Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology and Research

1. If social media was an experiment, how would social media adhere or violate ethical guidelines of the APA?

2. What examples of correlational studies & statistics are cited in the sources why are they correlations and not experiments (remember, correlation does not equal causation)?

3. Some of the sources allude to the use of classical and operant conditioning and schedules of reinforcement in social media usage. How do learning theories apply to social media usage? Address each of the following and cite specific examples from the sources:

a. Classical Conditioning

b. Operant Conditioning

Unit 2- Biological Bases of Behavior

1. What are the biological explanations for social media use and addiction, both as discussed in the film and the articles? What does social media do to the brain? You must use at least three specific terms/concepts from Unit 2, such as a specific part(s) of the brain, neurotransmitters, drugs, etc.

2. What role does the evolutionary perspective play in social media usage? As social creatures, how can evolution explain our affinity for social media? At the same time, how does evolution explain the harmful impacts of social media? Has human evolution "kept up" with technology and social media?

Unit 3- Sensation and Perception

A third of American adults - and nearly half of those ages 18-29 - say they are online "almost constantly." [Pew Research Center, 2019]

1. What is the role of sensation and perception in social media usage? You must specifically address the role of:

a. selective attention

b. subliminal stimuli

2. Doctors and scientists believe increased screen time (in part due to social media) is causing serious eye strain and disrupting the sleep-wake cycle. Apply your knowledge of visual anatomy and the vision process to explain this. Use the following terms.

a. Photoreceptors

b. Circadian Rhythm (Unit 2)

Unit 9- Social Psychology

Fake news spreads 6x faster than accurate news on Twitter, and falsehoods are 70% more likely to be retweeted. [MIT, 2018]

"Our algorithms exploit the human brain's attraction to divisiveness. - memo to Facebook senior executives in 2018 [WSJ, 2020]

1. How do concepts from social psychology explain the effects of social media on society at-large, including democracy/politics,

a. Confirmation Bias

b. In-Group Bias

c. Group polarization

d. Mirror-image perceptions

e. Peripheral Route to Persuasion

2. What are the various ways that social media and artificial intelligence (including algorithms and facial recognition technology), are increasing discrimination and bias? How are marginalized groups being harmed? Are algorithms inherently unbiased and fair? Why or why not?

Unit 8- Clinical Psychology (no we haven't formally covered this unit yet, but you can still use your knowledge from the sources and other units to answer this question!)

"Before artificial intelligence overpowers human strength, it will overpower human weakness." - Tristan Harris

1. What impact is social media having on our mental health, specially that of young people? What has been revealed in the past few months by internal documents and whistleblowers? Are technology companies responsible for the harm caused to mental health?