Exploring and Critiquing Principles of Current Psychological Research and Practice

Learning Outcome 1: Explore and critique main principles and concepts of domains of current psychological research and practice

Learning Outcome 1: Explore and critique main principles and concepts of domains of current psychological research and practiceYou will address Learning Outcome 1 by clearly describing the relevant behavioural processes (e.g., reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, social learning, classical conditioning) that your consideration of your history and your functional analysis suggests are (and were) important in the development and maintenance of the behaviour. For a behaviour that you wish to reduce, there will likely be more material here, for a behaviour that you wish to increase it might be that the initial contingencies were weak etc (so you will need to think about barriers to its development, or gaps in the supporting contingencies – i.e., what/where is the environment not reinforcing the behaviour?). Overall, you need to show a good understanding and application of the behavioural processes relevant to your behaviour and you demonstrate that by explaining your behaviour in behavioural terms. ?Show that you understand relevant approaches from behavioural psychology – clearly explain them.?Explicitly link behavioural processes to your behaviour of interest – use your functional analysis to illustrate. How can your behaviour (in terms of development and maintenance) be understood in behavioural terms??Use your text and Library database to locate sources that support your explanations. Section 2 –Learning Outcome 3: Demonstrate the ability to inform practice by investigation, exploration, problem-solving and critical reflection.Learning Outcome 3 is addressed here by considering how the information presented in Section 1 can be used to inform a behaviour modification plan to change your target behaviour. Describe how

you could use your knowledge of the behaviour (from your functional assessment) and behavioural psychology to change the behaviour in the desired way. Depending on what your goal would be, you can consider positive/negative reinforcement/punishment, alternative reinforcers, using social learning theory, establishing substitute behaviours, avoiding or adjusting key antecedents etc. ?Use research and theory to discuss how this understanding of the behaviour could be used to inform a simple behavioural modification programme. ?Outline the key aspects and considerations of a behavioural intervention to change your behaviour.Section 3Learning Outcome 2: Critically reflect on the validity and relevance of psychology to understanding the self, others, present -day contexts and New Zealand society.Finally, Learning Outcome 2 is address by considering the strengths and weaknesses of a purely behavioural approach. As you should understand, this is a very clear, objective, evidence-based approach and so has some clear strengths. It also is explicitly focused on individual behaviour, and understanding that. However, in terms of working for you in this context, are there aspects missing, or that could be strengthened? Consider whether other aspects (e.g., personality, motivation, culture, etc) are sufficiently integrated. Can they be? How might this be accomplished??Discuss the strengths and limitations of a behavioural approach to understanding and changing your behaviour. E.g., evidence, choice of contingencies, the role of motivation, emotion, personality, culture, and the complexity of daily life.?Consider the barriers to its success, challenges, strengths and weaknesses of a behavioural perspective.?What complimentary approaches might support the likelihood of a successful behaviour chang