Assignment

 DiscussionWeek 3 Discussion

Psychological Perspectives on Real-World Issues

What current issue has you wondering “What do others think about this topic? What does the research have to say about it? What are the experts recommending?” This week, you examine how psychological science can inform a range of current issues that you may not have realized psychology could provide additional insight into, beyond what you see in the news. For this Discussion, you will select a current issue of interest and discuss which concepts of psychological science can help you further understand your issue.

To prepare:

Select a current issue (for example, health care, gun control, the environment, HIV/AIDS prevention and control, overuse of social media, violent video games) in which you have an interest. Then, think about which psychological ideas that you have learned from your program would be relevant to your issue. For example, if you are discussing violent video games, you might be interested in the relationship between exposure to the games and aggression, or you might want to look at how the brain responds to the rewarding feeling of playing the game. If you were discussing the impact of social media, relevant psychological concepts might include addiction, isolation, or depression. Visit http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Psychology_Concepts for a list of some psychological concepts.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 3 your response to the following: Briefly describe the issue you have selected and explain why you selected it. Then, explain which psychological concepts are most useful in understanding that issue. Using your scholarly article, explain how the psychological concepts were discussed in terms of your chosen issue. Also, describe how the article uses psychological concepts to explain, or frame, your issue.