Journal #1 At this time you need to take your observations and
findings on the other person out and answer the following items. 3
conclusions about your person based on observable behavior. What
type of person you would guess they are according to Myers/Briggs
(E/I, S/N, T/F, J/P) The recording should NOT be simply a listing
of observations, but conclusions based on those observations.
Slide 3
#2 Listen to the story There have been six characters: Husband,
Wife, Lover #1, Lover #2. Ferryboat Captain, and Highwayman List,
in descending order of responsibility for this womans death all of
the characters. The one most responsible is listed first.
Slide 4
Cont Cognitive Bias Just World Bias - The fallacy is that this
implies (often unintentionally) the existence of cosmic justice,
destiny, divine providence, stability, or order, and may also serve
to rationalize people's misfortune on the grounds that they deserve
it.
Slide 5
#2 What if the wife is a widow, but the highwaymans actions
stay the same? Tendency to blame the victim and the fundamental
attribution error. Psychology is a science, but because it is done
with people, many factors come into play. Bias Background
Environment vs. Genetics
Slide 6
#3 Common Sense or Fact Read the statement and determine if the
statement is true or false. Write a letter T in the space provided
if you believe the statement is true and a letter F in the space
provided if you believe the statement is false. 1. _____People
dream on average around five to six times a night. 2. _____Dogs
dream. 3. _____Psychiatrists attend medical school just like your
family physician or a surgeon. 4. _____Psychology stemmed from the
area of biology. 5. _____You are more likely to receive help if
there are two people around rather than if there are twenty people
around. 6. _____You would value receiving ten dollars for helping a
neighbor clean out their garage versus getting ten dollars for
doing nothing. 7. _____Adults in their sixties' interest in sex
starts to decline. 8. _____Psychology is all about making people
feel better. 9. _____Living together before marriage will result in
a better marriage. 10. _____Intelligence is inherited.
Slide 7
1. __T__People dream on average around five to six times a
night. 2. __T__Dogs dream. 3. __T__Psychiatrists attend medical
school just like your family physician or a surgeon. 4.
__F__Psychology stemmed from the area of biology. 5. __T__You are
more likely to receive help if there are two people around rather
than if there are twenty people around. 6. __T__You would value
receiving ten dollars for helping a neighbor clean out their garage
versus getting ten dollars for doing nothing. 7. __F__Adults in
their sixties' interest in sex starts to decline. 8.
__F__Psychology is all about making people feel better. 9.
__F__Living together before marriage will result in a better
marriage. 10. __F__Intelligence is inherited. [NOTE: some aspects
are heritable but environment is a critical element.]
Slide 8
#4 Free-Write Choose one of the following topics and write a
minimum of a paragraph over it. School culture School expectations
School limitations Other topic that references psych connections to
the educational setting
Slide 9
#5 What was the psychological wonder drug of the 1880s and
1890s? What connection can you make to a problematic issue in our
current society?
Slide 10
#6 We are going to be taking a 15 minute walk around the school
grounds. You can go by the trees or stadium but cannot pass the
grove or the end of the stadium. You need to make 5 observations
that show how humans interfere with nature. Your observations need
to be specific and support Gandhis quote "Earth has enough to
satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed."
Slide 11
#7 To Be Extinct or Not: Exploring Evolutionary Theory Go
online and find two animals that are in danger of becoming extinct.
Answer the following questions regarding the endangered animals.
Endangered Animal #1 _______________________________________
Endangered Animal #2 _______________________________________
Question: Why do you believe the animals are close to becoming
extinct? What characteristics do the animals not possess for
survival? Example: Giraffes with short necks cannot reach food high
in trees, therefore only giraffes with long necks survive.
Slide 12
#8 If we are as transient as Dr. Gilbert suggested, how do we
plan for the future? Especially when the current self is so bent on
consumption?
Slide 13
#9 You be the researcher! Research Question: Does sleep affect
mood? Hypothesis: __________________________ Experimental design:
Independent variable: _______________ Operationalized IV:
__________________ Dependent variable: _________________
Operationalized DV: _________________ Any ethical concerns?
Slide 14
#9 Research Question: Does abstinence-only sex education affect
teen pregnancy rates? Hypothesis: __________________________
Experimental design: Independent variable: _______________
Operationalized IV: __________________ Dependent variable:
_________________ Operationalized DV: _________________ Any ethical
concerns?
Slide 15
#10 You are a part of a human metrics department at a major
technology company. Your task is to improve digital communication.
Create a new emoticon, app, or other idea that improves how we
communicate.
