Physical and Cognitive Development

Project: Moral Development in Prime Time

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Review:

Before beginning this project you should review Kohlberg's stages of moral development. The stages focus on the reasoning and judgment aspects of moral development.

Gather Data:

Watch a television program that involves characters and a plot. It can be a comedy or a more serious program. If at all possible, video-tape the program so you can watch it several times while focusing on different characters.

Write up Your Observations:

Summarize the plot of the television program. Emphasize any moral decisions made by any of the characters (i.e., lying, cheating, stealing, breaking a contract, breaking the law/rules, breaking a promise). When faced with a dilemma how did the characters involved respond? What stage of moral development is each character operating at? Give evidence to support your answer.

Specifics of the paper:

• A paper 5-7 pages long

• Should be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins

• Cover sheet should include your name, the title of your paper, your ID#, course name and section number, and the date

• Reference all your sources using APA format

Survey: Improving The High School Experience

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Gather Data:

Survey 8 college students (4 male and 4 female) to find out what they think about the current high school experience by asking the following questions. These questions represent a minimum amount of information. Feel free to add questions as long as you ask all students the same questions.

1. Would you describe your high school as:
   • Large, medium, or small in terms of size
   • Located ural, suburban, or urban location
   • Public, parochial, alternative, or home school
   • Racially and ethnically diverse or not diverse

2. Do you think your high school prepared you well for the next phase of life? Please explain your answer.

3. What could be done to improve the high school experience for students at your high school and for high schools in general?

1. How did your participants describe their high schools? For example, how many reported their high school as large?

2. Were most of your participants satisfied with their high school experience? Why or why not?

3. What ideas were presented as ways to help improve the high school experience?

4. Did you notice any differences in the answers given by males and females? Did you notice any other differences, such as answers given by those from rural versus urban schools or public versus non-public schools?

1. Introduction: Introduce the topic of friendship in middle childhood.

2. Participants: Give the age and sex of the eight children.

3. Methodology: Explain how you surveyed the children

4. Results: Give answers to the questions listed under the heading Analyze Your Data.

5. Conclusions: What did you learn about friendship in middle childhood through this investigation?

• A paper 7 - 9 pages long

• Should be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins

• Cover sheet should include your name, the title of your paper, your ID#, course name and section number, and the date

• Reference all your sources using APA format

Research: Cross-Cultural Markers of Adolescence

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

This project is designed to show cross-cultural variation in the ways people of different cultures mark or celebrate adolescence.

Gather Information:

Books, magazine articles, and journal articles under the headings of psychology, sociology, and anthropology may be useful for this project. The term cultural is used broadly here and may be defined by various geographic regions of a country or by various religious groups. Also keep in mind some cultures may not separate the time of adolescence but rather view development as moving from childhood to adulthood.

What do I turn in?

You will turn in a 5 - 7 page paper which compares three adolescence of coming-of-age celebrations or rituals. The introduction should introduce a cross-cultural perspective on adolescence. The body of the paper should summarize the way three cultures mark adolescence. The conclusion should offer a comparison of the rituals and celebrations of the three cultures.

Specifics of the paper:

• A paper 5-7 pages long

• Should be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins

• Cover sheet should include your name, the title of your paper, your ID#, course name and section number, and the date

• Reference all your sources using APA format

Brochure: Talking to Children About Sex

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Write a brochure that gives new parents very concrete and practical ways of talking to their children about sex. Your brochure should also list other resources that can help and offer advice.

Research:

Look for books, journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, and web sites that discuss the task of talking to children about sex. Here are some questions the information in your brochure should answer:

1. How old should my child be when I bring up the topic of sex? Should I wait until my child brings it up first?

2. What is the typical age for girls and boys to start getting interested in sex?

3. Just how much should I tell my child?

4. Should I talk about teen pregnancy? Birth control? Sexually transmitted diseases?

5. Are there any good books or videos I could give to my child?

6. What resources are available to give me more information?

Based on your research write a brochure that gives parents suggestions on how to talk to their children about sex.

What do I turn in?

1. A reference page listing the sources of your information.

2. A brochure that could be photocopied and given to parents. The brochure should involve one sheet of typing paper, but you can fold it any way you would like. You can turn the page sideways and fold it once for a booklet style or fold it three times for a tri-fold. You can type on both sides of the paper, but stick to one sheet of typing paper. The brochure must be typed. You can be creative in terms of the way you present the material (such as with the use of graphics).

Psychosocial Development

Brochure: Options for Pregnant Teens

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

The goal of this project is to produce a brochure that addresses the needs of a pregnant adolescent in your area.

Research:

Look for books, journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, and community agencies that that can give you (1) general information on the frequency of teen pregnancy in your area, (2) the reasons why a pregnant teenager needs to contact someone for help, and (3) very specific information regarding where a pregnant adolescent can go for help and advice in your area..

Write a brochure:

Based on your research write a brochure which gives (1) frequency of teen pregnancy, (2) problems a pregnant adolescent might face and why she should seek the advice of a counselor or doctor, and (3) agencies (with addresses and phone numbers), hotlines, and other resources (both local and national) that can help in such situations.

