memory

1. How do the cognitive processes involved in prospective and retrospective memory differ?

There is no difference in the cognitive processes involved in prospective and retrospective memory.  Both have the same processes of sensory perception, short term memory, encoding, long term memory, retrieval.  Of course, the great Freud would claim that our retrospective memory is dependent on the retrieval of information from the unconscious, as a result of the repressed sexual desires gone unfulfilled and the resulting traumas.  We don’t plan sexual events for the future, so the greatest, and only, in my books, psychologist of all time, did not, in his twenty volumes, write about prospective memory !  I do not know who made up this word and am not interested in regurgitating nonsense from the net !

2. What are the consequences of prospective and retrospective memory failures?

I am a drug and alcohol abuser, combined with the fact that I hallucinate, a chronic schizophrenic with multiple long stays at the psych detention centres around Australia.  I have also suffered from battery, strikes to the head, from which one could say that I have acquired brain damage.  My memory is shocking.  There is no problem however, with my thinking ability.  I am able, and in fact, do manage a large archive of writings, either all from my own prowess or from the psyche … whatever that means.  Of all the writings that I have, academic articles, poetry and recorded music, I remember none.  Most musicians, poets and lecturers are able to, and have to, on repeated occasion, perform, recite or lecture in front of large audiences.  I am not able to do so.  It hasn’t affected my productivity or my ability to recall important information, like the detriments of Classical and Operant Conditioning.  However, it’s a bit like fifty first dates.

3. Conduct a database search and identify two clinical populations* that have been found to have impairments in prospective memory functioning.  For each of the two clinical populations, provide a reference (citation) for one article that investigates prospective memory in these populations.  You are not required to write any further information about these articles.  

Medina, K. L., et.al., “Memory Functioning in Polysubstance Dependent Women”, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Vol. 84, Issue 3, 1 October 2006, Pages 248-255

Bigdeli, I., et.al., “Prospective Memory Impairments in Schizophrenic Patients”, Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 2014, 8(4), 57–63.

4. Describe an example from your chosen career (e.g. social work, oral health, physiotherapy, nutrition, etc.), where a clients’ failure of prospective memory may act as a barrier to effective treatment.

As explained above, I personally suffer from memory problems and can only describe how I forget things to do.  On a regular basis, as a result of my hallucinations, I am presented with stimuli.  Most of this stimuli, wherever it is coming from, is extremely useful, however if I haven’t got a pen and paper handy, it disappears almost as suddenly as it came into my head.  An important point to mention, regardless of the various types of ‘medications’ available, I still hallucinate, and still have no control over retaining the information.  When I am sitting in the park, or on the street, I have thoughts about the assignments that I have to submit.  I make a mental note, however when I get to the computer, cannot for the life of me, remember what was so important.  I also have trouble remembering appointments, like the particular times and days that I have to be at the soup kitchen to wash dishes, however I do not believe it is a problem that is reserved just to drug and alcohol fiends, schizophrenics or those with an acquired brain injury.

5. In the Einstein (2014) article, implementation intentions are identified as a strategy that can be used to improve prospective memory.  Discuss three additional strategies that you could recommend to your client to help them remember to carry out your prescribed treatment or homework exercise.

Freud did not write about ‘prospective’ memory and neither did Einstein !  

1. tell mommy to remind you
2. carry around a pen and paper
3. calendar and notepad apps on phones / tablets

theory and practice

Exercise 1: Health, stress and coping

Our behaviors stem from our intentions.  Whilst intention certainly does not always translate into behaviour, it is a necessary first step.  This can be applied to whether our intention to engage in healthy behaviours results in us actually doing so.  When you are choosing articles for this exercise you may focus on your profession, for example as an Oral Health student you may wish to explore what the theory says about oral hygiene / oral health behaviour.

