Capstone Project
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Capstone Project
Summary of Module Reports
Week 1: Personality Psychology and Developmental Psychology
As a branch of social psychology, personality psychology entails the study of the factors that influence people’s conduct (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 131). For example, a personality psychologist could be concerned with understanding the motivation behind aggressive behavior among children or adolescents. For this reason, personality psychologists tend to find employment in fields where they can utilize their insights into motivation, such as advertising. Contrarily, developmental psychology entails the study of people’s emotional and intellectual growth and development from when they are children to their adulthood (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 144). As a result, developmental psychologists usually secure employment in areas such as social research and in non-profit organizations.
Week 2: Biological Psychology and Perception and Attention Psychology
Biological psychology, or biopsychology, is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of the association between biology and behavior (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 87). In this regard, biopsychology entails finding any possible correlation between people’s physiology and their psychology. A key factor in this kind of study is neurophysiology, through which researchers can determine whether or not people’s behavioral patterns are related to their genetic makeup. Psychologists in this line of study typically get employed as psychiatric technicians or laboratory technologists. Perception and attention psychology, on the other hand, is a branch of cognitive psychology that entails the study of the mental processes, and especially the way people see and interpret things (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 116). This line of study is aimed at using the information obtained to improve people’s productivity. Given the analytical basis of perception and attention psychology, students can secure employment in areas such as operations research or management science.
Week 3: Psychopathology Psychology and Learning and Memory Psychology
Psychopathology psychology, as part of clinical psychology, entails the study of psychological and mental disorders as well as their possible methods of treatment and control. This area of study involves an examination of the etiology of a mental or psychological disorder so as to determine the best possible measures of intervention (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 20). Students in this line of study can secure employment as human services workers or social workers; this especially applies to undergraduate students. Contrarily, learning and memory psychology is part of cognitive psychology. It entails the study of the factors that affect people’s ability to acquire new information and retain it for future reference (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 116). Students in this line of study can get employed as computer analysts or programmers.
Week 4: Summary of Previous Weeks
Much of the information I acquired in the previous three weeks was related to clinical psychology and cognitive psychology. As I read through the available information, I got to appreciate the sheer breadth of complexity that characterizes psychology as a study of human behavior and social interactions. The different categories of psychology I examined are entirely complementary, despite remaining essentially distinct. For example, the broad class of clinical psychology does not include the applied analytics of cognitive psychology. The careers available for students in these courses are interesting and wholesome. They, however, do not complement my talents and are not in line with my dreams for the future.

Week 5: Social Psychology and Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Social psychology is the study of the way people interact with each other in their social settings (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 131). This study also extends the manner in which people’s thoughts and feelings are influenced by their respective social environments. As such, students engaged in this line of study can secure employment as advertisers and public relations specialists. In the case of industrial-organizational psychology, students undertake to examine how people behave in the workplace (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 99). This includes assessing the factors that contribute to job satisfaction and productivity among employees. For this reason, industrial-organization psychologists can be employed as human resource managers.
Week 6: Forensic Psychology and Experimental Psychology
Forensic psychology entails the merging of psychology as the study of human behavior, with the legal system in order to assist in the administration of justice (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 51). In this case, forensic psychologists use their insight into human behavior and motivation to create criminal profiles during criminal investigations in cases where there are forensic materials. Students in this line of study can, therefore, find employment as forensic examiners and police psychologists. Experimental psychology, on the other hand, focuses on conducting research in great detail while relying on mathematical models (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 116). Students can, thus, find jobs as insurance underwriters and budget analysts.
Summary of Specialty Areas
Advertising Psychology
As part of social psychology, advertising psychology involves assisting companies to market themselves and their products. In this area, there are several employment opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I have found that advertising psychology can prepare me for a managerial position in either the direct advertising department or the media department of a company. This is increasingly lucrative, given the fact companies rely on their relationships with customers as well as how best they can give out information regarding themselves and their products and/or services.
According to Kuther and Morgan (2012, p. 112), careers in advertising are fast-paced and exhilarating, which makes this career choice all the more relevant for me since I have a preference for that kind of life. At the graduate level, professional training in advertising psychology can enable me to get a job as either a market researcher or a product development consultant. In the former case, salaries can go up to $85,510. In the latter case, the figures go up to $151,393. This is a definitive indicator of just how valuable advertising is to a business. In this regard, there is a sense of job security in the advertising industry.
Forensic Psychology
Forensic psychology portends a fast-paced career, just as is the case with advertising psychology. Professional training in forensic psychology will guarantee me a career as either a forensic examiner or a police psychologist. Either way, the most likely route for my career with this kind of training would be law enforcement. According to Kuther and Morgan (2012, p. 51), students wishing to take this course are better off seeking employment in law enforcement as opposed to planning for private practices. In this case, forensic psychology is, essentially, applicable in criminal investigation more than any other line of work. For this reason, I am preparing to enroll for graduate training to increase my chances. I will then qualify to become a forensic examiner, criminal profiler, police psychologist, or even a politician.
I am willing to pursue this work all the way to the federal level, where I stand a chance at joining the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations) or the CIA (Criminal Intelligence Agency). As a top-level forensic examiner, I would get a chance to bill my clients at the rate of $300 per hour (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 60). This is also lucrative, given the amount of work that goes into psychological profiling during criminal investigations. In the case of politics, professional training in forensic psychology would equip me with the necessary skills to understand how to effectively structure the political landscape in my favor. Even though it is akin to mass manipulation, using professional training in psychology to get an upper hand in politics can translate to a salary of up $174,000 as the United States Senator.
Personality Psychology
Personality psychology entails the study of the basis of human personality. This is especially the case with the social and environmental factors, as distinct from biological or physiological aspects. According to Kuther and Morgan (2012, p. 131), personality psychology is part of social psychology, and it is also integrally related with consumer psychology. In this regard, job opportunities abound in the field of management. This is because the course would equip me with the necessary skills to effectively assess people’s personality, and especially the things that motivate them. As a manager, such skills would enable me to institute appropriate policies on motivation and, thereby, guarantee higher productivity. At the graduate level, the course would qualify me for a salary scale of between $89,000 and $100,000.
Action Steps for Enhanced Proficiency
Majoring in psychology is part of my plan to establish myself as a professional in the job market, and according to Kuther and Morgan (2012, p. 5), it is one of the most prestigious degrees awarded by universities the world over. Nevertheless, I am required to construct a concrete plan through which to pursue this objective, which includes plans for specialized study in three distinct psychology courses at the graduate level.
1. Graduate School Selection:
The first step towards attaining the right graduate-level training is selecting the right school. There are several institutions of higher learning that offer graduate courses in psychology, such as the University of Hawaii. After selecting a school, I will structure my application and recommendation letters based on the guidelines provided by Kuther and Morgan (p. 191-194).
2. Tests:
There are typically two broad sets of tests I will be required to take, for which I will prepare before joining the graduate program. These are the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General and Psychology Tests (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 191).
3. Programs:
I. Master’s Degree
Choosing an appropriate Master’s degree program is going to be easy since each university has its own distinct curriculum. Only two classes of Master’s programs exist, M.A. and M.S., which are essentially the same and only differ depending on the respective institution offering the program (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 187).
II. Doctoral Degree
As a doctoral degree, I would prefer to take the Psy.D., which stands for Doctor of Psychology, instead of the Ph.D., which refers to Doctor of Philosophy. This is because the former is a professional course, as opposed to the latter, which is, essentially, an academic course (Kuther & Morgan, 2012, p. 189).

References
Kuther, T., & Morgan, R. (2012). Careers in psychology: Opportunities in a changing world. Cengage Learning.