Differential Psychology Essay Example

Differential Psychology Essay Example Differential Psychology Essay Differential Psychology Essay Differential Psychology studies the ways in which individuals differ in their behavior. This is distinguished from other aspects of psychology in that although psychology is ostensibly a study of individuals, modern psychologists often study  groups  or biological underpinnings of cognition. EXAMPLE In evaluating the effectiveness of a new therapy, the mean performance of the therapy in one  treatment group  might be compared to the mean effectiveness of a  placebo  (or a well-known therapy) in a second, control group. In this context, differences between individuals in their reaction to the experimental and control manipulations are actually treated as errors rather than as interesting phenomena to study. This is because  psychological research  depends upon statistical controls that are only defined upon groups of people. Individual difference psychologists usually express their interest in individuals while studying groups by seeking dimensions shared by all individuals but upon which individuals differ. Importance of individual differences Individual differences are essential whenever we wish to explain how individuals differ in their behavior. In any study, significant variation exists between individuals. Reaction time, preferences, values, and health-linked behaviors are just a few examples. Individual differences in factors such as  personality,  intelligence,  memory, or physical factors such as body size, sex, age, and other factors can be studied and used in understanding this large source of variance. Importantly, individuals can also differ not only in their current state, but in the magnitude or even direction of response to a given  stimulus. Such phenomena, often explained in terms of  inverted-U  response curves, place differential psychology at an important location in such endeavours as  personalized medicine, in which diagnoses are customised for an individuals response profile. Areas of study Individual differences research typically includes  personality,  motivation,  intelligence, bility,  IQ,  interests,  values,  self-concept,  self-efficacy, and  self-esteem  (to name just a few). There are few remaining differential psychology programs in the United States, although research in this area is very active. Current researchers are found in a variety of applied and experimental programs, includingeducational psychology,  Industrial and organizational psychology,  personality psychology,  social psychology, and  developmental psycholog y  programs, in the  neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development  in particular.

Lorna Dee Cervantes - Feminist Chicana Voice

Lorna Dee Cervantes - Feminist Chicana Voice article edited with additions by  Jone Johnson Lewis Born: 1954 in San FranciscoKnown For: Chicana poetry, feminism, writing that bridges cultures Lorna Dee Cervantes is recognized as a significant voice in feminist and Chicana poetry. In fact, she has referred to her adoption of the label Chicana as a feminist identification within the Chicano movement.   She is critically acclaimed for writing poetry that bridges cultures and explores gender and various points of view. Background Born in San Francisco and raised in San Jose, California, Lorna Dee Cervantes has Mexican and Chumash heritage on her mothers side and Tarascan Indian heritage on her fathers side. When she was born, her family had been in California for several generations; she has called herself indigenous Californian.   She was raised in her maternal grandmothers home, where she discovered books in homes where her mother worked as a domestic worker. Lorna Dee Cervantes became an activist when she was a teenager. She was involved with the Womens Liberation Movement, NOW, the Farm Workers Movement, and the American Indian Movement (AIM), among other causes. Poetry Debut Lorna Dee Cervantes began writing poetry as a teenager and compiled a collection of her poems at age 15. Although her debut poetry collection, Emplumada, was published in 1981, she was a recognized poet before that publication. She participated in the San Jose poetry scene, and in 1974 she read one of her poems at a theater festival performance in Mexico City, which brought her accolades and attention in Mexico. A Rising Chicana Star It was not unusual to hear Chicano/a poetry performed as spoken word, not just consumed as a written medium. Lorna Dee Cervantes was a prominent voice of the rising generation of Chicana writers during the 1970s. In addition to writing and performing poetry, she founded Mango Publications in 1976. She also published a journal called Mango. The heady days of running a small press from the kitchen table led to further involvement with Chicano writers such as Sandra Cisneros, Alberto Rios, and Jimmy Santiago Baca. Womens Experiences Early in her poetry career, Lorna Dee Cervantes reflected on her mother and grandmother in her writing. She contemplated their place in society as women and as Chicana women. Chicana feminists often wrote of the struggles they faced fitting into white society, paralleled with the struggles of gender in society. Lorna Dee Cervantes described Emplumada as a womans coming-of-age and as a rebellion against the male-dominated Chicano movement. She resented being considered disloyal to Chicano social justice ideals when she pointed out sexism in the movement. Poems such as You Cramp My Style Baby directly confront the sexism in Chicano men and how Chicana women were treated as second class. When her mother was killed brutally after Emplumada had been published, she integrated grief and and a strong sense of injustice in her 1991 work. From the Cables of Genocide: Poems of Love and Hunger. Themes of love, hunger, genocide, grief, interweave with her understandings of culture and women, and with a vision of what affirms life. Other Work Lorna Dee Cervantes attended Cal State San Jose and UC Santa Cruz. She was a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1989-2007 and briefly directed the Creative Writing program there. She received multiple prizes and fellowships, including the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Award, the Pushcart Prize, NEA fellowship grants, and the American Book Award for Emplumada. Other books by Lorna Dee Cervantes include   and Drive: The First Quartet (2005). Her work continues to reflect her ideals of social justice, eco-consciousness, and peace.