Writing Samples & Projects
Intellectual Disability
PY 491: Senior Seminar in Psychology
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Assignment: We were asked to complete three surveys asking about knowledge of, quality of contact with, and quantity of contact with individuals with intellectual disability (ID). We also administered the surveys to one other person. Finally, we were asked to react to our experiences with these surveys and personal experience with ID, as well as reflect on ways to reduce stigma in our communities.
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Grade: I received a grade of 50/50 on this assignment.
Access to Abortion: Impact on the Family System
PY 375: Public Policy, Child & Family Well-Being
Stockholm, Sweden & Amsterdam, Netherlands
Assignment: Following a 2-week study abroad experience, we were asked to pick a problem that negatively affects child and family wellbeing. We were tasked with describing the problem and its importance, then using Bronfenbrenner's Bio-Ecological Model to describe how cultural values and government policies affect child development. Finally, we were asked to compare the U.S. to other countries on the problem and form recomemndations for policymakers to improve the lives of children and families in this domain, with considerations for barriers and assets
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Grade: I received a grade of 100/100 on this assignment.
Philosophy of Play
HD 326: Play in Child Development
Assignment: This paper was the final assignment for the course. We were asked to combine our learning from the semester into the formation of a personal philosophy of play that could be connected to our chosen field of practice. Based on my research, I came to understand play as a method for children to gain hands-on and visual examples that lead to better understanding and openness to exploration when learning new concepts. I connected my philosophy to the field of School Psychology.
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Grade: I received a grade of 20/20 on this assignment.
Play Advocacy Presentation
HD 326: Play in Child Development
Assignment: We were asked to select a hypothetical scenario and develop a presentation to address audience concerns and advocate for play. I chose the following scenario:
"You are an early childhood teacher of a classroom serving children 3 to 5 years of age. Your program utilizes a constructivist play based program. In other words, the program uses play to promote development in all domains and enhance early literacy and early math. A group of parents come to you with complaints. They say, “All we see you do is play. That is fun and all, but we want to see our child learning. Our friends’ kids are doing worksheets. We would like to see more of that. We want our children prepared for kindergarten.” How would you address this group of parents to advocate for play?"
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Grade: I received a grade of 15/15 on this assignment.
Classical Conditioning & Operant Learning
PY 361: Psychology of Learning
Assignment: We were asked to define classical conditioning and each of its main components: unconditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, and conditioned response. We were also asked to apply the concept of classical conditioning to a real-world example. I chose to describe how a song became associated with the unpleasant feeling of being woken up
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Grade: I received a grade of 100/100 on this assignment.
Assignment: We were asked to define operant learning and each of its main concepts: positive/negative reinforcement and positive/negative punishment. We were also asked to apply each concept of reinforcement and punishment to the following scenario: “You take over a 1st grade classroom in the middle of the school year. Your new students are used to making up their own rules, talking back, answering questions without raising their hand, arguing, and yelling to get their way, and fighting with other students.”
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Grade: I received a grade of 100/100 on this assignment.
Child Case Studies (PTSD, ODD)
PY 461: Child Psychology
Child Case Study Assignment: We were asked to create case studies based on self-selected fictional characters and clinical diagnoses. Each case study was required to contain a description of the child's background, presenting problems/reason for referral, symptoms and course of the disorder, assessment procedures, DSM-5 criteria for a diagnosis, and a possible treatment plan, supported by research.
I wrote a case study on Danny Torrance (from the movie The Shining) as a child diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
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I received a grade of 50/50 on this assignment
I wrote a case study on Wednesday Addams (from the movie The Addams Family) as a child diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).
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I received a grade of 50/50 on this assignment