Psychology I

Competency

Students will demonstrate an understanding of different theories surrounding how to study and explain human behavior by identifying the role psychology plays in benefiting society and improving people’s lives.

Project

You are a Community Psychologist. You have been asked to give a presentation for the American Psychological Association Workforce Development Program to help inform your local community and government representatives on the role psychology plays in benefitting society.

Your presentation will cover the significance of human behavior theories as well as clear explanations and examples of the ways psychology benefits society and improves people’s’ lives.

Competency

Student will demonstrate the ability to analyze human growth and development by using developmental theories to explain the physical, cognitive, and social changes that occur throughout the Lifecycle.

Project

You are a family support worker who works with a variety of clients from new parents to children taking care of their elderly parents. You have been asked to create a series of informational handouts that can be given to clients concerning the different phases of a person’s lifecycle.

You will examine physical, cognitive, and social changes that occur throughout a lifecycle and provide examples of changes that occur during each phase.

Competency

Student will demonstrate the ability to apply principles of learning and memory by connecting these techniques to personal experiences and education.

Project

You work for an educational game company as a game designer. You have been asked to develop a board or card game that focuses on memory and learning. You will create a prototype of the game and provide information to the design and development team about how your game addresses aspects of memory and learning to the marketing team.

Competency

Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze the relationship between the thinking process and language by examining the process of acquiring language and how thought and language are connected, as well as exploring the decision-making process and the impact of stress.

Project

You are a Cognitive Rehabilitation Specialist who has been hired as a consultant to a school looking to inform educators about ways to assist survivors of traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions. They will need guidance on how to help students overcome problems with thinking, language, and decision making. Your job is to help the school understand the cognitive processes of thinking and language and the connection between the two. You will assist them in identifying techniques that help students despite the stress they now face due to their brain injury. You will create a guide for schools to use in this increasingly common situation.

Competency

Student will demonstrate an understanding of psychological disorders by investigating various forms of abnormal behavior, possible causes of those abnormal behaviors and therapeutic strategies.

Project

You are a clinical therapist. You mainly work with celebrities with psychological disorders. You must select at least four different disorders and write a treatment plan for each disorder. The treatment plan will include a diagnostic summary outlining the criteria of abnormal behavior each patient meets, symptoms, and the potential causes of the behaviors. It will also include recommended therapeutic strategies you would design to support each client and its effectiveness.