PY102: General Education Assignment
Purpose: To familiarize yourself with the research method of the discipline and assess critical thinking, writing, information literacy, and technological competency.
Overview: You will need to select research article related to the field of psychology from the list below. Find the scientific, peer-reviewed journal, read the article and critically evaluate its methodology and results.
Guidelines: This is a writing assignment. This paper should be 3-4 pages in length, typed double spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman, APA style. Points will be deducted if you do not follow the guidelines and for grammar (the structure of words, sentences, etc.). If you need help utilize the writing center (HU 002). This assignment is worth 100 points.
The Nitty-Gritty:
Step 1: Select one of the five research questions and the appropriate article that will address the questionyou selected from the lists provided at the end of this document.
Step 2: Each article describes a scientific research study that was published in a peer-reviewed journal. The article will include a methods section and a results section (that is, it describes an actual study, rather than being a theoretical or review article). You need to locate and obtain the actual article from the library.
Step 3: Answer the following questions fully and completely, using complete and grammatically correct sentences. Be sure to explain your ideas fully and define your terms. NOTE: Writing “in your own words” means not using direct quotations from the article.
1. Citation in APA format: Provide a full citation of the peer-reviewed journal article you read, using APA format. [Hint: The library database will show you the full citation in APA format, using the “Cite” function.] (10 points)
2. What was your research question, and how does this article relate to that research question? Describe the psychology research question you were researching for this assignment. How is the scholarly article you read relevant to this research question? (10 points)
3. What is the hypothesis of the study? Describe the hypothesis (or hypotheses) of the study in your own words. (10 points)
4. What did the researchers do? Describe the sample and methodology of the study in your own words. Be sure to identify what kind of research method was used (survey, experiment, correlational study), the variables that were measured in the study, and any other relevant aspects of the methodology. [Hint: The methodology is described in the section titled “Method.” Explain the methodology of the study well enough that someone who hasn’t read the article will know what the researchers did.] (15 points)
5. What did the researchers find? Describe the main results of the study in your own words.[Hint: The results are described in the section titled “Results” and then often summarized again in the section titled “Discussion.”] (15 points)
6. What do the results mean? Describe the main conclusions you would draw from this study in your own words. [Hint: The researchers’ conclusions are usually discussed in the section titled “Discussion.’] (15 points)
7. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this study?In your own words, describe at least one strength and one weakness of the study, explaining why these are strengths and weaknesses. (15 points)
8. How would you improve this study? If you were to do the study over again, describe what changes you would make and why these changes would improve the study. (10 points)
Research Questions
1. Do we have maps of familiar environments in our minds?
2. Does more experience mean a bigger brain?
3. Are facial expressions of emotions universal?
4. Is aggressive behavior imitated by watching others?
5. Can something such as love be studied scientifically?
Related Research Articles:
Rosenzwerg, M.R., Bennett, E.L., and Diamond, M.C. (1972). Cerebral effects of differential experience in hypophysectomized rats.Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 79(1), 56-66
Bandura A., Ross,D. and Ross, S.A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-582.
Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps of rats and man. Psychological Review, 55, 189-208.
Harlow, H.F. (1958). The nature of love. American Psychologist, 13:12, 673-685
Ekman, P. and Friesen, W.V. (1971). Constants across cultures in the face and emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 17:2, 124-129.
Hint: if you cannot find the journal, try PschArticles.
