Draft an academic paper (3-4 pages) that applies psychological theories and research findings to practical, real-world issues or problems.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
Show less

Competency 1: Apply foundational theories in psychology to current issues in the field of psychology.

Demonstrate how a proposed solution is based in theory.

Competency 3: Apply research findings from scholarly literature to current issues in the field of psychology.

Apply findings from scholarly research to develop a proposed solution to a problem.

Competency 4: Examine how human thoughts and behaviors can impact mental health and well-being.

Summarize the identified problem in a selected scenario.
Speculate how a proposed solution, based on theory and research, could impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes.

Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.

Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions, including appropriate use of APA format.

Next,  choose one of the scenarios described below. After you have selected a scenario to analyze, select theories to help you frame the problem described in the scenario.  You will present  possible solutions  and support your work with a minimum of three scholarly research articles.
Research your chosen theory. Use the Capella University Library to find 3-4 scholarly research articles on your topic. For each scenario, you will find recommended search terms and databases that will help you get started. Use the following Capella University Library resources to conduct research:

Database Guide: PsycARTICLES to find scholarly articles.
Psychology Databases for researching a topic.

Scenario 4: Anti-marijuana Campaign
You have been asked to create ideas for an awareness campaign to prevent teenagers from using marijuana. Consider ideas that have a chance to attract adolescents’ attention. What does the research say about prevention?

Possible theories:

Behavioral theory.
Psychoanalytic theory.

Possible sources:

Crano, W. D., Alvaro, E. M., Tan, C. N., & Siegel, J. T. (2017).  Social mediation of persuasive media in adolescent substance prevention.  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 31(4), 479 ’487.
Alvaro, E. M., Crano, W. D., Siegel, J. T., Hohman, Z., Johnson, I., & Nakawaki, B. (2013).  Adolescents’  attitudes toward antimarijuana ads, usage intentions, and actual marijuana usage.  Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(4), 1027 ’1035.

Possible search terms:

Drug use prevention, media campaign (use in combinations in the Database Guide: PsycARTICLES  or  Database Guide: PsycINFO).

Directions
After you have reviewed Assessment 3 Example [DOCX], use the  APA Paper Template [DOCX] to complete the following:

Use one of the following scenarios and supporting resources (described in the Preparation section above)  as the basis for this assessment:

Scenario 1: Mars Mission.
Scenario 2: Office Decor.
Scenario 3: Youth Sports.
Scenario 4: Anti-marijuana Campaign.

Write a 3-4 page paper (in addition to the title page and references page) that describes a possible solution for your selected clinical scenario with support from both theory and research.
Use in-text citations in the paper and create title and reference pages.

Use  the following sections  to organize your paper:
Title page:

Follow the template instructions.

Overview:

Apply a foundation psychological theory to address the problem  in the selected  scenario.

Summarize the identified problem  in the selected scenario.

Propose a solution to the identified problem.

Describe your solution.

Foundational Theory:

Describe the theory or theories that apply  to your scenario.

Explain how theory shaped the proposed solution to the problem.

Research Method and Findings:

Apply findings from scholarly research to develop a proposed solution to the problem in your scenario.

 Explain how the research findings shape your proposed solution.

Describe the research methods outlined in your scholarly research articles.

Mental Health and Well-being:

Speculate how your proposed solution  could impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes.

References page:

Follow the template instructions.

Additional Requirements

Written communication: Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to the current APA style and formatting.
Paper length: 3-4 typed, double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and references page.  
Resources: 3-4 peer-reviewed sources.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
SafeAssign: Use SafeAssign to check your writing and ensure that you have paraphrased, quoted, and cited your sources appropriately.
Checklist: Use the  Assessment 3 Checklist [DOC] to check your work.

Scoring Guide  
Applied Research in Psychology Scoring Guide
CRITERIA
NON-PERFORMANCE
BASIC
PROFICIENT
DISTINGUISHED
Summarize the identified problem in a selected scenario.
Does not list the identified problem in a selected scenario.
Lists but does not summarize the identified problem in a selected scenario.
Summarizes the identified problem in a selected scenario.
Summarizes the identified problem in a selected scenario and connects the problem to the research.
Apply findings from scholarly research to develop a proposed solution to a problem.
Does not apply findings from scholarly research and does not develop a proposed solution to a problem.
Develops a proposed solution to a problem, but the connection to research findings is either inadequate or unclear.
Applies findings from scholarly research to develop a proposed solution to a problem.
Applies findings from scholarly research to develop a proposed solution to a problem; provides examples of how the findings form the basis of the solution.
Demonstrate how a proposed solution is based in theory.
Does not discuss how a proposed solution is based in theory.
Discusses a solution, it is not clear how it connects to theory.
Demonstrates how a proposed solution is based in theory.
Demonstrates how a proposed solution is based in theory; provides multiple examples backed by research.
Speculate how a proposed solution, based on theory and research, could impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes.
Does not speculate how a proposed solution, based on theory and research, could impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes.
Describes a proposed solution that could impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes.
Speculates how a proposed solution, based on theory and research, could impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes.
Speculates how a proposed solution, based on theory and research, could impact mental health and well-being through behavior changes; provides multiple examples of expected behavior change.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions, including appropriate use of APA format.
Does not communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions, including appropriate use of APA format.
Communicates in a manner that is sometimes but not always scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions, including appropriate use of APA format.
Communicates in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions, including appropriate use of APA format.
Communicates with exceptional clarity and clear evidence in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological professions, including appropriate use of APA format.