Case Study # 1, 2, and 3

Smarter Decision Making through Psychology

August 4, 2020

Using what you have learned about the adolescent brain and social development in Chapter 3 of the webtext, answer the questions below to help Gloria understand why her son is making such poor choices, and pose some recommendations to help her solve her problem. (Use page 3.4 for brain development and page 3.6 for social development.)

For each question, you should write a paragraph-length response (5–7 sentences) to receive credit for this assignment. You may use your Soomo webtext as a resource.

Question 1: What are three physical changes that happen to teen brains that make it difficult for someone like Gary to weigh risk and reward? Write a paragraph to list the changes and describe how they affect decision making.

Question 2: In addition to their brains changing, teens change socially. What do teens wrestle with as they develop socially? Why may Gary value his peers more than his mom? Write a paragraph that describes teens’ social development and how this may influence Gary’s decision to sneak out and go to the party.

Question 3: What are two specific strategies or pieces of advice that you would recommend that Gloria can offer to help her son to make better decisions? Write a paragraph that offers advice that would help Gloria with her son’s development as he improves his decision-making skills.

Question 4: Place yourself in Gloria’s shoes. How do you think Gloria is feeling? How can understanding her feelings help you offer constructive advice? Write a paragraph where you describe how you think Gloria is feeling and explain why understanding her feelings allows you to offer more effective advice.

Sources

1. David G. Myers. 2019. Psychology. http://www.webtexts.com