Monthly Archives: July 2018

Chapter 1 First Impression Prompts – Research Methods

Hand writing on a notebook

Regardless of which prompt you choose, please use the Tag “Research Methods” on your post. Here are the prompts for this week:

Option 1

For this week’s discussion, I want you to design a research study about a topic you find interesting in psychology. You can choose any topic you would like as long as you relate it to human behavior or mental processes. In your post make sure to do the following:

  • List your research question
  • State your hypothesis (what you think the outcome would be and why)
  • Describe your procedure (what you would have participants do, how you would recruit participants)

Make your research idea something feasible that you could actually do as a student researcher. In other words, assume you have a fairly small budget and a limited amount of time. If you’re a psychology major, you will eventually conduct your own research projects, so this is great practice to start thinking about what you might want to do.

Option 2

Mythbusters is a popular TV show on the Discovery Channel which tests popular ideas using scientific methods.  Select one of the mini-myths (short clips from the show) below and critique the methods used to test the myth. Remember, critique means list the strengths and the weaknesses. For each weakness, discuss why it is a problem and suggest a solution.

I look forward to seeing what you write!

Header image: CC by Flickr user Caitlinator

Introduction

--Original published at Kealey's PSY105 Blog

Hello all! My name is Kealey Shyk and I will be a sophomore at Elizabethtown College this fall majoring in International Business with a concentration in marketing and minor in Cognitive Science on the psychology track. I have a strong interest in social enterprise and global connection as well as human interaction and behavior, which is what I think of when I hear the word “psychology”. I plan to study abroad next year in either Ireland, Germany, or England, hopefully interning at an international firm. I have had great experiences at this school so far and I am excited to meet new people and make more memories in my remaining time at Etown.

Despite this course being a requirement for my minor, I chose to take this class because I have always had a strong interest in psychology. For a long time in high school I considered being a psychologist as a career choice. However, my background in psychology only extends to a few books I have read in my own time. I was hoping to take a psychology class while I was in high school, but I couldn’t fit it into my schedule. I am taking this course during the summer because I am trying to be proactive in getting my prerequisites out of the way and fulfilling my course requirements, so I will be able to graduate on time. First and foremost, I am drawn to the business world. I chose to pick up a minor in Cognitive Science on the psychology track because I feel that it will provide me with a different perspective on marketing. I hope to one day have a career that I can utilize both my specialty in business and my background in psychology to create meaningful and successful marketing campaigns advocating for nonprofit companies in social enterprise.

One of the topics I am most interested in learning about is memory. I have problems myself memorizing things or recalling events that happened more than just a short time ago. I want to know if memory capability is an natural ability or a skill that is only dependent on practice. I am also interested in personality because I have found that assessing and understanding my own personality has helped me in narrowing my interests, choosing a career path, and refining my emotional intelligence. Lastly, I am looking forward to learning about mental illness and personality disorders due to the public’s increasing awareness on mental health. If I had to choose three topics I am not looking forward to as much they would be why research design matters, coping with stress, and how to choose a therapist. By the end of this class I would like to be able to answer the question, “What has more of an impact on a person’s psyche: their inherent traits or their environment and why?”. Overall, I am intrigued by the topics that will be discussed in this class and I am excited to establish a knowledgeable background in general psychology.

A New Beginning

Summer semester starts on July 16th, so in the coming days you will see new posts introducing the students from our summer iteration of General Psychology. The summer version of the course has fewer students, but they will be posting more frequently, so make sure to keep up with our writing for this 6-week course. This is also the first time we’re conducting the course completely online, so it’s a new adventure for all of us. If you want to know more about me, you can read about my background here.

The prompt for the students’ introductory post is below:

For your first post, I want you to introduce yourself and provide a little background about how you approach the course. In addition to whatever general information you want to share about yourself, please also answer the following questions:

  • Why you chose to take this class? (It is okay to be honest)
  • What background, if any, do you have in psychology?
  • What do you think of when you hear the word “psychology”?
  • Look at the course schedule on the syllabus. Which three topics look the most interesting to you? Why? Which three topics look the least interesting to you? Why?
  • What question about psychology do you want to answer by the end of this class?