Welcome to the PsyDocHighSchool Site
I am glad that you are visiting my site.  All of the information on this site is free!  My desire is to help high school students succeed.  Additionally, I want young students to develop an interest in psychology.  Minorities, especially, are underrepresented in the field of psychology.  The resources on this site are to inform students on the following topics: high school courses to prepare for psychology in college, college admissions requirements, psychology programs in state and out-of-state, the types of careers in psychology, SAT study tips, math tips, how to find scholarships, simplifying the process of applying for college, and step by step guidelines on how to pursue specific careers in psychology.

 Thank you for visiting this site.  It has been my pleasure to assist your school in promoting higher education standards.  I believe that all students deserve an equal opportunity to both attend college and perform well in college.  No matter your background or current grades, by keep up-to-date on college admission requirements and the pathway to a career in psychology, you will experience academic and professional success.

Best of Luck,

PsyDoc

Ethics Documentary: Zimbardo Prison Study

I have included a documentary of a famous study in Psychology.  The Stanford Prison study also referred to as the Zimbardo Prison study (named after psychologist Philip Zimbardo) is famous because it split participants into two groups, prisoners and prison guards (in a real prison setting).  Unfortunately, the conditions within the experiment got out of hand, while the researchers did not intervene before human rights were violated.

This study was turned into a documentary.  Now-a-days, many textbooks talk about this case as a lesson in ethics.  Most researchers agree that it is not right to subject participants to unfair and dangerous circumstances like in this experiment.  So, watch the documentary and learn how seemingly interesting studies can turn into dangerous studies, if researchers haphazardly put together a study without considering safety, dignity, participant consent, and the ethical principle of "do no harm."

-I encourage you to take notes during the documentary.

-After it is over, write down questions that you still have about the study.  Research the answers to the questions that you have about the study.

-Identify mistakes that the researchers made with this study. 

-How could this study have been improved?

-Talk to a friend about the study.  What conclusions do they draw about the importance of the study?

-Overall, do you think the conclusions learned from the study outweigh the human rights violations?  If so, why?  Is it possible to study behavior in a more humane way?

-How would you feel if someone asked you to participate in a study without informing you of the risks?

-In one paragraph, explain the need to balance interesting research questions with public safety and welfare.

What Does a School Psychologist Do?

Click the video below to learn more about a School Psychologist's role and requirements to pursue this career.  Be sure to take notes, so that you can keep abreast of these requirements.  If you are interested in this degree, begin investigating undergraduate programs in Psychology.  Many universities offer a concentration, one of which may include School Psychology or Educational Psychology.

This video plays music during the interview, so adjust your speakers accordingly.

Psychology Resources for High School Students

Here is a video that talks about good resources for high school students that are interested in learning about Psychology. Because this is a video from YouTube, the library call numbers (reference number of book) that the Librarian reads can be ignored.

The Philosophy Behind Psychology

If you are thinking that Psychology uses a lot of references like existentialism, phenomenology, epistemology, ontology, unconscious, preconscious, logical positivism, and reductionism, then reading the philosophy behind these ideas will explain the terms in context of the psychology reading. 

A good source for learning about psychology and philosophy is the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.  A link to this site is available below.  I chose to feature William James on this site because he has some foundational topics in psychology like reality, truth, and consciousness that are important for students to learn.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy site:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/james/

GPA Matters

Every high school student should attempt to get a high grade point average.  At the least, a student should have a 3.0.  Do not stress if your GPA is lower than this.  Community colleges will still accept a student if their GPA is lower than 3.0; however, I encourage students to shoot higher than the 3.0 GPA.  4.0 is an A average in all your courses, 3.0 GPA is actually a B average, 2.0 GPA is A C average, and so on.  Many colleges want at least a B average, but a number of universities have higher GPA cut off points. 

The important point to remember is that you can control your GPA by shooting for an A in every class.  In order to get an A, turn in your homework on time, proofread your work, ensure that your work is correct, if you are struggling take advantage of the free tutors at your high school, check your grading rubric to see what is required to get an A on individual assignments like an English paper, take thorough notes and review them, and ask questions in class, if you are confused.

Bottom line is that you should keep track of your GPA, strive for an A in every assignment and class, and ask for help when you feel lost in class.

