Each student will be assigned a different reading from Roger Hock’s book Forty Studies that Changed Psychology. This book contains easy to read versions of classic studies in psychology.  The Hock Reading assigned will be the focus of the student’s course paper.  The paper is due on Tuesday April 2nd.  Please submit an electronic copy to Turnitin.com on time to avoid a late penalty. 

For this scholarly analysis each student will utilize the following literature:

• The Hock article assigned by the Professor during the first week of classes, referenced as a chapter in the Hock book, not as the original study (The Hock book can be found on reserve in the library and is recommended as a text for this course. The library does list and give access to several of the original studies that are reviewed in the textbook https://molloy.libguides.com/psychology/classicLinks to an external site.).
• One recent (published within the past 10 years) academic peer-reviewed article – referred to in the rest of this assignment as the “recent experimental journal article” (See the Psychology Research Guide – Journal list on the Molloy college Library website (you may not use articles already discussed in the Hock Reading)

http://molloy.libguides.com/content.php?pid=25939Links to an external site. for help with the appropriate journals).

• The textbook to give you background information on your area of psychology. For example, if you were assigned Asch’s classic study on conformity, you would utilize the textbook for information on the area of social psychology.

• This recent experimental journal article must report experimental findings (contains a hypothesis, a sample, and a research method used to collect the data) will be used for the compare and contrast section of the paper.

The following 6 item guideline explains what to include in this 4-5 page coherent essay (that number does NOT include the title page and reference page).  The goal of the paper is to explain the Classic Hock Reading, describe a relevant, recent research article, compare/contrast the classic reading with the recent article and discuss the future of this area of psychology.

1. Use APA style for your title page (except – do not put your name on the title page instead write “Student Name” to hold that space), margins, spacing, page number, and in-text citation format. Length, your paper should be about 1500 words including an APA style title page and reference page (in APA style – including alphabetical order by author last name) whereby the complete list includes: The Hock Reading, the recent empirical journal article, and your textbook as a reference for this area of psychology. Important: the paper should include proper sentence structure, grammar, spelling, fluency, and a well-organized argument.

1. Critically think about and explain the issue/problem researched: Provide an introductory paragraph which indicates the title and author of the Hock Reading as well as a critical consideration of the issue or problem under investigation in this area of research. Demonstrate you have a full understanding of the topic.  For example a study about the environment in which students learn best would be a learning study and would require an introduction to the concept of learning and the issue being addressed by this research. Cite your references in APA style.

1. Describe the classic research study:

1. State the hypothesis of this study.
2. Describe the research sample.  This should involve a description of those who are being studied.
3. Describe the research method used to collect the data for the study in detail, make sure to explain novel apparatus used as well as terminology introduced (such as confederate).
4. Provide a brief summary of the author’s findings.  Indicate whether the hypothesis has been supported.

1. Describe the recent experimental journal article on this topic that you located through the library databases.

1. State the hypothesis of this study.
2. Describe the research sample.  This should involve a description of those who are being studied.
3. Describe the research method used to collect the data for the study in detail, make sure to explain novel apparatus used as well as terminology introduced (such as confederate).
4. Provide a brief summary of the author’s findings.  Indicate whether the hypothesis has been supported.

NOTE for both 3 and 4 – Critically thinking about the evidence:  Information needs to be taken from your sources with enough interpretation/evaluation to develop a comprehensive analysis.  Do not “lift” the hypothesis, sample, research method and summary sections from the article.  In other words, report what these are in your own words.

Do not quote more than 2 or 3 sentences in the entire essay and when you do quote use APA style citation to give the author credit.

1. Critically think about your position: This is where you need to take a specific position and synthesize the points of view of the two articles. Explain your position on how they relate and differ. 

1. How it is similar or different from the classic study assigned by the Professor.
2. This section requires you to write a thorough compare and contrast between the classic study found in your Hock book and the recent experimental study found in your search of journal articles through the library.

1. Critically think about related outcomes: This is where you need to form conclusions and express the implications and consequences of this line of research.

1. In the concluding section of your paper, reflect on this area of psychology and predict what studies will be done in the future.  Suggest a follow-up study.  How would it be done and how would it contribute to the field.

NOTE for both 5 and 6 – Critically thinking about the influence of context and assumptions:  Analyze your own and others’ assumptions in your compare/contrast and conclusions.  Carefully evaluate the relevance of contexts when presenting your position. 

APA Style:   For help with APA style you may consult one of the following websites:

Molloy University Library:

http://www.molloy.edu/libraryLinks to an external site.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/Links to an external site.

http://www.apastyle.org/index.aspxLinks to an external site.

rubric: