Instructions: Popular culture is rife with false beliefs about human psychology. In this assignment, you will investigate one of the psychological myths listed below (Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio, & Beyerstein, 2010) and use scientific evidence to refute the myth.
You will evaluate evidence relevant to the myth, think critically about additional evidence that would assist you in evaluating the myth, and draw a conclusion based on the evidence you found. The goal of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to think critically about a psychological claim and to use academic sources to support your argument.
The text of the paper (excluding the title page and reference section) should be NO MORE than 4 double-spaced pages using 1 inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font. There is no minimum page number requirement. I will NOT take off points for papers that are shorter assuming you have covered the required content in adequate detail. See below for a list of psychological myths you may choose from, guidelines about what should be included in your paper, and a rubric that will be used to grade your paper.
Psychological Myths:
1) Listening to Mozart will make an infant smarter
2) Teenagers inevitably experience psychological turmoil
3) Most people go through a midlife crisis in their 40s or 50s
4) Older people tend to be dissatisfied with life and senile
5) Dying people go through a set series of psychological stages
6) People are romantically attracted to people who are different from them
7) If more people are present in an emergency, the victim will be more likely to receive help
8) It is better to physically express anger rather than to keep it in
9) Children who are raised in a similar manner will have similar personalities as adults
10) Responses to inkblot tests provide accurate insights into a persons personality
11) A persons handwriting reveals insights into his or her personality
12) The polygraph (lie detector) accurately detects dishonesty
13) Happiness is determined primarily by a persons external circumstances
14) Ulcers are caused primarily or entirely by stress
15) Maintaining a positive attitude can help prevent cancer
16) Human memory works like a video recorder and accurately records the events people experience
17) Hypnosis can be used to retrieve forgotten memories
18) People often repress memories of traumatic events
19) Most people with amnesia forget everything about their earlier lives
20) If you dont know an answer to a test question, it is best to stick with your initial answer choice
21) The main feature of dyslexia is reversing letters
22) Students learn best when their instructor teaches in a way that matches their learning styles
23) People can learn new information while asleep
24) When people have an out-of-body experience, their consciousness leaves their body
25) Only people who are severely depressed commit suicide
26) Adult children of alcoholics share a distinct set of symptoms
27) More people commit crimes and are admitted to psychiatric hospitals when there is a full moon
28) Abstinence is the only viable treatment goal for alcoholics
29) Effective psychotherapies explore how peoples childhood experiences led to their current problems
30) Electroconvulsive (shock) therapy is a physically dangerous and cruel treatment
31) People can be classified as either right-brained or left-brained
32) Scientific evidence has shown that extrasensory perception exists
Paper guidelines:
You will choose one psychological myth to focus on, and your paper will address each of the four topics listed below. You may decide how best to organize your paper. Plan to include all of the information listed below. You must use at least THREE peer-reviewed academic journal articles and include a reference section.
Description of Myth
Which myth did you select? Provide a brief explanation of the myth in your own words
Why do people believe this myth? Provide your thoughts about why this myth appeals to people
Scientific Evidence and Evaluation of Evidence
What scientific evidence addresses the myth? You will need to find at least THREE peer-reviewed academic journal articles that provide evidence relevant to the myth you selected
Describe the evidence discussed in each journal article (e.g., method and results or conclusions). In other words, what did the researchers set out to test, how did they do it, and what did they find?
Evaluate the strengths and limitations of the evidence you cited from each source. Are there any alternative ways of evaluating the evidence?
Explain how the evidence you found in each journal article relates to the myth you selected
Provide a within-text citation whenever you paraphrase information from an academic journal article
NOTE: Plan to devote about half the length of your paper to this section; each of the other sections can be completed in approximately one or two paragraphs
Ideas for Additional Evidence
Discuss ideas for additional scientific evidence that you think would help to evaluate the myth
Provide at least ONE specific idea of an additional study or experiment that could be used to interrogate the myth
Describe how your study or experiment would be carried out (e.g., how would you manipulate/measure your variables?), and make a hypothesis about the results you would expect to find
Conclusion
Provide a broad summary of the evidence you found
Evaluate the overall strength of the evidence, and draw a conclusion that you think is reasonable given the evidence you cited
General Guidelines
The title page should include a title for your paper and your full name
You may use first person when presenting your own opinions or ideas; use third person when discussing scientific research
Your within text citations and reference section must be in APA style
Avoid using direct quotations in your paper. If you wish to express an idea from a journal article, paraphrase the idea and include a within-text citation. You will lose up to 10 points if you include multiple direct quotations in your paper
You will lose up to 10 points if you exceed the maximum page limit of 4 pages (excluding the title page and reference page)
Attend to the overall quality of your writing, and use proper grammar and sentence structure. Please proofread your paper! You will lose up to 10 points if your paper is difficult to comprehend or if there are multiple typos
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