9-3 neuropsychology

Final Project Guidelines and Rubric.html

PSY 634 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview

The final project for this course is the creation of a case application paper that includes an in-depth analysis of a selected case study. You will choose an individual such as a known historical figure, a celebrity, a fictional character, or an individual known personally to you (all identifying information must be eliminated from the paper for the last option). The selected individual must be a child or an adolescent with a cognitive disorder or a learning disability. Your analysis should meet the following critical elements:

1. Describe the psychological aspects of cognitive processes and rationale to support your thinking.
2. Describe the physiological aspects of cognitive processes and rationale to support your thinking.
3. Clarify the relationship between psychological and physiological aspects of cognitive processes.
4. Evaluate the negative effects of psychological and physiological dysfunction on daily functioning.
5. Analyze the impact of technological advancements in the field of neuropsychology in a well-supported manner.
6. Provide accurate characteristics of a normal functioning brain.
7. Provide accurate characteristics of common cognitive dysfunction.
8. Differentiate between normal brain function and cognitive dysfunction in a well-supported manner.
9. Provide appropriate neuropsychological methods for diagnosing and treating common cognitive dysfunction.
10. Adequately assess the role neuroimaging plays in the diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction.
11. Adequately assess the role neuropsychological assessment plays in the diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction.
12. Recommend coping mechanisms for children or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues.
13. Propose prevention strategies for children or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues.
14. Incorporate the principles of neuropsychology to recommend coping mechanisms and prevention strategies for children or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues.

The case application paper should be a 10- to 12-page Word document. The final product represents an authentic demonstration of competencies highlighted by the course outcomes because the paper requires students to 1) analyze brain areas associated with a disorder and corresponding behavioral deficits, 2) review existing research and apply the literature to a topic in cognitive neuropsychology, and 3) assess diagnostic techniques, summarize effective treatments, and analyze possible outcomes of those treatments. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final product will be submitted in Module Nine.

This assessment will assess your mastery with respect to the following course outcomes:

• Analyze the relationship between psychological and physiological aspects of cognitive processes
• Analyze the impact that recent advancements in technology have had on the field of cognitive neuropsychology
• Compare the neuropsychological functions of a normal functioning brain with those of individuals diagnosed with common cognitive dysfunctions
• Assess the appropriateness of employing neuropsychological methods in the diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunctions Note: Topics should include neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessment
• Recommend possible coping mechanisms and prevention strategies for children and adolescents experiencing or who are at risk for common cognitive issues using the principles of cognitive neuropsychology

Prompt

Consider the following questions related to each critical element:

1. Cognitive Processes

1. What are some psychological aspects of cognitive processes?
2. What are some physiological aspects of cognitive processes?
3. What is the relationship between the psychological and physiological aspects of cognitive processes?
4. How does both psychological and physiological dysfunction negatively affect daily functioning?

• Technological Advancements

1. How have recent technological advancements impacted the field of cognitive neuropsychology?

• Neuropsychological Function

1. What are the neuropsychological characteristics of a normal functioning brain?
2. What neuropsychological disruptions occur in an individual diagnosed with the common cognitive dysfunction of the chosen child or adolescent?
3. What are the differences in the neuropsychological functioning between a normal functioning brain and the neuropsychological functioning of an individual diagnosed with the cognitive dysfunction of the chosen child or adolescent?

• Diagnosis and Treatment

1. What neuropsychological methods would be appropriate in diagnosing and treating a common cognitive dysfunction?
2. Does neuroimaging play a role in diagnosing and treating common cognitive dysfunction? Explain.
3. What role does neuropsychological assessment play in diagnosing and treating common cognitive dysfunctions?

• Coping Mechanisms and Prevention Strategies

1. What types of coping mechanisms would you recommend for a child or adolescent experiencing these cognitive issues?
2. What prevention strategies affect cognitive issues in children or adolescents who may be at elevated risk for developing dysfunction?
3. What role do the principles of neuropsychology play in developing coping mechanisms and prevention strategies for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or are experiencing these cognitive issues?

Milestones

Milestone One: Topic Submission In Module Three, you will submit your topic choice for your case application paper. You will submit your case study choice and the reason why you have chosen this individual via the Discussion Topic. This milestone is graded with the Discussion Rubric.

Milestone Two: Annotated Bibliography In Module Five, you will submit your annotated bibliography. The format should be a Word document listing at least eight resources you will use to support your case study and a paragraph explanation of how each resource will support your case application paper. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Rough Draft In Module Seven, you will submit a rough draft of your case application paper. The format should be a nearly complete draft of the final product and should be at least 8–10 pages in length. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Final Product: Final Project Submission: Case Application Paper In Module Nine, you will submit your case application paper. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the main elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This milestone will be graded using the Final Product Rubric (below).

What to Submit

Written components of the project must follow these formatting guidelines when applicable: double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, and discipline-appropriate citations. Page length requirement: 10–12 pages, not including cover page and resources.

