Psychology Project 2011-1012

Psychology Project 2011-2012 : Due Date______

The below represents some of your choices for your Psychology Project. Each is attached to a common psychological theory.

1. Psychoanalytic Project:

You will choose a client and complete a case study on them using psychoanalytic theory.

  • Client must be kept confidential
  • Psychoanalysis involves allowing the patient to resolve their own problems through reflection, active listening, encouragement and purposeful questioning on the part of the therapist.
  • Plan to meet for at least four (4) sessions, more if possible. For each session keep track of:
  • Date, duration of session, observations, (is client stressed, sad, preoccupied, etc.)
  • You should ask probing questions but encourage client to self-reflect. “Why do you think that happened?”, “How did that make you feel?”, “Have you ever experience this before?”, “How would you resolve this if you could?” Don’t be afraid of quiet…you have to build trust and the first few sessions might be a little awkward. In order to build trust you must remember what your client said during the last session. Repeating your client’s answers in a question form or to encourage them to continue is known as “parroting” and an effective too in talk therapy if done authentically and sincerely.
  • Keep a log book and write down important questions/answers from your client. After your session summarize your observations and thoughts. After your last session you should include a possible diagnosis and/or suggestions for the patient resolving their problem.

2. Cognitive Theory Project:

Locate a cognitive behavioral organization like A.A., N.A., Weight Watcher’s, or any other Self-Help Group. You can locate these meetings by going online at aa.org, na.org, or for all types of support groups a good website is or

  • Ask if you can sit in on an open meeting, (one that is open to the public). If you do this - PLEASE CHOOSE A MEETING OUTSIDE OF THE GENERAL NEWBURGH, MONTGOMERY, WALDEN, and MAYBROOK AREA for privacy issues. Meetings outside of the ValleyCentralSchool District and city of Newburgh are preferred.
  • Interview someone who has gone through a rehabilitation program, or any self-help groups and keep a summary of your questions and issues your client tells you about. Try to interview more than one person. All names are confidential, (use “male, age 30, etc.”). Find out when and how their issue developed, when did they decide to join a group, how do they feel about the group, success of the program, etc.
  • Additional cognitive programs could be: Weight Watchers meetings. Some very powerful interviews and projects have come from speaking with volunteers at these meetings.

3. Behaviorism Project:

Using the theory of behaviorism; including classical conditioning, operant conditioning, charting antecedents, behaviors and consequences, negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, and extinction, create a project based on changing a behavior in a pet or a child, (parental permission needed first). You should also use variable schedules of reinforcement. (Handout supplied). Examples of prior projects are on display in room 145. Charts, graphs, photographs and commentary are encouraged. Video projects will also be considered either as a whole or as part of your project.

4. Social Psychology Project:

Social Psychology asks us to see the world through the eyes of others. There are a variety of ways you can undertake this project:

a. Shadow Experiment:

  • Shadow someone for the day: Spend the day as your younger brother, a person very different than you, someone from a group that you usually wouldn’t have contact with.
  • Keep a journal of your experience, why you chose your subject, your hypothesis, and reflect on the actual results. If you want to shadow someone during the school day I will have to get permission from your subject’s teachers and yours. You are responsible for any work missed due to this project. You will also need a letter from me.

b. Life Swap:

  • Dress entirely different, have an “injury”, be a different “type” of person in terms of appearance for a few days. Keep track of the reactions of people, your friends, teachers, family, etc.
  • Hand in a summary of your chosen identity; compare how people usually treat you and how it was different.

If you have any ideas not discussed above – let me know what they are and we’ll see if we can make it work.

**If you are planning on this project – you must submit a proposal outlining your project, your goals, who/where/why you are choosing this project. How you plan to implement it and a list of teachers/classes that would be possibly be impacted by this project. This must be submitted to me prior to March 9th, 2012. After this date no Social Psychology Projects will be approved.