Open Educational Resources
Document Type
Assignment
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Abstract
This resource presents a structured assignment designed for undergraduate health psychology and interdisciplinary courses. Students systematically collect and analyze public discourse as a determinant of health using a shared dataset, followed by instructor-led synthesis and application of scientific reasoning.
The assignment emphasizes mechanism-based explanation, including how communication environments shape stress, perception, and health behavior. A second phase explicitly integrates the scientific method, guiding students to evaluate claims, distinguish correlation from causation, and consider what evidence would be required to test observed patterns.
This assignment was developed and implemented in a Hispanic-Serving Institution during Spring 2026, in response to real-time conditions in which students were actively navigating public discourse related to immigration enforcement.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Comments
Complete assignment materials, including instructions, coding framework, implementation guide, and teaching notes, are available at: https://osf.io/y4vn9/overview>
A subsequent version of this OER can be found on the APA website. Please note, "Copyright 2026 by Dr. Amanda L. Almond. All rights reserved. You may reproduce multiple copies of this material for your own personal use, including use in your classes and/or sharing with individual colleagues as long as the author’s name and institution and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) heading or other identifying information appear on the copied document. No other permission is implied or granted to print, copy, reproduce, or distribute additional copies of this material. Anyone who wishes to produce copies for purposes other than those specified above must obtain the permission of the authors."