Critical Thinking Writing Assignment
There are many myths and much misunderstanding about psychology. The
purpose of this assignment is to think critically about a commonly held
psychological belief that may in fact be false.
50 such myths were identified by Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, & Beyerstein and
are listed below. (
1. First, select one myth that you want to investigate from the list below.
2. Then research the claim. Find three reputable sources of information.
At least one source MUST BE a peer reviewed article from a psychology
journal. You can access NWACC’s research databases from the NWACC
Library’s website.
3. Finally, write a 3-page minimum double-spaced paper, following the
directions given below. All sources must be cited appropriately.
Address the following in your paper:
Introduction
What is the myth you are looking into and why is this topic of interest?
Article Descriiption s
What does your research say about the topic related to the myth you
chose? Include a summary of each of the three sources you chose.
For the article from a psychology journal, describe the purpose of the
research described in the article. What are the authors trying to find out
(include their research hypothesis or research question(s))? How do the
authors arrive at their findings (describe research methods)? What do the
authors conclude about their study?
Critical Thinking
What did you discover about the myth from your literature research? Did
you confirm or debunk the myth? Why? Support your conclusion using
evidence from the sources you used for this essay.
Conclusion
Has your belief changed? Could you say there was not enough evidence to
debunk the myth or it appears as if there is some validity to the myth? If so,
support your this statement using evidence suggesting why the myth may
be valid.
Note on grading:
Papers will be graded on the content, including the depth of research, and
on evidence of critical thinking as well as on the delivery. Delivery will
include organization, an introduction and conclusion, flow, grammar,
spelling, and correct citations of sources. Papers should be at least three
full pages of text in length.
