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Undergraduate Studies e-Portfolio

Wendy PerngB.A. Psychology, 2011

Personal Statement

Family and loving relationships may be one of the most important aspects to life. Without family or someone to live for, the meaning of existence seems to lessen. I have an enormous family and it comes with its perks and flaws. Every year, I love flying across seas to visit my family. The moment I arrive, it seems like a new world. My grandparents are coming to say hi along with my aunts and uncles and cousins. The women of the family typically sit down at the table with some tea and snacks. This is where it all begins. The stories that come from my loving relatives is absolutely shocking. Each of them fills me in on who is getting divorced and who disappeared from the marriage, and what family is in trouble with their children. Sometimes listening to this chatter is just a time passer. As I grow older, I realize that a lot of these issues are prevalent, not only in my life, but in the lives of my friends.

In my limited years, I have seen many families torn apart through divorce, deaths, and major mental illnesses. I admire my mother very much, for she seems to always be the rock of any situation. She has a sweet and caring demeanor that people feel comfortable with sharing their inmost deep issues. As I have grown up listening and being around people who have fallen and gotten back on their feet, it has made me appreciate those who spend their life trying to help people. My mother told me during my senior year of high school that I would excel at being a counselor or therapist. She said I knew how to empathize and listen and understand those in need. Her encouragement allowed me to pursue my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. I became a Resident Assistant my sophomore year and loved the amount of understanding and knowledge I gained from interacting with my residents. They have given me insight into what it will be like facing people with conflicts in their lives? and the need to be mediated and consoled. It was an honor to have my residents trust and respect me with their issues. After my sophomore year of college, I moved to California due to my entire family moving to Taiwan, and ended up finishing my Bachelor of Arts degree at Argosy University. It was a very proud moment walking across the stage, knowing that I am one step closer to helping people around the world professionally.

I have learned so much about the world of psychology and what it entails. The hundreds of theories, therapists, illnesses and aspects of psychology are astonishing. I am that much more interested in what I do because I know that no two therapists can be identical. This is a chance for me to use my experience and take the knowledge of other therapists and theories to create my own genuine therapy. I hold marriage, family and children very close to my heart. There is nothing I wouldn’t give to help people not only stay as a family, but stay as a happy, functioning family. I believe there will inevitably be conflicts in life; that is just human nature. If I can be that person to even help just one family, I will feel like I am going in the right direction. I will slowly be reaching my own self actualization.

What I am most excited about pursuing marriage and family therapy is that there is still so much more to learn and practice. I absolutely cannot wait to put myself out there and see what it is really like to be a therapist. It will take discipline, patience, and a lot of encouragement and motivation. I have a heart that is willing to learn and work as much as needed to in order to reach my goals. Abraham Maslow said, “The fact is that people are good. Give people affection and security, and they will give affection and be secure in their feelings and their behavior.” That is what I am here to do. With my experiences from childhood to adulthood, my year as a Resident Assistant, and my education in psychology, I promise myself and others that I will find a way to help each individual feel secure, happy, and content with their marriage, family and children.

  

Resume

Please review my Resume on my LinkedIN profile.

Reflection

I have been blessed by the education I have received in my college career. I transferred from the University of Pittsburgh to Argosy University after my sophomore year of college. It was quite a change, because classes went from 300 people lecture halls to 15-20 student classes. I was fortunate to bond with certain professors at Argosy University. They have provided extreme mentorship and encouragement for me to continue my education.

I have realized that psychology is not just a practice, but also an investment. Many of my peers and I will end up practicing psychology and becoming therapists, but we will also invest our time and heart into our patients. The more I read and heard of example cases and real life patients, the more I wanted to help. I have learned so much in my Counseling Theories class and Interviewing Techniques class. These classes helped me put myself in the role playing scenario where it placed me as a therapist and asked me challenging questions. I felt the pressure of being a therapist with difficult patients and/or difficult situations.

I had a great time as an undergraduate studying psychology, but I cannot wait until my studies and practices can become professional. My strengths in this field are that I have great communication skills and am able to empathize with people. I believe that a good therapist needs to be able to relate to their client on a certain level to be able to reach their emotional, vulnerable point. My weakness entails becoming too attached to people when I need to maintain a doctor versus client relationship. I believe that I will learn how to overcome my weakness through higher level schooling and practice through internships.

Table of Contents

Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and Information Literacy

Research SkillsCommunication Skills: Oral and WrittenEthics and Diversity AwarenessFoundations of PsychologyApplied PsychologyInterpersonal Effectiveness

Critical Thinking

 Two-Way AnovaWendy PerngArgosy University In this study, our independent variables are the Teaching Style 1, 2,3,4,5, and the Learning Activity A,B,C.

