illusory correlation/self-fulfilling prophecies/attribution errors/self-serving biases/self-handicapping/aggression/social stimuli/intergroup conflict/peacemaking
among individuals, families, or groups/interpersonal attraction/brainwashing/cognitive dissonance/loneliness/love and close relationships/helping behavior/conformity
and obedience/indoctrination and cults/social loafing/groupthink/leadership or minority influence/prejudice/discrimination/catharsis, frustration, and
aggression/individualism vs. collectivism/gender roles/culture
The paper will be a 10-12 page essay on a topic you choose from a list of social psychological concepts which will be provided in class. You will be expected to
consider theories, research, and application and use valid sources such as appropriate psychological journals, books, and websites. The paper will be graded with an
explicit rubric (items provided below) based on both content and format.
Further details about the assignment will be provided in class. Please note that papers may be submitted ahead of time but no late papers will be accepted after the
deadline.
Rubric for Paper (each of the 10 items will be scored on a zero to 5 scale – TOTAL = 50 points)
CONTENT (total of zero to 20 points possible)
1. All topics were discussed in clear detail
2. Assertions supported correctly
3. Ideas were interrelated coherently and logically
4. Author creatively enhances the topic
ORGANIZATION (total of zero to 15 points possible)
5. An introduction previews main points of reflection
6. Body of paper develops and elaborates main ideas
7. A conclusion summarizes main points
WRITING MECHANICS and STYLE (total of zero to 15 points possible)
8. Paper free of mechanical errors (e.g., misspellings, typos, etc.)
9. Paper grammatically sound (proper sentence structure)
10. Citations and references in proper APA style
PSYC321 – PAPER
Okay, everybody, I promised to post information for you regarding the “Applied Project” in the class (which is in lieu of a final exam) so here goes. Please read this
document and clarify any questions you might have soon and get working on it soon since time will run out quickly.
**************************************************************
Here is the exact assignment as written by the Psychology Department:
Write a 10-12 page essay. You may select a topic from the following list or suggest your own. If you want to write on a topic not listed here, get your instructor’s
approval first.
illusory correlation
self-fulfilling prophecies
attribution errors
self-serving biases
self-handicapping
aggression/social stimuli
intergroup conflict
peacemaking among individuals, families, or groups
interpersonal attraction
brainwashing
cognitive dissonance
loneliness
love and close relationships
helping behavior
conformity and obedience
indoctrination and cults
social loafing
groupthink
leadership or minority influence
prejudice
discrimination
catharsis, frustration, and aggression
individualism vs. collectivism
gender roles
culture
Use APA style subheadings, double-spacing, 12-point font, one-inch margins (left, right, top, and bottom), page numbering, and logical flow from topic to topic.
Information and/or quotes from other sources should be relevant and thoughtfully placed. Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association,
sixth edition, for proper form of citations and references. You may use sources from the Web, your textbook or other books, and scientific journals. Magazines and
newspapers are generally not acceptable. For instance, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology is acceptable, but Psychology Today is not. If you are not
sure, ask your instructor.
The following criteria will be considered in the evaluation of your paper:
Accuracy—Are your stated facts or ideas correct?
Clarity—Is your essay clear and easy to follow? You may want to read your essay out loud to yourself. This will help you catch incomplete sentences or lapses in logic.
Depth—Are the issues and implications well thought out and explored?
Originality—What is your thesis (the main point of your essay)? Have you stated your own views and articulated them well? Use your own words. Do not copy material
directly from your text or other sources without quotation marks. If you want to use the author’s exact words, put them in quotation marks and cite the page number
from your text or other source material. Don’t forget to express your own opinion.
Supporting evidence—Are your ideas supported with empirical evidence? This is a crucial part of any well-written essay. You may support your ideas with theories,
previously conducted research, or other information you encounter in the text and other sources (journal articles and so forth). You may also use personal experiences
as supporting evidence when appropriate.
References—Did you use appropriate references to support the main points of your paper? You may find references in the textbook bibliography that support your ideas.
Be sure you have these references—that is, that you have the articles on hand if you used them, and make sure that your references relate to the point you are making
or support your inferences.
