Psychology & Physics: Finding Essential Connections

[StukaJU87c]

I have just started going back to school, and am currently taking a psychology course. I am majoring in physics and this has caused a bit of a problem for this interview paper assignment:

(1) Pick a sub-field from psychology
(see main chapters listed in the Table of Contents in your psychology course book) that you think is important in the occupation you are pursuing. Read the chapter to get an overview of the field. You should do a literature research to get familiar with your topic. Write questions you want to ask the professional. The majority of questions will have to be in connection with psychological aspects related to the professional field. Follow the guideline to research writing/writing tips posted on BlackBoard under the main menu’s content page.
(2) Conduct an interview.
a) Contact a professional working in the occupational field you have chosen and ask for an interview.
b) Conduct the interview using the questions you have listed that resulted from your readings/literature search.
(3) Compile information and insight into a paper.
Remember a psychological paper/presentation consists of an introduction (an overview of the topic and field), body (Literature Review; Methods and Results—here the interview), and conclusion/Discussion (brief summary and further suggestions, recommendations, own thoughts not fitting into body section, etc.).


My problem is finding an aspect of psychology essential to physics. The closest correlation I have been able to find would be educational psychology in the teaching of physics, though it is just so vague...speaking mostly of generalized educational strategies rather than anything specific in physics. I may as well be asking a high school history teacher these questions rather than wasting the time of a physics professor.

Does anyone have any ideas? I have played with the ideas of perception of time and relativity but the problem is that it is in no way an aspect of psychology essential to performing the job. Understanding a bit of the physical process of how our brains perceive time and/or special circumstances that cause that perception to become skewed have no effect on one's ability to understand relativity or affect it all. It would simply be seeing two sides of a subject matter.

Any input would be greatly appreciated,
Jared

 

[Evo]

1) Pick a sub-field from psychology
(see main chapters listed in the Table of Contents in your psychology course book

Physics is on the list as a sub-field of psychology?

What is the actual list you have to choose from? Then we can see how one could apply to a career in physics. Obviously it won't be about physics, but a trait that would be beneficial.

 

[StukaJU87c]

The list referred is not strict, in fact its rather useless. Its a listing of chapters in the textbook that have to do with various sub-fields. By no means are they all inclusive in fact I have found the book to be rather useless for my problem.

My main problem is finding anything to do with psychology that is a requirement for a physicist. I have e-mailed the professor about this problem and am hoping that she will allow a paper just relating aspects of the fields, and in the case I've been toying with the idea of human time perception vs. time in reality.

The sub-fields range from memory to sensory and perception, which those two I've found most applicable from the book.