Readings and Case Studies in Psychology

[Pages:128]GLENCOE

UNDERSTANDING

Psychology

Readings and Case Studies in Psychology

To the Teacher

Readings and Case Studies serve as a supplement to material in the textbook and provide an in-depth look at important issues, experiments, and concepts in psychology. They also encourage students to develop their critical thinking abilities.

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Copyright ? by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce the material contained herein on the condition that such materials be reproduced only for classroom use; be provided to students, teachers, and families without charge; and be used solely in conjunction with the Understanding Psychology program. Any other reproduction, for sale or other use, is expressly prohibited. Send all inquiries to: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill 8787 Orion Place Columbus, Ohio 43240-4027 ISBN: 978-0-07-875367-1 MHID: 0-07-875367-8 Printed in the United States of America. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 047 10 09 08 07

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Contents

Reading 1: Ethics in Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Case Study 1: Early Investigations into Psychological Oddities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Reading 2: Falsifiability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Case Study 2: First Impressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Reading 3: American Child Care Today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Case Study 3: Body Image and Dieting in Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Reading 4: Teenagers in Crisis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Case Study 4: Hormones and Depression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Reading 5: Creativity and Aging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Case Study 5: Generativity Among Refugees and Survivors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Reading 6: Reversing Stroke and Spinal Cord Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Case Study 6: Dual-Brain Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Reading 7: Cross-Cultural Studies of Sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Case Study 7: Self-Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Reading 8: Weightlessness and Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Case Study 8: Perfect Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Reading 9: Different Outlooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Case Study 9: Conditioning Aggression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Reading 10: Remembering Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Case Study 10: Eyewitness Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Reading 11: Sound Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Case Study 11: Peacekeeping with Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Reading 12: The Excited Brain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Case Study 12: Facial Expressions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Reading 13: Change in Japanese College Admissions Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Case Study 13: Who Is Intelligent? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Reading 14: Type T Personalities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Case Study 14: Can Personality Traits Predict Adult Career Success? . . . . . . . . . . 68

Reading 15: Stress Out of Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Case Study 15: Juror Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Reading 16: The Hunt for Mood Genes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Case Study 16: Panic Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Reading 17: Modifying Orangutan Behavior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Case Study 17: Family Therapist and School Counselor Work as a Team . . . . . . . 81

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Reading 18: What Makes a Good Marriage? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Case Study 18: Culture and Conflict Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Reading 19: Who's Steering the Ship? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Case Study 19: Parental Involvement and Students' Aggressive Behaviors. . . . . . 92 Reading 20: Folklore, Gossip, and the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Case Study 20: "The Jury Will Disregard That!" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Reading 21: Steve Blass Disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Case Study 21: "Can I Get Some Service Here?" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

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Name __________________________________ Date ______________ Class _______________

READING

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Ethics in Psychology

Directions: Read the following selection, then answer the questions that follow.

Psychology, like most professions, has a code of professional conduct that governs the actions of members of the profession. Would the ethical conduct of a psychologist be an important factor in your decision to seek advice from him or her? It should be. Psychologists who operate unethically may do you more harm than good.

What does it mean to be ethical? People who are ethical use a set of moral values to guide their decision making. Ethical psychologists use the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct developed by the American Psychological Association (APA) as a basis for their professional conduct. Although this document does not address every possible ethical and unethical action, it does provide a framework in which psychologists can make decisions about their conduct. According to Gerald Koocher and Patricia Keith-Spiegel, the main principles that should guide a psychologist's ethical behavior include the following:

1. Doing no harm (nonmaleficence). Through commission or omission, psychologists strive to benefit those with whom they work, at the same time taking care to ensure that the potential for damage is eliminated or minimized to the greatest extent possible.

2. Respecting autonomy. The rights of individuals to decide how to live their lives as long as their actions do not interfere with the welfare of others is accepted by psychologists as an ultimate goal of clients, students, research participants, and others with whom psychologists work. Members of our profession are often in the business of moving those with whom we work toward greater independence and self-reliance.

3. Benefiting others. All decisions that psychologists make should have the potential for a positive effect on others. Often, this principle must be balanced against doing no harm, respect for autonomy, available resources, and utility.

4. Being just. Actions should be fair and equitable. Others should be treated as psychologists would want to be treated under similar circumstances.

5. Being faithful. Issues of fidelity, loyalty, truthfulness, and respect for those with whom psychologists work converge to form the delicate

standards necessary in fiduciary [based on trust] relationships. When psychologists are straightforward, sincere, candid, and without intent to mislead or deceive anyone, ethical action is more likely. 6. According dignity. Psychologists view others as worthy of respect. This enhances the probability that decisions will be ethical. 7. Treating others with caring and compassion. Psychologists should be considerate and kind to those with whom they work, yet maintain professional boundaries. 8. Pursuit of excellence. Maintaining competence, doing one's best, and taking pride in one's work are important in ensuring highquality professional services, as well as providing hedges against unprofessional and unethical actions. 9. Accepting accountability. Psychologists who act with a consideration of possible consequences, who accept responsibility for actions and inactions, and who avoid shifting blame or making excuses are acting with integrity. Putting principles over expediency is sometimes the longer and more arduous [difficult] route, but in the long run it is the one that ensures self-respect.

Source: Koocher, G., & Keith-Spiegel, P. (1998). Ethics in Psychology. London: Oxford University Press, 4?5.

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(continued)

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Name __________________________________ Date ______________ Class _______________ Understanding the Reading

Directions: Answer the following questions in the space provided. 1. What do psychologists use to identify ethical and unethical behavior?

