Psych 112 - Social Psychology
Guidelines for Course Paper
Brief Explanation:
Please choose one of the five topics below to write your Course Paper. Each of these descriptions is meant to provide a basic topic upon which you can expand to fit your own learning goals. Be sure that any research you use is reputable (no Internet sites, magazines, newspaper articles, etc.), and write your paper from a dispassionate and unbiased point of view. APA style is to be used in writing your paper; these documents will help you learn this format and will remain on the blog for the rest of the semester.
Research & Structure:
-You must locate at least three (3) reputable, professional journal articles on the topic to use as references for your paper. These journal articles are accessible via the electronic system in the Ohlone College Library. Check with Library staff for assistance. Although scientific texts are appropriate in many cases, they are NOT acceptable for this assignment. ALSO, DO NOT USE magazine articles, newspapers, Reader’s Digest, Psychology Today, or any other unscientific sources.
-Since policing the Internet is not possible, Internet sources are NOT considered reputable, and CANNOT be used as research. (note: Electronic access to Ohlone Library sources is acceptable, but Internet sources are not. Learn the difference.)
-A copy of the first page of each of your references must be turned to the professor. These pages must include the title, authors’ names, dates of publication, etc.
-The Course Paper is to have five (5) pages of double-spaced text, typewritten in 12 point characters (use Times New Roman font); do not count the cover page or references page. If you follow these guidelines, there is no reason that you cannot pass this assignment.
Assignment:
-Choose one of the five topics on the Topic List.
-Research your topic via the electronic databases provided by Ohlone College’s library and/or a University library.
-Address each important point in the topic description by presenting and explaining research findings (do not include personal opinions, experiences you have had, or any other unscientific source material).
-Try to use a professional tone and precise wording, avoiding use of slang, contractions (e.g., it’s, don’t, can’t) or improper terms/wording.
Students often ask me to decide for them what structure their paper should take. I leave that to you, however. Use your professional judgement, and let me know if I can guide you. If you have questions about overall structure, grammar, etc., please see the faculty in the English Learning Center (second floor of Hyman Hall).
Structure & Grading:
-Your written analysis should be succinct and well written. Be sure to include a short Introduction to orient the reader, as well as a short Conclusion to tie things together. An overall grade will be awarded based upon my objective and subjective assessment of your paper; I will consider whether you did proper research, addressed the appropriate issues, and produced a quality product.
Psych 112 – Social Psychology
Course Paper Topic List
Please choose one of the five topics below to write your Course Paper. Each of these descriptions is meant to provide a basic topic upon which you can expand to fit your own learning goals. Be sure that any research you use is reputable (no Internet sites, magazines, newspaper articles, etc.), and write your paper from a dispassionate and unbiased point of view. APA style is to be used in writing your paper; the documents to help you learn this format are posted on the blog and will remain there for the rest of the semester.
- Explain how the "power of the situation" explains the behavior of both the prisoners and the guards in the Stanford Prison Experiment. Include examples of other studies on Social Roles, an everyday application of the findings, and a discussion of the ethical considerations for Zimbardo’s subjects.
- Address the "power of the situation" in the behavior of people who participated in Stanley Milgram's obedience experiment. Include examples of other studies on obedience to authority, an everyday application of the findings, and a discussion of the ethical considerations for Milgram’s subjects.
- Explain the Weapons Effect and the research supporting and/or refuting it. Include a fact-based examination of the implications of this research on the implications this research has for the current debate over gun control.
- Write a paper detailing the psychological phenomena involved in cults. Try to include scientific research on recruiting practices, the role of Social Influence in cult membership, and the process of re-programming used to “cure” cult members.
Basic Explanation of American Psychological Association (APA) Style
In the late 1920’s, researchers from anthropological and psychological journals met to discuss writing styles being used to report information in journals at that time. From this meeting began what is now the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), a text that sets common guidelines or rules for writing research articles for publication. These rules are meant to make the process of reporting and interpreting scientific findings easier by providing a universal method of writing this information.
The following includes a small sampling of some of the most important guidelines regarding APA style writing. It is by no means meant to be a comprehensive listing of all of the APA regulations, however it provides a good introduction to some of the most basic rules. If you are already familiar with APA style, feel free to follow these and any other rules with which you are familiar; however, if this is all new to you, rest assured that you will only be held accountable for the information on this page.
