AP Psychology Research Assignment

You will be writing three research papers on three different topics, 5-10 pages in length during this semester. They must follow APA guidelines. You must use academic resources for your research. Absolutely no Wikipedia, textbook or non-academic sites.

Due Dates: Paper 1 – October 3rd

Paper 2 – October 26th

Paper 3 –December 2nd

Topic: Development

  1. Evolutionary Psychology and the explanation of universal behaviors
  2. The effects of alcohol, tobacco and narcotics on the developing embryo and fetus.
  3. Cognitive development in infants and young children.
  4. Social development in children from birth to age 3.
  5. Peer pressure and children between the ages of 10 and 16.
  6. Co-sleeping as a practice for infants and children – a critical look at cultural differences
  7. Adolescents and identity formation.
  8. Raising “moral” children

Topic: Learning

  1. Applied Behavior Analysis and the education of children with special needs
  2. Behaviorism and its implications for child rearing practices and education

Topic: Personality

Choose one of the perspectives listed below. Describe the theory of personality developed by theorists in this perspective. Be sure to mention differences among the theorists. Give your opinion of the validity of the perspective.

Psychoanalytic perspective

Trait perspective

Humanistic Perspective

Social – Cognitive perspective

Topic: Psychological Disorders

Choose any of the disorders listed below. Write a 5-10 page research paper including:

  1. Definition (form DSM-IV)
  2. Symptoms
  3. Causes (where known)
  4. Case studies (examples)
  5. Treatments
  6. Prognosis
  7. Any other pertinent information

Schizophrenia, depression (any type), obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative identity disorder.

Be sure to cover thoroughly the different views held by different psychological perspectives of the disorder you choose.

Topic: Therapy

Answer the following questions and complete the following tasks regarding therapy.

  1. Is psychotherapy effective?
  2. Evaluate the relative effectiveness of different therapies (choose at least three)
  3. Explain “alternative” therapies
  4. Enumerate the commonalities among psychotherapies
  5. How does culture affect therapy?