Instructions: Choose one paper option. Complete the paper before the Final Exam in this course. Your paper should be three to five full pages long, in paragraph form, all double-spaced. Full sentences are expected, as are opening and closing paragraphs. Be sure to answer the question prompts fully.
Grading information: Each paper is worth 100 points. The paper may be completed any time before the Final Exam. The grading turnaround for papers is one week (that is, you should expect to have a submitted paper graded by one week from the date of submission).
The point distribution for the papers is as follows:
20 points: Writing. Criteria: appropriate grammar, appropriately edited for syntax and phrasing, complete sentences, structured in paragraph and essay form, meets page length requirements. Please use 12-pt font, Times New Roman.
20 points: Follows the prompt: all portions of the paper are complete. Answers fully address the questions in the prompt and address them in a sufficiently detailed way.
20 points: Evidence. In each paper, you are required to support evidence for your written points, whether the evidence is specific detail from the internet, the modules, or your observations (and, in all cases, the evidence needs to be stated in your own words and not plagiarized). These sources should be appropriately cited. For example: (Scott, 2010) or (www.sciencedaily.com, “What is Keeping Your Kids Up At Night,” para. 2). Sufficient referencing and integration (without plagiarism) of other sources is necessary to achieve full points in this area. A reference page is also needed.
20 points: Evaluation. In each paper, you are to include your own thoughts and evaluations, whether it involves thinking about module content and evaluating the meaning, deciding on nature/nurture, or evaluating observations. Your thoughts need to be described in sufficient detail and identified as your thoughts, compared to information that you may obtain elsewhere. Sufficient explanation is necessary to achieve full points in this area.
20: Content. Accuracy of your written positions and appropriateness of content given the question prompts are necessary to achieve full points in this area. This is the heart of the papers—answering the questions correctly, accurately, and appropriately. In the cases of providing your opinions, these should still be grounded correctly in the theory or module topic that you are addressing.
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Each of the paper options listed below allow you the opportunity to explore the scientific research behind a theme in the Developmental (Lifespan) Psychology course. The paper should be between 3 and 5 pages long, not including title page and reference page. The paper should be written in APA style. At a minimum, this means it should include:
Title Page
Double-spaced, 12-pt Times-New Roman text. Remove extra space between paragraphs that is the default in MS Word.
1” margins on all four sides
References page (all references cited in the text, all citations included on the references page)
Paper Option #1
Nature/Nurture
Developmental science focuses on the various contributions to development, and whether they lean toward the genetic side of things (nature) or environmental (nurture). Choose from one of the following topics discussed in the modules:
child obesity
eating disorders
adolescent depression
aging
For this paper, review the module material on your specific topic. Then, write a paper describing in detail the “nature” (primarily genetic, inherited) contributions to this condition as well as the “nurture” contributions. You will need to conduct Internet research and cite the sources to obtain additional information on your topic. For example, explaining the inherited reasons for a child to be obese will require that you visit, read, summarize, and cite medical sites on the Internet. It is crucial that you rephrase material in your own words and cite it or put phrases from the sources in quotation marks and cite them. No more than a few sentences should be directly quoted in order for you to receive credit for writing this paper (in other words, no credit is given for a paper that is a string of other people’s quotes). As a general rule of thumb, at least 1.5 pages should focus on “nature” contributions to the issue at hand and at least 1.5 pages should focus on “nurture” contributions.
Your research must include at least four journal articles or books. Websites can be very helpful and informative, but your final paper must include full, published research articles or books on the topic. Sources should be reputable and consistent with what you learned in the module as well as other sources. GoogleScholar and PDF articles from the Internet can be helpful resources. Make sure you use good search terms when trying to find articles. You may want to start broad (for example, “bystander effect”), and then narrow to your particular area. This paper requirement means that you need to include at least two primary sources in your paper; articles from the Internet can be included, but they would be in addition to the two minimum primary sources. Primary sources are firsthand accounts; thus, they involve the author writing about his or her own work.
It is recommended that you spend at least a page and a half discussing “nature” for this topic and a page and at least a half discussing “nurture.” Finally, conclude the paper by indicating which side (nature, nurture) gives the strongest contribution to this condition or whether they are both needed. For example, for child obesity, is genetics alone a sufficient cause for a child to be obese, or are poor eating habits necessary along with a genetic predisposition? The paper should follow the following format:
I. Introduction. Introduce your topic.
II. Description and research on “nature” components
III. Description and research on “nurture” components
IV. Evaluation: which side (nature, nurture) most strongly contributes?
Paper Option #2
An Opportunity for Observations
Choose one of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages that run between early childhood and early adulthood:
initiative vs guilt
industry vs inferiority
identity vs identity confusion
intimacy vs isolation
Read the module and at least two academic source regarding your selected stage so that you have a good understanding of it. Over the period of one week, observe one or more individuals who are in the age range pertaining to that stage. Take daily notes on the behaviors and focus specifically on behaviors have to do with your selected stage. Does it seem like the behaviors align well with the theory?
