Essay Assignment
The Essay Examination will cover the material we have studied in Modules 5 - 8. You will need to choose four of the six essay questions to answer. Each question requires a three to five paragraph (250 - 500 word) response, using the correct vocabulary related to the topic. Your answers need to be supported with information from the textbook or other appropriate sources such as peer-reviewed (professional) journal articles.
For your exam submission, please respond to four of the following questions:
1. You are the commissioner of a state lottery system that sponsors daily and weekly drawings. Lottery tickets have not been selling well over the past few months. Describe at least two ways you could take advantage of people's use of the availability heuristic to boost sales. Explain why you would judge your tactics to be fair or unfair to your customers.
2. Imagine you have a friend who just last month adopted a set of siblings, a thirteen-month-old and a four-year-old, from an orphanage in a developing country. The orphanage was not a stimulating environment and the four-year-old can only speak a few words in her native language. The thirteen-month-olddoes not seem to speak words in either her native language or in English. Both children appear physically healthy and have started to adjust quite well, emotionally, but your friend is concerned about their language development. Discuss whether their language development is typical of children their age and theextent to which each child can be expected to learn English fairlywell in the next couple of years.
3. Latisha's history teacher asked her why so many German people complied with Hitler's orders to systematically slaughter millions of innocent Jews and others. Latisha suggested that the atrocities were committed because the Germans had become unusually cruel, sadistic people with abnormal twisted personalities. Use your knowledge of the fundamental attribution error to highlight the weaknesses of Latisha's reasoning and then propose an alternative explanation.
4. Abraham Maslow suggested that "a person who is lacking food, love, and self-esteem would most likely hunger for food more strongly than anything else." Conversely, the novelist Dostoyevski wrote, "without a firm idea of himself and the purpose of his life, man cannot live even if surrounded with bread." What evidence from the field of psychology might support each statement.
5. Andy, a high school sophomore, lacks self-discipline, fails to plan ahead, and is excessively anxious. He is quickly frustrated by challenging tasks and frequently becomes overly critical of others. Use the psychoanalytic, humanistic, and social-cognitive perspectives to give three contrasting explanations of Andy's behavior.
6. Geraldo, a second-year college student, is so fearful of medical procedures that he has avoided routine dental checkups for over three years. He has recently decided to seek help in overcoming his fear. Compare and contrast (what are the similarities and differences) the methods that would be used by (a) a behavior therapist and (b) a psychoanalytic therapist.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.