located within the Online Undergraduate Programs section of the Ashford University 2013-2014 Academic Catalog.

After  reviewing the information provided above, you will create a two- to  three-page case study focusing on professional and personal scenarios  (they can be real or hypothetical) in which you evaluate your learning  as it contributes to the overall attainment of Ashford University’s  institutional outcomes and the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology program  outcomes.

In the body of your paper:

1. Discuss the Ashford University institutional outcomes and the  program outcomes by identifying their relevance to a profession in  psychology.
2. Create one personal life example and one career example in which you  (or a fictitious person) struggle with personal challenges and an  ethical dilemma (e.g., a client or research subject reveals compromising  information about a friend or family member who also happens to be  someone you know in a personal/social context).
3. After identifying the problem, include a section wherein you address  each of the following prior to making a decision about a course of  action:
   • From your point of view, what is the problem?
   • From the point of view of other individuals, what is the problem?
   • What are the options? What are potential consequences of the options?
   • What are the risks of each potential solution?
   • What are the risks of not resolving the challenges effectively?
   • What evidence/data do you have to assist you in decision making?
4. Apply the competencies gained at Ashford University (from the  institutional and program outcomes) to identify the preferred  resolutions to the situations you identified in #2 above. Select at  least three competencies that are most relevant to your scenarios. Be  specific in your discussion of the scenarios and provide details  demonstrating professional problem solving in your case study.
5. Conclude the case study with how you resolved the problem (the  outcome) and what you learned while at Ashford University that assisted  you in deciding on an effective resolution. You may also identify  additional competencies used to resolve the problem that are not  included in the institutional and program outcomes.
6. Utilize at least one scholarly source as a basis for the evidence  you will use to rationalize the decision-making process. All sources  must be documented in APA style, as outlined by the Ashford Writing  Center.

Writing the Case Study
The Assignment:

1. Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length (excluding title  and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in  the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title
   page with the following:
   • Title of paper
   • Student’s name
   • Course name and number
   • Instructor’s name
   • Date submitted

How does attraction happen and how do relationships form? Attraction and relationships are complex in that they are influenced by numerous factors, including, but not limited to, age and gender of the partners, stage of the relationship, and culture.  For this Assignment, you explore the elements of a relationship and the rules and expectations associated with them. You also examine what influences these elements and rules/expectations.  To prepare: •Review Chapter 10 of your course text, Social Psychology, focusing on attachments in childhood and adulthood. Also focus on the factors involved in attraction, romantic love, relationship satisfaction, and romantic breakups. •Review at least two of the journal articles in this week’s Learning Resources to explore aspects of attraction and romantic relationships in different cultures. (You do not have to read all of the articles.) Think about how people in a different culture might view and behave in relationships. Notice the similarities and differences between that culture and your own.

The Assignment (2–4 pages):  In a 2- to 4-page paper, analyze a personal relationship you have or have had (or a relationship of someone you know well). This relationship may be a romantic relationship or a friendship. Address the following: •Briefly identify the type of relationship you are using as your example and describe each person’s attachment style. •Select at least four concepts or theories from your readings that describe in more depth the relationship and/or how this relationship developed, was maintained, or ended.  Analyze how these four concepts or theories relate to the relationship you have chosen to assess. •Finally, select a culture presented in one of the articles listed and consider how that cultural context could impact your relationship. If one or both of the individuals in your relationship was from this other culture, would your four selected concepts or theories still apply in the same way? If not, what would differ? Would another concept or theory be more applicable, and why? Use information from, and cite, your selected article.

Stereotypes are beliefs about the typical characteristics of members of a group. Prejudice is the evaluation of a group or of an individual based on membership in a group. Prejudice commonly is based on race or ethnicity, but also may be based on socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, weight or physical appearance, sexual orientation, age, disability, and/or other such characteristics. Discrimination is the behavioral component of prejudice, typically demonstrated by negative behavior toward a person based on prejudicial attitudes. Together, these three concepts in social psychology result in highly destructive beliefs, behaviors, and interactions about, toward, and with others. If discrimination is to be reduced in society, it is essential to understand where prejudice comes from, how it is sustained, and how it can be reduced.  To prepare: •Review Chapter 13 in your course text, Social Psychology, focusing on how people learn prejudice, common motives for prejudice, and the various theories of prejudice. •Select a twentieth- or twenty-first-century example of prejudice against a group in which you are not a member. For your example, think about the stereotype that leads to the prejudice and the resulting negative behaviors (discrimination). In other words, how does the prejudice depicted in your example impact individuals and society? How can the prejudice be reduced?

Post a brief explanation of one twentieth- or twenty-first-century example of prejudice against a specific group and identify associated stereotypes and discriminatory behaviors. You should not be a member of the group and you should not actively oppose the group in your Discussion. Explain an effect of this prejudice on individuals or society. Use specific examples. Then, apply elements of theory from your readings to explain a cause of this specific prejudice and to recommend a means of reducing this specific prejudice, either at the individual or societal level.  Notes: •Name the group you are discussing in the subject line of your post. •Support the responses within your Discussion post, and in your colleague reply, with evidence from the assigned Learning Resources. •You are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleague’s postings. After clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link, select “Create Thread” to create your initial post.

In order to write effectively in psychology, you need to learn to read critically and to observe how professional psychologists present their research to peers.
Once you have determined that the sources you are reading are solid and worth using (which is quite a challenge in and of itself), your quest becomes the articulation of a research question or working hypothesis that will guide the writing you do subsequently to your reading.
It definitely takes a certain amount of skill to be able to look at a journal article and pick it apart in order to determine things like the significance of the results and/or the soundness of the methodology. That said, it takes all the more skill to be able to take the ideas found in one or more journal articles and turn them into your own words, your own understandings, and your own synthesis of the works engaged.
But skill is not enough. You also need honest and timely feedback from others (e.g., your peers, your instructor, etc.).
Effective writing is done in community, meaning that it is not done in isolation. From start to finish, the more you include the careful scrutiny of your writing by others, the better off you and your writing will be.
For M1: Assignment 3 select one peer-reviewed article related to be your focal/research question.
Ideally, you will find this article by conducting an online library search in the AUO library specifying “peer-reviewed” as one of the search criteria. When you have chosen your article, write a review/critique of the study.Your review should include the following:

• The main topic and focus or thesis of the journal article.
• The argument the author is making and its relevance to the focal/research question.
• The type of article—published, original research, meta-analysis, or reflection piece.
• The key findings of the study.
• Your opinion about the merits of the study, including future points of interest or research.

Your review should be approximately 100-150 words in length, should contain proper grammar and spelling, and should follow APA format regarding structure (e.g., title page and references page) and citation of sources.
Submit it to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.Assignment 3 Grading Criteria

• Includes main topic and focus or thesis of the selected article.
• Presents author’s argument and its relevance to student’s focal/research question.
• Identifies type of article.
• Discusses key findings of the study.
• Discusses opinion about merits of the study, including suggestions for future research.
• Wrote in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrated ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources, displayed accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation and proper APA formatting