For your paper, first give an overview description of the stage. You should cite at least four strong external sources beyond the module when presenting this content. Be sure to write using your own words, but identify where you obtained your information on Erikson’s stages.
Then, organize your observations into a descriptive account of how and to what extent your observations match the theory. Give specific and detailed examples of behaviors that illustrate your points. Be sure to avoid using anyone’s name in the paper; if needed, assign a pseudonym.
Conclude with summary statements in which you reflect the helpfulness of this stage in describing human interactions and behavior. That is, do you think that Erikson’s stage helps us to better understand this age group? Why or why not?
The paper should follow the following format:
Introduction. Introduce your topic and the chosen stage
Description of stage
Description of observations and how they exemplify the stage
Evaluation: how well does this stage describe human interactions and behavior? Does it help us to better understand this age group?
Paper Option #3
Aging
Choose one of the following age spans and discuss compare and contrast primary and secondary aging contributions for physical, cognitive, social, and psychological changes throughout the stage:
young adulthood
middle adulthood
old age
For this paper, review the module material on your specific topic. Then, write a paper describing in detail primary aging contributions to this condition as well as the secondary aging contributions as they relate to physical, cognitive, social, and psychological changes. You will need to conduct Internet research and cite the sources to obtain additional information on your topic. For example, explaining the primary aging contributions to physical changes in middle adulthood will require that you visit, read, summarize, and cite medical sites on the Internet. It is crucial that you rephrase material in your own words and cite it or put phrases from the sources in quotation marks and cite them. No more than a few sentences should be directly quoted in order for you to receive credit for writing this paper (in other words, no credit is given for a paper that is a string of other people’s quotes).
Your research must include at least four journal articles or books. Websites can be very helpful and informative, but your final paper must include full, published research articles or books on the topic. Sources should be reputable and consistent with what you learned in the module as well as other sources. GoogleScholar and PDF articles from the Internet can be helpful resources. Make sure you use good search terms when trying to find articles. You may want to start broad (for example, “bystander effect”), and then narrow to your particular area. This paper requirement means that you need to include at least two primary sources in your paper; articles from the Internet can be included, but they would be in addition to the two minimum primary sources. Primary sources are firsthand accounts; thus, they involve the author writing about his or her own work.
As a general rule of thumb, at least 1.5 pages should focus on primary contributions to the issue at hand and at least 1.5 pages should focus on secondary contributions. Finally, conclude the paper by indicating which side (primary or secondary) gives the strongest contribution or whether they are both needed. The paper should follow the following format:
I. Introduction. Introduce your topic.
II. Description and research on “primary” components
III. Description and research on “secondary” components
IV. Evaluation: which side (primary, secondary) most strongly contributes to aging?
Paper Option #4
Attachment Theory
Do childhood attachment patterns influence behaviors in adulthood? Explore childhood attachment and its effects on adult behavior, potentially including romantic relationships and effects on parenting.
Read the module and, if needed, Internet descriptions of attachment styles so that you have a good understanding of them. Your paper should both address what researchers know about attachment styles in childhood and what researchers know about how attachment carries over into adulthood.
Your research must include at least four journal articles or books. Websites can be very helpful and informative, but your final paper must include full, published research articles or books on the topic. Sources should be reputable and consistent with what you learned in the module as well as other sources. GoogleScholar and PDF articles from the Internet can be helpful resources. Make sure you use good search terms when trying to find articles. You may want to start broad (for example, “bystander effect”), and then narrow to your particular area. This paper requirement means that you need to include at least two primary sources in your paper; articles from the Internet can be included, but they would be in addition to the two minimum primary sources. Primary sources are firsthand accounts; thus, they involve the author writing about his or her own work.
As a general rule of thumb, at least 1.5 pages should focus on childhood attachment styles and patterns of behavior and at least 1.5 pages should focus on adulthood attachment. Finally, conclude the paper by analyzing whether childhood attachment is helpful to understanding adults. The paper should follow the following format:
Introduction. Introduce your topic and different attachment styles
Description of attachment styles in childhood — what leads to their development? What are typical behaviors?
Description of how attachment carries over into adulthood — are there direct connections? Or does childhood attachment not lead to predictable adult behavior patterns?
Evaluation: How well does attachment theory help us understand adult behavior?
