Topic:What is Psychology
Subject:Psychology
Volume: 2 pages
Type: Research paper
Format: APA
Description
Follow the guidlines in work sheet
Interview three laypeople(can be fictitious) about psychology and submit your interpretation of their perceptions.
This assessment is designed to help you differentiate between the professional definition of psychology and popular perceptions regarding the field. As you complete this assessment, you will reflect upon any misconceptions you may have had regarding psychology prior to beginning this course.
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By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
• Competency 1: Apply foundational theories in psychology to current issues in the field of psychology.
o Compare perceptions of goals in psychology and the role of psychologists with goals supported in research.
o Compare perceptions of psychology and the role of psychologists to the definition of psychology found in research.
o Apply major theoretical approaches to perceptions of psychology and the role of psychologists as found in research.
• Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
o Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of professional communities.
o Apply proper APA formatting and style.
This assessment is designed to help you differentiate between the professional definition of psychology and popular perceptions regarding the field. As you complete this assessment, reflect upon any misconceptions you may have had regarding psychology prior to beginning this course.
Directions
Complete the following:
Instructions
1. Interview at least three different people regarding their definitions of psychology. Be sure to choose people of various ages and educational backgrounds, and include both men and women as your subjects.
2. Ask each person to provide you with a brief statement defining what psychology is and what psychologists do.
3. Record your subjects’ responses in Section 1 of the Perceptions of Psychology Interpretation Worksheet (linked in Resources under the Required Resources heading). Do not add to their responses. (You do not need to submit this sheet for grading. It is for your use in preparing for the assessment.)
4. As you interview your subjects, pay careful attention to whether or not your subjects identify any of the four primary goals of psychology:
o Observe/describe.
o Understand.
o Predict.
o Change/control.
5. Review the answers given by your subjects, noting the similarities and differences in their responses, as well as how the answers compare to the information relevant to the definition, goals, and major theories in psychology.
6. Carefully answer the questions provided in Section 2 of the Perceptions of Psychology Interpretation Worksheet.
7. Refer to the Additional Requirements for more information.
Worksheet
In Section 1 of the Perceptions of Psychology Interpretation Worksheet, record information from your interviews, including direct quotes from your interviewees. Next, answer the questions on Section 2 of the form, referring to your subjects’ statements and supporting your interpretation with information paraphrased from your resources.
Additional Requirements
• Your responses to the questions posed on the Perceptions of Psychology Interpretation Worksheet should be substantive in nature and written in complete sentences in fully developed paragraphs.
• Each question should be answered in 1–3 well-developed paragraphs.
• Evaluate major theoretical approaches such as psychodynamic, behavioral, biological, cognitive, humanistic, and sociocultural, and use them to interpret all perceptions gathered of psychology and the role of psychologists.
• Include citations from scholarly literature and examples that illustrate similarities and differences when comparing perceptions of psychology and the role of psychologists.
• Written communication: It should be free of errors that detract from the overall message. It should be cohesively written so that ideas are clearly linked to one another. Proper spelling and grammar should be used for clarity in all written communication.
• APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
• Turnitin: Submit your paper draft to Turnitin. Review the results, and make any needed changes to adequately paraphrase your sources and correctly cite and reference sources.
Questions
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.
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• Which theorists have been influential in the development of the field of psychology?
o Which of these theorists’ views most closely matches your own views of psychology?
o Which specific theoretical view makes the most sense to you? Why?
Resources
• Introduction to Psychology Media Resources | Transcript.
o Foundations of Psychology: History, Theories, and Research Methods section.
Library Resources
The following e-books or articles from the Capella University Library are linked directly in this course:
• Branch, M. N. (2000). Operant conditioning: An overview. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology: Vol. 5 (pp. 498–502). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Flavell, J. H. (1994). Cognitive development: Past, present, and future. In R. D. Parke, P. A. Ornstein, J. J. Rieser, & C. Zahn-Waxler (Eds.), A century of developmental psychology (pp. 569–587). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• Lazarus, R. S. (1961). Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality. In Adjustment and personality (pp. 137–163). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
• Watson, J. C., Goldman, R. N., & Greenberg, L. S. (2011). Humanistic and experiential theories of psychotherapy. In J. C. Norcross, G. R. VandenBos, & D. K. Freedheim (Eds.), History of psychotherapy: Continuity and change (2nd ed.) (pp. 141–172). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Internet Resources
Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.
• Copyblogger Media, LLC. (2014). The History of Psychology. The Psych Files [Blog]. Retrieved from http://www.thepsychfiles.com/category/topics/history-of-psychology/
• Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Psychology articles for students. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/
o This Web site presents articles about numerous theories in the field of psychology.
Operant Conditioning.
Behaviorist Approach.
Psychoanalysis.
Humanism.
Cognitive Psychology.
Biological Psychology.
Perceptions of Psychology Interpretation Worksheet
Name: ____________________________________________
Section 1: Data Collection
Directions: Interview 3–5 people about their views of what psychology is and what psychologists do. Record your interviewees’ information and statements in the table below.
Subject Gender Age (approximate) Highest level of education
Interviewee 1
Definition of psychology and the role of psychologists—narrative response.
Subject Gender Age (approximate) Highest level of education
Interviewee 2
Definition of psychology and the role of psychologists—narrative response.
Subject Gender Age (approximate) Highest level of education
Interviewee 3
Definition of psychology and the role of psychologists—narrative response.
Subject Gender Age (approximate) Highest level of education
Interviewee 4
Definition of psychology and the role of psychologists—narrative response.
Subject Gender Age (approximate) Highest level of education
Interviewee 5
Definition of psychology and the role of psychologists—narrative response.
Section 2: Interview Interpretation
Directions: Writing in complete sentences and full paragraphs, provide substantive answers to the following questions regarding the information you gathered from your interviewees. Answers should be 1–3 fully developed paragraphs in length. (A fully developed paragraph is 5–8 sentences in length. The boxes will expand as you type). Use in-text citations to identify the source or sources of your information. Provide a reference list at the end of the worksheet.
1. Definition of psychology
In the box below, describe your understanding of the definition of psychology provided in the Coon and Mitterer textbook or other credible professional source. Compare and contrast your interviewees’ statements with the definition of psychology. How are the interviewees’ descriptions similar and different from the definition of psychology? Include any major misconceptions your subjects may have about psychology and psychologists based on what they shared during their interviews.
2. Four goals of psychology
In the box below, identify and describe your understanding of each of the four goals of psychology. Describe how your subjects’ perceptions of psychology and psychologists relate to each of the four goals of psychology as described in the Coon and Mitterer textbook.
3. Major theories/perspectives in psychology
In the box below, provide a brief overview of your understanding of the six major contemporary perspectives in psychology (psychodynamic, biological/evolutionary, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, sociocultural). How do your subjects’ views relate to the main ideas of these perspectives?