Slide 16
#11 Free-Write Friday
Slide 17
#12 Who brings more bias into the classroom, teachers or
students? Try to explain using an eclectic combination of the
cognitive and socio-cultural approaches.
Slide 18
#13 How do Heuristics affect our decision making and thought
processes? A rule of thumb/ principle that generally can be used to
make a judgment or solve a problem. It is fast, but is Prone to
errors Two major types of heuristics Availability
Representative
Slide 19
#13 How do Heuristics affect our decision making and thought
processes? Judging the likelihood of things or objects in terms of
how well they seem to represent, or match, a particular prototype.
If I tell you that Sonia Dara is a Sports Illustrated swimsuit
model, you would make certain quick judgments (heuristics) about
herlike about her interests or intelligence. She is an economics
major at Harvard University. Who went to Harvard?
Slide 20
Availability Heuristic Mental Shortcut If you can think of it,
it must be important Judging a situation based on examples of
similar situations that initially come to mind. Vivid examples in
the news often cause an availability heuristic. Which place would
you be more scared of getting mugged or even murdered? The Bronx,
NY Gary, IN Big Bang Algorithms
Slide 21
21 Heuristics can lead to Overconfidence A tendency to
overestimate the accuracy of our beliefs and judgments. Belief
Perseverance- maintaining a belief even after it has been proven
wrong. Belief Bias- People will tend to accept any and all
conclusions that fit in with their systems of belief, without
challenge or any deep consideration of what they are actually
agreeing with.
Slide 22
Heuristic vs Algorithm Here is an algorithm for driving to
someones house: Take Highway 167 south to Cardington. Take the
South Hill Mall exit and drive 4.5 miles up the hill. Turn right at
the light by the grocery store, and then take the first left. Turn
into the driveway of the large tan house on the left, at 714 North
Cedar. Not subject to chance. Heres a heuristic for getting to
someones house: Find the last letter we mailed you. Drive to the
town in the return address. When you get to town, ask someone where
our house is. Everyone knows ussomeone will be glad to help you. If
you cant find anyone, call us from a public phone, and well come
get you.
Slide 23
#14 Cognition Applications Concepts (Schema)-- Mental grouping
of similar objects, events, ideas, or people Create a schematic
hierarchy for a Bengal Tiger
Slide 24
#15 Memory I am going to read a list of words to you. You are
to write down as many words as you can remember when I am finished
reading and say, "Go!" The words can be in any order. Primacy
Effect (Bed) Recency (Drowsy) Sleep (False Memory)
Slide 25
#15 Eyewitness
http://www.youramazingbrain.org.uk/testyourself/eyewitnes s.htm#
http://www.youramazingbrain.org.uk/testyourself/eyewitnes s.htm#
Write your answers to the 4 questions after watching the video. How
d0es this relate to false memories?
Slide 26
#16 Using auditory system for memory Chunking pairing,
clustering, grouping, or association of different items into larger
units i.e., Try putting the numbers together. So if you hear 2, 4,
8, 3, 6,9think 248, 369. Come Up With Your Own Chunking Mechanism
for Content in One of Your Classes.
Slide 27
#16 method of Loci AKA The Memory Palace 2006 World Memory
Champion, Clemens Mayer from Germany, used a 300-point-long journey
through his house for his world record in "number half marathon",
memorizing 1040 random digits in a half hour. Gary Shang has used
the method of loci to memorize pi to over 65,536 digits.
Slide 28
#17 Write about a particular song that has a significant
emotional/memory based/ or thought provoking connection to you: UC
Davis: Mapping the brain activity where memories are retrieved but
also connects to emotions Had aided in the use of music to elicit
strong reponses in Alzheimers patients Medial Prefrontal Cortex
Region Music serves as a personal soundtrack for a mental movie of
our history. Music has been proven a trigger for memory retrieval
One of the main parts of the brain that's tracking the music is the
same part of the brain that's responding overall to how
autobiographically salient the music is Music based therapy
Slide 29
#18Free-Write
Slide 30
#19 London Cab DriversLondon Cab Drivers Why is the Hippocampus
of London cab drivers so special? How will this knowledge help
individuals with Parkinson's Disease?
Slide 31
#20 Get on the class webpage and scroll to the link about the
top Neuroscience discoveries of 2013. Scroll to topic one, and
discuss the potential understandings of human nature we can get
from brain to brain interface!
