Psychology Questions: Page 2 (Janelle)

1. Natural selection, or the principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that leas to the increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations, is a plausible theory. It makes sense because if something is causing people to reproduce and live longer lives, it is also going to be helpful for generations to come.
2. Social Darwinism, or the view that the weak and unfit should be allowed to die, is not credible for psychology. It is not credible because the way something in psychology does not show how it should be. For example, something that a person is born with, such as a disease causing they the be psychologically different than most, does not mean that they should not be given equal treatment.
3. Th culture we are brought up in become what we think of as "normal". This causes us to think that other cultures are weird, when really neither is wrong or weird at all, but different. Cultural psychology assumes the mind and culture to be inseparable, resulting in the limited applicability of psychological theories when put into another culture.
4. I do not think that men and women could be perfectly equal in our society. This is because of biological differences. A man's brain is made to think more systematically and mechanically, while the brain of a woman is made to think with empathy and fundamentalism. This will cause some things to come easier or thought to be different between men and women, causing inequalities that cannot be changed.
5. I the peer pressure plays a role in many of the things that take place in Wilson High School. For example, there could be something little, such as helping someone pick up books, that will not be done when other people are around who might that that is a stupid idea. On a larger scale, people will go to parties and take part in actions they normally would not based on the actions of those around them.
6. Beginning to teach a foreign language in sixth grade is not a good idea. Brains develop very rapidly in the earlier years, making it very easy for children to catch on to something like a new language. By sixth grade, it is already very hard for many students to learn a new language and remember everything for it to become fluent. For example, by the age 2, the brain is already 80% of it's adult size. Therefore, there is not much to be developed by sixth grade. It would be a wiser idea for Wilson to begin foreign languages as early as kindergarten while the brain is still going through rapid development.