This activity reinforces learning about levels of measurement and frequency distributions in an intro level Social Science Statistics course. Students identify something up from their life, collect data for their variable, assess its level of measurement and make a frequency distribution. 

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Discuss Piaget’s view of cognitive development and apply the stages to understanding childhood cognition

Friendship and love, and more broadly, the relationships that people cultivate in their lives, are some of the most valuable treasures a person can own. This module explores ways in which we try to understand how friendships form, what attracts one person to another, and how love develops. It also explores how the Internet influences how we meet people and develop deep relationships. Finally, this module will examine social support and how this can help many through the hardest times and help make the best times even better.

Hearts of Men have been running community-based mentoring programmes, bringing older and younger men together in support circles in the Western Cape from 2001 to 2021. The approach and the materials included in this manual have been tried and tested in many different communities, working with diverse groups of men/young men, aged between 15 and 70 years. SIx experiential training courses for men and young men are covered in Parts One and Two of this manual. For more background information on Hearts of Men, and a detailed description of our work, please refer to our book In the Hearts of Men (published in 2015). Details are given at the end of this manual.

Hearts of Men have been running community-based mentoring programmes, bringing older and younger men together in support circles in the Western Cape from 2001 to 2021. The approach and the materials included in this manual have been tried and tested in many different communities, working with diverse groups of men/young men, aged between 15 and 70 years. SIx experiential training courses for men and young men are covered in Parts One and Two of this manual. For more background information on Hearts of Men, and a detailed description of our work, please refer to our book In the Hearts of Men (published in 2015). Details are given at the end of this manual.

This learning resource will enable the learner to understand the hierarchy of needs as described by Abraham Maslow. Before you do the task, look at the Resource Library ( to the right of this page) and go through the various resources mentioned. You can look at more resources too. 

John Emil List murdered his mother, wife, and three teenaged children on November 9, 1971 in their dilapidated Westfield, NJ mansion.  The victims were not discovered for nearly a month, and List escaped capture for nearly 18 years.  This repository includes primary source materials and lesson plans for instructors in criminal justice, history, and psychology.Repository Locationhttps://unioncc.instructure.com/courses/11394

“Memory” is a single term that reflects a number of different abilities: holding information briefly while working with it (working memory), remembering episodes of one’s life (episodic memory), and our general knowledge of facts of the world (semantic memory), among other types. Remembering episodes involves three processes: encoding information (learning it, by perceiving it and relating it to past knowledge), storing it (maintaining it over time), and then retrieving it (accessing the information when needed). Failures can occur at any stage, leading to forgetting or to having false memories. The key to improving one’s memory is to improve processes of encoding and to use techniques that guarantee effective retrieval. Good encoding techniques include relating new information to what one already knows, forming mental images, and creating associations among information that needs to be remembered. The key to good retrieval is developing effective cues that will lead the rememberer back to the encoded information. Classic mnemonic systems, known since the time of the ancient Greeks and still used by some today, can greatly improve one’s memory abilities.

This module provides a structured way of observing and describing a patient's current state of mind, under the domains of appearance, attitude, behavior, mood and affect, speech, thought process, thought content, perception, cognition, insight and judgment. There are some minor variations in the subdivision of the Mental State Examination (MSE) and the sequence and names of MSE domains.

Everyone feels down or euphoric from time to time, but this is different from having a mood disorder such as major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. Mood disorders are extended periods of depressed, euphoric, or irritable moods that in combination with other symptoms cause the person significant distress and interfere with his or her daily life, often resulting in social and occupational difficulties. In this module, we describe major mood disorders, including their symptom presentations, general prevalence rates, and how and why the rates of these disorders tend to vary by age, gender, and race. In addition, biological and environmental risk factors that have been implicated in the development and course of mood disorders, such as heritability and stressful life events, are reviewed. Finally, we provide an overview of treatments for mood disorders, covering treatments with demonstrated effectiveness, as well as new treatment options showing promise.

Your decisions and behaviors are often the result of a goal or motive you possess. This module provides an overview of the main theories and findings on goals and motivation. We address the origins, manifestations, and types of goals, and the various factors that influence motivation in goal pursuit. We further address goal conflict and, specifically, the exercise of self-control in protecting long-term goals from momentary temptations.

Most of the time, we perceive the world as a unified bundle of sensations from multiple sensory modalities. In other words, our perception is multimodal. This module provides an overview of multimodal perception, including information about its neurobiology and its psychological effects.