Our dependent variable is our effect/score. Our research design is a 5 (teaching style 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) x 3 (learning activity A, B, C)Ho Teaching style: There is no difference in the scores of each different teaching style

HA Teaching style: There is at least one difference in the scores of each different teaching styleHo Learning activity: There is no difference in the scores of each different learning activityHA Learning activity: There is at least one difference in the scores of each different teaching styleHo Interaction: There is no difference in the scores with the interaction of teaching styles and Learning

activitiesHA: There is a difference in the scores with the interaction of teaching styles and Learning activities.

Our confidence level is at .05, even though there was not one set.  First I calculated the SSwithin and found out the Df within and then the MS within. The SSwithin value

was 136.25 and the Dfwithin was 15. The MSwithin turned out to be 9.083. Then I found SS of Teaching Style and Learning activity separately, then I found out the SS of the interaction of Teaching Style and Learning Activity. After I have gathered all those values, I found the F values using the formulas given to me.

This information shows that for teaching itself, there is significance, so we reject the null hypothesis. For learning itself, there is significance so we reject the null hypothesis. Our interaction between teaching and learning activity has a significance level of .1227 which is greater than .05, so we fail to reject the null hypothesis. Teaching style does provide a difference by itself on our scores. Certain learning styles also provide a difference by itself on the scores. However, the interaction between them (the dependence upon each other) makes no significant difference on the scores

 

Research Skills

 Sample from a Research Proposal:

Many people’s main concern is how they can prevent dementia from happening so they can prevent the hardship and trials on their family members and future caretakers. A good research question to be addressed is, “What are the genetic risk factors and the non-genetic risk factors that influence the process of developing dementia/Alzheimer’s disease?” It can also be included in the research what prevention techniques there may be. Dementia has been a difficult disease to understand because there is no cure and no way to catch the disease from the start. It slowly deteriorates the brain, and slowly the symptoms will start to show. Many families could also just assume that their family member is just getting old and therefore memory loss goes along with it. However when their actions completely change and they start to not even recognize their loved ones, actions need to be taken in order to provide the best care for them.

If we do more research to understand what factors are in direct correlation with dementia and what are not, then the chances of developing dementia can be deciphered from case to case. There can always be a chance of a genetic inheritance, but there can also be environmental factors that include our diet, alcohol intake, tobacco intake, drug abuse, etc (Patterson, Feightner, Garcia, Hsiung, MacKnight, &Sadovnick, 2008). This will be important to research, because without understanding of the disease, caretakers and family will have a very hard time taking care of their family member. They will not understand their behavior or what is going on inside their minds. Many will become frustrated and hurt because it is their husband or wife that they are taking care of, and their husband or wife does not even recognize them. Alzheimer’s disease/dementia is a very trying disease and can cause a lot of stress and guilt amongst the family members. More research done about the cause of the disease, prevention, and therapy can help and ease the pain of those who are burdened already.

 

Communication Skills

 Alcohol and Circadian Rhythms

In today’s society, a main focus on performance is how much rest each person gets per night. Often times, the people of today’s economy and businesses work up to 60 hours a week, with very few hours of sleep. However, instead of coming home from work and relaxing and going to bed, many Americans take the luxury of having a few glasses of wine or bottles beer before hitting the sack. A couple of people will say that they are relaxed by the slight buzz they get from their drinks before they go to bed. However, does alcohol really help a good night’s rest? Do our circadian rhythms benefit from the effects of alcohol? My hypothesis on this matter is that indeed alcohol does affect our sleeping pattern. However, my hypothesis goes against the popular belief that alcohol helps the human brain sleep. I believe that alcohol, does in fact, hinder our circadian rhythms, which is why many times after a night of drinking, we feel even more tired than the day before.

Please look on LinkedIN for the power point presentation for this research project.

Ethics and Diversity

 Interview of a woman, of approximately your age, from a different cultural, ethnic, and religious background, or of a different sexual orientation than yours.

Ask the woman to describe her impressions about how her membership in her cultural group has influenced her socialization and opportunities as a woman. Persuade her to share any experiences of prejudice, especially gender prejudice.

  I decided to interview my friend who identifies herself as a lesbian. She said that it has been a few years since she came out to her family and friends, so she feels more comfortable around everyone. However, when she first told her family and friends, their reaction was not the one she wanted. Her parents rejected her, and her brother was the only one that said he accepted her for who she was. It was so hard for her, so she decided to keep her image as a straight girl. She wanted to cut her hair, but she did not, so she would look more “straight”. She did not necessarily wear girly clothes, but she still wore stuff that made her look more feminine. 

How did her being different shape her development and psychological adjustment? How has it affected her relationship with her parents, men, and other women?

  She said she has learned so much about herself. Her faith, her self esteem, her personality has all been shaped by accepting who she was. She said the main relationship she was concerned about was the one with her mother. Her mother was not supportive at all, and she felt really hurt and rejected from her. However, she had many straight girlfriends that she really appreciates saying that we would not look at her differently. We all still treat her the same, and that is exactly what she wanted.

