The Psychology & Child Development Department offers undergraduate degrees and minors in psychology and in child development, as well as a master’s degree in psychology. Students are challenged to be actively engaged in a learning process that involves intellectual rigor, a passion for human concerns, and an appreciation and understanding of diversity from the local to the global. Graduates possess the self-awareness, skills, and knowledge they need to begin careers or go on to graduate study. Alumni become competent and ethical professionals who serve the growing multicultural population of California and the nation.
Modified from psycd.calpoly.edu
Senior Projects from 2023
Disrupting Childhood Trauma with Holistic Health Practices in Low SES Elementary Schools, Unna G. Burns, Ketzia Kogan, Sarah M. Wingerden, and Hannah Meck
Child Sexual Assault Prevention and Intervention, Kira Peterson, Amaya Ibuna, and Emily Valenzuela
Senior Projects from 2021
Language and Communication Deficits in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of the Literature on the Progression, Prevention, and Mediation of Language Barriers Experienced by Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease, Alexander DeTurck, Jasmine Shapiro, Lily Sanz, and Danica Lewis
Senior Projects from 2015
Effects of Breastfeeding and Breastfeeding in Public, Morgan Doshier
Promoting Ethnic Awareness and Appreciation in Preschool Children, Hailey Drake and Hye Ran Helen Sim
Supporting Sensory Development: The Efficacy of Sensory Integrative Approaches to School-Based Occupational Therapy, Rebecca Heilbrun
Twins in School, Katelyn Theresa Smith
Hospice Volunteerism in Residents of a Skilled Nursing Facility, Sarah Stump
Senior Projects from 2014
Emerging Adults' Friends with Benefits Relationships, Emily Child Aguilar and Taelor Trimble
The Effects of Breastfeeding and the Importance of Teen Education, Brittany Davies-Morris, Jamie McHugh, and Kate Walters
The Use of Play in Speech and Occupational Therapy, Jodi Ehrenkranz and Caroline LaFerla
Talking with Children About Potentially Sensitive Topics: Birth, Sex, Death, and Santa, Natalie Lane Hendricks, Elisabeth Hope Jee, and Tiffany Erin Robbins
Fostering Children’s Interest in Science Learning Through the Use of a Hands-On Gardening Activity, Erika Kimball and Hannah Corry
Child Life Specialists’ Facilitation of Family-Centered Care: The Importance of Sibling Support, Carissa L. Lane
Video Games: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Lindsay Nakamura
Boys' and Girls' Early Science-Related Experiences and Opportunities, Camille Zumbro
Senior Projects from 2013
Motivations and Relationship Quality of Friends with Benefits Relationships Among Emerging Adults, Olivia Giorgi
SLiC: Family Science Backpacks for Preschoolers, Lorin Nevius
An Examination of Summer Bridge Programs for First-Generation College Students, Emily Christine Otewalt
Enhancing Motor Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Potential of an Interactive Metronome Approach, Jennifer Song
Senior Projects from 2012
Perceptions of the Voluntarily Childless: The Negative Stigma of an Unconventional Ideal, Alyssa N. Hook
Interventions for Individuals with Autism and a Research Proposal Comparing Two Augmentative and Alternative Communication Aids, Michelle G. Itskovich
Fostering Children’s Literacy and Language Development through Play: A Look at the Role of Early Childhood Educators in Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms, Kelly D. Russell