Slide 32
#21 The psychologist G. Stanley Hall linked adolescence to all
sorts of social problems. Little seems to have changed in over 100
yearscurrent newspapers and magazines are constantly bombarding us
with information about the terrible nature of adolescents. They
tell us that teenagers all over the world are violent, stressed,
too focused on instant gratification, and/or immoral. Steinberg and
Scott (2003) argue that adolescents should not be held responsible
for murder or other similar infractions, as their brains have not
yet reached maturity. Others posit that the relative immaturity of
the adolescent is not the causal factor in such crimes. They
mention factors such as parental levels of morality, the rise of
mental health issues like depression, and community violence. Use
the critical thinking approach to answer: why do you think we are
pumping kids full of drugs? In thinking critically, you need to
answer the following questions: What am I being asked to believe or
accept? What evidence is there to support the assertion? Are there
alternative ways of interpreting the evidence? What additional
evidence would help to evaluate the alternatives? What conclusions
are most reasonable?
Slide 33
#22 The Neural Impulse Explain the function of each of the
following parts of the neural impulse in relation to the
forthcoming scenario Pre-synaptic Neuron Post Synaptic Neuron
Neurotransmitters Synaptic Vesicles Receptor Sites Action Potential
Axon Dendrite On a cool, dark night, a man was walking home through
the woods when he heard the howl of a wolf. Before he knew it, he
had goose bumps on his skin, a pacing heart, labored breathing, and
the urge to flee.
Slide 34
#23 After Video: Discuss how alcohol is related to GABA and
Glutamate
Slide 35
Slide 36
#24 After watching the video What are Mirror neurons (you need
to know this) What would you expect to see in the mirror neuron
system of people with Autism?
Slide 37
#25 Please get an Ipad and read The History of the Lobotomy
that is located on the class webpage under unit 3. When finished,
answer and be ready to discuss the following question: In your
perspective, what is the key factor that makes the lobotomy an
unethical procedure?
Slide 38
#26 Think of two emotional experiences in your life. The
experiences do not necessarily have to be sad ones; they can be
something that brings about good memories. Explain the situations
and then think about what specific sensations reminds you of that
situation. Use your knowledge of memory and biology.
Slide 39
#27 Susie sets up the VCR to tape her favorite television show.
TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP Melissas mom is showing Rebecca how to make
the family favorite of molasses cookies. She walks Rebecca through
the recipe stepbystep. TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP Tim decides he is
going to start a business of putting bicycles together. He reads
the instructions carefully and follows them very closely. TOP-DOWN
or BOTTOM-UP Its been two years and Tims bicycle business is doing
very well. He can now go through five to eight bicycles a day
without looking at any instructions. TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP Jeremy
is in his first year of algebra and finds the algebra problems very
confusing. He finds that he needs to keep going back to the
textbook and seeing what steps are next. TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP
Slide 40
#27 - Susie sets up the VCR to tape her favorite television
show. TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP Melissas mom is showing Rebecca how to
make the family favorite of molasses cookies. She walks Rebecca
through the recipe stepbystep. TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP Tim decides he
is going to start a business of putting bicycles together. He reads
the instructions carefully and follows them very closely. TOP-DOWN
or BOTTOM-UP Its been two years and Tims bicycle business is doing
very well. He can now go through five to eight bicycles a day
without looking at any instructions. TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP Jeremy
is in his first year of algebra and finds the algebra problems very
confusing. He finds that he needs to keep going back to the
textbook and seeing what steps are next. TOP-DOWN or BOTTOM-UP
Slide 41
#28 Perception -Is the rabbit hole as deep as you think it is?
Please grab a slip of paper out of the chalice that is sitting on
the table. Hold onto this slip of paper. Do not share what group
you are in.
Slide 42
Slide 43
In the picture was there.. 1. A man? 2. A woman? 3. A child? 4.
An animal? 5. A whip? 6. A sword? 7. A mans hat? 8. A ball? 9. A
fish?
Slide 44
How good are you at Figure/Ground? Field Independent 8+ Field
Dependent 7-
Slide 45
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CLOSURE
Slide 47
#29 Discussion Points The first step in perception is
_____________(??) We sense 11,000,000 bits of information per
second. We consciously only process about 40 bits of this What is
the influence of top-down processes (interpretation, second step)on
what we perceive? Go beyond the sensory information to try to make
meaning out of ambiguity in your world. What you expect (your
experiences and your perceptual set) drives this process Today we
will see what expectations we all have in common.
