Psyc 221 Psychology Learning Reflection Journal 
INSTRUCTIONS:
Weekly Journals: During each of the assigned weeks, you will write two paragraphs, each 300 words in length (i.e., 600 words total). The first paragraph will describe a topic that you found particularly interesting during that week and what made it interesting, and the second paragraph will describe something that you have observed occurring in the real world that exemplified that topic. 
Only one topic may be recorded in the journal for each assigned week and the observed real word occurrence must be clearly related to it
Readings for this week include Chapter 14 and Chapter 15. 
Chapter 14: Love and Hate. This innovative chapter is a student favorite, as it moves from serial killers and hate to love and attraction. It also serves to reinforce and elaborate the framework of various perspectives on personality. This chapter makes it clear that there is no simple, single explanation for personalities that love and personalities that hate, but we do know a lot. As with other chapters in this book, this chapter shows the wider importance of studying personality, and gives many applications to daily life.
Chapter 15 asks you – where will we find personality? What kind of world would it be if everyone had their brain chemistries continually adjusted or their behavior conditioned so that no one would yell at you, no one would rush to get ahead of you, no one would cry, and no one would worry whether she had turned the oven off? For every psycho-social problem, a pill or a therapist would be there. Even if such a world does not sound appealing, modern technology is increasingly providing you options that will allow personality to be altered. You must be educated about personality so that we know how to respond to these new options in a manner that is ethically appropriate. Each perspective teaches you something valuable, and together they provide a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be a person. 
References:
Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2012). Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research, 5th
ed. Boston, MA: Pearson: Allyn & Bacon.

Intelligence Testing and Cut-off Scores
Assessment methods provide data to the clinician, however, the clinician must decide how to use the data in making a decision or recommendation with regard to the client. The assessment data do not make the decision for the clinician, rather the data are used by the clinician in making the decision. The process of clinical decision-making requires the clinician to apply the data to clinical “decision rules or guidelines.” For example, one guideline may be that if a clinician believes that their client, as a result of a mental illness, poses a substantial and imminent risk of harm to self or others then that clinician is obligated to pursue available means to have the client hospitalized. If a client reports suicidal ideation then the clinician must apply this information to their “decision rule” to determine if hospitalization is warranted. Also, the criteria determining an intellectual disability indicates a significantly below-average performance on a standardized test of intelligence, the presence of functional impairments, and onset prior to age 18. The criterion for establishing significant impairment in intelligence is frequently established as a score below 70 on a standardized test of intelligence.
All psychological tests have some degree of error and this reduces the accuracy of a score. Therefore, it cannot be established with certainty that an individual has a specific IQ of 69, 70, or 71, rather, there is a certainty of a score within a particular range, accounting for error. This application of data to clinical decisions is referred to as “clinical validity”âis the decision clinically valid? Clinicians must carefully assess their confidence in their decision as well as the consequences of an error in clinical judgment as a result of ever-present measurement error.
This week you are asked to take a position with regard to a current legal standard. Review this weekâs Learning Resources and analyze the Virginia v. Atkins ruling in which the Supreme Court has determined that it is unconstitutional to execute an individual who has an intellectual disability. In its decision the court stipulated that one criterion is an IQ score below 70. Consider the use of this “cut-off” score in formulating this type of decision. Remember, this is not a discussion about the death penalty; rather, it is a discussion about the use of specific cut-off scores in making clinical, administrative, or legal decisions.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 an argument for or against the use of cut-off scores in diagnoses that might affect court decisions. Use the current literature to support your response. Then, justify an alternative solution to this issue using the Learning Resources and current literature to support your response. Finally, explain one way cut-off scores might be applied in clinical practice.

Imagine you are a director at a nursing home facility. You are discussing, with a potential client’s family, the needs of, and the changes facing, older adults.
Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word report in which you describe to the potential client’s family the personality and social development that occur in later adulthood.
Address the following in your report:

Explain changes in role and social position during this stage.
Compare living accommodations, such as accessibility and the need for health care.
Illustrate the adjustment and transition from work to retirement.
Describe changes in marriage, family, and peer relationships.
Identify social policies that affect the older adult.

Week 2 – Assignment  instruction for psy635
Research and Critique an Experimental Study
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, be sure to have read all the required resources for the week.
Find an experimental research study on the topic chosen in Week One for your Final Research Proposal. You may choose to include an experimental study which was included in the literature review you used in the Week One assignment by searching the reference list for experimental research studies on the topic. However, it is also acceptable to find and include an experimental research study on the topic that is not included in that literature review.
Identify the specific experimental research design used in the study. Summarize the main points of the experimental research study including information on the hypothesis, sampling strategy, research design, statistical analysis, results, and conclusion(s). Evaluate the published experimental research study focusing on and identifying the specific threats to validity that apply to the chosen study. Explain whether these threats were adequately addressed by the researchers. Describe how the researchers applied ethical principles in the research study.
The Research and Critique an Experimental Study

Must be three to four double-spaced pages in length (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted

Must use at least one peer-reviewed source in addition to those required for this week.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.