People have a deep intuition about what has been called the “nature–nurture question.” Some aspects of our behavior feel as though they originate in our genetic makeup, while others feel like the result of our upbringing or our own hard work. The scientific field of behavior genetics attempts to study these differences empirically, either by examining similarities among family members with different degrees of genetic relatedness, or, more recently, by studying differences in the DNA of people with different behavioral traits. The scientific methods that have been developed are ingenious, but often inconclusive. Many of the difficulties encountered in the empirical science of behavior genetics turn out to be conceptual, and our intuitions about nature and nurture get more complicated the harder we think about them. In the end, it is an oversimplification to ask how “genetic” some particular behavior is. Genes and environments always combine to produce behavior, and the real science is in the discovery of how they combine for a given behavior.

This chapter we will be acknowledging and bringing awareness to the historical discrimination that has barred education and research access to those in the Psychological field due to color, gender and other racial biases. Only by understanding this prejudice and racial discrimination can we discover the root causes of inequity and recognize those in the field that had a direct and positive contribution to the development of the field of Psychology.

This module asks two questions: “Is happiness good?” and “Is happier better?” (i.e., is there any benefit to be happier, even if one is already moderately happy?) The answer to the first question is by and large “yes.” The answer to the second question is, “it depends.” That is, the optimal level of happiness differs, depending on specific life domains. In terms of romantic relationships and volunteer activities, happier is indeed better. In contrast, in terms of income, education, and political participation, the moderate level of happiness is the best; beyond the moderate level of happiness, happier is not better.

Topic 10: Social PsychologyTextbook readings: pp. 409-410; pp. 417-418; pp. 428-429; pp. 441-443.Watch: [Descriptions from the website]Milgram Obedience Study - Why should you question authority? The answer lies within this ground breaking social psychology experiment by Stanley Milgram regarding human behavior and authority.The Stanford Prison Experiment - The Stanford Prison Experiment, a dramatic simulation study of the psychology of imprisonment and one of the best known psychology experiments ever undertaken.Dr. Zimbardo takes us through the Stanford Prison Experiment, in which healthy college students are transformed into unstable prisoners and brutal prison guards within days by the power of the situation in which they found themselves.Learning objectives:1.      Define social psychology.2.      Describe Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment and its results. Note how social roles, norms and scripts may have affected human behavior in this study.3.      Describe Milgram’s Obedience to Authority Experiment and its results.4.      Describe how the “bystander effect” and “diffusion of responsibility” may have influenced the Kitty Genovese event.5.      Describe how prosocial behavior, altruism and empathy are related to one another.

Topic 10: StressTextbook readings: pp. 493-494; pp. 504-510; pp. 523-528.Watch: The Brain - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1997, all descriptions are from the series website.The Brain: Emotions, Stress, and Health (Module 21) Commentary from scientists, dramatic reenactments, and graphic illustrations show the consequences of prolonged stress on health. Animated diagrams show the brain releasing hormones, followed by a role-playing situation illustrating on-the-job stress that may set this process in motion. Researchers explain how low-level stress leads to the breakdown of frontal lobe functioning.Learning objectives:1.      Define stress and stressors, and also describe different types of stressors.2.      Differentiate between “problem-focused” coping and “emotion-focused” coping to regulate stress. 3.      Explain “perceived control” and “learned helplessness”, and their relation to stress.4.      Explain how “social support” and “relaxation response technique” can reduce stress.

