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Intro to Abnormal Psychology

Abnormal psychology is the scientific study of unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought, which may or may not be understood as precipitating a mental disorder. It asks big questions:

What does it mean to be ‘normal’? How do cultural, biological, and psychological factors shape mental health? And how do we classify and treat disorders in a way that helps rather than harms? This week, we’ll examine these questions through multiple lenses—medical, cognitive, sociocultural—and explore the major categories of disorders outlined in the DSM-5-TR.

After, viewing the attached video please address the following questions with your initial response:

Ethics and Empathy

1. Dyshae mentions strategies for interacting with others. How do these strategies reflect the core traits of ASPD?

2. Should society treat individuals with ASPD differently than those with other mental health disorders? Why or why not?

3. How can empathy be fostered toward individuals diagnosed with ASPD without excusing harmful behavior?

I look forward to hearing your responses!

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An Interview with a Sociopath (Antisocial Personality Disorder and Bipolar)

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Hello!

I'm excited to introduce you to the field of positive psychology. I started my teaching career at another university, teaching this topic, and I love the concept of viewing psychology through the lens of happiness.

In the past, psychology often focused on what goes wrong—mental illness, trauma, and suffering. Positive psychology takes a refreshing, complementary approach: it's the scientific study of what makes life most worth living.

It's about understanding the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. Instead of just fixing problems, we explore concepts like:

Happiness and well-being

Personal strengths and resilience

Optimism and positive emotions

Essentially, it's about shifting the focus from 'getting people from minus ten to zero' to 'getting people from zero to plus ten.' It offers practical ways to build a richer, more fulfilling life.

Please read the posted article, and then add a post to the course Padlet page with your general thoughts about the topic.

Try to identify at least 3 things that stand out to you, and why.

Ensure that your initial response is a minimum of 300 words; to earn full credit, you must post two responses to your peers throughout the course week (100-word minimum response). I look forward to our discussion!

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Can Positive Psychology Really Help You Lead a Happy Life?

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Positive psychology is one of the newest branches of psychology to emerge. This particular area of psychology focuses on how to help human beings prosper and lead healthy, happy lives. While many other branches of psychology tend to focus on dysfunction and abnormal behavior, positive psychology is centered on helping people become happier.

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💬 Discussion Prompt: Preparing for Your Literature Review

As you get ready to write your literature review for PSYC 2301, it’s important to think critically about the process of selecting, evaluating, and synthesizing research. Let’s use this space to reflect and share strategies.

Prompt Questions:

1. Share the psychology topic you are considering (or one you might be interested in exploring). Why does it interest you, and how might it connect to your future career or personal goals?

2. What challenges do you anticipate when searching for and evaluating scholarly articles (e.g., finding enough sources, understanding methodology, identifying gaps)?

3. Based on the assignment guidelines, what do you think will be the most important skill for success in this project—organization, critical analysis, or something else? Explain your reasoning.

4. After reading the assignment description, what questions do you still have about expectations, APA formatting, or the writing process?

✅ Participation Requirements

To earn full credit:

Post one initial response to the discussion prompt (minimum 300 words).

Post two responses to your peers throughout the course week (minimum 100 words each).

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What is a Literature Review? Explained with a REAL Example | Scribbr 🎓

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Hi Class

Please now take the time to find your own example of motivation in film. Please upload your own movie trailer, and provide your analysis guided by the questions below:

For each theory of motivation, provide an example from the film and explain how it applies:

Instinct Theory:

Example:

Explanation:

Drive-Reduction Theory:

Example:

Explanation:

Arousal Theory:

Example:

Explanation:

Incentive Theory:

Example:

Explanation:

Cognitive Theory (Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic):

Example of Intrinsic Motivation:

Explanation:

Example of Extrinsic Motivation:

Explanation:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Choose a character and describe how their actions reflect their progression (or lack thereof) through Maslow's hierarchy.

Needs Demonstrated (with examples):

Physiological Needs:

Safety Needs:

Love and Belongingness:

Esteem Needs:

Self-Actualization:

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Hi Class!

This week is all about memory and the errors that can cause us to misremember things. Those things include interference (proactive & retroactive), failure to encode, amnesia, and even the way we are asked what we remember.

The attached Ted Talk (I love Ted!) discusses the curious ways that our memory is impacted, how memories can be implanted, and false memories among other interesting tid bits.

Please watch the posted video, and then add a post to the course Padlet page with your general thoughts about the topic. Ensure that your initial response is a minimum of 300 words; to earn full credit, you must post two responses to your peers throughout the course week (100-word minimum response). I look forward to our discussion!

