Applications of Developmental Psychology to Practice

Applications of Developmental Psychology to Practice Title: Within your chosen topic area, Health Psychology In Action: Children and the development, (chapter 3 by Tony Cassidy) discuss the ways in which developmental psychology can inform practice. Psychology is a cumulative scientific study of the mind based on empirically driven theories that link experience, behaviour and the brain. Health psychology, despite being a relatively new branch of applied psychology, is following that exact path. It is the study of the psychological processes of health, illness and healthcare systems (Cassidy 2006). While the breadth of the discipline is far reaching, its core goal is the use psychological theories and interventions to prevent damaging behaviour. Perhaps the mind begins as a blank slate and we start of as perfect idiots. At the other extreme, it could be like a Swiss-army knife, a collection of innately structured neural modules or perhaps it starts off undifferentiated and becomes modular. Is it our cultural learning or meta-representation that shapes our behaviour? (Wexler 2006) There is no shortage of one-line theories of human nature. However, when it comes to children there is very little room for error. There is overwhelming evidence documenting the effect of early childhood experiences with their long term health and associated behaviours. For example, stress in early life can inhibit neurogenesis in later adulthood (Tucker 2002; Karten et al 2005), but to what extent does such developmental theory actually inform real life practice? Or in other words, are the current initiatives used by health psychologists working in the way theories predict? There isnt room for an exhaustive search here and so this piece will focus on a few practical examples. More than 400 million adults worldwide are obese according to the World Health Organization (2004) and children from many difference socio-cultural backgrounds are at risk (Cassidy 2006). There are a barrage of studies contemplating how our surroundings are responsible for the growing obesity problem (Brownell 2004). These papers all point towards two key issues: (a) The easy availability of foods that are high in fat. (b) Poor opportunities for exercise. While it is intuitively obvious why people become obese, the relationship between weight and behaviour is still highly complex and health psychology has attempted to identify some of the reasons behind the obesity epidemic. For example, a large body of evidence suggests that the family environment is the major source of influence over childhood eating behaviour (Rivett 2008). Psychologists have attempted to influence childrens food choices through the application of social learning theory in programmes such as The Food Dudes Program (Tucker 2002). The researchers developed a video of four older children who appeared to gain super powers for eating fruit and vegetables. The basic premiss being that a child is more likely to imitate the behaviour of a person they admire and is consistent with a behaviouralist approach because there are rewards for behaviours which are desirable. Similar programs have borrowed from Gratton et al (2007) and have used the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) as a framework to promote childrens fruit and vegetable consumption. TPB posits that behavioural intentions are the proximal determinants of actual behaviour, with the perception of control being an important co-determinant of behaviour (Gratton et al 2007). The programme simply took two groups of children and showed one group ways in which they could make time in the day to eat five-a-day and another group on how they could overcome motivational barriers to achieving this goal. Both interventions were found to be successful. Similar programmes encouraging children to take exercise also exist (Cassidy 2006). Despite some success stories, the effects have been disappointing in the long-term with such programmes (Brownell 2004). Surrounded by a social construct implying that being overweight is normal and acceptable, psychologists are presented with a constant struggle. However, by improving childrens own understanding of illness, this can promote healthy actions by groups and in tandem with a new TPB framework, help improve future lifestyle choices (Williams Binnie 2002). The focus of preventive intervention is also a key area of theoretical implementation in health psychology. This fits with a biopsychosocial model where biological, psychological and social factors are implicated in both health and illness. Prevention cannot focus on only a single factor. For example, drug misuse in adolescence, both legal and illegal, is an issue across the developed world which can be tied into other more serious health concerns (Cassidy 2006). Three aspects of family background have been found to predict risk of drug use: parental involvement in crime, poor relationships with parents and unsupportive child-parent interactions (Mazanov Byrne 2008). Interventions have sought to use social inoculation theory developed by McGuire in the 1960s the basic ideology being that decisions are made in the context of social pressure. More recent work has attempted to model what makes an adolescent successfully quit smoking and found that past behaviour explained more than four times the variance of other factors (Mazanov Byrne 2008). On the other hand, family environment is evidently a key area of theoretical and subsequent practical intervention. Recent research has proposed that family therapy is currently undergoing radical change, but this change seems to be driven by more contextual factors as opposed to new theoretical advances. (Rivett 2008) However, any interventions are often clouded by the prevalence of problematic behaviour patterns including impulsivity and rebelliousness making behaviour difficult to predict: The 14 year old has a very simple decision to make. When he sees a light out of the corner of his eye, he is supposed to ignore it. (Powell 2006, p. 865) This is an extremely easy task and even 8 year olds can do it correctly half of the time, but it requires suppressing a natural impulse not the strong point of most teenagers. In this simple test the teenager performs as well as adults do, but inside his head, a lot more cognitive effort is required, as shown by recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (Powell 2006). Are outdated theories keeping up with new physiological knowledge or should health care be expanded amongst the young moving away from traditional approaches and into the community? (Williams et al 2002) Health psychology is a new and exciting discipline and is constantly surprising both the academics and applied psychological communities. From enhanced wound healing after an emotional disclosure intervention (Weinman et al 2008) to simply using a distraction intervention to ease the pain of pre-school children undergoing injections (Dahlquist et al 2002), there is a constant stream of new theories and interventions. However, no one theory is going to answer and treat all our health problems and there is always an inherent danger when generalizing to large populations. There is a tendency for fragmentation within modern applied psychology that inevitably results from the growth and development of individual areas. References Brownell, D. K. (2004) Food Fight, London: McGraw-Hill Cassidy, T. (2006). Health Psychology: children and development. In Wood et al. (eds) Developmental Psychology in Action. Blackwell Publishing. p. 101-135 Dahlquist, M. L., Pendley, S. J., Landthrip, S. D., Jones, L. C., Steuber, P. C. (2002) Distraction intervention for preschoolers undergoing intramuscular injections and subcutaneous port access. Health Psychology, 21 (1), 94-99 Gratton, L., Povey, R., Carter, D. (2007). Promoting childrens fruit and vegetable consumption: Interventions using the Theory of Planned Behaviour as a framework. British Journal of Health Psychology, 12, 639-650 Karten, J. G. Y., Olariu, A., Cameron, A. (2005). Stress in early life inhibits neurogenesis in adulthood. Trends in Neuroscience, 28 (4), 171-172 Powell, K. (2006). How does the teenage brain work? Nature, 442 (24), 865-867 Rivett, M. (2008). Towards a metamorphosis: current developments in the theory and practice of family therapy. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 13 (3), 102-106 Tucker, M. C. (2002). Expanding pediatric psychology beyond hospital walls to meet the health care needs of ethnic minority children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27 (4), 315-323 Weinman, J., Ebrecht, M., Suzanne, S., Walburn, J., Dyson, M. (2008). Enhanced wound healing after emotional disclosure intervention. British Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 95-102 Williams, M. J., Binnie, M. L. (2002). Childrens concepts of illness: An intervention to improve knowledge. British Journal of Health Psychology, 7, 129-147

