Discussion 2: The Impact of Diversity

Understanding the impact of diversity on an individual’s cognitive, physical, and social-emotional developmental processes requires an examination of a multitude of characteristics, including gender, race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc. In addition, behavior within a group is important to examine, along with the similarities and differences of behaviors and attitudes across groups. The goal of understanding the impact of diversity is not to determine whether one group is inferior to another, but to gain an appreciation of the breadth and depth of variability in human behavior. Cross-cultural investigation allows for the testing of theoretical concepts and predictions to evaluate their generalizability (Jensen, 2012). Another outcome of studying the results of cross-cultural research is that, as a psychology professional, you will be better equipped to empathize with and advocate for those you will be serving.

For this Discussion, you will explore how diversity shapes and influences cognitive and social-emotional developmental processes.

To prepare for this Discussion:

·         Review and consider the same fictional human character from your Discussion 1 for this week.

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·         Also, consider only the cognitive and social-emotional developmental processes and how diversity* shapes and influences these processes. 

*Diversity includes but is not limited to gender, race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability, etc. It is not the same as adversity, which refers to a difficulty or tragedy in one’s life.

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·         Think about the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that might be generated from someone who grew up in a collectivist society, which is common in Asian cultures, compared to the attitudes of someone who grew up in an individualistic society, such as that found in the United States.

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By Day 4

Post a 1- to 2-sentence description of the fictional human character (i.e., cartoon character, film/TV character, virtual character) you selected. Then, explain how diversity might shape and influence his/her cognitive and social-emotional developmental processes. Be specific in your post and provide examples. Use your Learning Resources and/or other scholarly sources to support your post. Use proper APA format and citations to support your post.

Bailey, R. (2005). Physical development and growth. In Neil J. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human development (pp. 1001–1007).

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Harris, Y. R. (2005). In Neil J. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human development (pp. 275–280).

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Susskind, J. (2005). Social development. In Neil J. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Human Development (pp. 1191–1197).

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Jensen, L. A. (2012). Bridging universal and cultural perspectives: A vision for developmental psychology in a global world. Child Development Perspectives, 6(1), 98–104. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00213.x

Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.