Create one initial post and follow up with at least two response posts.
For your initial post, address the following:
Identify a major development that occurred in one perspective of the social sciences that affected how your advertisements might be studied. This could be an event, technological advancement, discovery, rejection/acceptance of a theory, or paradigm shift. You may choose a development from the provided list of “Major Developments in the Social Sciences” in the module resources. Or you may conduct your own research to identify a different development that interests you.
Provide a brief summary of the social science development you selected (no more than three sentences).
Explain how your chosen development might have affected how your advertisements are studied
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Topic: Major Development in the Social Sciences and its Impact on the Study of Advertisements
Social Science Development: The rise of cognitive psychology as a dominant perspective in the social sciences.
Summary: Cognitive psychology emerged as a major development in the social sciences during the 1960s and 1970s. It focuses on understanding how people perceive, process, and store information. Cognitive psychology revolutionized the study of human behavior by emphasizing the role of mental processes in shaping our experiences and actions.
Impact on the Study of Advertisements: The advent of cognitive psychology significantly influenced how advertisements are studied. Prior to this development, advertising research primarily focused on the persuasive impact of advertisements on consumers. However, cognitive psychology introduced a new perspective that emphasized understanding how individuals process and interpret information presented in advertisements.
Response Post 1: The rise of cognitive psychology as a dominant perspective in the social sciences has drastically impacted the way advertisements are studied. This shift in focus from solely analyzing the persuasive impact of ads to understanding how individuals process information has revolutionized the field of advertising research. By using cognitive psychology principles, researchers can now analyze the cognitive processes involved in ad perception, attention, memory, and decision-making. This knowledge enables advertisers to create more effective and targeted campaigns that align with consumers’ cognitive processes.
For example, cognitive psychology has highlighted the significance of attention in advertising. Researchers now study factors that capture attention, such as novelty, emotional content, and relevance to personal goals. By incorporating these findings into their advertising strategies, marketers can design ads that grab attention and are more likely to be remembered by consumers.
Additionally, cognitive psychology has shed light on memory processes and their implications for advertising. Advertisers now understand the importance of repetition and creating strong associations with brand elements to enhance memory recall. Understanding how memory works has helped marketers develop strategies to improve brand recognition and recall through repetition and impactful visuals or jingles.
In conclusion, the rise of cognitive psychology has transformed the way advertisements are studied by shifting the focus from persuasion to understanding the cognitive processes involved in ad perception, attention, and memory. By incorporating knowledge from cognitive psychology into advertising strategies, marketers can create more effective and memorable campaigns that resonate with consumers.
Response Post 2: The impact of cognitive psychology on the study of advertisements extends beyond perception, attention, and memory. Another area greatly influenced by this development is the understanding of consumer decision-making processes. Cognitive psychology has introduced concepts such as information processing models and the role of heuristics and biases in decision-making.
Researchers now analyze how individuals process information presented in advertisements and make decisions based on cognitive shortcuts or biases. For instance, advertisers can leverage concepts like the availability heuristic or framing to influence consumer choices. By understanding how consumers process information and make decisions, advertisers can tailor their messaging and design ads that align with consumers’ cognitive biases.
Furthermore, cognitive psychology has also contributed to understanding emotions’ role in advertising. Emotional appeals have long been recognized as effective in advertisements, but cognitive psychology has provided a deeper understanding of how emotions impact decision-making. Researchers now explore how emotions influence attention, memory, and judgment processes, allowing advertisers to create emotionally compelling ads that resonate with consumers at a deeper level.
In summary, cognitive psychology has not only enhanced our understanding of perception, attention, and memory in advertising but also shed light on decision-making processes and the role of emotions. By incorporating insights from cognitive psychology into their strategies, advertisers can create more persuasive and emotionally engaging advertisements that influence consumer choices.