What do I turn in?

1. A reference page listing the sources of your information.

2. A brochure that could be photocopied and given to pregnant adolescents. The brochure should involve one sheet of typing paper, but you can fold it any way you would like. You can turn the page sideways and fold it once for a booklet style or fold it three times for a tri-fold. You can type on both sides of the paper, but stick to one sheet of typing paper. The brochure must be typed. You can be creative in terms of the way you present the material (such as with the use of graphics).

Project: Identity Crisis in Popular Media

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Gather Data:

Choose a piece of music or literature that expresses as least one of the common themes in adolescent identity crisis. Some examples would be finding an occupation, deciding on personal values, religious identity, or sexual identity.

Analyze the Data:

What audience is targeted by the piece?

What is the main point(s) or the main plot of the piece?

How does the piece capture the essence of Erikson's stage of Identity versus Role Confusion?

Write up Your Report:

1. Introduce the topic of adolescent identity crisis.

2. Summarize the main points or the plot of the piece.

3. Compare the main points or plot to Erikson's stage of Identity versus Role Confusion.

4. Conclude with a consideration of how such music or literature helps adolescents understand and/or work out their identity crisis.

• A paper 4 - 6 pages long

• Should be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins

• Cover sheet should include your name, the title of your paper, your ID#, course name and section number, and the date

• Reference all your sources using APA format

Survey: Role Models

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Preparation:

Type up the questions listed below on 1 page and make 9 copies of it. Ask the participant to indicate their age and sex on the questionnaire (do not ask for a name).

1. Name the person who has served as a role model for you. (It is acceptable to mention more than one person.)

2. How did you get to know that person?

3. How has that person helped you? Why is that person special to you?

4. In general, name people who you think probably serve as role models for adolescents and college students in the United States.

5. Why do you think people look up to the individuals mentioned in question 4 as role models?

Give your questionnaire to individuals in the following categories: 4 females between the ages of 14 - 18 years old; 4 females between the ages of 18 - 22 years old; 4 males between the ages of 14 - 18 years old; and 4 males between the ages of 18 - 22 years old.

Analyze the Data:

1. Who did your participants pick as role models?

2. What characteristics are valued in a role model?

3. How did the personal choices for a role model compare with role models in general for the youth of the United States?

4. Did you notice any age differences in the responses?

5. Did you notice any gender differences in the responses?

1. Introduction: Introduce the topic of role models.

2. Participants: Give the age and sex of the eight participants.

3. Methodology: Explain the survey and how you administered it.

4. Results: Give answers to the questions listed under Analyze Your Data.

5. Conclusions: What did you learn about role models in this investigation? Include any other observations you made while conducting this research and/or analyzing the data.

• A paper 7 - 9 pages long

• Should be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins

• Cover sheet should include your name, the title of your paper, your ID#, course name and section number, and the date

• Reference all your sources using APA format

• Turn in a clean copy of the questionnaire and the questionnaires filled out by the 8 participants

Survey: Typical Teen Magazine

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Buy a magazine targeted for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years old. The goal of this project is to use the magazine as an indicator of what is important in the life of an average teenager.

Survey the Magazine:

Keep a tally of articles and advertisements as you look at each page of the magazine. How many articles and how many advertisements focus on the following:

Write up Your Observations:

1. Introduce your survey and give the purpose of the paper.

2. What topics were most popular among the articles?

3. What topics were most popular among the advertisements?

4. Was the magazine specifically targeted at boys or girls?

5. Was the magazine specifically targeted to an ethnic group?

6. Conclude with an summary of your observations about how the magazine you surveyed reflects the world of the adolescent in the United States.

• A paper 4 - 6 pages long

• Should be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins

• Cover sheet should include your name, the title of your paper, your ID#, course name and section number, and the date

• Reference all your sources using APA format

Article Review: Parent-Adolescent Relationships

Due Date: _________________________

Name: __________________________________________ ID# _______________________

Course: __________________________________ Course/Section # __________________

Psychological research reports, commonly referred to as journal articles, are written in a very specific way. The goal of this assignment is to give you exposure to technical writing and to acquaint you with an interesting area of research.

Find Three Articles:

You can use your text book to find articles (in the reference section) or you can search for one using an index like Psychological Abstracts or the computerized version PsychLit. Search for an article that investigates the nature of parent-adolescent relationships.

Writing your report:

Carefully read the three articles and then summarize your findings and observations in a paper. The paper should have the following headings:

1. Introduction: Introduce the topic and give interesting items you found in the introductions of the three articles.

2. Participants: Describe the participants in the three studies. Be careful to list the number of participants, their ages, and the number of males and females in each study. Also tell whether the study included participants in step-families.

3. Methodology: Tell how each investigation measured or observed the parent-adolescent relationships.

4. Results and Discussion: What did the three articles report about parent-adolescent relationships? Summarize the main points given in the discussions.

• Should be 7 - 9 pages long

• Should be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins

• Cover sheet should include your name, the title of your paper, your ID#, course name and section number, and the date

• Reference all your sources using APA format