Psychology Scientific Journal Article Critique

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PSYCHOLOGY TOPIC LIST INSTRUCTIONS: Browse topics below.

Understand that many of the topics listed below are very broad. You will have to decide how to narrow your broad topic.

For example, if I choose “Alzheimer’s Disease”, that is very broad and I will probably find thousands of scientific journal articles. But if I narrow it down to “the effect of exercise on Alzheimer’s Disease prevention”, I will probably find a more manageable number of articles.

You are not limited to this list and may think of a topic not listed here.

__________________________________________________________________ Intro & Research Methodology

 Placebo Effect

 Fields of study in Psychology… (**Note: the fields of study are very broad and you need to think about what you want to look for in the research within these fields before picking one of these topics)

o Sports psychology o Industrial Organizational Psychology o Educational Psychology o School Psychology o Clinical Psychology o Forensic Psychology o Social Psychology o Cultural Psychology

Neuroscience

 Brain implants (example: chips to prevent epilepsy)

 Brain pathways, cellular communication

 Brain Plasticity

 Split Brain Operation

 Huntington’s Disease

 Hormones and behavior

 Biology of criminal

 Neurogenesis

 Neuropeptide Y, survival and stress (related also to PTSD), resilience

 Neurotransmitters and obesity

 Parkinson’s Disease

Sensation & Perception

 Sensory prosthetics

 Phantom Limb & mirror box

 Visualization as good as practice?

 EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization)

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Consciousness  Hypnosis / Self-Hypnosis

 Sleep Disorders  Narcolepsy  REM Sleep Behavior disorder  Nightmares and PTSD  Sleep Apnea

Learning  Classical Condition & everyday life

 Operant Conditioning

 Observational Learning (Bandura) o Celebrities – do they affect our children

Memory  Amnesia

Cognition

 IQ o and “brain training”

 Language o learning a language/brain areas involved o language development in infancy

 Standardized testing

 Mental Retardation

 Multitasking /psychology

Development  Abortion – are there long term affects

 Attachment theory

 Aging o Alzheimer’s/Dementia (quality of life issues) o Aging and Emotional Changes o Aging and Cognitive Changes o Elder Abuse o Hospice o Aging and Social Relationships

 Antidepressants and Pregnancy

 Adolescents and behavior

 Birth Order

 Breastfeeding benefits

 Caring for the caretakers

 Bullying o Causes/Solutions? o Bullying Victim

 Education o Special Education o Mainstreaming o Montessori Method o Retention in College – how can we achieve it?

 Teasing/Bullying o Cyber bullying o Workplace bullying o Playground/face to face bullying

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 Temperaments

 Teratogens in pregnancy/embryology

 SIDS – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

 Corporal Punishment

 Physical Development Infancy

 Twins o Studies on their personality

 Cohabitation o and relationship success o its effects on children o cultural/religious differences

 Arranged marriages

 Cultural Differences o in family dynamics o gender roles o marriages o in the workplace

 Domestic violence o effects on children o against women o against men o perpetrators?

 Divorce o effects on children o effects on the individual

 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

 Friendships o Differences in age groups o Differences in genders o Longevity

 Menopause

 Andropause (male menopause)

 Daycare – is there a difference between children in daycare and those who stay at home?

 Death of a loved one (5 stages, mourning)

 Marriage – Emotional/Physical/Health benefits?

 Internet Dating

 Parenting styles o role of fathers vs. mothers o position in the family

 Violent Children

 Emotional/Social Development Infancy

 Sports – organized sports and children

 Homelessness and self-esteem

 Chronic illness

Motivation and Emotion

 Emotion (the function of it)

 Happiness, is it a skill you can learn

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Sexuality and Gender  Sex offenders – how is an abuser “formed”?

 Sexual Expression in the Media

 Sexual Orientation

 Transsexualism (cross-dressing, sex change)

 Pornography (is it harmful to women?)

