Assignment Prompt & Instructions
– 2 years ago
**files (1)**
– ## psych350A.docx
**## psych350A.docx**
**Part A 200 words**
1.
**Behaviorism isn’t the main focus in psychology anymore, but what valuable lessons can we take from it? Do you think some of its ideas are still relevant or correct today?**
2.
**Chomsky wanted to figure out why languages work the way they do. How does the theory of transformational grammar help us understand this better?**
3.
**Think about the concepts of information and how we process it. How do these ideas show up in the historical events discussed in Chapter 1?**
**Part B 200 words**
**Science & Evolution**
Science and Evolution
After reading the material on Science and Evolution, please, answer the following questions:
**On Evolution**
1. Explain why thinking that "
_Evolution results in progress; organisms are always getting better through evolution_" is a misconception.
2. People may say that " humans are not currently evolving". Whys is this incorrect?
3. Explain further the idea that indicates that all of life is related and can be divided into three major
_clades_, often referred to as the three domains. How does that relate to the common confusion indicating that "
[humans didn't come from monkeys (Links to an external site.)](https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_07)"?
**On Science**
1. After reading (and understanding) our working
[definition of science (Links to an external site.)](https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/whatisscience_01), please, propose your own understanding of science. Tell us what has been your experience with science so far. Does your experience relate to our definition? Why or why not?
2. Review the proposed
[science checklist (Links to an external site.)](https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/whatisscience_03). Apply the checklist to
**one** of the following pseudoscientific proposals:
[Flat earth (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth);
[Ancient Astronauts (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronauts);
[Body memory (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_memory);
[Detoxification; Law of attraction. (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction_(New_Thought)) Tell us how do these hypotheses square in relationship with common scientific understanding and why.
3. Read the short article "
[The Psychology of the Pandemic Deniers (Links to an external site.)](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood-swings/202003/the-psychology-pandemic-denial)" by N. Ghaemi. Based on what you know about science so far, what is your position? (Please, avoid political comments).
**PART C**
Reading Comprehension and Application Assignment –
**Thinking Machinery**
**Old and New Approaches**
Please answer the following questions.
1. After reading Agrippa's extract and Alan Turing's paper, what kind of definition of mind are they working with? What are the main differences you can pinpoint between both authors?
2. What are your thoughts about the "digital computer" described on page 436? Can you see the relationship with our modern computer systems? Why or why not?
3. What are some of the arguments advanced in Turing's paper against the idea that machines can think?
4. A major trend in current cognitive science is integrating neuroscience with other areas of psychology, including cognitive, social, developmental, and clinical fields. Based on your own experience, can you describe ways in which this could affect your professional outlook?
I recommend working on the assignment individually and then having a team discussion, where the main points can be sorted out, leading to a unified document to be uploaded. Please try to come up with a combined narrative after the team discussion that will answer the main points for each question. I suggest a combined narrative with a final word count between 500–1000 words, so everybody has room to express their views.
In this case, the team discussion is the most important part, and you can have it, for the record, using some of the discussion tools available in Canvas for each team.
**Material to Download**
[Agrippa—Higher Philosophy](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469678?wrap=1) [Download Agrippa—Higher Philosophy](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469678/download?download_frd=1) from Agrippa von Nettesheim, Henry Cornelius, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, transl. J. Freeke, ed. D Tyson. St Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1993.
[A.M. Turing—Computing Machinery and Intelligence](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469685?wrap=1) [Download A.M. Turing—Computing Machinery and Intelligence](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469685/download?download_frd=1)-
_Mind_, Volume LIX, Issue 236, October 1950, Pages 433–460,
[https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/LIX.236.433](https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/LIX.236.433)
**## psych350A.docx**
**Part A 200 words**
1.
**Behaviorism isn’t the main focus in psychology anymore, but what valuable lessons can we take from it? Do you think some of its ideas are still relevant or correct today?**
2.
**Chomsky wanted to figure out why languages work the way they do. How does the theory of transformational grammar help us understand this better?**
3.
**Think about the concepts of information and how we process it. How do these ideas show up in the historical events discussed in Chapter 1?**
**Part B 200 words**
**Science & Evolution**
Science and Evolution
After reading the material on Science and Evolution, please, answer the following questions:
**On Evolution**
1. Explain why thinking that "
_Evolution results in progress; organisms are always getting better through evolution_" is a misconception.
2. People may say that " humans are not currently evolving". Whys is this incorrect?
3. Explain further the idea that indicates that all of life is related and can be divided into three major
_clades_, often referred to as the three domains. How does that relate to the common confusion indicating that "
[humans didn't come from monkeys (Links to an external site.)](https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_07)"?
**On Science**
1. After reading (and understanding) our working
[definition of science (Links to an external site.)](https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/whatisscience_01), please, propose your own understanding of science. Tell us what has been your experience with science so far. Does your experience relate to our definition? Why or why not?
2. Review the proposed
[science checklist (Links to an external site.)](https://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/0_0_0/whatisscience_03). Apply the checklist to
**one** of the following pseudoscientific proposals:
[Flat earth (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth);
[Ancient Astronauts (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_astronauts);
[Body memory (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_memory);
[Detoxification; Law of attraction. (Links to an external site.)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction_(New_Thought)) Tell us how do these hypotheses square in relationship with common scientific understanding and why.
3. Read the short article "
[The Psychology of the Pandemic Deniers (Links to an external site.)](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood-swings/202003/the-psychology-pandemic-denial)" by N. Ghaemi. Based on what you know about science so far, what is your position? (Please, avoid political comments).
**PART C**
Reading Comprehension and Application Assignment –
**Thinking Machinery**
**Old and New Approaches**
Please answer the following questions.
1. After reading Agrippa's extract and Alan Turing's paper, what kind of definition of mind are they working with? What are the main differences you can pinpoint between both authors?
2. What are your thoughts about the "digital computer" described on page 436? Can you see the relationship with our modern computer systems? Why or why not?
3. What are some of the arguments advanced in Turing's paper against the idea that machines can think?
4. A major trend in current cognitive science is integrating neuroscience with other areas of psychology, including cognitive, social, developmental, and clinical fields. Based on your own experience, can you describe ways in which this could affect your professional outlook?
I recommend working on the assignment individually and then having a team discussion, where the main points can be sorted out, leading to a unified document to be uploaded. Please try to come up with a combined narrative after the team discussion that will answer the main points for each question. I suggest a combined narrative with a final word count between 500–1000 words, so everybody has room to express their views.
In this case, the team discussion is the most important part, and you can have it, for the record, using some of the discussion tools available in Canvas for each team.
**Material to Download**
[Agrippa—Higher Philosophy](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469678?wrap=1) [Download Agrippa—Higher Philosophy](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469678/download?download_frd=1) from Agrippa von Nettesheim, Henry Cornelius, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, transl. J. Freeke, ed. D Tyson. St Paul: Llewellyn Publications, 1993.
[A.M. Turing—Computing Machinery and Intelligence](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469685?wrap=1) [Download A.M. Turing—Computing Machinery and Intelligence](https://uncfsu.instructure.com/courses/44733/files/8469685/download?download_frd=1)-
_Mind_, Volume LIX, Issue 236, October 1950, Pages 433–460,
[https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/LIX.236.433](https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/LIX.236.433)