David Franco Case Study Summary

1. Franco studied all evening for a chemistry test scheduled the following morning. That night he dreamed that he accurately copied a female classmate's correct answers to the test questions as they unexpectedly flashed before his eyes. Compare and contrast explanations of Franco's dream that might be provided by Freudian, memory consolidation, and activation-synthesis theories. In what sense is the dream a reflection of Franco's level of cognitive development?
Students should explain possible interpretations of Franco's dream: A Freudian interpretation would involve identifying symbols in the manifest content of the dream (the apparent dream content) and what those symbols indicate about unconscious wishes and anxieties (the latent content). A memory consolidation (or information-processing) interpretation would explain that the dream most likely occurred during REM sleep, and that REM sleep is associated with encoding memories. Activation-synthesis theory explains that dreams are the brain's attempt to make sense of random neural

activity and do not “symbolize” anything about Franco's psychological state.
2. A classmate believes that alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine all have similar effects on behavior and that therefore all three drugs ought to be legalized. Carefully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your classmate's position.
Students should point out that these three drugs belong in different categories and have very different effects on the body. Alcohol is classified as a depressant and acts to slow the body down. Alcohol also has a less restraining effect on behavior, causing some people to act on harmful impulses. People who abuse alcohol develop a tolerance for the drug, which can lead to dependency and addiction. Marijuana is categorized as a hallucinogen, amplifying sensations (which can interfere with coordination and perceptual skills) and producing euphoria (a feeling of intense happiness). Unlike the other drugs, using marijuana regularly doesn't produce increased tolerance for the drug. Cocaine is categorized as a powerful stimulant, and use can very quickly produce tolerance and addiction. The stimulant effects of cocaine are dramatic, with a very intense high followed by a period of agitation and depression.
3. Mr. Firkin is a shy and reserved person who often feels tense and nervous. In therapy, he recalled that he had an unhappy childhood, feeling that he did not receive enough attention from his mother and resenting the conservative family discipline and life-style enforced by his father. He blames both parents for his current anxiety, unhappiness, and loneliness. In light of your understanding of the interactive influences of nature and nurture, explain why Mr. Firkin's complaints about his parents may be somewhat unfair and unhelpful.
The complaints about his parents are unhelpful because not every child exposed to his parent’s actions would manifest into an anxious adult.

Some children will still be extroverts rising over their parents so this complaint really has no base. This is a case of nurture. Under attention from his mother made him shy because he had limited interactions during the time period it was vital which caused motivation to lack when he was in school to be a social butterfly. The conservatives of his father has made him reserved, and because his father was strict. It may have caused an uneasiness in Mr. Firkin, which is the cause for the anxiety. However, Mr. Firkin cannot blame his parents because he embraced the negative traits his parents were displaying instead of deciding to act the opposite of them when he was a teenager. Now as an adult, he can choose his own morals and behavior bases on his own experiences, friends, family, and

religion.
4. Describe how differences between individualist and collectivist cultures are likely to manifest themselves in the processes of mate selection, career development, and political organization.
Individualist cultures enable an emphasis upon personal achievement and independence. Collectivist cultures value familial and social harmony. Therefore, parents in collectivist cultures are more likely to play a role in the child's life choices by arranging a marriage or picking a career for their child. Job selection will follow suit. In individualistic cultures, people seek employment that promises personal rewards like money or happiness while in collectivist cultures, one's goal is toward working toward the collective betterment. Likewise, collectivist cultures tend towards socialist rather than democratic political ideals.