Introduction
Imagine that you are a professional psychologist, working in your specialization. You are tasked with creating professional development for an interdisciplinary team of professionals in your workplace, on how theories, principles, and evidence-based best practices of cognitive and affective psychology can be used to help people in your work context.
You will be working to help improve a specific concern for a specific population that may be addressed in your line of work. Over three assignments in this course (Week 3, Week 5, and Week 7), you’ll explore the concern from cognitive and affective perspectives, and then will present the information you have gathered to a specific audience of your coworkers, and make recommendations for professional practice based on the information. The progression is as follows:
Week 3 – Paper – cognitive factors for a specific concern and create an informational handout for the population.
Week 5 – Paper – affective factors for a specific concern.
Week 7 – Presentation for coworkers or interdisciplinary team.
This week you will create a paper focused on cognitive factors. Cognitive factors to consider may include:
Perception.
Consciousness.
Attention.
Memory.
How knowledge is represented, manipulated, and organized.
How language is acquired and processed.
Problem solving and creativity.
Decision-making and reasoning.
Human or artificial intelligence.
You do not need to cover all of these topics in your paper. Consider the cognitive factors that may play a prominent role in the concern, or those that you may find helpful in working toward a solution or improvement in the concern.
Assignment Instructions
Part 1
For this assignment, select a problem or concern for a specific population or group with whom your specialization works or would work that can be addressed by consideration of cognitive and affective (emotional) factors. In your paper, describe the concern, describe the population, and describe the setting. For example, you might be working in a school with children who experience school anxiety or are targets of bullying, or you might be working in a mental health clinic with those who have personality disorders or who suffer from chronic depression. These are just examples from many possibilities. Choose a population and concern of interest to you and your future goals as a practitioner.
Once you describe the setting, concern, and population, explain theories that can be applied to understanding and addressing the concern. These may be learning theories, psychological theories, biological theories, or others. Apply the theories to create a better understanding of cognitive factors that may be relevant for the population in reference to the concern or problem. Next, explore research on the subject. Search for scholarly articles that address cognitive factors related to the concern or problem. Present research findings from the articles and then apply those findings to a better understanding of the population and concern. What was researched? What did the researchers find? How can it be applied to the population and concern you are addressing within your professional scope of practice?
In your paper, also address the diversity that may exist within the population with whom you are working. The diversity may reflect, for example, going on our previous examples, diversity within a student body, or clinical population, or based on age, culture, gender identity, range of abilities within a certain area, demographic location, or others. Make sure that your sources are properly cited and referenced according to the current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Check your spelling, grammar, and flow and cohesion of ideas.
This part of your assignment submission aligns with the following rubric criteria:
Apply theory to understanding cognitive factors related to a specific concern for a specific population.
Apply research findings to understanding cognitive factors related to a specific concern.
Describe diversity within the specific population served.
Address assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Format paper, citations, and references using APA style with few errors.
Part 2
Once you have completed your paper, create a 1–2 page handout or fact sheet for the population of interest about the concern. Provide some of the professional information that you have gathered in a way that is appropriate for the audience. Provide information and resources that may benefit the audience.
Attach the handout along with your completed paper.
This part of your assignment submission aligns with the following rubric criteria:
Create a handout addressing a topic of concern designed for the population served.
Address assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Submission Requirements
Length of Paper: 5–6 double-spaced pages of content, in addition to an APA-style title page and reference list.
Length of Handout: 1–2 pages, as appropriate, to convey the information and desired format of your handout to your chosen audience.
Communication: Must be clear, with correct spelling, grammar, and syntax, and with good organization.
Writing style: APA expectations for scholarly writing include the use of third-person narrative, unless it is awkward to do so. However, because you are talking about yourself in this paper, you may write in the first person.
APA formatting: References and citations should be formatted according to APA style and format. Refer to the Writing CenterLinks to an external site. for guidance. Include a title page, abstract, and reference list.
Submitting your work: Once you are satisfied with your assignment and have made all necessary revisions, submit your assignment no later than 11:59 p.m. CST Sunday.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
Competency 2: Integrate theories, principles, and concepts in the application of cognitive and affective psychology.
Apply theory to understanding cognitive factors related to a specific concern for a specific population.
Competency 3: Apply evidence-based findings from cognitive and affective psychological research to professional practice.
Apply research findings to understanding cognitive factors related to a specific concern.
Competency 5: Analyze theories and principles of cognitive and affective psychology in relationship to practice with diverse populations.
Describe diversity within the specific population served.
Create a handout addressing a topic of concern designed for the population served.
Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions.
Address assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Format paper, citations, and references using APA style with few errors.