Day: January 10, 2020

 

Step 1: Literature Search Question (LSQ)

Preparation

What a Literature Search Question (LSQ) Does

A good LSQ is a rhetorical tool that scholars can use to identify the scope of an investigation. For investigations in the field of psychology, LSQs are designed to ask about phenomena associated with the behavior, thoughts, and feelings relevant to the experiences of the target population. The scope is described in the LSQ in terms of the target population (age, gender, specific qualities related to the phenomena under investigation such as diagnosis, relationship status, and educational level); variables of interest (such as specific behaviors, attitudes, emotions); psychological concepts (stimulus-response, developmental stage, stigma); and phenomena under investigation.

The LSQ is presented as a question that researchers can bring to a specific body of literature to clarify the goals of the investigation. Your LSQ should be somewhat broad, as you will later develop your Research Question (RQ) from your LSQ. Your RQ will be more narrowly defined, which will lead to your research methodology.

Your first step in the development of the integrated project will be to develop a plan for identifying what we know so far about your topic. Identify an area of the literature in psychology that you wish to explore in depth; choose an area that truly interests you and that connects with your area of specialization.

Examples:

• Topic (broad): motivation.
• Topic (narrow): motivation of first-year college students.
• LSQ: What does the psychology literature tell us about the achievement motivation of first-year college students who are the first in their families to go to college?
• Research question examples: See Unit 5 Studies.
• Quantitative question: Is there a difference in the achievement motivation of first-year male students compared to female students who are the first in their families to attend college?
• Qualitative question: What is the experience of attending college for first-year students who are the first in their families to attend college?

Note: In Chapter 3, you will provide a detailed explanation of the methodology you have chosen, but your RQ must align with this chosen methodology, as it is the first step.

Be careful to explain why you believe this topic will be of service to the field, psychology professionals, and those identified in the topic-selection process. Support your rationale with evidence from peer-reviewed research identified in your searches of the literature in psychology.

Your goal in this post is to begin the process of developing the literature search question (LSQ). Your instructor will help you to refine and further develop it as the course progresses.

Steps to writing a good LSQ:

1. Choose an appropriate topic or issue that interests you and can be researched.
2. Brainstorm a list of  questions related to the topic that you would like answered.
3. Select the question that is clear and not too broad or narrow. 

LSQ examples:

• What does the literature in psychology tell us about the utility of cognitive behavioral therapy for the prevention of poor mental health outcomes in children ages 912 who are living in shelters with their mothers as a result of partner violence?
• What does the literature in psychology tell us about the best practices for teaching parents of preschool boys with autism how to use sign language when communicating with the older siblings as well as their autistic son?
• What does the literature in psychology tell us about the value of combining synchronous and asynchronous labyrinth walking with traditional cognitive behavioral therapies for adults ages 2035 with moderate depression as defined by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)?

Instructions

For this discussion post, use these headings to organize your work:

Search Strategy

Explain your search strategy and identify search terms. Specify the databases you plan to search, such as EBSCO HOST and Academic Search Premier, and tools like Capellas Summon or Google Scholar. We recommend using the Capella library Database Research Log (linked in Resources) to keep track of databases searched and the keywords used.

Literature Search Question (LSQ)

Present your topic in the form of a question that will guide your search of the literature. As you identify your topic, be sure to identify the context that the population inhabits. Consider identifying gender, developmental stage, age range, region, diagnoses or health status, intervention or therapy, assessment tools, racial identity, ethnic identity, class, history, and other specifics associated with the questions that you wish to explore.

Scope and Number of Sources

Identifying the appropriate scope of the LSQ is important; developing a good LSQ will probably require a minimum of eight resources. Identify at least six sources as you start this first stepgood sources will be key to developing the foundation of the proposed study.

Remember that you are only proposing to do new and original research. You will not collect data.

Post your topic and description of your LSQ in a Word document. In addition, please copy and paste the document content into the message box for your post submission. Do not be concerned if Word formatting is not preserved.

 

The Health Belief Model

This discussion is an exploration of how the health belief model applies specifically to obesity as a public health issue.

Answer the following questions:

• What are your personal preconceptions about obesity?
• What limits your understanding about obesity ?    
• How has the information about obesity changed over the years?
• What ethical issues arise with this issue?
• How can the HBM help inform a prevention and wellness approach to obesity?

Support your statements using the readings in this units studies on obesity and the health belief model (HBM). Remember to consult the APA manual or other APA resource to make sure your citations are formatted correctly.

 

Obesity as a Public Health Issue

• Search for obesity epidemic on YouTube and choose two results to view.
• Briefly summarize the two choices you examined.
  • What were the major points made in each video?
  • What really got your attention and moved you the most? Why?
  • What more did you want to know?
• Refer to the APA manual or the EasyBib Web site (linked in Resources) for direction on citing video presentations if necessary. 

