Assignment: Foundations of Psychology

Topics in Psychology

STEP 1: Visit the TED Talks website and search for a talk on the subject matter of psychology. Watch one of the talks that interests you, as long as it is a minimum of 8 minutes in length. At the top of your response, include the title of the TED Talk, the name of the presenter, when it was filmed, along with a link to the video.

STEP 2: In an essay of between 200-400 words, respond to the following:

  • Give a summary of the TED talk, emphasizing the speaker’s main points
  • What did you find most interesting about the talk, and what will you most likely remember from the talk?
  • What type of data or evidence did the presenter show to back up their information?
  • Read the biographical information and do some basic background research on the presenter. What area of psychology do they work in? More specifically, which psychological perspective would you say best fits the type of work they do? Why?
  • What other questions would you have for this presenter if you could have a conversation with them? What else would you like to know about the topic?

Rubric

Sample Grading Rubric
Criteria Proficient Developing Not Evident Points
Presents a coherent summary between 200-400 words Writes in clear, descriptive sentences with no or few grammatical errors. Accurately summarizes the information in the TED talk, shares the title and link, and the talk is at least 8 minutes in length. Does not provide enough detail in the summary or contains several grammatical errors. TED talk is possibly too short or not included. Incomplete summary or difficult to understand OR poor choice of TED talk. __/5
Describes interesting points and evidences from the talk Describes interesting and memorable concepts from the talk. Also explains the research, evidence, or data cited by the presenter in the talk. Does not fully describe concepts from the talk or does not reference the evidence demonstrated in the TED talk. Does not describe concepts from the talk and does not explain evidence. __/6
Explains the psychological perspective fitting the presenter Makes the connection between the TED presenter and the field and perspective of psychology that they are presenting about. Describes this perspective. Makes a connection with the TED talk and a perspective but does not describe the perspective or demonstrate an understanding of the perspective. Inaccurately or incompletely describes the psychological perspective that fits the TED talk. __/6
Examines further areas of interest Elaborates on other remaining questions for the presenter or about the topic. Does not fully elaborate on other remaining questions for the presenter or about the topic. Does not consider other questions for the presenter or questions about the topic. __/3
Total: __/20