part I Ethics, Legality, Policies

Prior to completing this discussion, read the Berzonsky (2004) article and the American Psychological Association’s (2014) Tips for Acting Boldly to Change Diet and Exercise for Kids online resource, the Kersh, et. al. (2011), Moolgavkar, et. al. (2012), Peters, et. al. (2013), and Weed and McKeown (2003) peer-reviewed articles, and the Smoke Zone (2014) popular news article required for this week. Review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), Cohen-Mansfield (2012), Ogden, et. al., (2012), Mathur, et. al. (2014), and Taber, et. al. (2012) articles to get a sense of the trends and outlooks within the areas covered in this discussion.
Public policy is often used to positively regulate behaviors that are deemed detrimental to our health and, therefore, affect our development across the lifespan. However, it is sometimes debated that public policy intrudes on an aspect of our development known as autonomy as outlined in Erikson’s Developmental Stages.

In your initial post, evaluate the unique perspectives regarding autonomy (or personal responsibility) and public policy presented in the required resources. Compare the peer-reviewed findings to the popular article findings and aIDress the main advantages and disadvantages of each perspective as presented. Review trends related to smoking and nutrition from the past decade(s) as presented in the Cohen-Mansfield (2012), Ogden, et. al., (2012), Mathur, et. al. (2014), and Taber, et. al. (2012) articles, paying special attention to those related to children and adolescents. Describe some of the policies that have been enacted to counter the issues arising from second-hand smoke on children and adolescents. Suggest and describe public policies that might be enacted to counter the negative aspects of poor nutrition in these same groups.

Using the APA’s Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct, analyze ethical considerations in developmental psychology related to the creation and/or implementation of public policy regarding nutrition for children and adolescents.

Is the creation of public policy necessary in this area?

Based on the professional standards, is the creation of such policies ethical?

Describe how these types of policies are effective.

In what ways do these policies enhance and/or hinder physical, cognitive, and/or psychosocial development for the affected person?

Are there equally effective self-imposed restrictions that might be used instead?

How would you implement your suggested policy, and how would you plan to test the efficacy of the policy versus self-imposed restrictions?

Use evidence from the resources to support your statements.

part II Changing the Course of Psychological Development

Prior to completing this discussion, read the required material from the Shaffer (2011) text as well as the Berzonsky (2004), Fiese (2013), and Burkitt (2010) articles.

Read the PSY605: Mila Singer Life Story document. Choose one aspect of Mila’s life to alter. This element can be an event, a personal characteristic, an environmental factor, or an aspect of the timeline. In your initial post, identify the original life story element you intend to change and explain how you intend to change it. Use Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development to explain Mila’s stage of development at the time this change takes place and aIDress how the change affects Mila’s psychological development.

After identifying the initial change and describing it, create a list of three aIDitional outcomes in Mila’s development across the lifespan that will likely be affected by this change. For each, identify the current outcome in Mila’s life story and propose a rationale for changing this outcome. Apply either Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory or Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory to Mila’s life to create a hypothesis as to how and why these outcomes would likely adjust due to the changes you have made.

Briefly summarize your personal reaction(s) to making the initial change and how it altered the subsequent outcomes. Explain how differences in life events create differences in human development.