Instruction
My specialty is written at the bottom of the page
APA-style Review Paper
You will write an APA-style review paper whose topic is the particular area of specialization in psychology that is of most relevance to the occupation you would like to eventually enter (e.g., industrial/organizational psychology if you want to become a human resources director, counseling if you wish to become a school counselor and developmental psychology if you would like to own and operate a daycare center).
The body of this paper—not including the title page, abstract, and reference section—will be at least twelve pages long, and will be organized into the following sections:
Title Page
- A title page that includes the title of your paper, your name, and the name of the institution.
Abstract
- An abstract that briefly identifies the following six sections of your paper in a clear and succinct manner
History
- The history of this area including its relationship to other areas of psychology and/or other academic disciplines
Theoretical Processes
- Two of this area’s theories and the types of behaviors and/or mental processes they were created to explain
Research Methods
- Two of the research methods that researchers in this area commonly use to gather data and test hypotheses
Empirical Studies
- A description of two empirical studies from the professional literature of this area and an explanation of how the results of each of these studies can or have been used to promote human welfare
Description of Occupation
- A specific occupation that the author plans to eventually enter; an accurate description of this occupation, the tasks a person in this occupation is required to perform; a list of the specific types of knowledge, skills, and characteristics (i.e., work styles) a person needs in order to be successful in this occupation; and a discussion of how their chosen topic area of specialization within psychology is relevant to that occupation. The information for this section must be gathered from a credible source.
Explanation of Curricular and Extracurricular Opportunities
- An explanation of how you have used specific curricular (e.g., classes) and extracurricular (e.g., jobs, volunteer work, hobbies, etc.) opportunities during your undergraduate education to accomplish the knowledge, skills, and characteristics you identified in the previous section.
References
- A reference section containing at least ten scholarly references (Do not use generic dictionaries/encyclopedias and use only Websites ending in edu, org, or gov. When in doubt about the scholarliness of a reference, check with the instructor.)
The APUS Library provides APA formatting resources at Writing@APUS. You may also see Purdue's OWL for general APA formatting information and for formatting help on many topics.
(Hi class,
For my Week 2 assignment, I started thinking about the area of psychology that connects most closely to the work I already do. I currently work as a Turkish-English translator and interpreter, and my long-term goal is to keep building a career in legal and court interpretation. In this role, I help people communicate clearly when they don’t share the same language, and I often work with individuals who are stressed or confused about the legal process.
The tasks involved in this occupation include translating accurately in real time, staying focused while switching between languages, understanding legal terminology, and remaining neutral during sensitive or emotional conversations. Because of these responsibilities, two areas of psychology stood out to me as especially related to my work.
Cognitive psychology is relevant because interpreting depends heavily on attention, memory, and fast information processing. Understanding how the brain handles language and multitasking helps explain the mental challenges interpreters face every day. I also chose forensic psychology, since so much of my work takes place in legal environments. Interpreters don’t make psychological assessments but we interact with people who may be worried, emotional, or dealing with trauma. Knowing how stress affects communication can help me stay patient and accurate.
These two specializations cognitive and forensic psychology connect directly to the skills I use and the situations I encounter as a translator, making them a strong fit for my paper topic.
Reference:
American Psychological Association. (2023). Cognitive psychology.)