Did you have some assumptions about women from the culture to which she belongs? Have the beliefs been confirmed or dispelled because of this interview? I grew up in a very conservative Christian community. I was told that being gay/lesbian was wrong and that I should not agree with it. However, I grew up with so many friends that were gay and lesbian, and I just cannot seem to ignore it. I love them as people, and I do not believe that they would choose to be different from other people just to spite the culture stigma.

  

Foundations of Psychology

Group Think Project: 

Process loss is when people within a group withhold information from each other or information gets lost. When a group of people are doing a project, and there is a lot of miscommunication, then it slows down the project speed. Also, some valuable information that one person was responsible for but did not communicate could completely alter the project outcome. Argosy University defines it as the information gathered from the group versus what the group should have gathered based on the number of individuals in the group (Argosy, 2011). Group think is similar to process loss, because it entails people not wanting to speak up about new information or outside information to consider, in fear of being rejected or “rocking the boat” (Argosy, 2011).

Each of these aspects harms group work, because one person may do all the work, which may make the project worse because that person does not have all the ideas that, say, 8 people could include. People not wanting to put in effort or afraid to speak up with new ideas can also be at loss to the group productivity.

In terms of me seeing how far the group has developed, I would do a daily sit in time with them. I would observe who is doing most of the talking, who is putting the most effort, and if there is any of the negative traits from above. I would take notes and then share to Li what I have found. If I did find those negative traits, I would tell him that perhaps he needs to rethink his strategy a little bit. He can break the groups into smaller groups, or produce a group goal or a motivational reward for the best group performance. If the group is maintaining a balanced work ethic, then to drive them to work even harder, a motivational reward would also suffice. Also, communication is key. Making sure that everyone in the group gets to communicate their ideas and is heard, more people will be motivated to participate (Argosy, 2011).

Brainstorming is a way for everyone in the group to generate ideas in a nonjudgmental way (Riggio, 2008). However, being in a group of random people, it is difficult to say whether a person will be judged or not for their idea. Also, some people may be more afraid to public speak in front of a group, so they will keep quiet and let other people talk. A new idea was proposed that people in a group can brainstorm electronically. Therefore, people do not have to be face to face, and it can track everyone who participates so that no one just takes advantage of the group.

Applied Psychology

ADHD Research Paper Sample:

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has affected millions of children and adults around the world. This disorder is commonly referred to as “hyperactivity” because of the symptoms shown (Butcher, Mineka & Hooley, 2010). Some statistics show that ADHD affects 3-7% of school-aged children (Aupperlee, Swank, Lien, & Ripinski, 2004, p. 5). Symptoms can include shortness of attention, having extreme hyperactive tendencies, temper outbursts, and poor academic performance. ADHD commonly is diagnosed in children, but in some cases, adults can be diagnosed later in life. However, the adults should have shown symptoms of ADHD as a child and still show the symptoms as an adult.

ADHD is placed in Axis I of the DSM-IV-TR. The DSM-IV-TR defines ADHD based on different criteria. The first diagnostic criterion is a , “Persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and is more severe than is typically observed in individuals at comparable level of development”(as cited in Aupperlee, et. al, 2004, p. 5). In other words, children with ADHD should be more hyperactive and unable to keep still to a point where it is truly different than other children his or her age. The second diagnostic criterion states that, “Some hyperactive-impulsive or inattentive symptoms must have been present before seven years of age” (as cited in Aupperlee, et. al, 2004, p. 5). ADHD symptoms usually develop at a young age; therefore parents must be able to see some symptoms present before the age of seven in order to meet the diagnostic criteria. The third criterion says, “Some impairment from the symptoms must be present in at least two settings” (as cited in Aupperlee, et. al, 2004, p. 5). The child’s symptoms should be present in at least two settings such as at home – perhaps sitting down at dinner is impossible, or at school where he or she cannot sit down and read. The fourth criterion states, “There must be clear evidence of interference with developmentally appropriate social, academic or occupational functioning.” (as cited in Aupperlee, J., et. al, 2004, p.5). Children with ADHD often have a lower IQ score, about 7-15 points lower than average students (Butcher, et. al, 2010, p. 530). Teachers and parents should be able to see the difficulty children have academically or paying attention, or even participating in children social functions. The fifth criterion states that, “The disturbance does not occur exclusively during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorders and is not better accounted for by another mental disorder.” (as cited in Aupperlee, et. al, 2004, p. 5).

Interpersonal Effectiveness

Please review my power point presentation on my LinkedIN profile about The Relationship between Active Touch and Passive Touch in the Presence of Cognitive Load

My Future in Learning

Learning is a never ending aspect. There are things to learn everyday if we pay attention. I am on a journey to learn as much as possible through the rest of my schooling and career about psychology and every detail surrounding it. There is so much to discover as well. I hope, through time and practice, I will produce innovative and exciting new research and hypotheses. Learning is not only an exciting journey, but a journey of my own self actualization.

Contact Me

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mail address below. Wendy.perng@gmail.com