Allison Buskirk-Cohen

Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Lifespan Development

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

The Taking Sides Collection on McGraw-Hill Create(TM) includes current controversial issues in a debate-style format designed to stimulate student interest and develop critical thinking skills. This Collection contains a multitude of current and classic issues to enhance and customize your course. You can browse the entire Taking Sides Collection on Create, or you can search by topic, author, or keywords. Each Taking Sides issues is thoughtfully framed with Learning Outcomes, an Issue Summary, an Introduction, and an Exploring the Issue section featuring Critical Thinking and Reflection, Is There Common Ground?, and Additional Resources and Internet References. Go to McGraw-Hill Create(TM) at www.mcgrawhillcreate.com, click on the "Collections" tab, and select The Taking Sides Collection to browse the entire Collection. Select individual Taking Sides issues to enhance your course, or access and select the entire Buskirk-Cohen: Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Lifespan Development, 5/e ExpressBook for an easy, pre-built teaching resource by An online Instructor's Resource Guide with testing material is available for each Taking Sides volume. Using Taking Sides in the Classroom is also an excellent instructor resource. Visit the Create Central Online Learning Center at www.mhhe.com/createcentral for more details.

Produktdetails

• Taking Sides
• Verlag: McGraw Hill LLC
• Seitenzahl: 352
• Altersempfehlung: 18 bis 22 Jahre
• Erscheinungstermin: 9. April 2015
• Englisch
• Gewicht: 717g
• ISBN-13: 9781259216183
• ISBN-10: 1259216187
• Artikelnr.: 49215362

Autorenporträt

Dr.Allison A. Buskirk-Cohen is the Chairof the Psychology Department at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA.She had a lead role in developing the curriculum for both the undergraduate andmasters programs in counseling psychology. She teaches courses both theundergraduate and graduate levels in a variety of formats (face-to-face,hybrid, and online modes). In her teaching, Dr. Buskirk-Cohen emphasizescritical thinking, problem solving, and experiential learning. She proudlyserves on many university committees. Dr. Buskirk-Cohens research focuses on howinterpersonal relationships influence academic success and well-being. She isinterested in how peer and family relationships influences adjustment,particularly during significant transitions. Dr. Buskirk-Cohen also studiesteaching and learning in higher education, focusing on the impact oflearner-centered educational practices. Her work has been published inpeer-reviewed journals and advanced textbooks, and presented at academicconferences around the world. Dr. Buskirk-Cohen holds a masters degree indevelopmental psychology with a concentration in developmental psychopathologyfrom Teachers College, Columbia University and a doctorate degree in humandevelopment with a specialization in developmental sciences from the Universityof Maryland.

