It's been a long time...

Good Heavens it’s four weeks since I updated the site!  Quite a bit to catch up on.

Assignment 9:  I’m in such a rush that I can’t remember when it’s due in.  I would hate to think I’m giving hints for something that should have been submitted a week ago.  Especially if you read this and think you’ve got it wrong!

This is the assignment about childcare and enrichment studies.  You should first read the chapter in Focus about Childcare.  You will find information there about Headstart, with some evaluative comment.  Then, read through the first of the stimulus pieces.  Understand it.  Then comment on it.  Does it look as though it’s related to Bowlby, or deprivation studies?  If so, then describe Bowlby and say how it is related.  Similarly, anything about childcare or nursery care etc.  But – support what you say with empirical evidence.  This means references.  You don’t have to reference the stimulus materials. 

Then, read the two pieces about Headstart and Surestart.  Comment on those in the same way.  There is no right or wrong answer here, only your comments, supported with evidence.

No word count.

Assignment 10:

Remember the lesson on “conceptualise”?  External stimulus, internal response and transaction?  That is the key to this part of the assignment.  It’s in the Focus book.  In fact, you should by now have read (and I mean hold a book in your hands and read it page by page, making notes and doing activities as they appear) all the stress stuff in Focus.  Especially since the exam is going to be on stress. 

The next bit is about describing research.  A physiological piece (G.A.S. perhaps?), a cognitive piece (must be Lazarus and cognitive appraisal) and a behavioural piece, ideally Friedman and Rosenman Type A personality.  Then choose ONE of them and evaluate it.  The merits and distinctions will mostly be in the evaluations in this assignment.

Then, back to Sam.  Discuss how the stress experienced could be measured in each of the three ways indicated.  Biochemical means measuring drugs or hormones etc. in the body.  Usually invasive.  Physiological and self-report  are straightforward.   There is a section in Focus on self  reports. Finally, you don’t have to evaluate these, but evaluate = higher grades.  No word count!

I’ve had enough for now. 

Here’s the usual: