Reference no: EM133650489

Homework: Adolescent Psychology Research Paper

The goal of this project is to expose students to various topics in adolescent psychology within various contexts. You will need to upload your paper to the associated drop box in D2L.

Below is a list of suggested research questions for you to explore for your research paper. If you don't like any of these questions you may propose your own question to the instructor. If you want to propose your own question, keep in mind that you'll need to do it in time to be sure you have enough time to complete your project before the deadline.

1. What are the various ways adolescents develop and use problem-solving skills?
2. What is the effect on an adolescent if they don't learn problem-solving skills during childhood?
3. How are social skills and attitudes shaped during adolescence?
4. Which mental disorders are likely to be diagnosed during adolesence and what are the effects of mental illness during adolesence?
5. What are the effects of solitary confinement on adolescents?
6. What are the developmental effects of homelessness on adolescents?
7. What are the effects of postpartum depression on an adolescent mother and her child?
8. What is the role of environment on adolescent development?
9. What is the difference between the effects of eating disorders on the growth and development of adolescent males and females?

Other topics from which to choose include (but are not limited to):

Theories of human growth and development - Select a specific theory discussed in your textbook and provide an in-depth analysis of the theory. Be sure to include background information on the theory (who constructed the theory, how did they do it, the time period in which the theory was devised, etc.) as well as any criticisms of the theory. You may also choose to compare two theories and report how they are similar and how they differ. If you select this option, you should be prepared to discuss your own thoughts about the theory and what you agree or disagree with based on what you learned in class about adolescent psychology. Some psychologists/theorists that you may be able to find a lot of information on include (but are not limited to) Erikson (psychodynamic), Bronfenbrenner (human ecological systems), Piaget (cognitive), Kohlberg (moral), Gilligan (moral), Skinner (learning), Bandura (social cognitive), and Bowlby (attachment).

Physical and psychological disorders - Select a physical or psychological disorder (a partial list is below) and discuss how this particular disorder affects the normal course of adolescent development. Be sure to include background information on the disorder (i.e., how the disease is transmitted or developed, symptoms, previous research on the disease, statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), etc.), the population(s) most vulnerable to the disorder, treatments and cures, and psychological and physical effects of the disease on humans.

 

1. Adrenal gland disorders
2. Alzheimer's disease
3. Autism Spectrum Disorder
4. Birth defects
5. Cerebral palsy
6. Diabetes
7. Down Syndrome
8. Fibromyalgia
9. High-risk pregnancy
10. HIV and AIDS
11. Infertility
12. Klinefelter Syndrome
13. Learning disorders
14. Miscarriage
15. Muscular dystrophy
16. Obesity
17. Prader-Willi Syndrome
18. STDs and STIs
19. Sleep disorders
20. Substance abuse and dependence
21. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Stroke
22. Traumatic brain injury
23. Zika virus

The format of your paper should be as follows:

1. Introduction: Explain what you want to know, why someone would be interested in your research, etc. In other words, what is the overall contribution that you hope to make to the field of psychology with your experiment?

2. Background Information: You will need to research the subject that you are planning to study to get background information. Find out what has been studied previously in this area. This is an important part of the whole project, so make sure to do a good job! Also remember, when quoting or paraphrasing information on your slides that you found in either your textbook, the instructor's PowerPoints, or articles found in psychology journals, you *must* cite this information in APA format. Points will be deducted if APA format is not followed. This is required!

3. Discussion: Wrap up your paper or presentation with a discussion of your findings and how this relates to your research question. Make sure you include a substantial amount of discussion in your paper or project. This should be in YOUR voice, so keep quotations from references to a minimum here.

4. Conclusion: Discuss any additional research that should be done in this area, policies that should be created, ineffective strategies currently being used to deal with this issue, etc. Be sure this is in YOUR voice.

5. References: You are required to use a minimum of three references for this project, and your textbook does count as one of your required references. You can list the PowerPoints as references as well (and you should, if you refer to them to create your study) but the PowerPoints will *not* count as part of your three required references. Beyond your textbook, you should locate at least two peer-reviewed scholarly articles on your topic. I have provided information below regarding how to find peer-reviewed scholarly articles.