Project instructions:
Assessment Preparation:
Effective problem solving requires the ability to consistently identify and choose the best option from multiple possibilities. It also requires imagination and logic. Applying the critical thinking process in your professional life will help you disassemble complex problems and better understand the factors that influence your thinking, along with the potential implications of your decisions. In this assessment, you will apply your critical thinking skills to identify, research, and analyze a topic in psychology.
Prepare for this assessment by completing the following steps:
Choose a topic in psychology. This can be a topic you would like to research to gain new insight that will be helpful to you in your current work environment or a topic in psychology in which you simply are interested. As you choose your topic, think about how knowing more about the topic will improve your career or advance your professional goals. Be sure to select a topic that will allow you to develop a sound argument that is supported by expert opinion. Some examples of topics include:
Addictions.
Psychological testing.
Gender identification.
Autism.
Once you have your topic in psychology, try to narrow the scope of your research. For example, if your topic is gender identification, you may choose to explore theories on how children develop gender identification.
Research your topic and perspective. Locate 3–4 scholarly or professional resources. While there are many valuable resources on the Internet, you need to know and understand what makes one resource valid and credible and another resource inappropriate. Make sure you balance your research between the Internet and the Capella University Library. The resources you locate can help guide the focus of your analysis. For example, if your topic is gender identification, and your perspective is how children develop gender identification, the research may lead you to conclude that children develop gender identification regardless of environmental factors. It is then up to you to use your critical thinking skills to analyze the research and determine if there are flaws or any unanswered questions.
Assessment Instructions:
After completing the preparation work for your assessment, begin drafting your paper by developing an introduction, a body with at least three titled sections, a conclusion, and a reference page. Using subheading titles within the body of your paper gives direction and purpose to each of the sections. Summarize and paraphrase the ideas you found in your research, and use in-text citations to give credit to the sources.
Your paper should be well-organized and include the following components:
Title page.
Introduction – A good introduction provides an overview of the topic, explains the purpose of the paper, and informs the reader what the paper details. You should have 2–3 paragraphs that clearly introduce the topic and provide the titles of each section within the body.
For this assessment, your introduction should:
Identify the topic in psychology.
Describe the scope or perspective of your research.
Define the results of your research.
Body – Each section of the body of your paper should directly connect back to the focus of your research as described in the Introduction. Use the findings from your research to clearly state what you discovered. Be sure you explain why or how to add substance to your topic. For example, why are psychologists interested in understanding how children develop gender identification? How was the research conducted? Keep in mind that Wikipedia is not considered an appropriate resource. This section of your paper should be 3–4 pages in length.
Conclusion – The conclusion section is typically 2–3 paragraphs. This is where you restate your topic and give a brief synopsis of your research. Reiterate the key points, and summarize your analysis and any implications for your topic. If there are still lingering questions about your topic, include them in the conclusion.
Reference page – Include at least 3 resources.