Ideally, your answer should do the following :

1. Identify two journal articles that explore how the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) can be applied to health behaviours.  You will need to cite them using APA format

1. Zemore, S. E., Ajzen, I., “Predicting substance abuse treatment completion using a new scale based on the theory of planned behaviour”, Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 46 (2014), 174-182
2. Gastil, J., “Thinking, Drinking, and Driving: Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action to DWI Prevention”, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2000, 30, 11, pp. 2217-2232

2. Explain the relationship between Theory of Reasoned Action and health behaviours.  You may wish to utilise your 2 chosen articles for this, or other sources.  (250 words)

This theory, if it can be called that, of reasoned action isn’t really any sort of great rocket science.  People are a product of their social and environmental surroundings, a theory claimed by Bandura, merely an extension of the great Freuds’ psychosexual theory, where he emphasized that a childs’ personality is formed by the ways his parents managed his sexual and aggressive drives.  Erickson elaborated, the child acquires attitudes and skills resulting from the negotiation of the psychological conflict with poor parenting.  Then came the control freaks, Pavlov, Watson, Skinner and Thorndike who got their rocks off by masochist gunplay, torturing the sexual and aggressive freaks of nature.  Ajzen and Fishbein haven’t really invented the wheel, by changing a few words of someone elses’ work:

• attitudes : the sum of beliefs about a particular behaviour
• subjective norms : the influence of people in ones’ social environment
• perceived control : f*** you a**holes !
• behavioral intention : a function of both attitudes toward a behavior and the subjective norms toward that behavior, combined with perceived control, has been found to predict actual behavior

By knocking out a couple of teeth of the junkie alcoholic, the same one who went on strike due to the intervention placed by the infidels, an image of the rogue Ned Kelly is created, a modern day Australian Hero … against all odds !  By using fancy jargon, it is not possible to predict and change the ‘health’ behaviour of the deviant, just slight inconveniences.  The defiant deviant ends up smoking up and drinking up, while living on the street, with anesthetics and ECT, much to the embarrassment of the gambling psychiatrist..

3. Why don’t our good intentions always result in action?  Thinking critically, outline some of the limitations of applying the Theory of Reasoned Action to health behaviours. (250 words).

For starters, the perception of healthy behaviours may be distorted by some of the health ‘professionals’ around town.  Who is to decide what is good and who is evil ?  Is smoking pot really a crime that needs the teeth of the poor lad knocked out ?  Does drinking a couple bottles of whiskey a week really constitute an evil deed, needing imprisonment?  Was the crime the erection ?  Was that not a biological condition, the poor ten year old had no idea about, a concept that was meant to be taught by the wiser elder ?  Is it not because of the ‘good intentions’ of the professionals, applying the theory of reasoned action to induce ‘correct’ behavior, that we have so many homeless, unemployed, imprisoned, shackled and tortured ?  Not only are values of good in question, but the intention of the health professionals.  Why do they smile with glee, taking photos with their camera phone, when the ‘patient’ is forced, with gun in holster, to bend over to take his fortnightly needle ?  Research shows that, when given the opportunity, an imbecile will induce more electric shocks to the lab rat …  just for fun.  When there are elders supporting this behaviour, reasoned by the wit of the pavlov and his lot, … we have lost the human race … reason enough for the yogi to venture into the jungle to live with fellow beast!

Exercise 2: Psychological Disorders & Therapies

I am in no position to be diagnosing people and slapping labels on them, then proceeding to apply questionable techniques, like conditioning, the behaviour control techniques used by low grade professionals, from which more harm is done than good.  We, as professionals, have a duty of care for our patients and the greater community.  If one does not have concrete proof of that the results of our prescribed ‘therapy’, will bring positive results, then better not try play ball with the rocket scientist.  The techniques available to the psychiatrist and psychologist are slim, vague and dusty.  I have done a survey of what is available, in hard copy, via the various libraries around Australia, and what is taught at the various universities around the world, via the internet.  For those that get off on winning a game of poker, the likes of Pavlov and his lot, will suit those who have the energy to implement the behaviour / cognitive therapy, with the hope that they can control anothers’ actions, after a few decades.  The biological treatments available, to treat suicidal depression, violent aggression and the debilitating hallucinations, are not working, leaving the poor psychiatrist, bound by law, helpless, prescribing something, anything, just to satisfy legal requirements, justifying his Beamer and Penthouse.  

