College/University/Graduate School paper Help: Activities of a Psychologist
Activities of a Psychologist
For most people, the word “psychologist” conjures up an image of a therapist conducting some form of psychotherapy while listening to a patient who is reclining on a couch and talking about his or her problems. Imagine that you’ve met such a person, and he or she has shared one of the common misconceptions related to the field of psychology: that psychologists only work with the assessment and treatment of patients diagnosed with some form of mental illness. In your first post, written after you have reviewed the 56 divisions of the APA, explain why this assumption is incorrect with examples and language that a non-psychologist will understand. Your initial post should be about 250 words. Try to be engaging so that your listeners do not wander off before they can finish reading the post.
Respond to the initial posts
Identify three interesting professional activities performed by psychologists, not already mentioned, to keep the conversation going.
Point Value: 3 Points
Discussion Expectations Clarifications and Explanation
Everyone,
Having the opportunity to share time with others in discussions is an incredible opportunity to make meaningful connections with others while also learning the material we are covering at a deeper level. For that to happen, though, it is important that we all do our best to be timely, responsible, and focused on what we are learning. When people are, it is incredible how interesting and engaging these discussions can be.
Please keep in mind that discussion initial posts are considered for credit -if they are timely (by Thursday) and substantively developed- at least 200 words. This does not include a copy of the assignment or bulk information from other sources. Make sure you appropriately cite as well as reference, and never use non-scholarly sources like Wikipedia, blogs, simplypsychology.org, about.com, etc. Yes. This includes about.com. I realize some course content alludes to about.com. Rockies provided it as a learning tool, which is very different than a primary source of scholarly research. If you are asked to use it specifically for an assignment, by all means, make sure you cite and reference about.com. However, using it for an assignment does not dismiss the responsibility to incorporate actual sources of primary research. That said, keep in mind too that bulk information from other sources including block quotes, bulk quoting, lists, etc. should not be used.
Though there is no length per se for follow-up responses unless otherwise stated within a discussion assignment, posting follow-up responses that are at least 50-100 words each of substantive relevant original material is a helpful goal. On both accounts, the focus is not predominantly on the number of words but rather on substantive appropriate scholarly content that demonstrates evidence of learning from our course readings and current scholarly research. In other words, having a certain number of words does not immediately qualify someone for credit. The content needs to be appropriate, timely, etc.
In terms of timeliness, please also make sure you do not post to the discussion area -prior- to the week starting. You are always welcome to work proactively, and I encourage you to do that too. Just keep in mind that -posting- discussions in advance of the discussion starting should not be done.
When we have class discussions, let us have class discussions, not have some people either not participating at all, not participating until the last minute, or simply leaving everyone while they skip on ahead. Let us all discuss things during the times we are allotted to discuss them.
All assignments are assessments of learning -including discussions. Therefore, it is necessary to demonstrate your understanding of the course readings. When doing so, you will of course want to cite and reference the specific passages from our course readings and/or other current scholarly research that you have found relevant and meaningful for a particular discussion. It is not optional to not cite and reference. Both are needed. In keeping with both APA style and ethical scholarship, it is essential to cite the information you used from other sources while also providing complete references that correspond to the citations you provide.
Remember… what you have to say about the scholarly research in these areas and/or course materials you have read is uniquely valuable and important. Never forget the value of your own voice and your own unique ability to critically think about what you have read in the course readings and other scholarly materials. Put your best foot forward, and demonstrate your ability to apply the course concepts, theories, principles, research findings, etc. while appropriately citing/referencing the current scholarly sources of scientific research you use. Appropriately credit the sources you use while also relating your own unique views.
Sometimes people are not very confident of their abilities to discuss what they have read or perhaps are unsure how to cite and reference. All of the nuances of APA style are not expected for discussions, but making a reasonable effort to cite and reference sources is expected, as this is important in terms of APA style and ethical scholarship. If you need help with citing and referencing, I encourage you to take advantage of the resources and assistance provided such as those through the Rockies Writing Center. If you have taken advantage of the resources provided to help with writing but to no avail, feel free to email me to discuss this further. I am glad to take the time to see if we can put our heads together to identify some solutions.
If you are simply not confident of your abilities to discuss what you are learning, I certainly understand and so do your peers. That is one of the benefits of discussions. We can all sort through areas about which we might not be certain and collectively come to a better understanding. No one is expected to be perfect. I am not. I am 100% human, and you may even find that there are new areas of research about which I am not as familiar as I would like to be. Great. We have a massive amount of information available to us that is also growing every day. No one person can know everything even in various niches of this field. Let us learn and grow together through this experience together.:)
