Create a 6–9 minute podcast on a contemporary topic in psychology, including an analysis of historical and societal influences, impact on future social thinking, and a plan for how you (and others) can be the change.
INTRODUCTION:
“Even simple behaviors are complex at their core” (Geher, 2021). We now turn to timeless debates in psychology; they are part of the history of the field and remain influential even as theories and research change and grow over time.
As you read through debates and current trends in psychology, consider: How might these conversations inspire future psychology learners and help direct them towards different professional pursuits? Ultimately, some of you may pursue graduate school and some of you may pursue different part-time or full-time positions. Our journeys are inspired by different theories and histories within psychology, and, though we all end up on a different path, we share a love for psychology and for helping others.
How will you leave your mark in psychology? We should all strive to “be the change” in one way or another—how can we have a positive impact on the lives of ourselves, those we love, and our communities around us?
In the last assessment, you will create a podcast and reflect upon a contemporary focus in psychology - its social significance, the historical and societal influences that led us there, and its continuing impact on social thinking. You'll end with a plan for how you can “be the change” in the future to improve the human experience related to this contemporary area of psychology.
Reference
Geher, G. (2021, January 24). 5 timeless debates in psychology. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/darwins-su...
PODCAST:
For this assessment, you will reflect upon different concepts discussed throughout the course, their historical relevance and intersection with today's psychology, and why you need to be part of the positive change moving forward. Submit a 6–9 minute podcast or audio file where you connect one HISTORICAL school of thought's founding figures and ideas with one contemporary school of thought's ideas.
PREPARATION:
Step 1: Select one contemporary focus in psychology:
- Environmental psychology.
- Feminist psychology and intersectionality.
Step 2: Select one historical school of thought that you believe helped to somehow inspire or contribute to your contemporary focus selected in Step 1:
- Functionalism.
- Structuralism.
- Psychoanalysis.
- Behaviorism.
- Cognitive.
- Gestalt.
- Humanism.
Step 3: Select one of the timeless psychology debates that may fit in from “5 Timeless Debates in Psychology” from the Timeless Debates reading list:
- Nature versus nurture.
- Materialism versus constructionism.
- Person versus situation.
- Consistency versus change across development.
- Cultural universals versus cultural variability.
Step 4: Locate four peer-reviewed journal articles that align to your contemporary focus. Be sure that at least one article represents diversity, equity, and inclusion. To accomplish this goal, find at least one article that either comes from an international journal, uses a non-Western population, or represents clearly the experiences of an underrepresented group in the literature. Note: Two articles may be from our course readings, but the other two should be from outside of course readings.
INSTRUCTIONS:
For this assessment, create a podcast or audio recording. Your final product should be 6–9 minutes in length. Use the Assessment 4 Podcast Preparation Guide [DOCX] to help you prepare your script prior to recording your podcast.
- Describe the contemporary topic of interest.
- Evaluate its social significance.
- Analyze the historical and societal influences that have led to this new area of psychology via reviewing research from four peer-reviewed journal articles.
- Explain how the older school of thought influences the present-day field of psychology and specifically your contemporary topic of interest.
- Include at least one theorist name within this discussion!
- Explain how one of the five timeless debates from Geher (2021) fits with the contemporary topic of interest.
- Explain other historical events and/or movements that may have inspired interest in this topic area.
- Explain how the older school of thought influences the present-day field of psychology and specifically your contemporary topic of interest.
- Explain how this new school of thought may guide social thinking in the future.
- Create a plan for how you (and others) can help be the change in the future to improve the human experience in this contemporary area of psychology.
- Consider individual, community, and global scales.
SUBMITION REQUIREMENTS:
There are two deliverables: Submit both your audio file or link and a reference page listing your sources.
Length: 6–9 minutes.
Oral communication: Must be clearly spoken and paced.
Resources and citations: Use a minimum of four peer-reviewed journal articles. Two may be course readings. One must represent diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Citations may be stated orally to give due credit. Format reference list according to current APA guidelines. See Academic Writer.