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Elizabeth Loftus: How reliable is your memory? | TED Talk

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Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus studies memories. More precisely, she studies false memories, when people either remember things that didn’t happen or remember them differently from the way they really were. It’s more common than you might think, and Loftus shares some startling stories and statistics -- and raises some important ethical questions.

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Hi Class

Today we will be exploring the basic elements of learning. Understanding the difference between Classical & Operant conditioning can be a confusing exploration. To supplement this weeks work in McGraw Hill Connect I posted a breakdown of the two concepts to get more practice.

Please read the posted article, and then add a post to the course Padlet page. Ensure that your initial response is a minimum of 300 words; to earn full credit, you must post two responses to your peers throughout the course week (100-word minimum response).

I look forward to the conversation!

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Classical and operant conditioning are two important concepts central to behavioral psychology. While both result in learning, the processes are quite different. To understand how each of these behavior modification techniques can be used, it is also essential to understand how classical and operant conditioning differ from one another.

Let's start by looking at some of the most basic differences.

Classical Conditioning

Even if you are not a psychology student, you have probably at least heard about Pavlov's dogs. In his famous experiment, Ivan Pavlov noticed dogs began to salivate in response to a tone after the sound had repeatedly been paired with presenting food. Pavlov quickly realized that this was a learned response and set out to further investigate the conditioning process.

Classical conditioning is a process that involves creating an association between a naturally existing stimulus and a previously neutral one. Sounds confusing, but let's break it down:

This unconditioned stimulus naturally and automatically triggers salivating as a response to the food, which is known as the unconditioned response. After associating the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus, the sound of the bell alone will start to evoke salivating as a response.

The sound of the bell is now known as the conditioned stimulus and salivating in response to the bell is known as the conditioned response.

Classical conditioning is much more than just a basic term used to describe a method of learning; it can also explain how many behaviors form that can impact your health. Consider how a bad habit might form. Even though you have been working out and eating healthy, nighttime overeating keeps tripping up your dieting efforts.

Thanks to classical conditioning, you might have developed the habit of heading to the kitchen for a snack every time a commercial comes on while you are watching your favorite television program.

While commercial breaks were once a neutral stimulus, repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus (having a delicious snack) has turned the commercials into a conditioned stimulus. Now every time you see a commercial, you crave a sweet treat.

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning (or instrumental conditioning) focuses on using either reinforcement or punishment to increase or decrease a behavior. Through this process, an association is formed between the behavior and the consequences of that behavior.﻿﻿

Imagine that a trainer is trying to teach a dog to fetch a ball. When the dog successfully chases and picks up the ball, the dog receives praise as a reward. When the animal fails to retrieve the ball, the trainer withholds the praise. Eventually, the dog forms an association between the behavior of fetching the ball and receiving the desired reward.

A number of factors can influence how quickly a response is learned and the strength of the response. How often the response is reinforced, known as a schedule of reinforcement, can play an important role in how quickly the behavior is learned﻿﻿ and how strong the response becomes. The type of reinforcer used can also have an impact on the response.

For example, while a variable-ratio schedule will result in a high and steady rate of response,﻿﻿ a variable-interval schedule will lead to a slow and steady response rate.

In addition to being used to train people and animals to engage in new behaviors, operant conditioning can also be used to help people eliminate unwanted ones. Using a system of rewards and punishments, people can learn to overcome bad habits that might have a negative impact on their health such as smoking or overeating.﻿﻿

Classical vs. Operant Conditioning

One of the simplest ways to remember the differences between classical and operant conditioning is to focus on whether the behavior is involuntary or voluntary.

In operant conditioning, the learner is also rewarded with incentives,﻿﻿ while classical conditioning involves no such enticements. Also, remember that classical conditioning is passive on the part of the learner, while operant conditioning requires the learner to actively participate and perform some type of action in order to be rewarded or punished.

For operant conditioning to work, the subject must first display a behavior that can then be either rewarded or punished. Classical conditioning, on the other hand, involves forming an association with some sort of already naturally occurring event.﻿﻿

Today, both classical and operant conditioning are utilized for a variety of purposes by teachers, parents, psychologists, animal trainers, and many others. In animal conditioning, a trainer might utilize classical conditioning by repeatedly pairing the sound of a clicker with the taste of food. Eventually, the sound of the clicker alone will begin to produce the same response that the taste of food would.

In a classroom setting, a teacher might utilize operant conditioning by offering tokens as rewards for good behavior.﻿﻿ Students can then turn in these tokens to receive some type of reward, such as a treat or extra playtime. In each of these instances, the goal of conditioning is to produce some sort of change in behavior.