Take AP Psychology

If you do not plan to take AP courses, I encourage you to look into taking one.  AP courses are advanced placement courses.  They are offered in different subjects like Literature, Psychology, and History.  Taking advanced placement courses will help you, as a high school student, to encounter more challenging work in psychology early on.  A good strategy in school is to always stay ahead of the material!  Never allow yourself to go into a challenging course without reading and studying about the topic beforehand.  When you study or familiarize yourself with a subject beforehand, the subject is less difficult when you take the course.  You find that the material is easier to grasp and that you spend less time at home trying to do your homework tasks.

Overall, ask your high school counselor about AP Psychology courses.  Ask your counselor what you need to do for eligibility to take AP courses.  If you are not able to take AP courses, then do not worry.  I recommend viewing Psychology books and video lectures (internet-iTunes U, YouTube, and Coursera) on your own. 

Challenge Yourself: Read

Now is the time to challenge yourself as a student.  High school work can be straightforward, moderately difficult, or complex, depending on if you are in a special program, private school, or public school.  If you are in a public school, you can challenge yourself to be a more knowledgeable in psychology.  Start by reading books on various topics in psychology and counseling.  Students can read original texts from authors like Sigmund Freud, William James, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, Viriginia Satir, Aaron Beck, Irvin Yalom, Rollo May, B.F. Skinner, John B. Watson, and Paul Wachtel to name a few.  Many of these books are free on the internet and on Amazon's Kindle devices or Kindle app (use the app, if you do not have a Kindle).  It is also a good idea to read a textbook that overviews psychology.  Because these resources will be donated to your school, you should have physical books available to you.

Overall, students that begin reading books by original authors will be better prepared for studying psychology at a university.  Remember-preparation that is spaced out helps students master the material and become comfortable in retaining large amounts of material. 

Volunteering

Although you are just in high school, it is a good idea to begin volunteering in a setting of interest.  You may not have decided on a specific volunteer setting, but volunteering in various settings helps clarify your current and future interests.  Some students may want to become a psychologist that conducts counseling and assessments on the Geriatric population to ensure cognitive functioning, quality of life, and  support (familial, physical, emotional, mental, and social).  In this case, a first step would be to read about what Geropsychologists or Geriatric psychologists do and where they work.  After learning about the tasks of Geropsychologists, it would be wise to volunteer in a setting that offers services for that population. Similarly, a student that desires to become a Sports Psychologist could contact a psychologist and ask if they can help with tasks around the office or in the field. 

Volunteering helps you not only discover interests, but volunteering helps you connect with professionals and learn about the next steps for pursuing a career in psychology.  To some students, volunteering may seem like a major time commitment, but putting in the time to volunteer translates into experience and shows your determination to pursue a career in psychology.  All of your volunteer pursuits can be added to your resume.

Theorists in Psychology

It is important to become familiar with concepts in psychology before going to college.  Students that get ahead in their studies of psychological material will master these topics sooner. One way to begin learning more about psychology is to listen to video or audio lectures (YouTube, iTunes U, Podcasts, etc.).  These lectures can range from a few minutes to one or two hours.  If you are a busy student, then I recommend choosing online video lectures that are 20 to 30 minutes. 

The video below will take students through a conceptual tour of the major theorists in psychology: Sigmund Freud, Jung, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Erik Erikson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner, John Watson, Albert Bandura, etc.  Listen carefully to the information. If needed, create a YouTube account and subscribe to lecturers that provide you with good information.  Also, I recommend that students take notes from the lecturers.

 

Introduction to Psychology

It is important for students interested in psychology to begin learning about the general ideas in the field.  Watch the following videos to get a jump start on learning psychology.  These psychology episodes cover the topics of introductory psychology, research, experimental methods, neurochemistry of the brain, and brain function/anatomy.
 

 

 

What is a Sport Psychologist?

Learn from a Sports Psychologist about this interesting field. Many students are interested in this field after the show "Necessary Roughness" on USA network popularized the job of sports psychologists and counselors. Watch the video to learn about how this career works in real life.

