Assignment #1: Popular Press Vs. Peer Reviewed Articles

Assignment #1: Popular Press vs. Peer Reviewed Articles General Psychology – Summer 2010 25 points – Due 7/7 This assignment is intended to have you compare and contrast the writing style and information content between a popular press report and a primary research article that’s referencing a psychological phenomenon. The articles need to address the same phenomenon (for example, depression, love, teenage norms etc.), but do not have to address the same exact experiment/method of experimentation in their writing. For hints on appropriate psychological phenomena, reference the textbook and/or email me if you’re not certain about the topic’s appropriateness. Your popular press report must come from: Psychology Today Time Magazine Science Discover Magazine Newsweek Scientific American

Your primary research article must come from a peer-reviewed scientific journal listed below: Journal of Social and Personality Psychology Culture and Psychology Journal of Social Psychology Cognitive Neuropsychology Journal of Personality Psychology Educational Psychologist Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology European Journal of Cognitive Psychology The Journal of Comparative Psychology Experimental Psychology The Journal of Neuroscience Health Psychology Cognitive Psychology Journal of Abnormal Psychology American Journal of Psychology Journal of Educational Psychology Applied Cognitive Psychology Journal of Mind and Behavior Behavior Therapy Memory Behavioral Neuroscience Merrill-Palmer Quarterly Developmental Neuropsychology Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin Developmental Psychology Psychological Review

These articles MUST be from the sources listed below. If they do not come from these sources, you will receive a 0 on the paper and not knowing is not an excuse.

You can search for specific articles in these journals at the new library. I would suggest finding an article of interest in the popular press articles first, and then searching for a related article in one of the approved primary research journals. The staff in this library will be able to direct you to the journals, and also be able to help you in your computer searches for the articles pertaining to your topic of interest if you need help. I can’t stress enough how beneficial it is to use this resource that is available to you.

For this paper you must: (1) Summarize each article in approximately 100-200 words (per summary). (2) Describe how the articles are similar similar. (3) Describe at least 2 ways in which the articles are different. (4) Explain which article you enjoyed more and why. (** Ease of reading is not a good answer**). (5) Describe one or two ways that this assignment has changed your perception of the value and application of research articles and popular press articles. (6) Provide a reference page for the two articles that is in APA format. Help on how to do this can be found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/07/.

Your paper should be in the form of an essay. That means that your paper should contain complete sentences, and a smooth transition between topics. It also means that you should not have any bullets, or section splits in this paper.

of 2 This assignment is due at the beginning of lecture on July 7 th. Early work can always be turned in, but no late papers will be accepted.

Hand in a printout of your assignment that is double-spaced with regular-sized margins, headers and footers (no less than 1 inch, no more than 2 inches). Assignments should be 2-3 pages in length.

Please write several drafts, spell check, proofread and revise your work before handing in your assignment. You will not receive full credit if your assignment contains grammatical, spelling or stylistic mistakes.

A Note on Plagiarism: Plagiarism in this assignment will not be tolerated. Anyone caught plagiarizing on this paper will receive a 0 on the paper and an entire grade reduction on their final grade. Plagiarism can exist in many forms, but all versions of plagiarism involve using the intellectual materials of another without making an acknowledgement of its source. Examples of plagiarism include: 1) Copying statements and writings of another without acknowledging their contribution (quotes, reference, etc.). 2) Using the views and statements of others in your papers in a manner that makes them seem as if they were your own original views and statements. 3) Constant paraphrasing and copying of statements throughout your paper (this can be considered plagiarism even if you cite your sources if you are doing this too frequently).

How to Avoid Plagiarism: 1) Use your own words. Remember, your own words not only are a way of avoiding plagiarism, but they also come across much better in your papers. 2) Take notes on what you read, and write your paper based on those notes. This will help you avoid the mistake of accidentally copying statements from papers. 3) Limit your quotes to a maximum of 2 per topic. This isn’t really a standard recommendation in all writing, but one that you can use for the purpose this paper. 4) Check the available plagiarism resources in situations of uncertainty. These resources include, but are not limited to… a. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Citations.html b. http://ls.berkeley.edu/FacultyHelpDesk/conduct/plagiarism.html c. http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

Contact me via email if you have any questions that aren’t answered in this assignment sheet. Oh, and I know that the requirements for this paper might seem a bit excessive, but I want to make sure you all know what is expected of you for this paper. I also hope you learn something from this paper and enjoy reading about the topic you choose. So please, have fun while you’re doing this.