2. What is ethical behavior?

3. In what two ways do the principles say psychologists could do harm?

Thinking Critically

Directions: Answer the following questions in the space provided. 4. Which of the items on the list could be viewed as general ethical principles that could apply to

everyone, not just psychologists?

5. What factors may cause a psychologist to act unethically?

6. Psychologists who disregard moral values in their personal lives can still maintain the ethical standards required by the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Do you agree with this statement? Explain.

7. According to the nine items on the list, what is an ultimate goal of psychologists regarding clients, students, or experiment participants?

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Name __________________________________ Date ______________ Class _______________

CASE STUDY

1

Early Investigations into Psychological

Oddities

Directions: Read the following case study, then answer the questions that follow.

Introduction

Early psychologists recognized the need for the scientific study of every facet of human behavior. Although they did not have the research tools and the technology of modern psychology, they did attempt to apply the scientific method rigorously to their research.

In the late 1800s the psychological community became embroiled in a debate about psychic phenomena. The Society of Psychical Research was formed in 1882 for the specific purpose of bringing science and psychic phenomena together. The society had two purposes: ". . . first, to carry on systematic experimentation with hypnotic subjects, mediums, clairvoyants, and others; and, secondly, to collect evidence concerning apparitions, haunted houses, and similar phenomena which are incidentally reported, but which, from their fugitive character, admit of no deliberate control." The society wanted to either debunk these mystical phenomena or find a scientific explanation for their existence.

Hypothesis

William James, a leading psychologist at the time, explained the difficulty of the task facing the Society of Psychical Research when he wrote: "In psychology, physiology, and medicine, wherever a debate between the mystics and the scientifics has been once for all decided, it is the mystics who have usually proved to be right about the facts, while the scientifics had the better of it in respect to the theories."

Method

The society faced a difficult task. First, many people who practiced psychic phenomena had no interest in being subjected to rigorous scientific study; they did not see the need. They were also suspicious of intellectuals whose only goal seemed to be to discredit them. The society, led

by Professor Henry Sidgwick, tried to reassure these people. Sidgwick was widely regarded for his impartiality and his unwillingness to draw hasty conclusions. Other members of the society also had reputations for fairness and for honestly seeking answers to seemingly unexplainable phenomenon.

The society's second challenge was to find the financial resources to adequately fund its research. James urged the society to continue even with meager resources. He challenged them to continue to gather facts by conducting extensive interviews with the participants and witnesses in every reported case of psychic phenomenon. He believed that by carefully documenting these cases, the society would eventually have enough evidence to form some type of theory. James expressed his concern as follows: "Its [the Society of Psychical Research] sustainers, therefore, should accustom themselves to the idea that its first duty is simply to exist from year to year and perform this recording function well, though no conclusive results of any sort emerge at first."

For two years, the society focused primarily on thought transference, or telepathy. They studied 30 people who claimed to have the power to identify an object thought of by another person. Although one of the cases, involving two sisters, was found to be a hoax, many other cases could not be explained by random chance or by the deceitful action of the participants.

Another area of research for the society was the phenomenon of hypnotic suggestion. The researchers observed various subjects under hypnotic trances or performing actions as a result of posthypnotic suggestion. Edmund Gurney performed one set of experiments that involved the automatic writing of subjects as a result of posthypnotic suggestion.

"For example, a subject during a trance is told that he will poke the fire in six minutes after waking. On being waked he has no memory of

(continued)

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Name __________________________________ Date ______________ Class _______________

the order, but while he is engaged in conversation his hand is placed on a planchette, [a device that when lightly touched is believed to produce automatic writing] which immediately writes the sentence, `P., you will poke the fire in six minutes.' Experiments like this, which were repeated in great variety, seem to prove that below the upper consciousness the hypnotic consciousness persists, engrossed with the suggestion and able to express itself through the involuntarily moving hand."

Gurney became the most tireless worker for the society. He also researched witchcraft, apparitions, and mental telepathy. His study of witchcraft involved reviewing the accounts of hundreds of witch trials. He found that there was "no first-hand evidence recorded in the trials except the confessions of the victims themselves; and these, of course, are presumptively due to either torture or hallucination."

His exploration of apparitions and mental telepathy involved collecting about 700 cases of reported experiences. In these experiences, one person would get a mental image of a person in distress. He found many of these cases to be honest reports and concluded that "the mind of the person undergoing the calamity was at that moment able to impress the mind of the percipient [sic] with an hallucination." Further research into this phenomenon in both England and the United States led the society to find that such experiences happen too frequently to be

explained by mere chance. In fact, they calculated that such occurrences happen 440 times more often than can be attributed to chance.

Conclusions

The Society of Psychical Research failed to impress many in the scientific community with its findings. Much of their research is considered crude by modern standards. Their efforts, however, do indicate that they did apply the scientific method consistently. James responded to critics of the society by saying "... most of the would-be critics of the Proceedings have been contented to oppose to [sic] the phenomena recorded the simple presumption that in some way or other the reports must be fallacious [false], . . ." He criticized scientists who dismiss things that are not easily explained and categorized simply because they do not fit into the way they think things should be.

The Society of Psychical Research produced a great body of evidence, but developed no concrete theories. The exploration into unexplained phenomena continues to the present. Of all the phenomena explored, only hypnosis has been brought into the mainstream of psychological research and practice. The other areas researched by the society remain in the realm of parapsychology.

Source: James, W. (1897/1956). The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 299?327.

Understanding the Case Study

Directions: Answer the following questions in the space provided. 1. What was the purpose of the Society of Psychical Research?

2. What two reasons are cited for the difficulty of the society's research task?

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