A Word From Verywell

Classical conditioning and operant conditioning are both important learning concepts that originated in behavioral psychology. While these two types of conditioning share some similarities, it is important to understand some of the key differences in order to best determine which approach is best for certain learning situations.

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The Difference Between the Classical and Operant Conditioning

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Classical and operant conditioning are two important concepts central to behavioral psychology. While both result in learning, the processes are quite different. To understand how each of these behavior modification techniques can be used, it is also essential to understand how classical and operant conditioning differ from one another.

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👀 DQ Week 5: Sensation and Perception (cont'd)

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👀 DQ Week 5: Sensation and Perception (cont'd)

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Hello everyone,

This week we’re diving into Chapter 5: States of Consciousness, which covers a wide range of fascinating topics—from sleep and dreams to hypnosis, meditation, and the effects of psychoactive drugs.

For your discussion requirement, I encourage you to explore any of the following areas and bring your insights, questions, or reflections to the conversation:

💤 Sleep & Dreams

🧠 Psychoactive Drugs

🌀 Hypnosis & Meditation

🌙 Dream Theories

💊 Opioid Crisis & Treatment

🌞 Circadian Rhythms

To help you get started, I’ve curated and attached a list of videos and articles that illustrate these topics in real-world contexts.

Looking forward to your thoughtful contributions!

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DQ Topic_Sensation and Perception Examples w Links

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Hi Class!

This week our focus is on sensation and perception; both highly fascinating topics objectively speaking. A key area of research includes the experience of split-brain patients who were surgically treated for epilepsy by cutting their brains, essentially, in half. The genius in this treatment was that it cured epileptic seizures in children. However, there were side effects that later revealed themselves as these patients began to grow up.

Please read the posted video, and then add a post to the course Padlet page. Ensure that your initial response is a minimum of 300 words; to earn full credit, you must post two responses to your peers throughout the course week (100-word minimum response). I look forward to our discussion!

Discussion prompt:

After watching the video, please provide three ideas from the video that made an impression on you. They can be any three things that stand out to you in the film. You are also encouraged to provide a list of questions that you may have after viewing the video clip.

Again, I look forward to the conversation 🙂

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Hi Class!

This week we will discuss the biology of the brain and how that impacts our behavior. In the spirit of football season, and the new Aaron Hernandez series on Peacock, I would like to explore the interesting case of the worst CTE ever seen in a man of Hernandez's age. Please read the article below, and then respond on the course Padlet page. Be sure that your initial response is a minimum of 300 words, and to earn full credit you must post two responses to your peers throughout the course week (100-word minimum response). I look forward to our discussion!

Article: Aaron Hernandez’s CTE was unusually severe, doctor says | CNN

Prompt:

Aaron Hernandez, a former NFL star, was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after his death. Dr. Ann McKee and her team at Boston University found significant brain damage in Hernandez, which was unusual for someone his age. Hernandez had stage 3 CTE, with damage typically seen in much older individuals. This diagnosis has raised questions about the impact of CTE on his actions and mental health.

Discussion Points:

1. Understanding CTE: What is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and how does it affect the brain?

2. Hernandez’s Diagnosis: What were the specific findings in Aaron Hernandez’s brain, and how did they compare to typical cases of CTE?

3. Behavioral Impact: How might CTE have influenced Hernandez’s behavior and decision-making?

4. Legal and Ethical Considerations: What are the implications of CTE diagnoses in legal cases involving violent behavior?

5. Preventative Measures: What steps can be taken to prevent CTE in contact sports, and how can athletes be better protected?

6. Research and Future Directions: How can Hernandez’s case contribute to the overall understanding of CTE and its prevention?

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Aaron Hernandez suffered from worst CTE seen in someone his age | CNN

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Doctors say former NFL star Aaron Hernandez had the most severe case of CTE they'd ever seen in someone so young.

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Hello everyone!

For our first course discussion, I’d like you to share a song that holds a special place in your heart. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Choose Your Favorite Song: Pick a song that you love and that brings back a specific memory for you.

2. Upload the Song: Go to our Padlet page and upload the song. If you can’t upload the song directly, you can share a link to it (e.g., from YouTube, Spotify, etc.).

3. Share Your Memory: On our class discussion board, write a brief post about the memory you associate with this song. It could be anything—a moment from your childhood, a special event, or just a time when this song made you feel a certain way.

Here are a few questions to guide your post:

What is the name of the song and the artist?

Why is this song special to you?

What memory does this song bring back for you?

How does this song make you feel when you listen to it now?

Feel free to be as detailed as you like. I’m looking forward to hearing your stories and discovering some new music!

Be sure to add your name to ensure you get credit for your post*