SOURCES:
Timeless Debates
Using your Timeless Debates reading list, learn more about the following topics:
We can explain any behavior in many ways; these are explanations that psychologists like to debate—and have been debating for decades. Consider the five core psychological debates presented in Geher's (2021) article, “5 Timeless Debates in Psychology". Debates continue to evolve over time and pick up nuances. The second article in your reading list, Sasaki and Kim's (2016 article “Nature, Nurture, and their Interplay: A Review of Cultural Neuroscience”) shows how the nature vs. nurture debate has gained nuance and fused with another debate—cultural universals vs. variability. Cultural neuroscience is a new and exciting field to explore.
What's Changed and What Will Continue to Change?
Psychology will continue to evolve in the years to come. Review the next three articles in your reading list to gain an appreciation for this change across time and consider further how the field will continue to change moving forward. Read about how psychological science has changed over the last 25 years by visiting the Association for Psychological Science website. Then, read Halpern's (2017) article, Whither Psychology and de Freitas Araujo's (2017) article, Toward a philosophical history of psychology: an alternative path for the future.
Current Movements and a Call to Action
As we come to the end of this course, let's consider some current movements that will likely help to define psychology's future.
Looking back, looking forward, what comes next? What can we expect next year, or in the next century? What new schools of thought will emerge? The following articles explore and question some of the many possibilities. As you read, consider the potential of psychology to implement positive social change.
In your textbook, review:
- Benjamin, L. T., Jr. (2023). A brief history of modern psychology (4th ed.). Wiley.
- Chapter 10, “A Psychology of Social Action and Social Change”.
Then, explore and question some of the many possibilities for the future below, keeping in mind ways in which psychology can have a positive impact on individual people, the communities we live in, and society around us. Use your reading list to access readings related to the following topics. Each topic includes a related APA Division to learn about and 2-3 articles highlighting what is currently happening within each field. You will be selecting one of these five topics to explore further for your final assessment.
- Current Movements reading list.
Environmental Psychology
Environmental psychologists focus on examining interactions between humans and our environments, including aspects like conservation and climate. Pioneering theorists include Harold Proshansky and William Ittelson. Learn more about APA's Division 34: The Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology. Then, review Inauen et al.'s (2021) article on environmental health psychology and Nielsen et al.'s (2021) article on impact-focused environmental psychology.
Feminist Psychology and Intersectionality
Feminist psychology focuses on social structure and gender to enhance the perspectives and voices of women in the field. Pioneering theorists in this area include Karen Horney and Naomi Weisstein. The intersectionality component focuses on overlapping identities, such as race, class, and gender. Check out APA Division 35: The Society for the Psychology of Women. Then learn more from Marecek's (2016) article on intersectionality theory and feminist psychology, Rickett's (2016) article on where we are now and where we are going in feminist psychology, and Rosenthal's (2016) view on incorporating intersectionality into psychology.
Advocacy
Review this media piece to learn more about the meaning of social justice, advocacy, and what you can do to be a part of the positive change.
- Interview With Dr. Paylo: Advocacy at Multiple Levels.
GRADING COMPETENCIES:
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
- Competency 1: Explain the major events, schools of thought, and cultural influences that have affected the development of the science of psychology.
- Explain the connection between an older school of thought, present-day psychology, and your contemporary topic.
- Explain how one of the timeless psychological debates fits with the contemporary topic of interest.
- Explain other historical events or movements that may have inspired interest in this topic area.
- Competency 2: Evaluate the social significance of contemporary topics in psychology.
- Describe the contemporary topic of interest and its social significance.
- Competency 3: Analyze psychological theory and scholarly literature in history, systems, and contemporary topics.
- Analyze scholarly research related to historical and societal influences leading to this new area of psychology, with at least one study being from an international source or with a non-Western and/or underrepresented sample.
- Competency 5: Articulate future directions on an individual, community, and global scale to promote positive change.
- Articulate multiple ways in which this new school of thought may guide social thinking in the future.
- Create a plan for how to be the change in the future to improve the human experience in this contemporary area of psychology.
- Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
- Deliver oral podcast appropriate to the audience with clear, organized delivery.
- Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.
- Address assessment purpose with well-organized delivery, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.