Inhaltsangabe

Unit: General Issues in the Study of Lifespan Development
Issue: Does the Cultural Environment Influence Lifespan Development More
Than Our Genes?
YES: Rachael Jack, et al., from "Facial Expressions of Emotion Are Not
Culturally Universal," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
2012 NO: Gary Marcus, from "Making the Mind: Why We've Misunderstood the
Nature-Nurture Debate," Boston Review, 2003/2004
Many believe that emotions are biologically hardwired; however, the
research from Rachel Jack and colleagues questions that belief. The
researchers compared facial expressions of emotions of individuals from
Western and Eastern cultures, finding differences that highlight the
influence of culture on how we represent emotions. Psychologist and
researcher Gary Marcus asserts that research clearly demonstrates how a
relatively small number of genes influence our environmental learning by
"cascading" to determine the paths of our behavioral development.
Issue: Is Chinese Parenting Culturally Distinct?
YES: Amy Chua, from "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," The Wall Street
Journal, 2011 NO: Markella B. Rutherford, from "The Social Value of
Self-Esteem," Society, 2011
The author of The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother discusses strategies to
achieve success in childrearing, highlighting the techniques of "Chinese"
mothers. She argues that raising successful children is less about
bolstering their self-esteem and more about instilling disciplined work
habits and high standards, values that are important to academic and life
success. Sociologist Markella B. Rutherford instead sees the "Tiger Mother"
idea as just another example of the types of privileged parenting that
ultimately prioritizes self-confidence, self-esteem, and perpetuates
differences more dependent on class than on culture.
Issue: Should Happiness Be Our Goal?
YES: John Helliwell, Richard Layard, and Jeffrey Sachs, from "World
Happiness Report 2013," New York: UN Sustainable Development Solutions
Network, 2013 NO: Sharon Begley, from "Happiness: Enough Already,"
Newsweek, 2008
In their introduction to the World Happiness Report, John Helliwell,
Richard Layard, and Jeffrey Sachs argue for the need to assess happiness on
a global level. They describe scientific approaches to the study of
happiness- from the perspectives of psychologists, economists and others-
and link it to sustainable development goals. Reporter Sharon Begley does
not dispute the importance of happiness, but argues for a moderate approach
to positive psychology, Moreover, she suggests that that there is an
evolutionary need to experience negative emotions.
Issue: Is Drinking Alcohol While Pregnant an Unnecessary Risk to Prenatal
Development?
YES: Phyllida Brown, from "Drinking for Two," New Scientist Magazine, 2006
NO: Julia Moskin, from "The Weighty Responsibility of Drinking for Two,"
The New York Times, 2006
Science writer Phyllida Brown maintains that even a small amount of alcohol
can damage a developing fetus and cites new research indicating that any
alcohol consumed during pregnancy may be harmful. Journalist Julia Moskin
argues that there are almost no studies on the effects of moderate drinking
during pregnancy and that limited quantities of alcohol are unlikely to
have much effect.
Issue: Is Breastfeeding Inevitably Best for Healthy Development?
YES: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, from "The Surgeon
General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding," 2011 NO: Julie E.
Artis, from "Breastfeed at Your Own Risk," Contexts, 2009
As part of a broad mandate to advocate for public health, the U.S. Surgeon
General cites numerous benefits of breastfeeding as part of "call to
action" oriented toward increasing the practice among new mothers.
Sociologist Julie E. Artis argues that the broad promotion of breastfeeding
has the potential to unfairly stigmatize women who do not breastfeed while
overstating the benefits.
Issue: Is Co-sleeping Safe for Babies?
YES: Wendy Middlemiss, from "Bringing the Parent Back into Decisions about
Nighttime Care," Clinical Lactation, 2013 NO: Patricia G. Schnitzer,
Theresa M. Covington, Heather K. Dykstra, from "Sudden Unexpected Infant
Deaths: Sleep Environment and Circumstances," American Journal of Public
Health, 2012
Educational psychologist Wendy Middlemiss advocates that healthcare
providers discuss options of nighttime care with parents, rather than
providing specific advice that may conflict with parents' beliefs and
preferences. Furthermore, she discusses ways for healthcare providers
address infant safety and health that best match each family. Patricia
Schnitzer and colleagues analyzed data from sleep-related sudden unexpected
infant deaths. They found that 70% of infants were not sleeping in a crib
or on their back when found; many were sharing a sleep surface and/or
sleeping with an adult. These findings stress the importance of infant
sleep environment.
Issue: Do Innate Gender Differences Influence How Children Learn?
YES: Kelley King, Michael Gurian, and Kathy Stevens, from "Gender-Friendly
Schools," Educational Leadership, 2010 NO: Lise Eliot, from "The Myth of
Pink and Blue Brains," Educational Leadership, 2010
Kelley King, Michael Gurian, and Kathy Stevens, all affiliated with an
institute that advocates for accommodating gender differences in learning;
identify developmental differences between boys and girls that are deep
enough to merit distinct educational practices. Lise Eliot explains how
small gender differences in infancy become magnified through parental
