Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Psychology and Sociology

Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is described as a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a manual created by the American Psychiatric Association used to diagnose mental disorders, people with ASD have:

• Difficulty with communication and interaction with other people
• Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors
• Symptoms that hurt the person’s ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life

Autism is known as a “spectrum” disorder because... Continue reading "Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder: Signs and Symptoms" »

The Psychology of Attraction and Relationship Formation

Why We Choose Specific Partners

The phrase "Birds of a Feather Flock Together" encapsulates a fundamental question in social psychology: Why do we choose to form relationships with certain individuals and not others?

The first stage of any relationship is attraction.

Key Factors Influencing Interpersonal Attraction

Research identifies several crucial factors that determine who we are attracted to:

• Proximity
• Familiarity
• Physical Attractiveness
• Similarity
• Complementarity

Proximity and Familiarity

Studies on proximity have consistently shown that our immediate circle of friends often consists of people who live or work very close to us. Increased exposure leads to increased familiarity, which generally... Continue reading "The Science of Attraction: Similarity, Proximity, and Partner Selection" »

YOU CAN'T. 1.Infants: incredible ‘learning Machines’ depending from their caregivers.4

2.Vygotsky: language is the main Facilitator of social interaction, if children are deprived of access to any Type of langue input prior to puberty, they will find it difficult to fully Develop grammatically abilities later on.

3.Lennerg, 1967: supported this with Cases studies of wild or feral children (Genie): abused and neglected by her Parents, she couldn’t speak at all at first, and afer intensive speech therapy, She was never able to communicate in grammatically correct, complex sentences (Buddenhagen, 1971).

4.Tomasello (2000), challenged this And current thinking suggests that language, like any skill, can be acquired at Any time providing that... Continue reading "I is correct ii is correct" »

Personality: A Person's Pattern of Thinking, Feeling, and Acting

Type A and Type B Personalities

• Type A: Feel time pressure, easily angered, competitive and ambitious, work hard, more prone to heart disease.
• Type B: Relaxed and easygoing, work steadily, disregard physical or mental stress when they do not achieve.

Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory

Freud believed that libido (psychosexual energy) moves to different parts of the body during different stages of development:

• Oral Stage (0-2 years): Sucking, mouth (drinking, eating, dependence, independence)
• Anal Stage (2 years): Bowel movements (orderly, stubborn/messy, wasteful)
• Phallic Stage (3-5 years): Play with genitals, feel attracted to the opposite parent
• Latent Stage (5 years to adolescence): Suppress

Sex and gender are two concepts often presented as equal, but they are not. Sex refers to the biological classification based on reproductive organs. Gender is based on psychological and social characteristics associated with being male or female. This article aims to explore the relationship between gender and health. Gender affects the approach to healthcare and the manifestation, epidemiology, and pathophysiology of diseases. We will discuss how gender can be a conditioning factor in health and how it affects mental health throughout the life cycle.

Cultural Influence on Gender and Health

Culture plays a very important role in the behaviors of men and women. Gender differences produce gender inequalities that empower one group to the detriment... Continue reading "Sex, Gender, and Health: Impact on Mental Well-being" »

A. Behaviourist Theories (Pavlov, Skinner)

The learner is a kind of white sheet of paper on which the teacher writes. Behaviourists did not take into account the learner's previous knowledge.

They focus on learning as a process in which rewards and punishment are taken into account: these can be approached as kinds of stimuli that exert effects on the behaviour of the individual.

The mind is considered a black box. A behaviourist would say that it is impossible to have access to what occurs within the mind of the individual.

The study of the human mind is relatively recent and goes hand in hand with the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The computer is thought to resemble or simulate the way the human mind works: short-term vs. long-

Mindsets and Learning Theories

Understanding Mindsets

• Fixed Mindset: Individuals believe their intelligence is static, "carved in stone," leading them to question their inherent capability.
• Growth Mindset: Individuals believe their knowledge and abilities are always expanding and growing through continuous learning.

Learning Styles and Limitations

Scientific studies indicate that individuals with different learning styles may perform better when material is presented in a specific way. However, if learning styles limit learning, it is often because individuals believe they are incapable of learning through other methods.

Sleep and Memory Consolidation

Relationship between Sleep and Learning: Sleep helps compile information into more memorable material.... Continue reading "Core Concepts in Psychology and Research Methods" »

The Contextual Interference Effect

Contextual Interference (CI) occurs when multiple skills are practiced concurrently, causing interference between the tasks. This increased difficulty results from introducing three or more distinct tasks within the same practice session.

• Low CI: Typically achieved through blocked practice (performing all repetitions of one task before moving to the next).
• High CI: Typically achieved through random practice (interleaving different tasks unpredictably).

Impact on Learning and Performance

The CI effect demonstrates that introducing greater levels of interference into the practice setting enhances a learner's ability to remember skill-related information long term, although it may negatively affect short-term performance... Continue reading "Motor Skill Acquisition: Contextual Interference and Specificity" »

Introduction to OB

Organisational behaviour is more about individual and team

Human are easy to deceive

Intuition can be wrong

Organisational culture

Definition: It is the shared set of beliefs, expectations, values, norms, and work routines that influence how members of an organization relate to one another and work together to achieve organizational goals.

7 dimension of organizational culture

Innovation/Stability/Respect for people/Outcome orientation/Attention to detail/Team orientation/Aggressiveness

Variability in culture is low than the relationship between outcome and culture is clear

Importance of a strong organisational culture

Organisational identity (like sense of belonging)/Sense-making device/Collective commitment/Social system stability... Continue reading "Understanding Organisational Behaviour and Leadership" »

Ethical Considerations in Psychological Research

One ethical consideration in psychological research is the use of deception. Deception occurs when a participant is not made fully aware of the purpose of a study or is intentionally misinformed. Researchers often use deception to hide the true aim of an experiment. If participants knew the aim, they might demonstrate demand characteristics, either trying to give the researchers what they want or behaving in a way that makes them look their best, a phenomenon known as the social desirability effect.

Deception is problematic because it undermines the concept of informed consent. It violates the trust between a researcher and a participant. Additionally, it increases the chance that a participant... Continue reading "Ethical Deception in Research & Multi-Store Memory Model" »