Outright Lies Flourishing Across English Question
Thinking about the complexity and multiple causes of behavior
Read the transcript below and watch this videowww.youtube.com/watch?v=idNlnDlc98o (Links to an external site.)
regarding Andrea Yates’ murder of her five children. Then, using the psychological perspectives discussed in the chapter one materials, try to explain what you believe to be the causes of Andrea Yates’ murder of her children. Be sure to properly cite your work. (author, year of publication, page #) Your response should be ½ to 1 page in length and should be proofed for spelling and grammar errors.
Transcript:
On June 20, 2001, after her husband had left for work, Andrea Yates, a Houston mother, drowned her five children in the family bathtub. She told police that she drowned the children to save them from burning in hell. Yates was sent to a hospital, not prison. Under Texas law, she will be under the jurisdiction of District Judge Belinda Hill, who oversaw both trials, for the rest of her life. Yates could be released only if Hill finds that she is mentally competent and no longer a danger to herself or others.
At the time she killed her children, Andrea believed she was possessed and that the sign of Satan (666) was marked on her scalp. She told the police that her children “weren’t developing correctly” and that drowning them was the only way to save them. Andrea, her sister, and two brothers were all on antidepressants. Diagnosed as suffering from postpartum depression with psychosis, she had been taken off her antipsychotic medication about a month before the children’s deaths.
Option Two: News Headlines
Listen to the On the Media podcast titled “A Skeptic’s Guide to Health News and Diet Fads“ (link below). On this particular show, they feature a segment on the rampant exaggerations, deceptions and outright lies flourishing across the health media landscape. After listening to the podcast, find a “scientific finding” on social media or the web (ex: news headlines). Based on what you learned from the podcast, what do you think about the “scientific finding” you found? Do you feel that the authors have provided sufficient evidence to support their claim? Why / why not?
In addition to discussing the validity of the “scientific finding”, you should discuss what you have learned from this assignment. Remember to tie material from class into your response providing appropriate in-text citations (author, year of publication, page #) where applicable. Your response should be 1-2 pages, double spaced. Be sure to proof your work for spelling and grammar errors before submitting.
As always, please ask if you have any questions.
