Psychology is a fascinating field because of its application to virtually any life experience or situation. In this course and throughout your work on this assessment, you will recognize the practical application of psychology in many different aspects of your life. Hopefully, this application of the perspectives, theories, and research in psychology will help you not only better approach problems in your personal or professional experience, but improve those situations. Not only does psychology help us to better understand others and the world around us, but it also gives us tools to improve the way in which we handle certain situations. For this assessment, you will choose a problem from the provided list to which you can apply the concepts and theories learned in this class. You will then develop an action plan for how you will use psychological ideas and principles in addressing the problem. This assessment will help you recognize the value of psychology, the value of supporting your claims with established views and research, and how psychology can be applied to personal situations. Below is the list of problem choices for your final project: • Suicide by LGBT Youth: How can psychological research, theories, and perspectives be used to decrease suicide rates among LGBT youth? • Childhood Obesity: How can psychological research, theories, and perspectives be used to help parents improve childhood obesity rates? • Prescription Drug Abuse Among Rural Teens: How can psychological research, theories, and perspectives be used to reduce prescription drug abuse among rural teens? • Veterans With PTSD and Stigma: How can psychological research, theories, and perspectives be used to decrease stigma for veterans with PTSD seeking treatment? • Bias in the Workplace: How can psychological research, theories, and perspectives be used to reduce bias in workplace hiring and promotion? • Raising an Aggressive Child: How can psychological research, theories, and perspectives be used to help parents reduce aggression in young children? This assessment addresses the following course outcomes: • Explain how fundamental theories and perspectives in the field of psychology can be utilized to approach personal and professional problems • Determine the credibility of sources in psychology for supporting claims with appropriate evidence • Develop basic recommendations for improving problems experienced by individuals, families, groups, or communities that are supported by fundamental theories and perspectives in the field of psychology • Explain how research and plans supported by psychological theory and perspectives align with the ethical guidelines of psychology Prompt For this assessment, you will explore the theories, research, and perspectives used in psychology and discussed in this course to support an action plan you develop that addresses a problem experienced by individuals, families, groups, or communities. You must be able to relate this problem to psychological theories, research, and perspectives discussed in the course. You will review the research provided to determine the value of credibility in research and how the research aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology. You will then develop an action plan that makes recommendations to address and improve the problem. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Getting Started: In this part of the assessment, you will explore the provided research to determine its credibility and how it aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology. A. Describe the problem experienced by individuals, families, groups, or communities that your plan will be attempting to improve. B. Select research from the provided resources that will support your plan, and explain how the research is credible. C. Explain how you discerned the credibility of the research provided. D. Discuss how using credible evidence will support your action plan. E. Explain how the research aligns with fundamental theories discussed in the course. F. Describe how the research aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology. II. Plan Support: In this part of the assessment, you will identify theories and perspectives in psychology that will support your future action plan. A. Identify relevant fundamental theories in psychology discussed in the course which could be applied to address the problem. B. Describe how you would apply these fundamental theories in psychology to address the problem. C. Explain how you can use the perspectives of psychologists in different subject areas within the field to approach your problem. D. Describe the ethical implications that will need to be considered in the creation of your action plan. III. Action Plan: In this part of your assessment, you will develop your action plan, describing the overall plan that addresses the problem, as well as the specific recommendations as to how to improve the problem. You will explain how your action plan aligns with fundamental theories and perspectives in psychology and how your action plan aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology. A. Describe your overall action plan and how it addresses the problem. B. Make recommendations as to how you could improve the identified problem. Be sure to reference how psychology is used to support the action plan in improving the problem. C. Explain how fundamental theories and perspectives in psychology align with your action plan. D. Explain how your plan aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology. Milestones Milestone One: Getting Started—Problem In Module One, you will submit a draft of your problem description. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Credible Evidence Evaluation In Module Two, you will submit a credible evidence evaluation. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Plan Support In Module Three, you will submit a draft of your theories and perspectives. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Milestone Four: Recommendations In Module Five, you will submit a summary describing your action plan and recommendations to resolve your chosen problem. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Four Rubric. Final Project Submission: Action Plan In Module Seven, you will submit your final action plan. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric (below). Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading One Getting Started—Problem One Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric Two Credible Evidence Evaluation Two Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric Three Plan Support Three Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric Four Recommendations Five Graded separately; Milestone Four Rubric Final Project Submission: Action Plan Seven Graded separately; Final Project Rubric (below) Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your action plan should be 3–4 pages in length, with 12-point Times New Roman font and double spacing. The research you have chosen should be appropriately cited. Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value Getting Started: Problem Meets “Proficient” criteria and description of the problem is especially detailed and clear Describes the problem experienced by individuals, families, groups, or communities, that the plan will attempt to improve Describes the problem experienced by individuals, families, groups, or communities, that the plan will attempt to improve but description is cursory Does not describe the problem experienced by individuals, families, groups, or communities, that the plan will attempt to improve 5 Getting Started: Credible Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation demonstrates a keen insight into the characteristics and qualities that make research credible or not credible Selects research that will support plan and explains how the research is credible Selects research that will support plan and explains how the research is credible, but research selected is misaligned with plan or explanation is cursory or inaccurate Does not select research that will support plan 7.5 Getting Started: Discerned Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation demonstrates keen insight into the process of discerning the credibility of psychological research Explains how the credibility of the research was discerned Explains how the credibility of the research was discerned but explanation is cursory or illogical Does not explain how the credibility of the research was discerned 7.5 Getting Started: Credible Evidence Meets “Proficient” criteria and discussion demonstrates keen insight into the value of supporting claims with credible evidence Discusses how using credible evidence will support the action plan Discusses how using credible evidence will support the action plan, but discussion is cursory or contains inaccuracies Does not discuss how using credible evidence will support the action plan 7.5 Getting Started: Fundamental Theories Meets “Proficient” criteria and response makes cogent connections regarding the relationship between theory and research Explains how the research aligns with fundamental theories discussed in the course Explains how the research aligns with fundamental theories discussed in the course but explanation is cursory or contains inaccuracies Does not explain how the research aligns with fundamental theories discussed in the course 5.63 Getting Started: Ethical Guidelines Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of the ethical guidelines in psychology Describes how the research aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology Describes how the research aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology but description is cursory or contains inaccuracies Does not describe how the research aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology 7.5 Plan Support: Fundamental Theories Meets “Proficient” criteria and discussion demonstrates keen insight into which fundamental theories are the most relevant and applicable to the problem Identifies relevant fundamental theories discussed in the course which could be applied to address the problem Identifies fundamental theories discussed in the course but identified theories are not relevant or could not be applied to the problem Does not identify fundamental theories discussed in the course 5.63 Plan Support: Apply Meets “Proficient” criteria and description demonstrates keen insight into how to apply fundamental theories to address problems Describes how the fundamental theories would be applied to address the problem Describes how the fundamental theories would be applied to address the problem but description is cursory or contains inaccuracies Does not describe how the identified fundamental theories could be applied to address the problem 5.63 Plan Support: Perspectives Meets “Proficient” criteria and description makes cogent connections between how the perspectives of psychologists can be used together to approach the problem Describes how perspectives of psychologists in different subject areas within the field could be used to approach the problem Discusses how perspectives of psychologists could be used to approach the problem but discussion is cursory, contains inaccuracies, or does not reference different subject areas within the field Does not discuss how perspectives of psychologists could be used to approach the problem 5.63 Plan Support: Ethical Implications Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a sophisticated awareness of the ethical implications involved in the development of an action plan Describes the ethical implications that will need to be considered in the creation of the action plan Describes the ethical implications that will need to be considered in the creation of the action plan, but description is cursory or ethical implications do not align with focus of action plan Does not describe the ethical implications that will need to be considered in the creation of the action plan 7.5 Action Plan: Overall Action Plan Meets “Proficient” criteria and description demonstrates keen insight into how the overall action plan will address the problem Describes the overall action plan and how it addresses the problem Describes the overall action plan and how it addresses the problem but description is cursory or contains inaccuracies Does not describe the overall action plan and how it addresses the problem 7.5 Action Plan: Recommendations Meets “Proficient” criteria and recommendations made demonstrate keen insight into how psychology is used and assists the recommendations in improving the problem Makes recommendations as to how the problem could be improved and how psychology is used to support the recommendations in improving the problem Makes recommendations as to how the problem could be improved but recommendations made are cursory, contain inaccuracies, or do not reference how psychology is used to support the plan in improving the problem Does not make recommendations as to how the problem could be addressed 7.5 Action Plan: Fundamental Theories and Perspectives Meets “Proficient” criteria and response demonstrates a keen ability integrating fundamental theories in psychology into response to support the action plan Explains how fundamental theories and perspectives in psychology align with the action plan Explains how fundamental theories and perspectives in psychology align with the action plan but explanation is cursory or contains inaccuracies Does not explain how fundamental theories and perspectives in psychology align with the action plan 7.5 Action Plan: Ethical Guidelines of Psychology Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation demonstrates keen insight into how the plan aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology Explains how the plan aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology Explains how the plan aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology but explanation is cursory or contains inaccuracies Does not explain how the plan aligns with the ethical guidelines of psychology 7.5 Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 4.98 Tota