1. Your paper must have the following: A separate cover page at the beginning; 1 inch margins at top, bottom, and sides; a separate reference page at the end of the paper which lists ALL of the sources mentioned in the text of your paper. Do not include any sources that were not actually cited in your paper.
2. Whenever information from a study is mentioned within the text of your paper, state only the last name of the author(s), followed by the year in which the journal article was published. If there is more than one author, list the last name of each author in the order in which they are listed in the source. Examples:
One author:Johnson (1993) found this to be...
Two authors:Johnson and Peterson (1990) reported on...
More than two authors:Johnson, Peterson, and Hocking (1996) state that...
3. If you directly quote an author, using her/his own words, put quotations around the statement(s), followed by the name of the author, a comma, and the publication date of the article, and the number of the page on which you found the quote. If there is more than one author, list each author separated by commas, and put an ampersand (&) before the last one. Notice that the period to end the sentence goes AFTER the last parenthesis. ONLY ONE DIRECT QUOTE PER PAPER, MAXIMUM! Examples:
One author:“Significant differences were shown between the sexes” (McManus, 1993, p. 122).
Two authors:“Significant differences were shown between the sexes” (McManus & Zapata, 1995, p. 11).
More than 2 authors: “Significant differences were shown between the sexes” (McManus, Zapata, & Black, 1993, p. 5).
4. If the study has more than two authors, you are only required to mention ALL of the names ONCE. After that, each time you mention that study in your paper, you only need to write the last name of the first author listed, followed by the words “et al.” and the date of the article’s publication. It’s as if the words “et al.” take the place of the other last names, so you do not have to keep typing them. (Don’t forget to put the page number if it is a direct quote.) Examples:
Simple citation: As mentioned earlier, Johnson et al. (1993) found significant results in their study using rats.
Direct quote: As the researchers stated, “These results hold potential implications for all such research” (Johnson et al., 1993, p. 11).
5. The last page of your paper is the reference page. The word “References” should be centered at the top of the page, NOT underlined, NOT italicized. Do NOT write “Citations” or “Sources” instead! The rest of the page should be left-justified, and must include a citation for EVERY source mentioned in the text of your paper. Do NOT include citations for sources NOT mentioned in your paper, even if you used them to educate yourself about the topic. The citations must be alphabetized by the last name of the first author, and must be written according to the examples on the sample page.
6. Non-sexist/non-biased language is to be used throughout your paper. APA guidelines in this area help writers use language that encourages fair treatment of individuals and groups, and helps them avoid perpetuating demeaning attitudes and biased assumptions. Paramount to this effort are five basic areas: Gender, Sexual Orientation, Racial or Ethnic Identity, Disability, and Age (see next page for a detailed explanation of these rules).
APA Guidelines for Non-sexist/Non-biased Language
Gender:
- do not use the masculine pronoun he to refer to both sexes.
- do not use the masculine or feminine pronoun to refer to define roles by stereotypical sex (e.g., “the nurse...she).
- do not use the word they to correct for this or any other ambiguity. The term they should be used only when referring to
more than one subject.
- do not use the word man as a generic noun or as an ending for an occupational title (e.g., policeman).
Sexual Orientation:
- do not use the term sexual preference; instead, opt for the term sexual orientation.
- do not use the term homosexual; instead use gay men, lesbians, and bisexual women or bisexual men.
Race and Ethnic Identity:
- do not use Negro or Afro-American; instead, use Black or African American.
- do not use Oriental; instead use Asian American.
- the terms Black and White should always be capitalized when used to refer to race.
- generally, it is good to be as specific as possible when referring to ethnicity: Hispanic, Latino, Chicano, Chinese,
Vietnamese, Korean, Pakistani, and so on.
Disabilities:
- do not use language that equates persons with their condition (e.g., schizophrenics, or the disabled).
- do not use language that has superfluous, negative overtones, or is a slur (e.g., stroke victims, cripple).
- use the term disability to refer to an attribute of a person.
- use the term handicap to refer to the source of the limitations (e.g., legal handicap, reading handicap).
- do not use the terms challenged or special, as they are often regarded as euphemistic.
Age:
- high school age and under, use girls and boys.
- for persons 18 years and older, use men and women.
- do not use the term elderly; instead, use the terms older men, older women, or older person.
- do not use the term senility; instead, use the term dementia.