 

Significance of HIV/AIDS and the Self-Efficacy Theory

Preparation

The topic for this discussion is ways in which theories can be applied to the HIV/AIDS public health issue. Make sure you can answer the following questions related to the significance of the HIV/AIDS issue in the United States:

• How serious is HIV/AIDS today?
• How many people does it affect?
• Is it preventable?
• What ethical concerns arise with this issue?

Discussion Instructions

• In your post, discuss how self-efficacy theory or social cognitive theory would inform your prevention approach to HIV/AIDS. Refer to your readings for this unit.
• Support your discussion with at least two academic sources.

 

Self-Efficacy Theory and Personal Responsibility

Overview

Self-efficacy is the belief in your own abilities to overcome any difficulty. In Bandura’s words, it is your “self-system.”

This assignment applies self-efficacy theory as a means to understand the motivations and influences behind one’s ability to take personal responsibility to do what is necessary to be healthy.

Preparation

Use the resources in this unit to deepen your understanding of how the self-efficacy theory and Bandura’s social cognitive theory relate to the behavior and personal responsibility of people in a public health situation.

Instructions

Examine any real-life situation related to a public health issue, choosing an issue that has affected the life someone you know, such as infectious diseases, food safety, air or water quality, unsanitary living conditions, emotional or physical abuse. Note: Ensure the confidentiality of this person by changing names and other potentially revealing information.

• Provide a brief description of the public health issue and its impact on the person’s life.
• Use self-efficacy theory to describe and explain his or behavior relative to the health issue.
• Describe how the self-efficacy theory could be used to influence desired changes in his or her behavior.
• If you found yourself in a similar situation, which elements of the self-efficacy theory would you find beneficial to consider in your own life? 

Submission Requirements

Note: To fully understand how this assignment will be graded, be sure to review the Self-Efficacy Theory and Personal Responsibility scoring guide.

In addition to the criteria in the scoring guide, you must also ensure your assignment meets the following requirements:

• Length: Your assignment must include 35 double-spaced pages of content, plus cover and reference pages.
• Font: Times New Roman 12 point.
• APA Formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current edition APA style and formatting. Refer to the handy APA Campus links in Resources as needed.
• Number of References: Cite at least one peer-reviewed resource.

Submit your document as an attachment to this assignment.

Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.

Resources

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Smoke-Free: What Now?

Scenario

You have been smoke-free for a year. You are celebrating your one-year anniversary and it is time to reflect on the past. You are also aware that you must take one day at a time.

In this spirit, you try to answer the following questions:

• How do you plan to support this major change in your life as you move forward?
• What are the benefits you have seen over the past year?
• What are the major temptations you face each day you decide not to smoke a cigarette?
• What resources can you turn to help you on a day-to-day basis?

Post your responses to the questions and provide at least two references supporting your answers.

Once you do this, you will see that your answers partly reflect being in the maintenance stage of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). 

 

Pros and Cons of Smoking

Scenario

Imagine that you have been a smoker for over 20 yearstwo packs of cigarettes a day. You are developing recurring symptoms including shortness of breath, a persistent cough, congestion, and general feelings of apathy. You know that smoking is at the root of many of these symptoms.

It is time to take stock of the situation. You decide to sit down, ask yourself about your smoking habit, and put your answers on paper. 

Complete this discussion by responding to the following questions from the perspective of a long-term smoker and provide at least two references to support your answers.

• What are the pros and cons of smoking?
• Why do I smoke?
• What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
• What is keeping me from quitting?
• What resources can I turn to for help?

Once you do this, you will see that your answers partly reflect being in the precontemplation and contemplation stages of the TTM.

 

Personal Values Examination

Use this exercise to clarify your core values. Having done so, you can apply the same clarification process to any theory or model you read about in this course.

Think of one of your core values. Then write down answers to the following questions:

• Was this a value you chose freely?
  • How did you make a personal decision to make it a core value? Or did you adopt it from your family or culture?
• Was your core value chosen from real alternatives?
  • For example: You might value eating bran flakes for breakfast. When you go to a store, you see part of a long aisle filled with different brands of bran flakes that are basically the same. How do you select one brand over another? When faced with these options, is it a choice among real alternatives? In the case of your core value, which alternatives did you consider before deciding this value was core?
• How long have you been practicing your core value?
• How has experience been a teacher? What was the most important lesson you learned by practicing it?
• How do you regain a sense of integrity when you discover that you have unintentionally acted in opposition to it?
• If you were challenged by someone in a public setting about the validity of the core value you chose for this discussion, how would you defend it?