For your final Assignment, you will write a 6–8 page case study paper that describes a hypothetical person in two stages of life development. View the person as a hypothetical client if you are studying Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) or Addictions or as a participant in a longitudinal research study if you are studying General Psychology. The goal of this paper is for you to present a developmental profile of a person in two consecutive stages of life (e.g., early and middle childhood), explaining their individual growth using biological, social, psychosocial, cognitive, and environmental theories. Select developmental periods that interest you and that correspond to your future career plans. For example, if you are studying to be an addictions specialist and want to work with adolescents, you might select adolescence and early adulthood.

To begin, select the scenario that corresponds to your concentration track; then, choose two successive developmental stages. Create an outline of the client’s different developmental features during each of the developmental periods. Write a paper that follows the sample case study format (see below the scenarios). You must use at least five primary source references that are from peer-reviewed journals and the class text.

Applied Behavioral Analysis

Client: Jackson

Age range: you decide — example early adulthood (20–40 yrs.) to middle adulthood (40–60 yrs.).

Jackson has developed phobias over the last few years, specifically to spiders, heights, and germs. He (or his parents, if you make him a child) is uncertain as to when they began or how. However, the fear is debilitating and prevents him from being able to function in his life.

Questions to use to guide your response: What are the main features of Jackson’s cognitive, social, biological, and psychosocial development during two developmental periods? Which therapeutic interventions would you suggest for helping him to reduce the fear? (Hint: Again, consider his developmental period in order to create appropriate interventions.) What predictions would you make for some developmental issues that might contribute to the phobias or prevent treatment from working?

Addictions

Client: Michelle

Age range: you decide — example early adulthood (20–40 yrs.) to middle adulthood (40–60 yrs.).

Michelle has been referred to you because she was arrested last week for possession of heroin with intent to distribute. She also tested positive for heroin and marijuana, adding to her charges. She has no history of prior treatment and is unwilling to enter treatment now, though she was court ordered.

Questions to use to guide your response: What are the main features of Michelle’s cognitive, social, biological, and psychosocial development during two developmental periods? What developmentally appropriate interventions would you propose that could be used to help Michelle to reduce her cravings? What predictions would you make for some developmental issues that might contribute to the addiction problems or prevent treatment from working?

General Psychology

Participant: Patrick

Age range: you decide — example adolescence (12–17 yrs.) to early adulthood (20–40 yrs.).

You are studying the development of people who lived in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Your participants lost everything, including at least one close family member. Your particular interest is in studying issues faced by them (including possible developmental problems) related to moving away from New Orleans, loss of house, loss of a family member, and change in economic status. To study these effects, you are conducting a longitudinal study using the same population, interviewed annually over many years to collect data. The main interest is in gathering data related to the specific effects of experiencing a disaster on social, biological, psychological, psychosocial, and cognitive development of different-aged people.

Patrick is one of your subjects who was forced to live in Texas temporarily and then moved to New Jersey before returning to New Orleans 3 years later.

Questions to guide your response: What are the main features of Patrick’s cognitive, social, biological, emotional, and psychosocial development during two developmental periods? What predictions would you make concerning the results of your findings for people in the two developmental periods? What interventions or strategies would you suggest for reducing the effects of exposure to disasters? What further studies do you propose that could be created to explore your predicted findings?

Industrial/Organizational

Participant: Maxine

Age range: you decide — example early adulthood (20–40 yrs.) to middle adulthood (40–60 yrs.).

Maxine has experienced increased anxiety since her promotion to supervisor. She is currently responsible for supervising a work group of 30 people. Her employer noticed that she has been irritable and short tempered upon promotion.

Questions to use to guide your response: What are the main features of Maxine’s cognitive, social, biological, and psychosocial development during two developmental periods? Which therapeutic interventions would you suggest for helping her to reduce her irritability and anger? What predictions would you make concerning some developmental issues that might contribute to the issue or prevent treatment from working?

Case Study Suggested Format and Strategies

Research

Begin by selecting two developmental periods (remember that they need to be consecutive) and research the typical expectations for cognitive, social, moral, and biological development. Then conduct research using a peer-reviewed journal such as Developmental Psychology or Child Development to determine what kinds of developmental problems might arise in your chosen scenario.

Use that research and knowledge of developmental theory to create your hypothetical client/participant case study.

Writing Case Studies Introduction: Describe the problems to be solved, including specific information about the client/participant. Be clear in explaining the exact problem(s) or research question(s) so that your reader will be able to understand the rest of the case study. Background: In this section, describe in detail the specific developmental issues and pertinent background that would help to explain why the client/participant is experiencing problems in the present. Typically, this section includes the age the problem started and any specific information from the past that relates to the current problems (e.g., child of an alcoholic). Current State: In this section, explain the client/participant’s strategies for handling the problem(s). Explain the client/participant’s current developmental stages. Suggested Interventions: In this section, explain how the client/participant might benefit from specific treatments or interventions. Remember to use peer-reviewed research to support your ideas. Conclusion: Provide a brief restatement of the problem and ideas for future study to help others who have the same problems.