 Gender identity/sexual orientation

 Gender IQ Differences

 Gender differences o in aggressive behavior o in childhood play o in education o in risky behavior o in emotional expression o in intelligence o in brain development

 Gender Bias

 AIDS

 Homosexual parents (are children affected by being reared with same-sex parents)

 Homosexuality and the adolescent

 Hormones and desire

Stress and Health

 Health Psychology – preventive measures in the workforce

 Traumatic events

 Immunoneuropsychology

Social Psychology  Attraction

 Attribution

 Cognitive Dissonance

 Aggression/Violence o Violence in TV/movies o Violence in video games o Violence in music o Violence in schools (bullying)

 Advertisements

 Group Thinking

 Lies- can they be accurately detected?

 Prosocial (helping) Behavior o Altruism – does it exist?

 Prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination

 Subliminal Persuasion

 Stanford Prison experiment

 Social Facilitation

 Social Loafing

 Expert Testimony in court (reliable?)

 Eyewitness Testimony

 Body language

 Romantic love

 Poverty and self-esteem

 Social networking and self-esteem

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Personality  Assessment tools

o Rorschach (inkblot) o MMPI o Beck Inventory

 Names – Implications of persons name

 Perspectives of Psychology

Positive Psychology

 Applications in o Student education/achievement(“positive education” = teaching students how to increase their well-being) o Workplace/business organizations/leadership o Offender rehabilitation o Military/armed forces o Treatment of mental disorders (i.e., PTSD and depression) o Health education/improvement

 Happiness/Joy (enhancing positive psychological traits)

 Positive psychology exercises (PPE’s)

 PP and stress management

 Resilience/optimism/emotional fitness

 Creativity

Psychological Disorders  Addiction/Abuse (consider specific groups like: age groups to help narrow topic)

o to alcohol o to nicotine o to illegal drugs

 leading drugs/reasons/trend  the biological components  Club/Designer drugs (ecstasy)

o Steroids o Opiates o Methamphetamines and brain erosion o prescription drugs o to internet o to cell phones o to video games o to TV/movies o codependency & substance abuse o gambling o withdrawal o rave party/psychology

 DSM-IV-TR

 ADD/ADHD

 MOOD DISORDERS o Depression

 In adults  In children

o Bipolar Disorder o Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) o Postpartum Depression

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 PERSONALITY DISORDERS o Anti-Social Personality Disorder o Borderline Personality Disorder o Histrionic Personality Disorder o Narcissistic Personality Disorder o Dependent Personality Disorder o Avoidant Personality Disorder o Paranoid Personality Disorder

 SCHIZOPHRENIA

 Tourette’s Syndrome

 Eating Disorders o Anorexia Nervosa o Bulimia Nervosa o Body image

 ANXIETY DISORDERS o Social Anxiety Disorder o Phobias

 Social Phobia/social anxiety  Agoraphobia

o Panic Attacks/Panic Disorder o Obsessive Compulsive Disorder o Hoarding o Generalized Anxiety Disorder o Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder o Trichotillomania

 DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS o Dissociative Amnesia o Dissociative Fugue o Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personalities)

 Reporting mental illnesses (should it be mandatory?)

 Suicide

 Autism, Asperger’s

 Mass Psychogenic Illness

 Savants, prodigious savants, synesthesia

 Relationships between mental health and… o Exercise o Nutrition o Religious beliefs o Noise

 Other Disorders o Oppositional defiant disorder o Conduct disorder o Pyromania o Cleptomania

_ cutting/psychology/method

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Treatments/Therapies  ECT – is it an effective treatment

 Hospitalization against will

 Anger management (treatable? Basis of?)

 Couples Therapy

 Therapies (psychoanalytic, solution focused,

 Therapy strategic, structural, experiential, Music therapy..

 Twelve Step Programs

 Boot Camp – a cure for behavioral problems?

 CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy)

 Rehabilitation (prison - does it rehabilitate?)

 Online Therapy – is it ethical/helpful?

 Crisis Center

 Support Groups