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Morgan Lacher

Dr. Johnson

Senior Seminar

30 November 2017

Psychology Seminar Reflection

I believe that Senior Seminar has brought about a full-circle ending to my Psychology

major and related research. I transferred into this major from Elementary Education upon

chatting with my Spanish advisor about my future career goals. At that time, I knew that I

wanted to become a bilingual Occupational Therapist, but was unsure of the correct way of

accomplishing that desire. Having taken AP Psychology in high school, I was always interested

in the history and progresses of psychological research and my advisor and I decided that I

should pursue a psychology major. This course focused predominantly on psychological research

history and debating controversial issues in the field. With an expansion on information taught in

Intro to Psychology, I have now seen this material progress in my initial semester and now my

final semester as a psychology undergraduate.

The psychology major definitely benefits me as a future Occupational Therapist because I

have grown in empathy and understanding of various cultures, beliefs, and diagnoses.

Occupational Therapists, like psychologists, desire to provide the best treatment for their patients

and clients while understanding their inherent human dignity and well-being. Courses such as

Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Learning & Cognition, and Physiological Psychology

are all recurring topics in the field of Occupational Therapy and my understanding of human

nature and physiology will provide context during my graduate school experience.
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A key component of this senior seminar was the controversial topic debate in which

students were assigned a side on a major controversy in the psychological world. For my debate,

I was assigned the benefits of animal testing regarding psychological research. Dayton, my

partner, is also majoring in neuroscience; he brought an interesting, brain-based perspective to

the group. I focused mostly on animal research testing techniques, their numerous benefits, and

their modern-day application into psychology and other health-science related fields. The most

important aspect of this research presentation was understanding that no pro or con side was

entirely morally correct. Issues were on the gray scale, not clearly black and white. While I

ultimately disagreed with the relevancy and need for animal testing in our modern society, there

were many obvious benefits for animal testing in the past, such as more anatomical and

physiological advances.

This common theme of the continuous spectrum of morality was demonstrated in all of

the controversial themes that were discussed. As psychologists, we must consider all relevant

information and arguments before making our moral decisions as ethical-decision makers of

Loras College. In American society today, many individuals are not willing to listen to both sides

of the argument and I believe that this causes further disarray. If everyone was able to emphasize

with another individual and understand their rationale behind a behavior or action, we would all

realize that we, as people, are more alike than different.

Every controversy incorporated and reflected on the American Psychological

Associations Code of Ethics, as this is the guiding tool that psychologists utilize to make

rational, ethical decisions. Every psychological principle and practice of the field is clearly stated

by the APAs Code of Ethics. Despite the differences in stances on the arguments, all of the

controversies that were discussed utilized the APAs Code of Ethics. However, the policies were
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usually vague enough where both sides were able to manipulate the memorandum to

accommodate their side. The only controversy that the APA Code of Ethics firmly disagreed

with was the use of torture by psychologists. I believe that this transparency that sometimes

occurred during the Code of Ethics in all controversies, besides torture, demonstrates that the

psychologists personal moral code is a key deciding factor in many situations.

Through evaluating the APA Code of Ethics, I was reminded of some of my significant

personal values and beliefs. For instance, I experienced some sort of cognitive dissonance when

reading the APAs positive stance on animal testing because I am a strong advocate for the

human and ethical treatment of animals. On the other hand, I am also passionate about medical

advances pertaining to the therapy field, especially those involving Occupational Therapy. Due

to this apparent discord, I was challenged with adhering to the APA Code when I believed I do

not believe in animal testing. I essentially employed a utilitarian approach in my argument and

came to the conclusion that animal testing, in regards to human medical advancement only,

serves as a beneficial tool.

To begin with my investigations, I first wanted to view both sides of the argument and

read scholarly articles both supporting and criticizing the use of animals for psychological

testing. From there, I was able to view the strongest evidence and appeals from both sides. By

looking at this scenario from an unbiased approach at the start, I was able to view the entire

situation without much judgment and limited prejudice. To gather information, I utilized

empirical, scientific journals for all of my sources. I was able to access this data from Google

scholar and the Loras College Library search bar.

By developing the strengths of each side of the argument, the weaknesses and limitations

were made apparent. I encountered that the pro animal testing side of the argument was more
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advancement and technology based; however, those against animal testing appealed more to

emotions and personal moral codes. In my presentation, I eliminated emotional appeal and

focused on the statement of the APA Code of Ethics and other scholarly organizations.

As a Spanish major as well, I also covered a major controversy currently receiving media

attention and governmental debate in the United States: undocumented immigrations, especially

pertaining to immigrants from Latinx communities. For my final Spanish thesis, I explored

access to preventative healthcare for undocumented Latinx immigrants in the United States.

Many of the given examples for preventative healthcare included types of Physical Therapy,

Occupational Therapy, and even Psychotherapy. I believe that this thesis, which was presented at

the Loras Legacy Symposium, built upon learned information from my background in Spanish

culture and psychology with a focus on my future career goal. I have encountered many

similarities between my Psychology and Spanish degrees. Psychology, the science of studying

the human mind and its behavior, applies to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, and

nationality.

While undergoing research for this semester-long project, I spanned through a multitude

of sources in attempt to find data that was unbiased and fair. However, many websites and

sources demonstrated a bias for or against immigration and it was difficult to view raw data.

Many individuals are very passionate about the immigration debate and how those humans

should be treated: either by following the U.S. written law or by following ones moral compass

and showing compassion to those in need. The legality behind immigration in the United States

and the protocol to address undocumented immigrants does not favor healthcare of any sort for

undocumented immigrants. However, Catholic Social Teaching demonstrates that all humans are
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worthy of respect and human dignity. Ultimately, I approached the controversy not with a

disregard for laws pertaining to immigration, but with an emphasis on the people-first approach.

Through the examination of a controversial issue in psychology and the following

presentation, I believe that I now have an understanding of the APA Code of Ethics and what is

expected of psychologists practicing in the field. I believe that I have grown in all four of the

Loras College dispositions by majoring in psychology and cannot wait to see where my

psychology degree and graduate school takes me.