Psychology II

Psychology II

Discuss the role of biological drives and motivations on human behavior and cognitive processes.

Breakdown the various theories of human cognitive and social development.

Outline the major personality theories, assessments, and practices of type and trait theorists and justify the practical applications of their work.

Outline the historical progression of intelligence research and explain the major theories of intelligence including the works of Charles Spearman, Robert Sternberg, and Howard Gardner.

Identify the conditions that lead to mental wellness, including a positive self-concept, healthy cognitive processes, and edifying interpersonal relationships.

Describe major psychological disorders, their symptoms, and classifications.

Explain the methods used by mental health professionals to treat people living with mental illness.

Describe the influence of social factors on individual cognition and behavior including conformity, obedience, the bystander effect, bias, and polarization.

Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation.

Describe the concept of need for achievement and its significance in understanding motivational differences among people.

Employ Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to understand human behavioral priorities.

Recall biological concepts related to human development (e.g., genetic structure, prenatal development, infancy, etc.).

Trace the physical development and the development of motor skills through early childhood.

Diagram Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development and describe the characteristics of each stage.

Compare and contrast cognitive and social perspectives of an individual through Erikson's Psychosocial Stages of Development.

Examine theories of moral development, including Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Reasoning.

Compare and contrast Freudian and Neo-Freudian perspectives on personality (e.g., Freudian model of the mind, the unconscious mind, archetypes, neuroticism, basic anxiety, inferiority complex, etc.).

Explain behavioral, social-cognitive, and humanistic concepts related to personality (e.g., reciprocal determinism, locus of control, unconditional positive regard, the fully functioning person, etc.).

Describe the five-factor model of personality.

Explain methods used by researchers to assess personality (e.g., projective tests, personality inventories, etc.).

Discuss theories of intelligence (e.g., Spearman's g factor, Sternberg's triarchic theory, Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, etc.).

Describe historical and contemporary tools for measuring intelligence (e.g., the intelligence quotient, the roles they play in categorizing intellectual ability, normal range, intellectual disability, giftedness, etc.).

Examine the history of cultural bias in intelligence measures and the sociocultural underpinnings of those processes.

Examine the role of the stress response and its contribution to physical and psychological health.

Describe the field of positive psychology and its application of psychological concepts to improve mental well-being.

Examine the role of sleep, self-concept, need for achievement, and interpersonal relationships in establishing healthy cognitive and emotional processes.

Discuss the role of poor mental health and its negative effects (e.g., self-harm, eating disorders, etc.).

Define the different types of mental illness (e.g., mood disorders, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, schizophrenia, etc.).

Employ the DSM-V as a tool for diagnosing mental disorders as illustrated in case studies.

Distinguish between the work of a psychiatrist and psychologist in treating mental illness.

Examine the role of stigma in preventing people from accessing adequate mental healthcare.

Compare and contrast psychodynamic, humanistic, and behavioral therapies in the treatment of mental disorders.

Describe the usefulness of cognitive therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and group therapies in the treatment of mental disorders.

Describe the concept of social role and conformity as illustrated in the Stanford Prison Experiment and other studies.

Explain the findings of obedience and conformity as illustrated in the research of Stanley Milgram and Solomon Asch.

Examine the concepts of bias, polarization, and the bystander effect.

Identify the major elements of behavioral economics as evidenced by the research of Amos Tversky, Daniel Kahneman, and Dan Ariely.