You have learned about lots of different psychology topics. This assignment provides you with the opportunity to communicate in writing how a few of these topics relate to your everyday life experiences.
To complete this assignment, you will select any three (3) main concepts that appear on the list below and write a brief paper (approximately 2 pages) describing each of these three different concepts in your own words and providing at least one example of how each concept relates to real life. Please be sure that your description of the example is clear enough for the PSYC 101 Team to recognize which concept you are discussing (see the instructions below for more clarity on how to achieve this).
In the event that you are really interested in writing about a concept that does not appear on this list, you may write about it - however, you MUST get prior written approval from your instructor to use that concept BEFORE you submit your assignment.
• A concept of your own choosing (requires instructor approval)
• Assimilation/Accommodation
• Defense mechanisms
• Drug Tolerance
• Empathy
Concept Choices:
• Freud's psychosexual stages of development
• Fundamental Attribution Error
• Informed Consent
• Introspection
• Insight/latent learning
• Introversion/Extroversion
• Memory strategies/Study techniques
• Modeling
• Negative Reinforcement/ Negative Punishment
• Nature vs. nurture
• Right/left brain functioning
• Sleep disorders
• Social norm
• Substance dependence
When you have chosen your three (3) concepts (and/or had them approved by your instructor), please write a brief paper that describes the following information for EACH CONCEPT:
1. In your own words, clearly def ine the concept you have selected. (No textbook definitions or direct quotes allowed.)
2. Give an example of this concept either from your own life OR from current events.
a. Therefore, the example of the concept could either be something that you have personally experienced or observed in someone else's life OR it could be something that you have recently heard about in the news/media.
b. Although there is no specific length requirement, be sure to give enough information about your example so that the PSYC 101 Team understands which concept you are describing.
3. Finally, please write a thorough explanation of how the example you provided relates back to your definition of this concept.
a. Your goal is to make a clear connection between your example and how you defined the concept in your own words.
The following is an example of what a student might write if the concept you chose was "the false consensus effect":
The false consensus effect is when an individual overestimates how typical their own beliefs are, and assumes that everyone shares their beliefs and feelings about something. For example, I am an avid Beyoncé fan and am in love with her new album! When I meet new people I love to talk about "Bey" and her baby, Blue Ivy. Beyoncé is everything! Everyone should love her. Right? I mean, I absolutely love her. The reason that this is an example of the false consensus effect is because I am under the impression that it is normal for me to love Beyoncé, and that everyone loves Beyoncé just as much as I do. However, I realize that this is a false belief. In fact, it is possible that, in general, not everyone likes or admires Beyoncé, and that just because I like her it does not mean that everyone else likes her, too.
General Formatting Guidelines:
Your entire writing assignment should be written using the following format:
• Approximately 2 pages (you will not lose points if it's longer),
• in essay form (complete sentences and paragraphs; no bulleted lists or outlines)
• typed (with your full name, PSYC 101, instructor's name and date at the top)
• double-spaced
• Times New Roman 12-point font,
• with 1-inch margins on all sides
o (please note that the default in Microsoft Word is 1.25 inches on the right and left, so you'll need to change this).
• Your descriptions of all three concepts should be written in one continuous document.
• Your entire writing assignment should be saved as a Microsoft Word compatible document (.doc, .docx or PDF). In general, your essay should follow the normal essay format, including:
• Paragraph 1: introductory paragraph
• Paragraph 2: 1st concept (definition, example, and explanation)
• Paragraph 3: 2nd concept (definition, example, and explanation)
• Paragraph 4: 3rd concept (definition, example, and explanation)
• Paragraph 5: concluding paragraph
• While the Peer Mentors will NOT proofread your writing assignments, they will be willing to read what you have for one concept to help ensure you are on the right track and give you feedback about the overall quality of your assignment and tips on how to get the best grade possible.
• The rubric that we will be using to grade your assignment can be found in the Writing Assignment 2 folder.
• We highly recommend that you reviewed the rubric before you start the assignment and double check it before you submit your final draft to the dropbox.
• We highly recommend that you take a draft of your paper to the Writing Center (MLK 251) or use SmartThinking Online Writing Lab (OWL), which is available 24/7 through Blackboard.
o Either of these resources will help you with grammar/writing style and earn the most points possible.
After completing your assignment:
1. Save your final draft (with all of your answers together in one document) in either .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf format.
a. Turn It In dropbox will not upload the file if it is not in the correct format.
2. Open the designated Turn It In dropbox in the Writing Assignment 2 folder on Blackboard.
3. Upload your assignment before anytime before the designated deadline.
***PLEASE NOTE: The Turn It In Dropbox is one that will check for plagiarism (which will be measured by how well you paraphrased information in your own words). The report will highlight any information that you have written which matches internet sources or other student's work. The number reflects the percentage of your work that is similar to other sources and thus, is not considered "original." If your paper is identified as having more than 15% plagiarism/similarity on this assignment, you will receive a 0 for the assignment. No exceptions.
• We have set the Dropbox to allow you to turn in your writing assignment as many times as you'd like prior to the due date/time so that you can check it for plagiarism, and revise it, if necessary, before turning in the final copy.
o However, please allow up to 24 hours for it to check the assignments for plagiarism.
o Not receiving the originality report before the deadline is not a sufficient reason for submitting your assignment late or not submitting it at all.
Please give yourself enough time to get the feedback that you need before the deadline.
Once you have submitted your assignment, please return to the same area to make sure the file was uploaded properly. If you experience any technical difficulties while submitting your outline, please be sure to email it to your instructor ASAP with a photo and clear explanation of the problem that you experienced.