COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY VS SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Conceptually speaking, cognitive psychology is the scientific study of mental processes,

including perception, thought, memory, & reasoning. It seeks to understand the works of the
mind and responds to the queries, How is language understood? How do people reason? What
factors influence problem solving? Are people aware of what their mind do? While social
psychology studies the causes and consequences of interpersonal behavior with core concerns
of the impact of one person to another, the impact of a group on its individual members, the
impact of individual on the group which they participate, and the impact of one group on
another.

With strengths, cognitive psychology with the study of the mind, helps in analyzing
criminal/witness testimonies for just and fair trial. In research, Easy to collect data, and data are
often interesting– If you want to know what someone is thinking, just ask and Paves the way for
new research in to the mind (schizophrenia). Psychologists can give us more insight in to the
complex human mind (Milan Birch,). In addition, Psychotherapy based on the cognitive
approach attempts to alter behavior by attempting to change the behaviour’s underlying
cognition, or thought processes.

The cognitive approach, on the other hand, considers thought processes as the primary
determinant of behavior. This approach builds on behaviourism by assuming that
people’s behavior is a result of external stimuli, but that the way our minds actively process our
environment is what determines behavior and personality.

In Social behavior, it is goal-oriented. Our interactions function to serve a goal or fulfill a

need. Some common goals or needs include the need for social ties, the desire to understand
ourselves and others, the wish to gain or maintain status or protection, and to attract
companions.

The interaction between the individual and the situation determines the outcome. In
many instances, people behavior very differently in various situations. The situation plays an
important role and has a strong influence on our behavior.

On the other hand, its weaknesses includes, it represents a mingling of many ideas, it
fails to have the unity of systematic positions that have been dominated by single spokesman
(e.g., Titcherian Structuralism) or by closely knit group( Gestalt Psychology), thus cognitive
psychology does not speak with one voice, although they have common orientation, they
frequently disagree about important methodological & theoretical issues. In research, it is not
appropriate for many questions: Perceptual processes, insight, and retrieval from memory,
many aspects of language and attention. Some more indirect method is needed then.

With social psychology, Behaviour is studied in the context of the social world. This is
important because we are social animals – relationships, family, and status matters. This
increases ecological validity, making research more useful. But usefulness can be limited
because factors such as genetics are not looked at. With its weaknesses as, studying behaviour
in the context of social situation looks at many factors. Social psychology does not isolate the
individual during research. This makes research Holistic as many causes and influences of
behaviour are examined, but cause and effect cannot always be inferred, so unscientific.
 WHY COGNITIVE AND SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF PSYCHOLOGY ARE
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Both are important for the sole reason that people are by nature social and cognitive
beings. Them possessing both qualities then implies that these two aspects affects their thinking
and social abilities further being the foundation also of their behavior as a whole.
“Every behavior has a meaning and could be understood” this famous line that revolves
around psychology and psychiatry practice entails a lot of meaning that everyone can use in
understanding human behavior, and by doing so it needs scientific studies that would support
the clinician’s actions of therapy. And in these areas now are the aspect of cognitive and
sociological studies comes in to integrate with the evidence-based practice.
Therefore, understanding that cognition influences the learning, decision making, and
perception, reasoning capabilities of a person alongside with the knowledge that people are
innate social beings, it is very important that these human facets are implicit in assessing
human behavior in order to understand in depth why they act in such ways and for appropriate
responses then to be taken.

DECISION MAKING
Being a charge nurse with 28 patients having 4 of them having severe acuity and 6
moderate acuity and only having 2 staff nurses, one new, I will implement functional nursing.
Functional nursing is ought to be used when nurses are few with more patients to handle and
especially when you have team mates who are new at work, assigning tasks basing on
functions.
With the work setting, I believe that this method would be most useful, utilizing as well
my self on personal patient care. Using the above function and basing on the 8 steps in decision
making for nurses, I would then delegate the simple but very important task to the new nurse,
taking and monitoring vital signs for example for all patients, with documentation of course. For
the other one (who I believe is experienced though not mentioned) I would give her the task on
medications, a little bit need-experience/exposure job, and task myself on the more extensive
one’s like procedures for the patients. Weighing the criteria, with functional nursing I believe
that no one or least would be compromised for both nurses and patients knowing that the task
given to each of the nurses are attainable (with consultation and confirmation from them priorly
before implementing of course) with evaluation of good patient response.

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT TO NURSES

Personality development is gaining more and more importance because it enables
people to create a good impression about themselves on others; it helps them to build and
develop relationships, helps in their career growth and also helps to improve financial needs.
It is then significant for nurses to learn the personality development of psychology for the
motivation that personality depicts self concept to self-realization. Self realization being the
primary determinant of personality & health (Karen Horney) is needed by each nurse, I believe,
to self actualize and modify their biases and prejudices that may affect their everyday
communication with their clients and colleagues as well.

With the knowledge of personality development, nurses now will be able to see through
their being more than what they thought they knew and more than what everyone else’s may
know.
After all, personality development is nothing but a tool that helps you realize your
capabilities and your strengths making you a stronger, a happier and a cheerful person.
Achieving then these paramount qualities of living, I believe would make every nurse deliver
nursing care at its highest quality.
 SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY
Bonifacio Road, Baguio City

In Partial Fulfillment for

The course Requirements in
Psychological Dimensions of Nursing

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

Submitted by:
Armyne A. Guznian

Submitted to:
Ms. Geraldine D. Delson
Faculty

May 04, 2011