Slide 48
1.We organize the visual field into objects (figures) that
stand out from their surroundings (ground). 2. After distinguishing
the figure from the ground, our perception needs to organize the
figure into a meaningful form using GROUPING rules. Closure #19
What is the two step process to figure- ground
Slide 49
What happens when there arent enough clues? Ambiguous figures
proof of perception You cant hold two different perceptions at the
same time.
Slide 50
#29 Cross Model Processing We are going to watch two videos,
use these to come up with an explanation for Cross Model Processing
Rubber Hand McGurk Effect: Auditory Cue: ba (sound) Visual Cue: ga
(mouth movement) Brain Senses: da
Slide 51
#29 John Watson believed that individuals are born without
mental content when it comes to personality, social and emotional
behavior, and intelligence. This blank slate approach states that
all we are comes from experience and perception. With that in mind,
answer these questions. How much can people be changed? Can we be
molded so easily? Where should society (government) stand on the
nature/nurture debate? Does behaviorism show us that criminals/bad
students/low ethics can be changed or do you think this behavior is
ingrained?
Slide 52
#30 Conditioning in The Office US? Do you want an Altoid? UR?
Outstretched hand CS? Computer bing CR? Outstretched hand
Slide 53
#31 The state of Connecticut recently forced a 17 year old girl
to undergo chemo treatments, despite her refusal and her mothers
acceptance of her refusal. The girl has Hodgkins lymphoma, and was
first forced by the Dept. of Children and Families. Your
thoughts?
Slide 54
#32 (1) You are on a boat that overturns. It contains your
5-year-old and 1-year-old children (of the same sex). The boat
sinks and you can save only one. Whom do you choose to save? Choose
only one. (2) That same boat (you are slow to learn lessons)
contains your 40-year-old and 20-year-old children (both of the
same sex). Neither can swim. As the boat sinks, whom do you choose
to save? Choose only one: (3) Would you rather marry someone older
or younger than yourself? Choose only one: (4) Of the following
six, which three are most important in the selection of your mate?
Choose only three *good financial prospects *good looks *a caring
and responsible personality *physical attractiveness *ambition and
industriousness *an exciting personality (5) You and your spouse
are the proud parents of a new child. The grandparents are
ecstatic. Who do you think will be kinder to the child? Choose only
one: the mother of the mother the mother of the father (6) Who will
mourn more at the death of a child? Choose one answer in each pair:
a. Father/mother b. parents of the father/parents of the mother c.
younger parents/older parents (7) Which will elicit more grief?
Choose one answer in each pair: a. death of a son/death of a
daughter b. death of an unhealthy child/death of a healthy
child
Slide 55
#33 Identify the emotions on the following pictures
Slide 56
HAPPY
Slide 57
Sadness
Slide 58
FEAR
Slide 59
DISGUST
Slide 60
SURPRISE
Slide 61
ANGER
Slide 62
CONTEMPT
Slide 63
NEUTRAL
Slide 64
Cont How could you use an understanding of Ekmans
microexpressions in your daily life? How could you use an
understanding of Ekmans microexpressions in your daily life?
Slide 65
#34 Adaptations for people who had lost the use of their hands.
Going to assess whether the unpleasantness or difficult of these
tasks affect your attentional abilities and responsiveness. For
each picture, rate it on a scale of -9 (very negative emotions) to
+9 (very positive emotions)
Slide 66
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Slide 74
#34 Continued Fritz Strack (1988) muscles that control smiling
cause happiness Zajonc (89) long e - smile and long u pouty Each,
eager, eagle, ear, ease, east, Easter, eat, eaves, eel, evil Flu,
flute, hue, glue, mule, rule, tulip, tune, use, you, yule
Slide 75
#35 Free Write Friday
Slide 76
#36 Yerkes Dodson 1. What was your arousal level on your
midterm exams? If you were very nervous, your arousal level would
be considered high. If you were excited and engaged but not too
worried, it would be in the medium range. If you were feeling
sluggish, your arousal level would be low. 2. How did you actually
do on that test? 3. In many professions, individuals are forced to
perform under conditions of very high arousal. These include EMTs,
professional athletes, lifeguards, and emergency room medical
professionals. How might such individuals train themselves to
perform even under conditions of extreme arousal?
Slide 77
#37 At this point, which do you think is more important in the
development of a person, nature or nurture?
Slide 78
#38 What stance should Psychology take in regards to When does
life begin debate?
Slide 79
#39 AP PSYCH FREE WRITE FRIDAY!
