This assignment allows students to conduct some basic research on the topic of their choice and then reflect on experiences that were significant to them as a developing student. You will identify at least two (2) issues from a list of given topics and then conceptualize the research and literature to the experiences that were significant for you as a developing student.
Students are to find at least 5 scholarly, peer reviewed articles that cover their topic of interest that have been published in journals, textbooks, or articles in the past decade. They can (and should) incorporate older references, non-peer reviewed sources, or additional peer reviewed sources. The paper should include a literature review, synthesis, and reflection. Students will use 12-point font, double-spaced, a minimum of 1100 words and will not exceed 6 pages (includes a cover page).
Topics:
Attachment Theory: relationship to parenting style & psychological health as an adult Antisocial Personality Disorder: influences of nature vs. nurture; prominence in the criminal justice system Bullying: causes, who gets bullied; what can parents/teachers do to stop it?
Schizophrenia in Young Women and Men Change of Perception Based on Attractiveness - Are the Attractive Treated Differently?
Hyperactive Children - The Role of Environment or Biology?
Motivation and its Varied Theories
Is Child Obesity a Reflection of Parental Negligence?
Dating Violence Among Teens
How Do Individual Differences Affect Stress
Role of the environment in the development of personality.
Compare and Contrast the Training, Scope, and Functions of Psychiatrists and Psychologists.
Your research papers are to be prepared in APA format, and as such should include:
1. 1" margins all around
2. Title page centered horizontally and vertically
3. Abstract - second page - a brief summary of your findings
4. References within the document in APA format (NOT footnotes, but author and year in parenthesis).
5. References page after the body of the report (not numbered, but alphabetical by author's last name - see examples below).
APA Format for References (fictitious samples, to show you the format):
For a professional journal article (as it would appear in the bibliography - alphabetically by author last name):
Freud, S. (1933). The interpretation of dreams. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 5(2), 144-148.
For a book:
Erikson, E. (1958). Psychological and social development through the lifespan. (pp. 104-155). New York, NY: Hardcourt Brace.
In-paper citations (using these two examples). Paraphrase the information, ending with the citation:
"For many adults, unresolved issues from childhood may show up in the latent content of their dreams, when interpreted from a psychoanalytic point of view (Freud, 1933). In other cases, the difficulties may have more to do with their age and stage of development. In later adulthood, conflicts may arise from career difficulties, and the feeling that it has become too late to make major life changes (Erikson, 1958)."
Your paper should address the following:
1. Give a brief background of the subject or problem.
2. What is the significance of this topic/problem? Why is it important for people to understand? What areas of mental or physical health may it have an impact on?
3. What is already known about this topic/problem?
4. What were the limitations that affected your efforts to research this topic/problem? Are there things that currently limit what we know about this topic/problem?
5. APPLICATION: how can your research be applied? Address the various possible audiences: by psychologists? By other mental health and/or medical professionals? By individuals and/or families?By institutions, governments or societies?
6. Relevance: is your research important to work going on currently in the field of psychology? How? Be specific.
7. Include a personal discussion of your thoughts, bias, feelings towards the subject or problem prior to the research you conducted.