Assignment:
INSTRUCTIONS:
A key lesson in this class is that science is about always questioning. Nothing should ever be assumed as unquestionable fact. To do this, you will produce a work demonstrating critical thinking skills and thoughtful scholarly examination of some problem in psychology.
The assignment is this: find something in psychology that you think is incorrect. This may be a theory, a research finding, or a set of research findings (keep in mind a wise adage, with a twist: you can't argue with data, but you can argue how to interpret the data). Write a paper explaining this topic and what the problems are with it. Do not produce a simple opinion piece. Provide citations to back up your reasoning. Support your argument with evidence and clear reasoning. You must use APA formatting rules as appropriate.
There is no length requirement: in science we write until we have completed making the point; page limits are arbitrary and meaningless. Tips: start with a statement in your opening paragraph that clearly describes the area of interest and the problem you have identified. Spend some time providing a descriptive background of the area of interest before detailing the problem and evidence. In addition to supporting your criticisms, provide solutions, whether it be a different theory, or a revision to research methodology or statistical analysis, or proposals for new experiments to be done.
Remember, the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition, is the only authoritative reference on APA style. You shouldn't get a degree in Psychology without one. These papers will be submitted using the Turnitin tool built into webcourses. A similarity score will be calculated.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
This is a very open-ended assignment and requires a bit of original thought on your part.
The goal, is for you to identify some topic, theory, line of research, idea, etc that you have encountered in your studies of psychology that you think is problematic, and to write a paper explaining your position. Your argument should be bolstered by strong reasoning and evidence (citing peer reviewed primary sources; never cite textbooks or other secondary sources).
The idea is completely up to you, but it should be something that is current and relevant to modern psychology, not a historical idea (it's a bit trite to keep repeating the same critiques of Freud, for example, over and over).