Topic 12: Psychological DisordersTextbook readings: pp. 545-546; pp. 549-550; pp. 555-581; pp. 590-596.Watch:  Discovering Psychology: Discovering Psychology:  Psychopathology (Program 21)Psychopathology is the twenty-first program in the DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY series. Through glimpses of the original theories of Philippe Pinel, this program explores the biological and psychological components of mental illness, as well as the role of genetics and cultural factors. It also takes a closer look at a few of the major mental illnesses like depression, neurosis, manic-depressive disorders, and schizophrenia.©2001 WGBH Educational Foundation All Rights ReservedWatch: The Mind - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1999, all descriptions are from series website.The Mind:  Mood Disorders: Mania and Depression (Module 31)Presents vivid examples of the mood fluctuations of patients who suffer from periodic affective episodes.The Mind: Mood Disorders: Hereditary Factors  (Module 32)Illustrates the findings of a 10-year study that involved 12,000 volunteers in an Amish community and represents a careful analysis of genetic factors related to manic-depressive disorders.The Mind:  Mood Disorders: Medication and Talk Therapy (Module 33)Shows the effectiveness of combining drug therapies with traditional psychotherapy.Watch:The Brain - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1997, all descriptions are from series website.The Brain: Schizophrenia: Symptoms (Module 26)In this module, mental health professionals observe a patient named Jerry, a classic schizophrenic. Jerry's case and medication schedule are described, and his disordered speech and behavior are shown. Prominent psychiatrists describe schizophrenia and the prognosis for those diagnosed with this disease; a locked psychiatric ward provides a graphic illustration.The Brain: Schizophrenia: Etiology (Module 27)This module covers the history of attitudes, beliefs, and theories about the etiology of schizophrenia. While the illness was long thought to be environmentally caused, this module emphasizes the scientific evidence in support of its organic origins. Dr. Arnold Scheibel of UCLA Medical Center describes cellular pathology in the hippocampus and speculates on the possible role of viruses. A genetic component is also demonstrated.The Brain: Autism (Module 29)This module opens with statistics and a description of autism and how the disorder has been viewed historically. Studies now support the theory that autism results from a lack of normal neural growth during prenatal development. Dr. Temple Grandin of Colorado State University, severely autistic as a child, is presented as someone who overcame her autism and managed to use her way of perceiving the world to her advantage.Learning objectives:1.      Define psychological disorder and psychopathology.2.      State the main features of psychological disorders according to the APA (American Psychiatric Association).3.      Describe how the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is used to classify or categorize disorders.4.      Explain the biological and the “diathesis-stress” models of psychological disorders.  5.      Describe main features (symptoms) of these psychological disorders: Anxiety Disorders (and within this category, “phobia” and “panic disorder” and “social anxiety disorder”); Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (and within this category, “body dysmorphic disorder”), PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), Mood Disorders (and within this category, “major depressive disorder” and “bipolar disorder”), Schizophrenia; ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.6.      Discuss major theories that seek to explain what “causes” Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia, ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Topic 13: Therapy and TreatmentTextbook readings: p. 607; pp. 614-629.Watch:Discovering Psychology: Discovering Psychology: Psychotherapy (Program 22)Psychotherapy is the twenty-second program in the DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY series. It explores different therapeutic approaches as well as the relationships among theory, research, and practice. You'll learn how some historical, cultural, and social forces have influenced approaches to the treatment of psychological disorders.Watch: The Mind - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1999, all descriptions are from the series website. The Mind: Treating Depression: Electroconvulsive Therapy (Module 34)Provides a clear and dramatic presentation of the process and some of the effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).The Brain - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1997, all descriptions are from the series website.The Brain: Schizophrenia: Pharmacological Treatment (Module 28)Dr. Arnold Scheibel reviews the various ways in which schizophrenia has been treated since the 1950s, ranging from the use of physical restraints and cool baths to the administration of antipsychotic drugs. He and other psychiatrists elaborate on the ways in which drugs alter the chemistry of the brain. Drugs that are effective seem to reduce the levels of dopamine in the brain — to provide amelioration and stabilization, not a cure.Watch:The World of Abnormal Psychology - Produced by Alvin H. Perlmutter, Inc., and Toby Levine Communications. 1992, all descriptions are from the series website.The World of Abnormal Psychology: Psychotherapies (Program 12)This program allows viewers to "sit-in" on five distinctly different kinds of psychotherapy: psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, Gestalt, couples, and group. Theory and practice are intertwined as these patients progress through therapy, sometimes trying alternative models for the same problem. Learning objectives:1.      Distinguish between psychotherapy and biomedical therapy.2.      Explain the main goal and main components of psychoanalysis (Freud’s psychotherapy which includes “free association” and “dream analysis” techniques); behavior therapy which includes “exposure” technique, “aversive conditioning”, “counter-conditioning” and “token economy” technique); cognitive therapy (originated by Beck); cognitive-behavioral therapy (which incorporates both cognitive and behavioral techniques); and biomedical therapies (which include psychotropic medications and ECT: electroconvulsive therapy).3.      Distinguish between these “modalities” (formats) of psychotherapy: play therapy, individual therapy, group therapy, and family therapy.