In this milestone, you will work from the topic, applied setting, and research questions you identified in Module Two and start identifying relevant research to support your final proposal.

PSY 540 Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric: Topic and Setting Submission Overview As a professional with a cognitive psychology background, you may be called upon to contribute your insights to help solve a contemporary problem in an applied setting. This solution could take the form of a proposal for a new program, research study, or initiative. For your final project, you will select an applied professional setting and contemporary problem related to cognitive processes and draft a proposal to explore strategies to improve the problem in that particular setting. In order to help you organize the thoughts you generated in an earlier discussion board in Module One, this assignment will allow you the opportunity to develop a topic suggestion. First, you will identify your topic of interest within the field of cognitive psychology from the following options:

 Attention

 Learning

 Memory

 Language

 Decision making Next, you will choose an applied setting, a professional field that could pose a contemporary problem related to your identified topic. You will describe how this problem relates to your topic and setting in this assignment.

 Education

 Law

 Mental health

 Technology Finally, you will generate three research questions about a contemporary problem related to your topic and applied setting. For example, if your topic is attention and your field of interest is technology, your potential problem could be related to decreasing attention spans and the online learning environment. Some potential research questions related to this problem might include:

 How does multitasking (e.g., listening to music while reading or texting while reading) influence attention to online course material?

 How do individuals with ADHD perform in an online learning environment, and what strategies can help them succeed?

 What strategies can teachers and students use to increase attention to relevant material in an online course? Note that the topic and setting elements are graded Pass/Fail. Please see the feedback provided by your instructor and re-submit, as needed.

Rubric Guidelines for Submission: This submission should be approximately one page, 12-point Times New Roman font, and double spaced, adhering to all appropriate writing conventions, including APA-style citation format where appropriate. Feel free to use bulleted lists to identify your topic, setting, and research questions. Your contemporary problem will require explanation in a written paragraph. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Topic Selected topic is appropriately within the domain of the course and the assignment

Selected topic is not identified or appropriately within the domain of the course and the assignment

15

Setting

Selected applied setting is appropriately within the domain of the course and the assignment

Selected applied setting is not identified or appropriately within the domain of the course and the assignment

15

Contemporary Problem Identified contemporary problem is related to both cognitive psychology and an applied setting

Does not identify a contemporary problem 25

Research Question 1

Research question relates contemporary psychological problem to applied setting

Does not provide a research question 15

Research Question 2

Research question relates contemporary psychological problem to applied setting

Does not provide a research question 15

Research Question 3

Research question relates contemporary psychological problem to applied setting

Does not provide a research question 15

Earned Total 100%