The Humanistic and Psychodynamic philosophies might be our only hope.  We have to accept that the west has won the cold war, hence an acceptance of the ideology of liberties, including free choice to pursue the vices of drugs, alcohol and premarital, polygamous, sexual relations, be it homosexual, trans, bi or plain old straight.  With freedoms, our patients have to be taught to accept responsibility for their actions, moderating themselves, while respecting the liberties of others.  All our patients have a capacity of some sort of enlightenment, one that Maslow and other philosophers from the East talk of.  The only psychologist who has had the ability to document over twenty volumes of in-depth complexities within the brain, was Freud, for whom I have the greatest respect for, hence highly recommend his psychoanalysis method, over the wishy washy theories of modern day mediocrity.  I believe that the hour length counselling sessions dealt with competency, maturity and empathy is the only way forward.  I am not willing to provide diagnosis and treatment advice from third party faulty short hand.  I would need to see the patient for myself, for at least an hour, every week, for at least a year, to be able to do anything at all.  To be clear, I do not believe it is possible to cure severe depression with a simple sugar pill, take away the demons of aggression by knocking out teeth, or soothe the hallucinatory mind with a needle.  I do realize that the modern day psychiatrist is able to provide diagnosis and treatment from a five minute consultation, sometimes only with the over qualified nurses’ short hand, however I am not as smart as they!

Exercise 3: Indigenous and cross-cultural psychology

In this globalized world, it is necessary to be able to recognize that people come from a variety of backgrounds with different cultures, not being just different languages, but also varying adherence to strict laws on consumption of foods, drinks, drugs, sex and clothing. With histories of conflict with all, personally on an individual level and also within generations of family over the seas, unfortunately, color, religion, and economic ideologies come part and parcel of being a social worker. The bum in Rome with no teeth picks up his bumpers off the street, strips the two strings of ox and seems content ... ?

I lived quite a happy 'sheltered' life for 23 years of my life. There was drugs, alcohol and rock n roll, as well as fornication and infidelity, more than enough reason to be ushered into the penitentiary, psych, and homeless institutions of our lovely developed western state. During my travels into the slums of Sydney, I came across a 'bum', who broke the ice by asking me to share my bumpers. He is my elder, a Bosnian / Italian crossbreed, who is missing a lot of teeth, walking with a crazy limp and talking in slurs.  Diplomat would be too uppity, so I would like to be called a social worker !

There is a shared understanding that there is a lot of anger with the way things have panned out.  Communication is difficult for everybody. With different languages and family involved in present conflicts around the globe, the reality of illegal activities going on right under the noses of the law and the pressures from upper society to use reasonable means to bring some sort of control onto society, army medicos apply every technique they have in their arsenal, short of pulling the bullet. Utilitarianistic pain and pleasure reinforcers.  

I learnt that offering a Taylor is the best way to make a friend. Offering a joint is also a good way to get the laughs in the gutter. If there's a beer to top that off, half our job is done. The most difficult thing between patient and doctor / nurse / social worker, is the environment presented and the breaking of the ice. The little office that the doctor takes one into, is not the ideal. The Taylor, joint and beer maybe not be prescribed or authorized, may even break the bank, but are the best technique to the get the man smiling.

My man already practices yoga, so I don't know who is master and who is student, however I wish to spend some time, smoking joints sitting in a variety of yoga poses for hours on end. Best way to talk (psychodynamic), in a peaceful manner (behaviorist), perception (cognitive) of pursuing pleasure (biological) and thinking (cognitive), potential for enlightenment (humanistic). The best part of our relationship ... he laughs at my jokes ! If I can make a dreary old man laugh, my job is done and over !I  just hope there is enough in the budget for the joints and beers .... ?!