Final Project Rubric

Criteria	Exemplary (100%)	Proficient (90%)	Needs Improvement (70%)	Not Evident (0%)	Value
Cognitive Processes: Psychological Aspects	Meets “Proficient” criteria and the psychological aspects are supported using relevant examples	Describes psychological aspects of cognitive processes and provides rationale to support thinking	Describes the psychological aspects of cognitive processes, but the description lacks detail	The psychological aspects of cognitive processes are not evident	4.5
Cognitive Processes: Physiological Aspects	Meets “Proficient” criteria and the physiological aspects are supported using relevant examples	Describes physiological aspects of cognitive processes and provides rationale to support thinking	Describes the physiological aspects of cognitive processes, but the description lacks detail	The physiological aspects of cognitive processes are not evident	4.5
Cognitive Processes: Relationship	Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses appropriate scholarly resources for substantiation	Clarifies the relationship between psychological and physiological aspects of cognitive processes	Clarifies the relationship between psychological and physiological aspects of cognitive processes, but the relationship is loosely identified	The relationship between psychological and physiological aspects of cognitive processes is not evident	4.5
Cognitive Processes: Negative Effects on Daily Functioning	Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes insightful examples validated by research	Evaluates the negative effects of psychological and physiological dysfunction on daily functioning	Evaluates the negative effect of psychological and physiological dysfunction on daily functioning, but the evaluation is lacking in detail and/or accuracy	The negative effect of psychological and physiological dysfunction on daily functioning is not evident	4.5
Technological Advancements: Technological Impact	Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses relevant resource examples	Analyzes the impact of technological advancements in the field of neuropsychology in a well-supported manner	Analyzes the impact of technological advancements in the field of neuropsychology, but the analysis lacks breadth and depth	Does not analyze the impact of technological advancements in the field of neuropsychology	18
Neuropsychological Function: Characteristics of a Normal Functioning Brain	Meets “Proficient” criteria and substantiates ideas using scholarly resources	Provides accurate characteristics of a normal, functioning brain	Provides characteristics of a normal, functioning brain, but characteristics lack detail and/or accuracy	The characteristics of a normal functioning brain are not evident	6
Neuropsychological Function: Characteristics of Common Cognitive Dysfunction	Meets “Proficient” criteria and substantiates ideas using scholarly resources	Provides accurate characteristics of common cognitive dysfunction	Provides characteristics of common cognitive dysfunction, but the characteristics lack detail and/or accuracy	The characteristics of common cognitive dysfunction are not evident	6
Neuropsychological Function: Differences Between Normal Brain Function and Cognitive Dysfunction	Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses relevant research examples	Differentiates between normal brain function and cognitive dysfunction in a well-supported manner	Differentiates between normal brain function and cognitive dysfunction, but the differentiation lacks detail and/or is not substantiated	The differentiation between normal brain function and cognitive dysfunction is not evident	6
Diagnosis and Treatment: Neuropsychological Methods	Meets “Proficient” criteria and supports methods with scholarly research	Provides appropriate neuropsychological methods for diagnosing and treating common cognitive dysfunction	Provides neuropsychological methods for diagnosing and treating common cognitive dysfunction, but the methods are not solidly identified	The neuropsychological methods for diagnosing and treating common cognitive dysfunction are not evident	6
Diagnosis and Treatment: Neuroimaging	Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes insightful examples validated by research	Adequately assesses the role neuroimaging plays in diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction	Minimally assesses the role of neuroimaging on diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction	Does not assess the role of neuroimaging on the diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction	6
Diagnosis and Treatment: Neuropsychological Assessment	Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes insightful examples validated by research	Adequately assesses the role neuropsychological assessment plays in diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction	Minimally assesses the role that neuropsychological assessment plays on diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction	Does not assess the role that neuropsychological assessment plays on diagnosis and treatment of common cognitive dysfunction	6
Coping Mechanisms and Prevention Strategies: Coping Mechanisms	Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes an explicit explanation of the rationale behind the recommended coping mechanism	Recommends coping mechanisms for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues	Recommends coping mechanisms for children and/or adolescents that are loosely aligned with the cognitive issue	Coping mechanisms for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues are not evident	6
Coping Mechanisms and Prevention Strategies: Prevention Strategies	Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes an explicit explanation of the rationale behind the recommended coping mechanism	Proposes prevention strategies for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues	Proposes prevention strategies for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues, but the strategies lack detail and/or are inappropriately aligned to the cognitive issue	Prevention strategies for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues are not evident	6
Coping Mechanisms and Prevention Strategies: Principles of Neuropsychology	Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses appropriate research for substantiation	Incorporates the principles of neuropsychology to recommend coping mechanisms and prevention strategies for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues	Incorporates the principles of neuropsychology to recommend coping mechanisms and prevention strategies for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues, but the recommendations are minimal	The principles of neuropsychology to recommend coping mechanisms and prevention strategies for children and/or adolescents who are at risk or experiencing cognitive issues are not evident	6
Articulation of Response	Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format	Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization	Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas	Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas	10
Total:	100%