This document outlines a student project where students will research and present on a topic of their choosing in psychology. Students must include background information on their topic, answer a critical thinking question using evidence from two studies and discussing two levels of analysis, and apply what they learned in a creative way. Students will present their findings in a poster symposium and be scored on content, synthesis and analysis, and application.

1. Choice
Project
Overview
Over
the
next
few
weeks,
you
will
investigate
a
psychology
topic
of
your
choice.
Your
topic
should
be
something
that
you
find
interesting,
important,
or
relevant
to
your
life.
Also,
it
should
be
an
area
of
psychology
that
we
have
not
directly
studied.
You
will
present
your
information
in
a
poster
and
share
them
during
a
research
symposium
later
this
Spring.
Topic
Selection
You
have
freedom
to
select
your
own
topic.
Possible
Topics
could
be
abnormal
psychology
(eating
disorders,
depression,
bipolar,
sociopaths,
addiction,
Alzheimer’s,
etc.)
autism,
sports
psychology,
human
development,
language,
hypnosis,
or
anything
else
that
relates
to
human
behavior
and
can
be
studied
scientifically.
Required
Elements
1. Content
Information:
Provide
background
information
such
as
symptoms,
statistics,
definitions
of
key
terms,
quotes
from
people
connected
to
the
topic,
etc.
that
provides
a
clear
overview
of
your
topic.
Example
Content
Information:
What
are
the
symptoms
of
Bipolar
Disorder?
How
many
U.S.
teens
suffer
from
eating
disorders?
2. Synthesis
&
Analysis:
You
will
pose
and
answer
a
question
which
requires
critical
thinking
to
answer.
In
this
section,
you
will
use
at
least
two
research
studies
to
answer
the
question.
You
must
also
include
how
at
least
two
Levels
of
Analysis
(Biological,
Cognitive,
and
Sociocultural)
relate
to
your
answer.
Example
Prompts:
Evaluate
the
effectiveness
of
two
strategies
to
treat
bipolar
disorder.
Discuss
the
biological
and
social
causes
of
anorexia.
3. Application:
You
will
apply
what
you
have
learned
in
a
new
or
creative
manner.
This
can
include
connections
to
an
artistic
medium,
creating
a
painting
that
represents
the
topic,
writing
a
short
story
about
living
with
your
condition,
interviewing
someone
with
the
condition,
etc.
This
element
should
relate
to
your
interests
and
personal
life
and
help
others
better
understand
your
topic.
Project
Outline
Step
1:
Explore
and
Select
a
topic.
Step
2:
Formulate
Background
Questions
and
gather
information
on
your
topic.
Step
3:
Formulate
a
focused
Prompt
and
find
evidence
from
at
least
2
research
studies
to
answer
it.
Step
4:
Apply
your
knowledge
to
the
real
world,
your
life,
or
in
a
creative
manner.
Step
5:
Create
a
poster
presentation
to
share
with
your
classmates.
Poster
Symposium
You
will
be
presenting
your
information
in
one
of
two
symposiums
sessions.
You
will
be
responsible
for
having
a
presentation
that
can
be
self-­‐guided.
However,
you
will
be
standing
near
your
presentation
to
help
answer
any
questions.
Session
1:
May
27,
2015
Session
2:
May
29,
2015

2.
Scoring
Rubric
You
will
earn
separate
scores
for
each
of
the
following
categories.
4/A
3/B
2/C
1-­‐0/D
Content:
Background
Information
Presents
clear,
detailed,
and
accurate
background
information.
Multiple
types
of
information
are
used.
Presents
sufficient
and
accurate
background
information.
Multiple
types
of
information
are
used.
Presents
limited,
unclear,
or
inaccurate
background
information.
Types
of
information
are
limited
in
scope.
Provides
extremely
limited
or
incorrect
background
information.
Types
of
information
are
limited
in
scope.
Synthesis
&
Analysis
Clearly
and
accurately
answers
the
prompt
using
well-­‐selected
and
detailed
evidence
from
at
least
two
research
studies.
Includes
clear
analysis/critical
thinking
about
the
research.
Clearly
answers
the
prompt
using
detailed
evidence
from
at
least
two
research
studies.
Includes
clear
analysis/critical
thinking
about
the
research.
Attempts
to
answer
the
prompt
using
evidence
from
at
least
two
research
studies
but
evidence
may
be
limited,
lacking
relevancy,
or
lacking
analysis.
Fails
to
clearly
answer
the
prompt
using
evidence
from
research
studies.
Studies
may
be
not
related
or
poorly
explained.
No
analysis
is
included.
Application
Application
shows
clear
and
accurate
understanding
and
is
original.
Will
help
others
better
understand
the
topic.
Application
shows
clear
and
accurate
understanding
and
is
appropriate.
Will
help
others
better
understand
the
topic.
Application
shows
limited
understanding
or
is
lacking
in
relevancy.
Will
only
partially
help
others
better
understand
the
topic.
Application
shows
limited
understanding
of
the
topic
or
is
not
relevant.
Does
not
help
others
better
understand
the
topic.