Aidan Kielty, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed a major in Psychology
For my capstone project, I was able to combine my interest in sports and working out with one of my favorite areas of study, Applied Behavioral Analysis. Going into it, I initially thought the project was going to be really challenging because of how structured and research-based capstones are supposed to be. I expected a lot of difficulty with the research and trying to apply psychological concepts in a meaningful way. At first, it felt a little overwhelming because I wasn't completely sure how I would connect everything. As I started planning and working through the project, I
realized it was actually much more manageable than I thought, mainly because I was working with a topic I genuinely enjoy. I focused on how behavioral principles like reinforcement, habit formation, and feedback can be applied to athletic performance and training consistency. Since I already live in that environment as a baseball player and someone who works out regularly, it made the process much more enjoyable. I could clearly see real-life examples of the concepts I was studying, which made it easier to develop ideas and support them with research. One of the most valuable parts of the capstone was realizing how much behavior affects performance in sports. Things like how athletes respond to positive reinforcement, how routines are built, and how consistency develops over time became very clear through both my research and personal experience. It also helped me understand my own training habits better and how I can improve them. Overall, even though I expected the capstone to be really difficult, it ended up being a lot more enjoyable than I thought. Because I was interested in the topic, the work didn't feel as stressful, and I was able to stay focused throughout the process. It ended up being a project that I really enjoyed doing and I learned from.
No comments:
Post a Comment