Slide 80
#26 Why dont French kids have ADHD Which viewpoint is correct
in regards to adolescents with ADHD? Explain.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/suffer-the-
children/201203/why-french-kids-dont-have-adhd
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/suffer-the-
children/201203/why-french-kids-dont-have-adhd
Slide 81
#40 Two young men, brothers, had got into serious trouble. They
were secretly leaving town in a hurry and needed money. Karl, the
older one, broke into a store and stole a thousand dollars. Bob,
the younger one, went to a retired old man who was known to help
people in town. He told the man that he was very sick and that he
needed a thousand dollars to pay for an operation. Bob asked the
old man to lend him the money and promised that he would pay him
back when he recovered. Really Bob wasn't sick at all, and he had
no intention of paying the man back. Although the old man didn't
know Bob very well, he lent him the money. So Bob and Karl skipped
town, each with a thousand dollars.
Slide 82
#40 Cont 1. Which is worse, stealing like Karl or cheating like
Bob? Why is that worse? 2. What do you think is the worst thing
about cheating the old man? Why is that the worst thing? 3. Is it
important to keep a promise to someone you don't know well or will
never see again? Why or why not? 4. Should people do everything
they can to obey the law? Why or why not? 5. Was the old man being
irresponsible by lending Bob the money? Why or why not?
Slide 83
#41 Would you rather your child be less attractive and
extremely intelligent or extremely attractive and less intelligent?
If you had a friend who spoke to you the same way that you
sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person
to be your friend? What are you currently procrastinating on?
Why?
Slide 84
#42 Judy was a twelve-year-old girl. Her mother promised her
that she could go to a special music concert coming to their town
if she saved up from baby-sitting and lunch money to buy a ticket
to the concert. She managed to save up the 50 dollars the ticket
cost plus another 25 dollars. But then her mother changed her mind
and told Judy that she had to spend the money on new clothes for
school. Judy was disappointed and decided to go to the concert
anyway. She bought a ticket and told her mother that she had only
been able to save 25 dollars. That Saturday she went to the
performance and told her mother that she was spending the day with
a friend. A week passed without her mother finding out. Judy then
told her older sister, Louise, that she had gone to the performance
and had lied to her mother about it. Louise wonders whether to tell
their mother what Judy did.
Slide 85
#42 Cont Answer 2 of the 9 1. Should Louise, the older sister,
tell their mother that Judy lied about the money or should she keep
quiet? Why? 2. In wondering whether to tell, Louise thinks of the
fact that Judy is her sister. Should that make a difference in
Louise's decision? 3. Does telling have anything to do with being a
good daughter? Why or why not? 4. Is the fact that Judy earned the
money herself important in this situation? Why or why not? 5. The
mother promised Judy she could go to the concert if she earned the
money. Is the fact that the mother promised the most important
thing in the situation? Why or why not? 6. What do you think is the
most important thing a mother should be concerned about in her
relationship to her daughter? Why is that the most important thing?
7. In general, what should be the authority of a mother over her
daughter? Why? 8. What do you think is the most important thing a
daughter should be concerned about in her relationship to her
mother? Why is that the most important thing? 9. In thinking back
over the dilemma, what would you say is the most responsible thing
for Louise to do in this situation? Why?
Slide 86
Kohlberg Critiques of Kohlberg: Arguments include that it
emphasizes justice to the exclusion of other moral values, such as
caring Overlap between stages so should be regarded as separate
domains Kohlberg, created a new field within psychology 16 th most
cited Psychologist and 30 th most eminent Kohlberg's scale is about
how people justify behaviors and his stages are not a method of
ranking how moral someone's behavior is. There should however be a
correlation between how someone scores on the scale and how they
behave, and the general hypothesis is that moral behavior is more
responsible, consistent and predictable from people at higher
levels.
Slide 87
#43 Play Judge, how would you rule in this case?
Slide 88
#44 Heinz Dilemma: What would you do?
Slide 89
#45 - A love test (If youve had me before use today as a
free-write) 1. You are walking to your boy/girlfriend's house.
There are two roads to get there. One is a straight path to take
you there quickly, but is very plain and boring. The other is
significantly longer but is full of wonderful sights and
interesting things. Which one do you take to get your significant
other's house, short or long? 2. On the way you see 2 rose bushes.
One is full of red roses, the other full of white. You decide to
pick 20 roses for your boy/girlfriend, of any color combination.
What number of white and red do you pick? (you can pick all of one
or any combo of the two). 3. You finally get to their house. A
family member answers the door. You can have them get your
boy/girlfriend or go get them yourself. Which do you do? 4. You go
up to you boy/girlfriend's room, but nobody is there. You decide to
leave the roses. Do you leave them by the windowsill or on the bed?
