Smarter Decision Making through Psychology

Assignment: Case Study #3

Overview

It can be hard to know how to handle a problem with a coworker or friend. That’s why the psychological concepts you’re learning in this course are so important. Understanding how the human brain works will help you master your problem solving and self and social awareness skills in your personal and professional life.

And whether at work or home, you’re learning how to read the social cues of others and recommend strategies based on psychological concepts and principles.

This week you’ll use your problem solving and self and social awareness skills to look beyond the opinions of others and figure out a problem’s cause so you can help a coworker make informed decisions. Review the scenario below to get started.

Case Study and Questions

Reggie works with Gloria and Lakeisha. He is a friendly older man who often talks about his plans for retirement in five years. He likes to make people laugh but often jokes about his struggles to learn new programs and technology.

The company recently informed the team that there will be a compliance test on new safety policies, which employees will need to pass in order to keep their jobs. The company has provided materials to study as well as optional practice exams. Gloria, Lakeisha, and Reggie are having lunch in the break room, and Gloria and Lakeisha mention that they have already signed up to take the first practice test. Reggie comments about how hard it is for him to learn a different way of doing the jobs that he has already been doing for years, joking that “you can’t teach an old man new tricks.” However, later in the day, he stops by Gloria’s desk to find out how she is preparing for the test and asks for advice. Given that they have a month until the compliance test, Gloria is confident that she can help Reggie prepare. Using your problem solving and self and social awareness skills and the information that you learned in Chapter 7 of the webtext about brain plasticity and mindset, answer the questions below:

1. What kind of mindset does Reggie need to embrace to be successful?

2. How does Reggie’s mindset affect his brain?

3. In Chapter 4, you learned about memory and how to effectively study. Using Chapter 4 in the webtext, what specific strategies should Gloria suggest to Reggie so that he will be prepared for the compliance test, and why?

4. If Reggie was your coworker, what important aspects of the situation would you want to keep in mind when offering advice and strategies to him? Why do you think this is important?

Instructions

Use the Case Study #3 Assignment Template to record your responses. For each question, you should write a paragraph-length response (5-7 sentences) to receive credit for this assignment. You may use your Soomo webtext as a resource. Once you have completed your work, save the file and upload it to the assignment submission area.