Getting It Together: Does Psychotherapy Really Work?
People with psychological disorders do get better, and they tend to attribute their improvement to the therapy, but the question is would they have gotten better with no treatment at all. The key is research, which is difficult given confidentiality...
The Learning Machine: Use of Reinforcement and Punishment in Shaping a Child's Behavior, The
When a child throws a tantrum, a parent's sympathetic reaction may only serve to increase such outbursts. More appropriate behavior, though, can be strengthened through negative reinforcement, for example a reward for improvement in demeanor after a...
The Learning Machine: Observational Learning: The Research of Albert Bandura
Observational learning is an important part of making us who we are. We are particularly attuned to the behavior of our peers-the way they talk, the clothing they wear, their tastes and values. In the 1960s research pioneer Albert Bandura and his te...
Codes of Life: Studies of Twins Separated at Birth
In recent years a group of scientists known as behavior geneticists have been probing the relative impact of genetic and environmental influences using twin studies and comparing adoptive and biological siblings with one another. Because twins may...
Endless Questions: Use of Animals in Psychological Research
The fact that experimentation with humans is restricted has led to animal research. Mice, for example, can be genetically bred to be identical allowing researchers to control all relevant conditions. Because mammalian species share certain princip...
The Learning Machine: Mass Media as a Source of Observational Learning
Mass media provides potent role models that influence children, teens, and adults. Correlation studies link children's aggressive patterns of behavior with television. A diet of televised violence tends to reduce restraints over aggression, and dese...
Endless Questions: Ethics and Research
The fact that people react to being studied makes human research challenging. In order to capture responses in a pure form, some level of deception or manipulation may be employed. At universities and research institutes, experiments must be appro...
Codes of Life: Evolutionary Psychology and Adaptation
Genetic predispositions help explain both our shared human nature as well as our individual differences. Evolutionary psychology takes a broader view, over a longer period of time, to determine the strategies that are useful for preserving the spe...