| PSY393 Psychology: The Developing Mind |
Write an essay response to any TWO (2) of the following topics.
1. What effects, if any, would you expect the COVID-19 epidemic to have had on young people’s cognitive and/or perceptual development? Explain why you think so, using theories discussed in PSY393.
2. To what extent did Piaget and the learning theorists agree or disagree with each other about the causes of cognitive development? Does current evidence support one theory over the other, allow us to reconcile their differences, or indicate that they are both wrong?
3. What is executive function? How is it measured? Describe some real-life tasks or situations where an elderly person with impaired executive function might experience danger or difficulty. If you were designing a home environment for that person, what would you do to assist them to live independently for as long as possible?
4. “A standardized cognitive task, delivered and scored exactly the same way, may nonetheless measure different abilities in different people.” Explain how this is even possible. Illustrate your answer with examples from topics covered in PSY393.
5. What are “implicit” and “explicit” processes”? Does the distinction help us to explain any surprising phenomena we have encountered in PSY393? Discuss, using examples to illustrate your answer.
6. How much does a person’s environment matter when it comes to the cognitive abilities that he or she displays? Use empirical evidence to justify your argument. Outline some of the real-life implications of your answer.
