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Chapter 9 Homework: Substance Use Disorder Tanya Varkey Psychology 270 March 11th, 2014 Chapter 9 Homework: Substance Use Disorder Substance use disorder is a condition in which an individual depends on a substance, harming his or her mental health. In such a disorder, the continued use of the substance can affect a person’s normal functioning in correlation with the society. For example, the overuse of the substance leads to behavioral issues, which in turn, causes the person to fail in meeting the standards of work and or family matters. Substance intoxication refers to the state of being high due to the effect of the psychoactive substance used. The substance can be either a stimulant, increasing activity level, or a depressant which tends to slow down a persons’ activity level as well as awareness. Such substances are abused because individuals feel that they will be able to avoid uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms (Rosenberg and Kosslyn, 2011). Its’ negative cognitive effects such as not thinking properly nor having proper judgment can make a big impact upon an individuals’ abilit y to perform activities of daily living. Depressants is a category of drugs that individuals with substance use disorder consume. A depressant drug abuse can impede the activity of the central nervous system, causing decreased awareness and reduced activity of the brain (Rosenberg and Kosslyn, 2011). Tolerance and withdrawal are symptoms that depressant users display if the substance is used on a regular basis or even if it is discontinued (Rosenberg and Kosslyn, 2011). Examples of depressants include alcohol and types of sedative-hypnotic drugs such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates. Sedative-hypnotic drugs such as barbiturates and b... ... where the person experiences a blackout, meaning they are not able to recall what happened while he or she was drunk. In terms of treatment, abstinence is the main goal. Cognitive behavioral therapy is also provided in that it may eventually lead the person to understand that such an alcohol abuse can have several consequences leading to a harmful health. In terms of application, there is an Indian actress named Silk Smitha. Due to the fact that she was not a successful producer, had financial difficulties, as well as romantic issues, she eventually slipped into depression. Such a depressive personal life led her to be a constant abuser of alcohol. She believed that this substance abuse will help her out mentally so no medical treatment and help was sought. As time progressed, her depression and dependence on alcohol grew, eventually leading her to commit suicide.

Learning and cognition paper Essay

Learning as it is commonly used is defined as the acquisition of knowledge, skills, behavior, preferences and understanding from experiences, whether real, induced or vicarious. Technically, however, learning is used more broadly by the psychologists, making it almost impossible to give it an exact definition. What can only be done is to describe it in terms of phenomena to which it can or cannot be applied. For example, psychologists say that learning need not be correct or adaptive, or it does not have to be conscious or deliberate (Hill, 1980). This process is not limited to humans. Animals, and even machines may also undergo this process, although each individual’s learning processes follow different learning curves. The role of behavior in an individual’s learning process is best explained by Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. This theory posits that individuals learn by observing, imitating and modeling other individuals’ skills, behaviors and attitudes, in relation to the outcomes of such skills, behaviors and attitudes. The information gathered from these behaviors, skills and attitudes then, are interpreted, consciously or unconsciously to determine whether such behaviors, skills and attitudes would be serve some future beneficial purpose (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2009). In other words, people use these behaviors and its consequences as guide for their subsequent behaviors. 2. What are the two different types of learning? The two types of learning usually examined by psychologists are classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is the type of learning wherein a reflexive response is evoked by a stimulus (stimulus B) which is different from the stimulus (stimulus A) that originally evoked such reflexive response (Learning and Conditioning, 2009). For example, a person had very fond memories of his/her 10th birthday which was held at restaurant A. When asked what his/favorite restaurant is, that person would immediately blurt out restaurant A. In this example, the positive feeling brought about by the memories of the person’s 10th birthday had been transferred, or rather, had been extended to the place where the person’s birthday was held. The other type of learning is called Operant conditioning. This is the type of learning wherein punishment causes the weakening or non-reinforcement of a non-reflexive behavior, and reinforcement strengthens a non-reflexive behavior. Unlike classical conditioning, in operant conditioning, an individual has more control. Meaning, presentation of a stimulus does not necessarily mean that a certain reaction will be evoked. In order to receive a certain reinforcement, an individual must behave in certain manner (Learning and Conditioning, 2009). One example of operant conditioning involves a professor’s attempt to improve his students’ attendance. To do this, he made a rule that students who obtain a certain number of absences will have an automatic one-point deduction in their final grades. Although he said nothing about any reward for full attendance, the threat of lower grades forced the students to limit their absences. 3. What is the relationship between learning and condition? Provide a specific example. Jean Piaget’s theory of cognition lays out 4 stages of cognition that is experienced by children as they progress. From the sensorimotor period when the child’s cognitive system is still limited to his/her motor reflexes, the cognitive system will develop to preoperational thought wherein a child acquires representational skills especially in mental imagery and language. The third stage is the concrete operations wherein the child acquires an ability to take another person’s point of view. Lastly, although, not everyone reaches this stage, a child becomes capable of logical and abstract thinking (Sandwell, 1995). Learning as defined earlier refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and behavior based on experience. Note that the definition involves the world acquisition. Naturally, for an individual who learns and therefore undergo the process of ‘acquisition,’ he/she should have the capacity to acquire. This is where cognition comes in. Assuming that Piaget’s theory is indubitable, each individual must necessarily be in one of the four stages. It is the individual’s ability or capacity as described in each of the four stages that limits the knowledge, skills or behavior that such individual can acquire or learn. An individual who is still in level one of Piaget’s cognitive development cannot be expected to reason out with a person who has already attained a Doctorate degree since his/her cognition is limited to motor skills. Such individual cannot also be expected to understand or learn Algebra because such requires logic and therefore the skills attained in Piaget’s fourth stage. References Hill, W.(1980). Learning: A survey of psychological interpretations. Taylor and Francis: USA. Learning and Conditioning. (2009). Alleydog. Retrieved 26 April 2009 from http://www. alleydog. com/101notes/conditioning. html. Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2009). Social Learning Theory (Bandura) at Learning-Theories. com. Retrieved April 27, 2009 from http://www. learning-theories. com/social-learning-theory-bandura. html Sandwell, J. (1995). Piaget’s stage theory of development. Retrieved 26 April 2009 from http://penta. ufrgs. br/edu/telelab/3/piaget%27s. htm.

Mcdonaldization And Management Application Of Healthcare...

McDonaldization as a management logic has spread further than the fast food industry from which it originated. Choose a case study and discuss. Few modern management models have escaped influences of objectification, commodification and standardisation. This paper looks into the McDonaldization and management application of healthcare program design and deliverance of Opioid Treatment Programs (OTP). The case study further analyses the universal management structure of community based health care organizations that systematically apply George Ritzer’s theory of McDonaldization. The case study chosen, relates to the management logic behind the drive for standardisation and efficiency of the logic model served up to consumers receiving OTP which are managed parallel to the practice of McDonald’s management ‘Get ’em in and get ’em out’ (Ashton, 2007). Treatment objectives of OTP clinics are aimed at reducing mortality rates, to improve each consumer’s physical and psycho-social well-being, and containment of illegal drug abuse (McArthur, 1999, p. 11). For the focus to remain on having a positive effect, and to continue to incur change in the lives of consumers, program management and monitoring paired with performance measurements and evaluation of the programs efficiency and effectiveness are exposed by the health care’s design. These major considerations (Kettner Martin, 2013, p. 9) and measures of treatment programs, from the administration and collaboration are