what evidence suggests that you would or would not go along with the order to increase the voltage?
