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QUESTION
Kurt Lewin once wrote ‘there is nothing as practical as a good theory’. Drawing on material covered in TWO blocks of your module, discuss how the application of psychological knowledge can help to solve social and psychological problems.
Please see the 3 books attached and using only evidence and theories and knowledge from 2 of the books that are relevant to the question, to answer to question above.
| Subject | Psychology | Pages | 4 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Some of the primary goals of psychology are the description, explanation, prediction and control of behaviours as well as mental processes. According to Capdevila, Dixon, and Briggs (2015, p.2), the application of psychological knowledge can be instrumental in establishing how people can fit with social norms. Additionally, the experience can be used in the exploration of the process for social change as well as the influence of minorities. There are various practical areas where psychological knowledge can be used in the resolution of social and psychological problems. In specific, the body of knowledge in psychology including the various approaches and theories can be used in resolving issues through multisensory perception especially, adapting to different environments and situations, and also in the alterations of negative thoughts and behaviours through an in-depth understanding of the soothing value of music.
Application of Psychological Knowledge
Psychological knowledge of visual perception helps in helping people recognise objects in the world. According to Richard Gregory’s hypothesis theory, knowledge about how psychology works is beneficial to human behaviour in a variety of ways. One of those is enabling people to anticipate what will happen and thus make sense of any ambiguous cluttered signs. Additionally, people can then take actions against any objects whose features seem to be obscured. According to Capdevila, Dixon, and Briggs (2015, p.26), the use of prior knowledge in psychology aids people in not only predicting the world but also reliably perceiving it. Moreover, people are able to use prior experience in psychology to process incomplete information about the world (Capdevila, Dixon, and Briggs 2015, p.32). Based on James Gibson’s argument that perceiving in an individual’s achievement, then the knowledge attained in psychology can help people in understanding the world and resolving problems associated with improper perceptions and understanding social behaviours.
Considering that the experience of the world is registered in multiple senses, psychological knowledge helps in the reduction of errors in perception and thus in making appropriate decisions to address social and psychological problems. Notably, according to Capdevila, Dixon, and Briggs (2015, p.42), there might arise a potential conflict between what an individual has seen and what has been heard. As such, multisensory perception such as that of hearing and seeing could help resolve this perception. Psychological knowledge, in this case, is vital in the actual interpretation of social problems. Moreover, with knowledge on how to measure attention, then the processing of information by individuals is enhanced and the handling of problems in proper context improved. The knowledge undoubtedly leads to the making of informed decisions based on multisensory perceptions. Moreover, via an undertaking of ways in which people perform two cognitive tasks (multitasking) and the limits that the information-processing systems have, them such knowledge can be used on the constructions of models of the systems (Briggs and Hole 2015, 62).
The various developmental processes, as well as cognitive aspects and social factors in psychological theory helps people experience and engage with music, which can lead to the resolution of their psychological problems. Notably, music plays a critical role in the lives of many people and affects their neurological and behavioural patterns (Capdevila, Dixon, and Briggs 2015a, p.2). Music resonates with people emotionally and affects how people think and behave. As such, people can address their depressive problems by using the psychological knowledge about the emotional impact of their music to choosing music which communicates a message that resonates with their feelings (Capdevila, Dixon, and Briggs 2015a, p.32). Irrespective of the reason as to why people listen to music, understanding its effects on their neurology and behaviour; which forms part of psychological knowledge, can be a source of comfort and hence help us address problems of depression and sadness.
Apparat from adults, psychological knowledge can also be vital for children to enable them to make friendships in schools and also function well in an environment of bullying in school. Children can control the environment that they live in through the process of knowledge gathering and hence help them grow in a holistic manner (Holliman and Critten 2015, p.71). Additionally, they can adapt to different environments. For instance, they can make friends and make it easier for them to make transitions between different stages in life. Furthermore, psychological knowledge can help them deal with bullying, considering that it can affect their social and academic development (Holliman and Critten 2015, p.75). In specific, the knowledge can be used to devise bullying interventions which focus on the empowerment of victims to cope and hence solve the psychological and social problems of the negative impacts associated with bullying.
Conclusion
In conclusion, psychological knowledge aids in the resolution of psychological and social problems by helping people understand the world better, reducing errors of perception, using music to provide comfort in moments of sadness and depression, and addressing bullying in school. In specific, through psychological theories, people can make complete perceptions of the world and interpret social problems. Additionally, for children, knowledge in psychology can help them transit different life stages and even adapt to different environments. For instance, the issue of bullying can be addressed by examining the psychology behind it as opposed to merely punishing the perpetrators.
References
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Briggs, G. and Hole, G. 2015. Can I do two things at once? Attention and dual-tasking ability. The Open University. Capdevila, R., Dixon, D and Briggs, G. 2015. Investigating psychology 2 – From biological to developmental. The Open University. Capdevila, R., Dixon, J., and Briggs, G. 2015. Investigating psychology 2 – From cognitive to biological. The Open University. Holliman, A., and Critten, S. 2015. What is the point of childhood? Early experiences and social relationships. The Open University.
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