interactions with their children. She argues that teachers, as well, need
to be aware of how they treat boys and girls so they do not exacerbate
gender stereotypes.
Issue: Is Preschool Education Worthwhile?
YES: Hirokazu Yoshikawa et al., from "Investing in Our Future: The Evidence
Base on Preschool Education," Society for Research in Child Development and
Foundation for Child Development, 2013 NO: David J. Armor and Sonia Sousa,
from "The Dubious Promise of Universal Preschool," National Affairs, 2014
Hirokazu Yoshikawa led a team of researchers from the Foundation for Child
Development in an examination of the current research on early childhood
education. They find that scientific research supports the academic,
social, emotional and economic benefits of preschool. Professors David
Armor and Sonia Sousa, in contrast, point to disappointing results from the
existing federal preschool program Head Start. They do not believe research
overwhelmingly supports the benefits of preschool.
Issue: Are Violent Video Games Necessarily Bad for Children?
YES: Craig A. Anderson, from "Violent Video Games and Other Media
Violence," Pediatrics for Parents, 2010 NO: Cheryl K. Olsen, Lawrence
Kutner, and Eugene Beresin, from "Children and Video Games: How Much Do We
Know?" Psychiatric Times, 2007
Psychologist and researcher Craig A. Anderson finds that violent video game
play consistently associates with aggression and problematic behavior,
arguing that there is no good reason for making them available to children.
Cheryl K. Olsen, Lawrence Kutner, and Eugene Beresin have all been
affiliated with a Harvard Medical School center devoted to studying mental
health and the media. In their work they recognize the potential risks of
violent video games, but find that most children play video games in ways
that pose little risk and offer some potential benefit.
Issue: Should We Try to "Cure" Autism?
YES: Ruth Padawer, from "The Kids Who Beat Autism," The New York Times,
2014 NO: Aaron Rothstein, from "Mental Disorder or Neurodiversity," The New
Atlantis, 2012
Reporter Ruth Padawer describes how applied behavior analysis (A.B.A.) has
seemingly "cured" some children of autism. She profiles these children,
showcasing their individual responses to therapeutic programs. However,
medical student Aaron Rothstein cautions that autism might be considered an
example of neurodiversity, rather than a disorder. He describes how and why
many autism advocates argue against the idea of a "cure." Instead, the
focus of research should be on better understanding the complexity of human
behavior.
Issue: Does the Adolescent Brain Make Risk Taking Inevitable?
YES: Laurence Steinberg, from "Risk Taking in Adolescence: New Perspectives
from Brain and Behavioral Science," Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 2007 NO: Robert Epstein, from "The Myth of the Teen Brain,"
Scientific American Mind, 2007
Although adolescent risk taking has proved difficult to study and explain,
psychology professor Laurence Steinberg claims brain science is now
demonstrating that basic biological changes explain much about the issue.
Robert Epstein claims that difficulties in adolescence are better explained
by cultural factors than by a "teenage brain." He provides examples of how
genes and the environment shape the brain over time. Epstein cautions that
images of brain activity do not identify causes, just correlations.
Issue: Is There a Sexting Epidemic?
YES: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and
Cosmogirl.com, from "Sex and Tech: Results from a Survey of Teens and Young
Adults," National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 2008
NO: Joyce Kerstens and Wouter Stol, from "Receiving Online Sexual Requests
and Producing Online Sexual Images: The Multifaceted and Dialogic Nature of
Adolescents' Online Sexual Interactions," Cyberpsychology: Journal of
Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 2014
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and
CosmoGirl.com commissioned a survey to examine sexting. Over 1,000
adolescents and young adults responded to an online survey. The results
from this survey suggest that a significant number of adolescents have
engaged in sexting. Researchers at the Cybersafety Research Group analyzed
data from a national survey among 4,453 Dutch adolescents. They compared
the prevalence of receiving online sexual requests with the prevalence of
producing online sexual images, finding that receiving sexual requests is
common while producing sexual images is relatively rare.
Issue: Is There a "Narcissism Epidemic" among Contemporary Young Adults?
YES: Jean M. Twenge, from "The Age of Anxiety? Birth Cohort Change in
Anxiety and Neuroticism, 1952-1993," Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 2000 NO: Pew Research Center, from "Millennials: Confident.
Connected. Open to Change," Pew Research Center, 2010
Jean Twenge's article presents the results from two meta-analyses examining
self-reports of anxiety and neuroticism. Her findings demonstrate that both
college students and schoolchildren report increases in these
characteristics. She suggests low social connectedness and environmental
threats are responsible for these changes. In the overview of this report,
the Pew Research Center describes findings on the study of roughly 50
million Millennials. They describe this generation as confident,
self-expressive, liberal, positive and open to change-quite different from
the negative characteristics often assigned.
Issue: Do Religion and Spirituality Mean the Same Thing to Today's College