Form, composition, spelling, and so forth—Is your paper neat and error-free? It helps to run spellcheck before submitting your work and to have a colleague or friend
read over your work.
APA style—Did you follow the formatting rules of the American Psychological Association (APA)? Use your APA publication manual (you should have one from research
methods class). You may also want to visit the APA Web site to get information or other online sites that address APA style.
Rubric for Paper
5
4
3
2
1
0
CONTENT
1. All topics were discussed in clear detail
2. Assertions supported correctly
3. Ideas were interrelated coherently and logically
4. Author creatively enhances the topic
ORGANIZATION
5. An introduction previews main points of reflection
6. Body of paper develops and elaborates main ideas
7. A conclusion summarizes main points
WRITING MECHANICS and STYLE
8. Paper free of mechanical errors (e.g., misspellings, typos, etc.)
9. Paper grammatically sound (proper sentence structure)
10. Citations and references in proper APA style
Points*
Behaviors Demonstrated
5
paper contains no errors in this area
4
paper contains limited errors in this area; however, the overall presentation of the material is readable and appropriate
3
paper contains limited errors in this area; however, the overall presentation of the material is difficult to read
2
paper contains a number of errors in this area; however, the overall presentation is acceptable
1
paper contains a number of errors in this area, and the overall presentation is difficult to read
0
paper contains numerous errors in this area, which detracts from the overall presentation
General Paper characteristics:
Format: Double-space, 1 inch margins all sides, 12 point Times New Roman font, left justified, appropriate indenting, centering, etc. Make sure not to have extra
spacing (in Word, under ‘page layout’ and spacing, make sure left, right, top, bottom are set to zero).
Do NOT intentionally include additional spaces between paragraphs or on the top of the page.
Remember: citing and reference pages need to be in APA style so make sure all the basic information is included.
VERY important to watch out for plagiarism and keep in mind that it doesn’t just refer to cut-and-pasting but also to using too much of someone else’s words in your
writing. Keep re-reading your paper and if something doesn’t sound like you, it most likely isn’t. Suspected plagiarism will be dealt with according to policy.
Include a title page which has the title of the paper, your name, course title and term. Start writing your paper right away on page 2 (don’t put your name or add
additional wasted lines). Use APA style subheadings as needed and make sure you have logical flow from topic to topic. Conclude your document with a reference page(s)
at the end (title it “References” and alphabetically list your references in APA style).
SUBMIT ONE DOCUMENT. Only acceptable format is a .doc or .docx file (if you must, .rtf is also acceptable). Do *not* password protect & do not submit .pdf or other
formats. Submit under “Content” and Week 8, under the appropriate Paper tab set up for the purpose.
Total points: 50 points. Worth 20% of the overall course grade.
Due date: By TUESDAY Midnight EST of the EIGHTH week of class. NO late papers will be accepted. If you are unsure about the paper getting submitted or trouble with the
classroom,feel free to also send a copy via email before the deadline.
Finally, “write an essay” is a pretty broad undertaking so please consider carefully that this a psychology class and that you should be thinking about making this a
research paper of some sort, not conducting a research study but most likely reviewing literature on a topic, come up with some interesting hypotheses, include some
application to yourself or real life etc. My advice is to make sure to:
Look for several good, legitimate and comprehensive references that are relatively current since this will play a large role in the quality and depth of the content.
Make sure to choose articles from psychological peer-reviewed journals (Psychology Today and other such newspapers and magazines do *not* count); your best bet is to
use the UMUC library since it contains legitimate sources that you do not need to vet yourself.
Make sure to be comprehensive in writing about ALL your references without focusing on just one or two.
Do not wait until the last minute to write this paper; it is a big task and you need to break it down over the eight weeks.
Write, re-read, edit, review, re-order, delete, re-write etc. Remember, writing is a process and as such, it takes times to produce a high quality final product.
Use the UMUC Writing Center resources to help you.
If in doubt regarding any of this, please check with me, and check early. Good luck. I am really looking forward to reading what I expect will be high quality and
interesting papers!
