COGNITION IN THE MEDIA

COGNITION IN THE MEDIA

(COGNITION IN THE MEDIA)

Competencies Addressed in This Assignment

This assignment addresses the following competencies:

• Competency 1: Apply research findings to topics in human learning and cognition.
• Competency 2: Apply psychology theories and concepts to human learning and cognition.
• Competency 5: Apply psychological principles and research in industrial and organizational psychology to inform personal and professional behavior.

Introduction

Cognitive psychology research is often featured in the mainstream media. For example, a few years ago Oprah Winfrey featured Dr. Strayer’s research on distractibility when talking on the cell phone while driving. She then used his research to start a movement that discouraged drivers from using their cell phones when behind the wheel.

Popular media features, such as those on Oprah, Dr. Oz, and in People magazine, exemplify how cognitive psychological research can inform the public about how our cognitive processes work.

Using the three examples of cognitive psychology research featured in the media that you have researched (newspapers, television, and magazines), write a two-page paper for each resource and explain how it fits with what we know about cognition. Each example must cover a different topic. Reference the original articles or videos. Include the following in each paper:

• Analyze the concepts of cognitive psychology (attention, limits, inattention, automatic processing, and so on) that you observe in each of the selected articles or videos.
• Describe how the concepts are applied in real-world situations.
• Describe other examples of how the concepts you analyzed are present in everyday life, and how understanding them can be used to improve life (such as Oprah’s efforts to educate people about the dangers of distractibility while driving).

Note: You must support your claims with evidence from the text by including internal citations.

Strive to be as concise as possible and limit your completed assignment to no more than six double-spaced pages, excluding the title page and reference page. Support your statements and analyses with references and citations from at least three resources.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current edition APA style and format.
• Number of resources: At least three citations.
• Font and Font Size: Times New Roman, 12 points.