Frequent Shopper Program

Kudler Fine Foods (KFF) is a local upscale specialty food store that is committed to providing customers with the finest selection of specialty foods. In addition, KFF would like to reward their customers for their loyalty by incorporating a frequent shopper program. KFF is planning on developing a system that tracks customer purchases and awards loyalty points for redemption. The system will assist KFF in satisfying their most valued customers.Smith Systems Consulting Firm has been contracted for the development of the system. Smith Systems Consulting has been serving clients since 1994 with high value web and business application services. In this proposal, Smith Systems consulting will propose two alternative methods for completing the frequent shopper application. The advantages and disadvantages for each method and how the firm would conduct testing for each development method will be discussed.Regardless of which method is used, most software process models, follow a similar se t of phases and activities. The difference between models is the order and frequency of the phases. The specific parts of the software process are presented below: 1. Inception – Software product is created and defined.2. Planning – Resources, schedule, and cost are determined. 3. Requirements Analysis – Specify what the application must do. 4. Design – Specify the parts and how they fit 5. Implementation – Write the code 6. Testing – Execute the application with input test data 7. Maintenance – Repair defects and add capability (TechTarget, 2014)The first model that will be proposed is the â€Å"waterfall† process. The â€Å"waterfall† process is the oldest software process model and despite its weaknesses, it is still in widespread use today. The waterfall process requires following the phases in a sequential order where the output for one phase is used as the input for the next. The next phase in the process is not st arted until the previous one has been completed, although a small overlap between phases is accepted. Two advantages and disadvantages of using this model relative to the frequent shopper program will be discussed.The first advantage is the practicality of the process. We have been using this process for many years and have a great deal of experience with it. All individuals involved have and understanding of the process and its execution. The second advantage is the process is simple and easy to use. The criteria of each phase are set and completed sequentially. The order of execution is easy for everyone to comprehend. There is no question on what needs to be completed before the next phase can begin.The first disadvantage is that requirements need to be known up front. KFF currently has a broad range of requirements and every detail is not known. As the project progresses, more details may become known; which could cause the project to be stopped and re-imagined. The second disad vantage is that there is no feedback of the system by stakeholders until after the testing phase. KFF has no way of knowing if the program meets their requirements because the â€Å"waterfall† process does not facilitate intermediate versions.The second method that will be proposed is the agile methodology. The agile methodology proposes alternatives to traditional project management. Agile development focuses on keeping code simple, testing often, and delivering functional bits of the application as soon as they are ready (TechTarget, 2014). One goal of agile development is to build upon small-client-approved parts as the project progresses, as opposed to delivering one large application at the end of the project.One advantage to using agile methodology for the frequent shopper application is the ability to respond to changing requirements. KFF may decide to change the requirements of the project, which can easily be handled using the flexibility of the agile methodology. A second advantage is the face-to-face communication and continues input from customer representatives making sure that there is no guesswork (Buzzle, 2013). The result is exactly what the customer has required.The first disadvantage of the agile methodology is the possibility that the project can be taken off track. KFF is not one hundred percent clear on the final outcome that they want; therefore, the project has the potential to get off track because requirements are constantly changing. Another disadvantage is that it is difficult to assess the effort needed to complete this project at the beginning of the software development life cycle. Since KFF is not specific on the requirements for the project, we cannot plan how much time or the amount of resources we will need to complete the project.Regardless of the method that is used for the frequent shopper application, testing is a necessary component of the process. Testing is conducted differently depending on which software model is used. Since the waterfall method follows a sequential approach, the testing is done so also. The flexibility of the agile method also allows flexibility for the testing process.Using the waterfall method testing would begin during the implementation stage. The work would be divided into modules and the coding would begin after receiving the system design documents. The frequent shopper program would be developed into small programs called units. As an example, there would be a program that handles the input from the customer and another program that would track the employee’s reward points. Each unit is developed and then tested for functionality. Unit testing verifies if the units meet the specifications.The units are then integrated into a complete system during the integration phase and tested to see if all units coordinate between each other and the system functions as a whole per the specification (Onestoptesting, 2014). After testing of the frequent shopper program is successful, the software is delivered to the customer. If problems are found after deployment they are solved immediately. This is referred to be maintenance and sometimes that process is virtually never ending.Agile testing focuses on testing being an integral part of software development rather than a separate phase. (â€Å"Agile Testing†, n.d.) Testing from the beginning of the project and continually testing throughout the project lifecycle is the foundation in which agile testing is built. Agile testing is software testing based on the principles of agile software development.The combined team, including the testing team will take responsibility of analyzing the business requirements of the frequent shopper program. Together the team will define a sprint goal. The testing team will then begin work on the test plan that is validated by the entire team and KFF. As the development team starts the implementation, the test team will begin working on the test case design.Wh en the code is ready to test, the test team will do a quick test on the development environment, in order to identify the early stage defects. Developers will fix the defects on a priority basis. This iteration will continue until the end of the code implementation. In addition after approval from KFF, automated test cases will be run on a daily basis. Because of the frequency of testing using the agile method, automated tests are needed.Smith Systems Consulting needs to choose the methodology that works for them and the client. Since each project is unique, there is not a one-size fit all methodology. Two alternative methods for completing this project were presented and Smith Systems Consulting can make a decision on which to choose.