examination

Health, Stress and Coping

1. Outline some of the protective factors that enable individuals to better manage stress

Stress is the unpleasant emotional state consisting of psychophysiological responses to anticipation of real or imagined danger, ostensibly resulting from unrecognised intrapsychic conflict.  Physiological concomitants include increased heart rate, altered respiration rate, sweating, trembling, weakness and fatigue, psychological concomitants include feelings of impending danger, powerlessness, apprehension and tension.  The helpless psychiatrist will be not be able to rectify the position of constant danger, the effect of being trapped in global war, some health professionals being the ones who actually induce the rise in blood pressure, by means of inflicting, the few inconveniences in the grand old book of warfare.  Some will respond with aggression, some with tears, some with overseas activism.  For the aggressive, we have the ‘haloperidol’, for the tearsome, we have the ‘lip-it-or’ else, while those who have overseas connections, have to have daily bloods.  The grand doctors of our community, do not provide a health service to our community, but are actually, no more than army medicos, allowed to practice without doing pushups.

2. Why do people engage in behaviors such as smoking and excessive drinking to manage stress

We are in war.  Australia is at war.  Not only are we involved in a global Imperial war, but we are have a domestic conflict over control over resources.  Most people in our advanced, western, wealthy state, are not concerned in issues of politics, happy to slave themselves, their entire lives for the title deed of one meager property, while conforming to the rules of the oppressors.  Others, pursuing the theory of the pleasure principle, will infact indulge in behaviors such as smoking and injecting, tobacco and other drugs, with excessive drinking, not as a means to manage stress, but as a resolute within our oppression.  When an executive goes to a bar, to entertain his clients with $3000 bottle services, it is considered a lawful Freudian pleasure seeking behavior.  It is however, pursuing the same liberties of the western ideology given to the executive, those who sell drugs, prostitute their bodies and pursue violent crimes, to access the commodity to engage in the barter for the goods they require for their personal pleasure seeking behavior, who are considered as defiant deviants, requiring behavior therapy.

3. What long term impacts does stress have on the body

The weak will die.  The strong will prevail.  Basic evolution theory : survival of the fittest !  The weak, those who have been beat down, time and time again, with no apparent, acceptable resolution in the near future, will commit suicide, with knives and / or bombs if need be, if not given the ‘assistance’ to die off, by the oppressors, mitigations for the literate noble.  The strong, with surgical cuts to the feet, induced cavities to the teeth, electro convulsions, the indignity of pulling the pants down for a needle, the reasonable force used by the police, not to mention the viruses, will endure, building internal strength along with domestic and international networks, with the sole purpose of perpetuating an anarchy that will bring down the very oppressors who instigated the warfare.  I will survive and win …. bring it on!

Motivation and Emotion

1. Briefly outline the psychodynamic theory of motivation.  How is unconscious motivation measured on this view ?

Our prime motivation is to satisfy the Freudian pleasure principle, acting upon our unconscious, the need to act upon our Freudian sexual and aggressive impulses, the id.  Our superego, the moral imperative, is formed with ‘social contract’, of what sexual and aggressive practices are allowed within our inner family unit and outer social norms, and then negotiated within our ego.  It is not within our will, to control the erection of the penis or the lubrication of the vagina.  These are psychic processes.  Unconscious, psychic processes that we have no control over.  Our learning of what is acceptable within our society of learned nobles, that it is not acceptable to bum another bloke, fuck a dog, jerk off to porn, service an elderly lady, get our cocks sucked at the local brothel, the superego, sets the constraints of our rational ego.  If a ten year boy gets a rock hard erection in class, it is unconscious, needing to be dealt with with wisdom, not the aggression of the ignorant, humiliation and electro shocks to control the sex offender !

2. Both the psychodynamic theory of motivation and the cognitive perspective of motivation incorporate the idea of the unconscious motivations.  How does this idea differ according to these two theories?

