Summer SAVY 2019: Session 2, Day 3 – Psychology in Action (Rising 5th/6th)

Posted by hallep on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 in Grade 5, Grade 6, SAVY.

Dear parents,

Day three was full of challenging content and insightful discoveries! Our theme for the day was psychological measurement and experimental design. We started the day reviewing yesterday’s lessons by attempting to interpret symbols created by our own researchers (aka their take home assignment from day 1). By varying the number of words in the description of each picture or video, we highlighted the importance of instruction in understanding symbols. While our goal for this activity was to focus on the importance of instruction and interpretation, our students saw beyond that and had the insight that interpretation was also influenced by experience, similarity, and even the modality used to present their symbols.

After this enlightening experience, we moved on to talking about how psychologists study symbols. While most of our researchers came in with some knowledge of the scientific method, today we really focused on how psychologists have to be creative in applying it to human thought and behavior. One our researchers had a better understanding of psychological research methods, we worked with students to design their own study that they will use tomorrow to collect data with real participants from other SAVY classrooms!

Our day wrapped up with a guided visit to multiple exhibits at the Cohen art gallery on campus. Students had the opportunity to apply what they had learned about intent and interpretation in abstract symbols like art. This included art from a local artist in Nashville and relics from Meso-America.

Tomorrow we begin data collection and introduce our researchers to statistical techniques that will help them analyze and interpret their data. We look forward to putting in action what we’ve been learning all week about symbols!

Best Regards,

Ms. Emily and Mr. Israel