Essay about Analysis of Communication Skills a Self...

Analysis of Communication Skills: A Self-Assessment The power of vision is the starting point. Once you have established your goal, you need to develop your communication skills so that you can share your vision with the rest of the world and create something unique, Tips on starting your own winning business. (2011, March 9). This statement is true. I consider my communication skill good to excellent. As the daughter of two school teachers I have an excellent command of the English language and they taught me how to present myself in such a way to adapt to my audience and have a confidence in my words. These traits have allowed me to be successful in a number of various professions, but I find my ability to communicate with†¦show more content†¦Mentioning anal gland expression can also be used if I feel they still haven’t gotten my point. My communication style has always had a hint of humor behind it. Less so in the actual words that I say, but in how those words are delivered. At 40 years old, and after work ing on perfecting my delivery, my sarcastic style comes across lighthearted and humorously informative. I like to think that I say what everyone else is thinking and wants to say, only with a smile. The best way I found to assess my communication skills is through example and understanding. For example, these days’ people have legitimate concerns about spending their hard-earned money, but when they complain about the cost of grooming in our salon, I always remind them, in a respectful way, that you get what you pay for. How you say it is more important than what you say in these cases. Quality grooming costs money because it takes skill and manpower. I also will point out that there is a lot of overhead involved. Our groomers are career professional who get job-related benefits because they deserve them. I tell the folks that want to haggle about prices that of course they are welcome to shop around. 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What Makes A Friend - 1028 Words

Our friendships consist of individuals who we confide, trust, and rely on for continuous support. These individuals preserve the aptitude to either heal or destroy our perspectives, future relationships, and self-esteem. Because friendships appear to rest natural, â€Å"we don’t often explicate our expectations about what it means to be a friend, but most of us nevertheless have rules for relationships that are shared cultural beliefs about what behaviors friends should perform† (Miller, 2012, p. 220). Through ensuing an innate governance of expectations, friendships subsist informal and effortless, until an individual breaks expectancy. Of the rules of friendship, three embrace prominence to me: show emotional support, don’t be jealous of each other’s relationships, and stand up for your partner in his/her absence. These rules stand analytical to my friendships as they endorse a trusting, compassionate relationship. An essential element of fulfilling friendships transpires within emotion support, through the actions of â€Å"affection, acceptance, and reassurance† (Miller, 2012, p. 215). This element illuminates that individuals crave a friend with whom they can confide and trust in – an individual who not only accepts, but also expects subjective flaws. Emotional support from a friend permits an individual to express their emotions, conscious that rejection and judgment will not materialize. Friends effectively listen, support, and offer advice when it stands desired. TheseShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes A Good Friend?962 Words   |  4 Pagesalone, not wanted, or not good enough. Having people that you can count on to make you feel important and loved are that people that you want in your life. Those people that care about you, and make you feel warm and fuzzy in the inside are who you want to depend on. 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