The Sports Doc Minute: Goal Setting (Fall 2010)

This is an example of the work of a sports counselor or psychologist in action. Think about how goal setting applies to athletes and even students like yourself. Assuming you want to become a sports psychologist, you would need to set goals to accomplish such a task.   Mostly, I featured Dr. Stankovich to expose students to various careers in psychology. 

Read the preceding posts for more information on sports psychology.

The Sports Doc Minute: Relaxing Under Pressure (Fall 2010)

Here is another video featuring Dr. Stankovich.  These videos are a good preview of topics covered in the field of sports psychology.  Dr. Stankovich has more videos on youtube for those who want to hear more of his thoughts.

 

Sports Psychology Case Study from Dr. Chris Stankovich

This case study is written in the words of Dr. Chris Stankovich to give students a better understanding of Sports Psychology.  Also, since I am not a sports psychologist, the language used by Dr. Stankovich is more rich and relative to the field than what I could create.  However, below the tasks and questions will be that of my own.  Please read below for the case study.

Case Study: "Recently I  [Dr. Chris Stankovich] spoke with an elite-level athlete that I have known for many years about his thoughts on how much of his success to date was attributed to natural talent versus “heart” and hard work.  Having always been the best player on his team growing up, I wondered how much of his success came because of being a “genetic lottery winner” versus his dire passion to succeed and be the very best.  Interestingly, he was very honest with his answer and responded by saying that while he has always been one of the best players, his success was largely due to his God-given size, speed, strength and other related athletic gifts.  In fact, because of our personal relationship, he was very honest and even revealed to me that he really never loved playing his sport, but he did it because he was good at it and he knew it would likely open some future doors (like a college scholarship).

Many people falsely assume that elite-level athletes all love their sport, and think about it all day, every day.  While that might be true for some, there are others (like the example above) who learn early in life that they are pretty good at a sport, even if it isn’t what they love (or even enjoy) doing.  As you might imagine, this can be especially frustrating for coaches (and parents, too)!  All of this leaves me with the sport psychology question of whether others (i.e. coaches, parents) can instill drive, passion, mental toughness, and motivation into an athlete, who while athletically talented, doesn’t really love the sport?

I think most of us make the innocent mistake of assuming if someone is really good at something, they must also love (or at least like) doing it.  The truth is this is not always the case.  But how malleable are our personalities, and can we be encouraged and persuaded to eventually come to love what we are good at doing?

In sports, sheer athleticism will only take an athlete so far, as it is the combination of superior natural talent and a strong work ethic that allows athletes to advance to the college and professional sport levels. Without both (as well as some luck), even really good athletes will come to learn that it likely won’t be enough to continue on with a career in sports.
What do you think?  Can you generate passion and conviction, or does it have to be there from the start" (Stankovich, 2012)?

Task 1:  After reading the case study by Dr. Stankovich, write your thoughts in a one or two page paper.  Describe your assumptions about people playing sports and their motivation to do so (passion like internal motivation vs necessity for money or school scholarship).  Also, ask assess what you would ask the client if you were the sports psychologist doing the interview. 

Task 2: Critique the approach of the sports psychologist in helping the client.  Also, discuss your thoughts on the commentary from Dr. Stankovich.  What does Dr. Stankovich do well?  What techniques do you think he should use with this client in the future, if any?  If you were the sports psychologist, what would you tell the client about his playing sports but not really having a passion for it?

Task 3: Write down your thoughts from task 2 in one paragraph or two paragraphs.  In critiquing this case study, think about your own life as well.  Do you relate to this story in pursuing something because of skills and not interest?  If so explain this issue. If not, then tell your thoughts on how one's life is affected when they are living out of necessity or opportunity instead of by their passions/goals.

Task 4: Talk about this case with someone you know.  Ask them about their thoughts on the case.  Compare their thoughts with yours.  Are their many differences or similarities in opinion? 

For high school students interested in Sports Psychology, visit the following sites for more information:
http://blog.drstankovich.com/sport-psychology-case-study-athletic-talent-heart/#
www.appliedsportpsych.org
www.apadivisions.org/division-47

                                                      Reference

Stankovich, C. (2012). Sport Psychology Case Study: Athletic Talent & "Heart."  Retrived from
http://blog.drstankovich.com/sport-psychology-case-study-athletic-talent-heart/#