Students?
YES: Diane Winston, from "iFaith in the Amen Corner: How Gen Y Is
Rethinking Religion on Campus," Social Science Research Council Essay Forum
on the Religious Engagements of American Undergraduates, 2007 NO: Chelsi
Creech et al., from "Changing Trends in Ritual Attendance and Spirituality
throughout the College Years," Psychology, 2013
Religion scholar Diane Winston describes interacting with students at her
university and finding that the students have vibrant religious engagements
despite eschewing traditional types of religiosity. The study from Chelsi
Creech and colleagues indicates that religion is better understood from a
multi-dimensional perspective. They found first-year and upper-class
students differed in terms of their religious attendance and reported daily
spiritual experiences.
Issue: Is Facebook Bad for College Students' Health?
YES: Brian A. Feinstein et al., from "Negative Social Comparison on
Facebook and Depressive Symptoms: Rumination as a Mechanism," Psychology of
Popular Media Culture, 2013 NO: Amy L. Gonzales and Jeffrey T. Hancock,
from "Mirror, Mirror on My Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook
on Self-Esteem," Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2011
Researchers Brian Feinstein and colleagues explore the link between use of
social networking sites and depressive symptoms. Their study examined
undergraduate students' use of Facebook. They argue that negatively
comparing oneself with others is linked with rumination, which is linked
with depression. The research from Amy Gonzales and Jeffrey Hancock
presents a different view of the impact of social networking sites on
mental health. Their research demonstrates how viewing one's Facebook
profile actually enhances self-esteem through selective self-presentation.
Issue: Do Adults Need to Place More Value on Marriage?
YES: W. Bradford Wilcox et al., from "Why Marriage Matters: Thirty
Conclusions from the Social Sciences," Institute for American Values, 2011
NO: Brenda McKerson, from "Raising the Next Generation: What's Gender Got
to Do with It?" Plaza: Dialogues in Language and Literature, 2014
Sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox led a team of prominent family scholars to
draw conclusions about the contemporary state of marriage as an
institution, and the consequences of being married. They conclude that
although marriage patterns are changing, traditional marriages still
benefit adults and society. Brenda McKerson draws parallels between racial
discrimination in the 1960's and discrimination faced by same-sex couples
today. She argues that research on "non-traditional" couples often reflects
heterosexist norms. Furthermore, McKerson believes that as generations
become more accepting of different family structures, research findings
will change to reflect this acceptance.
Issue: Should Grandparents Have Visitation Rights to Their Grandchildren?
YES: Lixia Qu et al., from "Grandparenting and the 2006 Family Law
Reforms," Family Matters, 2011 NO: Rachel Dunifon and Ashish Bajracharya,
from "The Role of Grandparents in the Lives of Youth," Journal of Family
Issues, 2012
Lixia Qu and colleagues review Australian data on grandparent-grandchild
involvement before and after the 2006 legal reforms. They find that that
family law reforms are consistent with parental beliefs about grandparent
involvement. However, they caution that the reforms do not address many
practicalities, including knowledge about the legal system. However, the
research of Rachel Dunifon and Ashish Bajracharya, does not find clear
evidence that grandparents influence the well-being of their grandchildren.
They find that distance, the parent's relationship with the grandparent and
child, and age of child and parent all contribute to the quality of the
grandparent-grandchild relationship.
Issue: Is "Mild Cognitive Impairment" Too Similar to Normal Aging to be a
Relevant Concept?
YES: Janice E. Graham and Karen Ritchie, from "Mild Cognitive Impairment:
Ethical Considerations for Nosological Flexibility in Human Kinds,"
Philosophy, Psychiatry & Psychology, 2006 NO: Ronald C. Petersen, from
"Mild Cognitive Impairment Is Relevant," Philosophy, Psychiatry &
Psychology, 2006
Philosophers Janice E. Graham and Karen Ritchie raise concerns that rigidly
defining Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) as a disorder associated with
aging artificially creates the harmful impression that the conditions of
old age are merely biomedical problems. Medical doctor and researcher
Ronald C. Petersen has been a prominent proponent of defining MCI as an
intermediate stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease. In this
selection he counters Graham and Ritchie by emphasizing the usefulness of
MCI as a diagnosis.
Issue: Should We Try to "Cure" Old Age?
YES: Michael J. Rae et al., from "The Demographic and Biomedical Case for
Late-Life Interventions in Aging," Science Translational Medicine, 2010 NO:
Ezekiel J. Emanuel, from "Why I Hope to Die At 75," The Atlantic, 2014
Michael J. Rae was lead author on an article presenting the position a
group of prominent antiaging scholars. They promote more funding and
support for what they consider promising research directions towards
slowing or even curing aging. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist and
bioethicist, presents a contrasting view. He argues against an
ever-expanding lifespan. Instead, his believes this article suggest our
focus should be on maximizing our quality of life and accepting the
inevitability of death.