5. Later, it's time for bed. You and your boy/girlfriend go to
sleep in separate rooms. In the morning when its time to wake up
you go in their room and check on them. When you arrive, are they
awake or asleep? 6. Now it's time to go back home. Do you take the
short, plain road or the longer, more interesting road?
Slide 90
#45 Cont 1. The road represents your attitude towards falling
in love. If you take the short road, you fall in love quickly and
easily. If you take the long road, you take your time and do not
fall in love as easily. 2. The number of red roses represents how
much you give in a relationship, while the number of white
represents what you expect in return. For example, if you chose 18
red and 2 white, you give 90% and expect 10% in return. 3. This
question represents your attitude towards handling relationship
problems. If you asked the family member to get your significant
other, then you like to avoid problems and hope that they will
solve themselves. If you went to get them yourself, then you are a
more direct person and like to work out problems immediately. 4.
The placement of roses determines how much you like to see your
boy/girlfriend. Placing them on the bed means you like to see them
a lot, while placing them on the windowsill means that you are
alright with not seeing them as much. 5. This is representative of
your attitude towards their personality. If you find them asleep,
you love your boy/girlfriend the way they are. If you find them
awake, you expect them to change for you. 6. The road to home tells
how long you stay in love with someone. If you chose the short
road, you fall out of love easily. If you chose the longer one, you
will tend to stay in love for a long time.
Slide 91
#46 Numerous psychologists have stated that experiences early
in life are systematically linked to how people think, feel, and
behave in their adult lives. Explain how each of the following
psychologists would explain how current teenagers pursue romantic
relationships. (What is the key formation during adolescence?) *
Skinner, Freud, Maslow, Piaget, Erikson
Slide 92
#47 Please tell as dramatic a story as you can for the picture
presented, including the following: what has led up to the event
shown what is happening at the moment what the characters are
feeling and thinking what the outcome of the story was
Slide 93
Slide 94
Thematic Apperception Test Purpose The TAT is often
administered to individuals as part of a battery, or group, of
tests intended to evaluate personality. It is considered to be
effective in eliciting information about a person's view of the
world and his or her attitudes toward the self and others. Usually
there are multiple story cards Stories reveal expectations of
relationships with peers, parents or other authority figures,
subordinates, and possible romantic partners. Examiner also
evaluates the subject's demeanor (tone, posture, hesitations,
emotional responses) Example: comments about the artistic style of
the picture, or remark that he or she does not like the picture;
this is a way of avoiding telling a story about it. Used in
assessment of candidates who need skill in dealing with other
people and/or ability to cope with high levels of psychological
stress such as law enforcement, military leadership positions,
religious ministry, education, diplomatic service, etc. Although
the TAT should not be used in the differential diagnosis of mental
disorders, it is often administered to individuals who have already
received a diagnosis in order to match them with the type of
psychotherapy best suited to their personalities. Lastly, the TAT
is sometimes used for forensic purposes in evaluating the
motivations and general attitudes of persons accused of violent
crimes. For example, the TAT was recently administered to a
24-year-old man in prison for a series of sexual murders. The
results indicated that his attitudes toward other people are not
only outside normal limits but are similar to those of other
persons found guilty of the same type of crime. The TAT can be
given repeatedly to an individual as a way of measuring progress in
psychotherapy or, in some cases, to help the therapist understand
why the treatment seems to be stalled or blocked.
Slide 95
TAT Research TAT is frequently used for research into specific
aspects of human personality, most often needs for achievement,
fears of failure, hostility and aggression, and interpersonal
object relations. "Object relations" is a phrase used in psychiatry
and psychology to refer to the ways people internalize their
relationships with others and the emotional tone of their
relationships. Research into object relations using the TAT
investigates a variety of different topics, including the extent to
which people are emotionally involved in relationships with others;
their ability to understand the complexities of human
relationships; their ability to distinguish between their viewpoint
on a situation and the perspectives of others involved; their
ability to control aggressive impulses; self-esteem issues; and
issues of personal identity. For example, one recent study compared
responses to the TAT from a group of psychiatric inpatients
diagnosed with dissociative disorders with responses from a group
of non-dissociative inpatients, in order to investigate some of the
controversies about dissociative identity disorder (formerly called
multiple personality disorder).
Slide 96
"Think of someone you know whom you don't like very much. Maybe
you even hate this person. On a piece of paper, write down a
description of that person. Write down what it is about this
individual's personality that you don't like. Be as specific as you
can."