The psychodynamic theory of motivation is based on satisfying the pleasure principle as a result of the psychic genesis of the sexual impulse.  The cognitive perspective of the learned nobles of our advanced western society, is that of submission with oppression.  When the behavioral therapists endeavor to play ball, the unconscious aggressive impulse is activated, the id, however the superego instills the constraints of the morals and values of parents, friends and society, leaving the ego to negotiate the reality of the lack of the jargon required to engage in a dialectical materialism, hence the conversion of aggressive thought, to violent action.  The psychodynamic theory tries to negotiate the needs of our sexual impulses with the norms of society, while the cognitive perspective, induces aggressive responses, off the desperate, socially inept degenerate, in order to pursue law and order within our hypocritical western, liberal ideology.

3. Can complex emotions be ‘read’ on the face ?  How does the expression of emotion differ cross - culturally ?

Complex emotions can be ‘read’ on the face, however needs a little experience.  When the learned noble, rubs their teeth to those without, aggression is evident.  When the learned noble, is smiling with glee, with gun and needle in holster, it is sadistic.  When the girl cries in tantrum, without tears, it is no more than the effects of conditioning of positive reinforcement.  When the baby sees his twin brother enjoying the donkey ride over himself, it is a sadness.  When the ‘loving’ girl glees at the anticipation, of receiving a present on her birthday, from informing the object of ‘love’, of this magical day, it is no more than selfish pleasure seeking behavior.  When the ‘other’ girl smiles, not only at the sight of her object of love, but at providing a material object to satisfy the pleasure principle of her loved object, without the expectancy of receiving a blow job, or the premeditated request for financial gains, it is love.  These expressions of emotions do not differ cross - culturally, but are common to all humanity !

Physical and Cognitive Development

1. How much alcohol must be consumed by a pregnant woman for foetal alcohol syndrome to occur ?

I do not know how much alcohol must be consumed in order to affect the foetus.  I however would not allow my wife, girlfriend or surrogate to drink one drop of alcohol during pregnancy, as soon as conception.  I enjoy drinking, doing drugs and smoking cigarettes, however would not prescribe any of my vices to those in pregnancy.  I do not believe that women should not be drinking alcohol, shooting up drugs, or smoking cigarettes, however during pregnancy, I do not want to risk the mental development of my future children to be affected by these poisons.  During child growth, the infancy and adolescent years, I also do not want, my children indulging in the vices I have chosen, without rational reason.  With age, I will provide my children, should the day I choose to have legitimate children come, I wish for my children to eat off the fruit of good and evil, enabling them to choose what is right for themselves.

2. What is the current understanding of the developmental of motor skills in infants ?

Innate psychic genesis.  Nature over nurture.  It is not possible to teach an infant anything at all, as they do not have the complex linguistic skills.  Children will learn on their own, as their muscle and bone structure develops with the provision of proper nutrition, the energy, the joules required for growth.  The complexity of controlling the neck from letting the head fall back, the crawling on all fours, the ability to grasp an object for inspection, the inclination to stand on two feet and take one step, the neuro-muscular coordination necessary to hold and sip out of a mug, eat out of spoon from a plate, cannot be taught at two months age, needing the development of motor skills which the noble mankind have no control over, just an accommodation of time.  These developments of motor skills have no genesis from the big bang theory, but of creationism, a Lord, one above mere mankind, the essence of life, a clear distinction from the natural and magical worlds.

3. A child knows that a previously visible object is missing.  What stage (according to Piaget) is this child likely to be in ?  What phenomenon is the child demonstrating ?

We conform to the norms that we learn.  A whore accommodates coitus into an equilibrium of personal drives, social norms and the satisfaction of the personal pleasure principle, with monetary gains.  The new situation, the missing cock in the hole, basic Freudian coitus interruptus, a disequilibrium of a loss of the financial and social gains from spreading the legs, is no more than an aggressive response in early sexual development.  The defamation of character, of the penis, is inevitable, at the early stage infantile sexual enlightenment, accommodation, the phenomenon of neurosis.  The boy didn’t have a selfish lover, one who didn’t have the decency to suck cock, after getting off, from the tongue of the sexual deviant, he likes to fuck dogs and take it up the ass !  The boy doesn’t need to smell stinky, stinky fish to fulfill the pleasure principle, while the whore of an angel, needs to swallow to receive her positive economic reinforcers !