Further Information on Assignments

Readings and podcasts:

Why they’re assigned: To give you supplemental class material, introduce you to new concepts, and reinforce ones we’ll discuss in class.

Grading criteria: There will be questions on the exams from these materials. We will also discuss the information in class. You’ll do better in the class if you read/listen to the assignments before class.

“Me” slide (5 pts)

Why it’s assigned: So I can get to know you better

Grading criteria: That you do it on time. Post a slide or document in Blackboard that includes a recent picture of you that looks like you do currently and where I can clearly see your face as well as information about you (see Bb and my sample from class for specifics).

Logical fallacies assignment (18 pts)

Why it’s assigned: To help you become a better critical thinker

Grading criteria: Did you correctly describe and identify the logical fallacies? Did you find good examples?

Questions on article (20 pts)

Why it’s assigned: To give you practice trying to understand and critique research studies.

Grading criteria: How well you answer the questions (you’ll get both an individual and a group grade for this assignment)

Hypothesis assignment (10 pts)

Why it’s assigned: To give you practice with a basic and very important skill in scientific writing and thinking—how to come up with appropriate research hypotheses.

Grading criteria: For each hypothesis—is everything operationally defined? Is there an appropriate comparison?

Plagiarism assignment (5 pts)

Why it’s assigned: To give you further practice identifying plagiarism

Grading criteria: That you completed it. Upload the final screen shot showing that you completed the assignment.

Reference section (25 pts)

Why it’s assigned: To make sure you’re finding adequate sources for your paper and give you early feedback on appropriate sources and APA style

Grading criteria: Do you have at least 8 empirical references that are relevant to your paper topic? Are they from primary, scholarly sources? Are they in correct APA style? Do you have at least some references from top journals? Do you have at least some that are from within the last five years?

Outline of paper (25 pts)
Why it’s assigned: To help you in writing your paper

Grading criteria: Do you have all sections of your introduction outlined in enough detail? Do you use good outlining techniques (i.e., each section must have at least two levels; levels must be written in parallel format)?

Group idea sheet (group grade)

Why it’s assigned: To document what you plan to do in your study, following best open science practice

Grading criteria: Do you answer all the questions correctly? Do you have a well thought out study and a testable hypothesis?

Annotated bibliography (group grade)

Why it’s assigned: To help you write your paper and make sure you accurately cite your sources

Grading criteria: Along with your introduction, you need to upload a shared spreadsheet in zotero (along with all the articles), answering questions about the sources. You need at least 8 empirical articles in your file (1 can be your target article). You’ll also update this file when you turn in your final paper, adding any additional references

Group post-study analysis (group grade)

Why it’s assigned: To help you understand the results and implications of your study; to help you write your paper

Grading criteria: Do you answer all the questions correctly? Have you reflected adequately on your results?

Group presentation (group grade)

Why it’s assigned: To share your findings with the class; to improve your oral communication skills

Grading criteria: Presentation style, visuals (slides), and content; ability to answer questions about your study (see rubric for more detail)

Response to peer feedback (20 pts)

Why it’s assigned: To show where and how you responded to the feedback you received from your peer review and from me

Grading criteria: Did you address each part of the feedback in some way? You should write something in which you repeat each major element of feedback you got from me on your previous drafts and from your peer and then either describe how you addressed the feedback in the paper (and where) or why you choose not to.

In-class assignments (5 pts each)

Why they’re assigned: To practice relevant concepts

Grading criteria: Active participation

Lab participation (10 pts each)

Why they’re assigned: To practice relevant concepts and make progress on your project

Grading criteria: Active participation

Extra credit (up to 8 points total)

You have an opportunity to earn up to eight extra credit points in this class, to be added to your final exam grade. You can earn up to two points each for participating in a research study through SONA and writing up a paper based on your experience. The paper must include the study name and experimenter name. In the part of the paper, you should summarize what you did in the study and what the study was about. In the second part of the paper, critique the study—based on your knowledge of research methods, was there anything they could have done better? Did they use the most appropriate design for their research question? Were there any potential confounds or issues with research bias? If the researcher doesn’t give you information on what the study is about, it’s your job to ask the experimenter and get that information after the study is over. To get both points, you must have a good description and thoughtful critique.

You can also earn up to two points each for writing additional article summaries or for going to lectures or workshops that are announced in class. The criteria for these summaries are the same as for those due as part of the class. To get two points, it must be at least a “B+” quality summary.

Finally, you can get up to 10 points of extra credit for presenting your class project at Inspire on April 8 or 9. More information will be provided in class, but you need to let me know by spring break if you want to present.

Paper (major assignment)

Why it’s assigned: To show what you’ve learned in this class; to help you learn more about methods, research; to get practice writing; to get practice working with others

Grading criteria: See detailed rubric for the grading criteria for the proposal. You’ll turn in the introduction first, followed by the method and esults section. You should use the feedback from those sections to improve the paper for your final version. You can find more information on the steps to writing the paper here or in Blackboard.