Chapter Assignment in Psychology, Essay Example

Five Parts of the Brain Used Daily – Chapter 2

Logan is a 21 year old college student that starts every morning at his favorite local pancake house. Of course, Logan’s central cortex is already activated upon wakening. This is because the central cortex is responsible for basic and innate activities such as breathing and body movement. Once at his favorite breakfast spot, Logan is taxed with deciding what he will have for breakfast. Viewing the menu, his cerebral cortex is activated, primarily, the occipital lobe which will assist him in interpreting the visual stimuli or words on the menu.

While reading the choices on the menu the information is carried and must be interpreted in order for Logan to make a decision about what he will eat. The temporal lobe will assist him in verbalizing his selection to the waitress. The temporal lobe is primarily responsible for auditory stimuli, memory and speech. The parietal lobe is also in play because Logan is oriented and uses his recognition skills to think back on particular selections and foods that he has had in the past, which assists him in his morning decision.

Factors that may Delay Childhood Development – Chapter 9

When children are not meeting “normal” milestones, like their peers, there are a number of concerns. Parents and caregivers alike should take note of normal milestones, however not compare children, because some can and do develop at different states. There are both environmental and genetic issues that can lead to delayed walking in toddlers. Genetic issues such as Downs Syndrome, hearing or eye sight issues can lead to developmental delays. Childhood illnesses that have been inherited may lead to problems with balance, muscle strength or motor skills, which can delay the child. Children can also be delayed because of physical issues such as bowed legs. While bowed legs typically correct with time there are cases where they do not and must be treated.

Environmental factors such as malnutrition or exposure to toxins can affect gross motor skills through delayed bone growth, muscle issues and even weakness issues that hinder the child’s ability to development at a normal rate. It would be recommended to the parents that the child sees a specialist or follow up with their pediatrician, who can track normal milestones. Also information on nutrition and exposure to environmental toxins should also be provided for the parents.

Chapter 9 – p. 340

The chart listed on p. 340, depicts the percentages of children that are cared for either at home or in childcare facility, outside of the home. According to the chart, children are more likely to be cared for at home when they are younger. At six months of age, there are 49% of children that are home with either their mother or father. This is a much greater percentage than children at three years of age, which is only 34%. The percentages, following at four and a half years of age are only 23% of children who are cared for inside the home rather than child care centers or grandparents. This likely suggests that most people feel that children are best suited being cared for by their mother or father during their infant and toddler stages.

Attachment and loving care are very important for younger children, which may not be received if they are cared for in a child care center. It certainly does not mean that the individuals in the child care facility are not showing love, however they are taxed with caring for many children and certainly do not have the loving bond that a parent would. Working outside of the home is an essential for many families, however if possible it is best for the child to be cared for by their mother or father during the first years of life. Children learn from their parents and if they are placed in child care centers, they may not have the bond or learning process that is needed for the best development.

Chapter 6 – Memory

There are a number of ways to help a person remember information from their psychology class. One of the best ways to memorize or remember information is to engage in maintenance rehearsal. This is where an individual would repeat the information that they were attempting to learn or remember. The more that they engage in verbalizing the information, the more their short term memory is able to hold. Repeating the information will assist the individual in committing it to memory and thereby allowing them to easily recall. Another common method of memory enhancement for particular information is to engage in elaborative rehearsal. With this technique the individual would learn more about the “topic or term”, such as looking up the definition or looking at a diagram, to help recall at a later date. Rather than repeating the term, like maintenance rehearsal, the individual would look more at the meaning of the term.

If numbers are involved in memorization process, chunking can be used to assist in the remembering process. Because the working memory has a limited capacity, an individual can break down the information into smaller portions that make it more manageable and meaningful parts. For example, remembering statistics may be practiced in grouping them by the term and together with another like statistic. This can also involve retrieval cues as well. A retrieval cue can be used to assist in remembering by assigning meaning to the particular information that is in question. It may be that the individual remembers one important part of information that is pertinent to a larger term or theory. For example, remembering Freudian theories, the individual may commit to memory the definition of Super Ego and be able to recall ID, and Ego, based on simply remembering what Super Ego is.

References

Feldman, Robert S. Essentials of Understanding Psychology. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2008