For this Assignment you will write a 2-3 page essay addressing the topic of decision-making and the heuristics that can influence decision-making. Your essay should be well organized, logical, and unified, as well as original and insightful. You should incorporate information from your course textbook and one other credible academic source to support your essay.
In this unit you learned that decisions can be influenced by heuristics, in particular the representative heuristic, the availability heuristic and the anchoring and adjustment heuristic. In this Assignment you are going to create three different case studies illustrating situations where a client has used each of these heuristics to make a decision. You will describe the clients' thought processes involved in using each heuristic to make a decision. For each case study, you will discuss whether the heuristic led the client to a good or bad decision. Finally, you should discuss how you would demonstrate professionalism as a psychologist working with a client who has made a bad decision due to a decision-making heuristic. In particular, you should explain how you would convey characteristics such as reliability, accountability and timeliness to your client.
Requirements for this Assignment:
The guidelines for your paper are as follows:
- A title page, introduction with thesis statement and conclusion. Below is a link to help you with your introduction and conclusion: https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingCenter/WritingReferenceLibrary/TheWritingProcess/IntroductionsAndConclusions.aspx
- Write a case study describing a client who has used the representative heuristic to make a decision, explaining the thought processes involved in making the decision. Discuss whether the representative heuristic led the client to a good or bad decision. You must demonstrate an accurate understanding of the representative heuristic and clearly link the case study to this decision-making heuristic. The discussion should be supported by information from the textbook or credible academic resource.
- Write a case study describing a client who has used the availability heuristic to make a decision, explaining the thought processes involved in making the decision. Discuss whether the availability heuristic led the client to a good or bad decision. You must demonstrate an accurate understanding of the availability heuristic and clearly link the case study to this decision-making heuristic. The discussion should be supported by information from the textbook or credible academic resource.
- Write a case study describing a client who has used the anchoring and adjustment heuristic to make a decision, explaining the thought processes involved in making the decision. Discuss whether the anchoring and adjustment heuristic led the client to a good or bad decision. You must demonstrate an accurate understanding of the anchoring and adjustment heuristic and clearly link the case study to this decision-making heuristic. The discussion should be supported by information from the textbook or credible academic resource.
- Discuss how you would demonstrate professionalism as a psychologist working with a client who has made a bad decision due to a decision-making heuristic, explaining how you would convey characteristics such as reliability, accountability and timeliness. In particular, you should discuss the following issues: (1) Reliability - How would you ensure you are up to date with information in your field so that you can provide clients with reliable information and answer questions accurately? (2) Accountability - What would you do if you realized that you had provided a client with incorrect information? (3) Timeliness - How would you make sure you are providing clients with correct information in a timely manner, whilst ensuring the accuracy of the information you are providing?
- Your paper should be 2-3 pages, not including the title page or reference page.
- Your paper should include a reference to the textbook and at least one additional credible academic resource. Below is a link to help you with your citations: https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingCenter/WritingReferenceLibrary/ResearchCitationAndPlagiarism/BasicCitationGuidelines.aspx
- Your paper must be APA formatted, including references, title page, 1" margins on all sides, 12 point font size, and double spacing. Information regarding APA formatting and citation can be found in the Writing Center and should be reviewed thoroughly. Below is a link to the document: https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/MyStudies/AcademicSupportCenter/WritingCenter/WritingReferenceLibrary/ResearchCitationAndPlagiarism/CommonCitationsInAPAformat.aspx
- Your paper should use Standard American English including correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and complete sentences and paragraphs. Your paper should be free of typographical errors.
- Your paper should include a highly developed viewpoint and purpose.
- Your paper should demonstrate superior organization. Communication should be highly ordered, logical, and unified.