Psychology
Students explore the world of psychology in this module over 7 classes and a project. Classes include::
- Nature or nurture
- Why are other people so weird?
- Why do ordinary people commit genocides?
- On the couch
Project - Option 1
You will work in a group of two people to design, carry out and report on a psychological experiment.
The experiment
Based on the work of BF Skinner (studied in Nature or Nurture class), you are to design and carry out a psychological experiment on behaviour modification. You will present the results in a 2 minute presentation to the class on the last class of your rotation.
Aim
Modify the behaviour of another person
Method
Results
Discussion
Presenting Project
Create a Google Slide presentation of your experiment. Include all the headings above. You will present your work to the class in a 2 minute presentation on the last scheduled class. Marks are awarded for the quality of the presentation.
The experiment
Based on the work of BF Skinner (studied in Nature or Nurture class), you are to design and carry out a psychological experiment on behaviour modification. You will present the results in a 2 minute presentation to the class on the last class of your rotation.
Aim
Modify the behaviour of another person
Method
- Select a test subject (but don't tell them what you're up to)
- Select a positive reward
- Select a behaviour that you wish to modify
- Carry out the experiment over several days and at least 10 rewards
Results
- Record all situations you rewarded
- Record any changes in behaviour
Discussion
- Did it work?
- What sources of error did you find
- How could the experiment be improved?
- What did you learn as a result of this?
Presenting Project
Create a Google Slide presentation of your experiment. Include all the headings above. You will present your work to the class in a 2 minute presentation on the last scheduled class. Marks are awarded for the quality of the presentation.
Project - Option 2
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Investigate and discuss the BBC Prison Experiment.
The BBC prison experiment set out to further investigate the controversial Stanford Prison Experiment carried out by Zimbardo in 1971. The experiment was made into a reality TV series that is available on YouTube. Further details are provided on the experiment website: http://www.bbcprisonstudy.org Choose 2 of the following questions to investigate. Working in pairs, create a short 3 minute presentation for the class.
Presentation Explore these questions from both sides of the argument and then present your own conclusions. There is no right answer, marks will be awarded for the quality of your thinking. |
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Project - Option 3
As part of the BBC Prison study, 3 psychometric tests were given to participants to measure authoritarianism, depression and stress.
Working in a group of 2, carry out these tests on 8-10 people you know that are part of a two distinct groups (boys/girls, teachers/students, teenagers/adults etc). You will need to modify some of the test questions that are specific to the Prison Experiment, choose another situation such as teachers and students.
Using the BBC Prison study website, compare the results of your test subjects to those in the Prison experiment.
Presentation
Create a 2-3 minute presentation for the class, outlining what you have done, defining each trait (authoritarianism, depression, stress) and summarizing your findings. Investigate the mean result and the spread or results for each group. Were there any significant differences? Take one of the traits and propose a reason for the differences or lack of differences.
Working in a group of 2, carry out these tests on 8-10 people you know that are part of a two distinct groups (boys/girls, teachers/students, teenagers/adults etc). You will need to modify some of the test questions that are specific to the Prison Experiment, choose another situation such as teachers and students.
Using the BBC Prison study website, compare the results of your test subjects to those in the Prison experiment.
Presentation
Create a 2-3 minute presentation for the class, outlining what you have done, defining each trait (authoritarianism, depression, stress) and summarizing your findings. Investigate the mean result and the spread or results for each group. Were there any significant differences? Take one of the traits and propose a reason for the differences or lack of differences.
Why are People so Weird?
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Every wonder why other people seem to approach life and decisions completely differently to you? Why their priorities and interests appear weird and even plain wrong?
The range of personality types is broader than you might think. To gain a better understanding of yourself and others, we use a personality test based on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator - on of the decent ones our there. In class we will:
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