Writing Assignment 3 – Choosing, Defining, Applying, and Evaluating Concepts as they Apply to You

Worth 100 points, broken down as follows:

Incomplete Below Average Average Above Average Discussion/Definition of Concept Student did not accurately

define/discuss any of the concepts. (0 points)

Student accurately defined/discussed one concept. (7 points)

Student accurately defined/discussed two concepts. (14 points)

Student accurately defined/discussed all three concepts. (20 points)

Examples of Concepts Student did not give accurate examples for any of the concepts. (0 points)

Student gave accurate examples of one concept. (7 points)

Student gave accurate examples of two concepts. (14 points)

Student gave accurate examples of all three concepts. (20 points)

Explanation Student did not give accurate explanations for any of the concepts. (0 points)

Student provided an accurate explanation for one concept (7 points)

Student provided an accurate explanation for two concepts. (14 points)

Student provided an accurate explanation for all three concepts. (20 points)

Avoiding Plagiarism (Please note that per the syllabus, if you are found to have more than 15% plagiarism on this assignment, you will receive a 0 on the entire assignment).

Student put very little of his/her answers in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of more than 15%). (0 points)

Student put some of his/her answers in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of 11-15%) (5 points)

Student put most of his/her answers in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of 6-10%) (10 points)

Student put all of his/her answers in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of 0-5%). (15 points)

Format Missing the introductory and concluding paragraphs; does not follow any of the guidelines on the assignment sheet (i.e., paragraph form, double-spaced) (0 points)

Missing the introductory and concluding paragraphs; does not follow one of the guidelines on the assignment sheet (i.e., paragraph form, double-spaced) (1 point)

Missing either the introductory or concluding paragraph; OR does not follow one of the guidelines on the assignment sheet (i.e., paragraph form, double-spaced) (3 points)

Has an introductory and concluding paragraph; follows the guidelines on the assignment sheet (i.e., paragraph form, double-spaced) (5 points)

Writing Style: Organization, Clarity, & Precision

There are more than 7 instances of unclear and imprecise language, and the structure of the answer detracts from the message that the student is trying to get across. Paragraphs are disjointed and there is a lack transition between ideas. (0 points)

There are 5-6 instances of unclear and imprecise language, and the structure of the answer is somewhat clear. (4 points)

There are 3-4 instances of unclear and imprecise language, and the answers are mostly organized. The assignment mostly flows seamlessly from one idea to the next. (8 points)

There are 0-2 instances of unclear and imprecise language, and the answers are very well organized. The assignment flows seamlessly from one idea to the next. (12 points)

Spelling/Grammar/Punctuation There are 7 or more serious errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. (0 points)

There are 5-6 errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. (3 points)

There are 3-4 serious errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. (5 points)

There are 0-2 serious errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. (8 points)

Writing Assignment 3 – Apply It!

Due (on “Turn It In” on Blackboard) by 11:00 PM on Monday, December 2, 2019

Over the course of the class, you should have learned about many topics in psychology. Select any THREE (3) main concepts from the list below that you would like to define (in your own words), provide an example, and explain your example in a way that demonstrates that it is an example given the definition of the concept (more on what to do below). If there is (are) concept(s) you’d like to use for this assignment that does (do) not appear on the list, you MUST get prior written approval from your instructor to use that concept. Please note that if you took this class before, you MAY NOT submit the same/revised writing assignment in this class. Concept Choices:

• A concept of your own choosing (must get prior written approval from your instructor) • Confidentiality (as it pertains to research) • Introspection • Fight or Flight • Head injuries • Habituation • Positive Reinforcement and Positive Punishment • Modeling • Chunking • Mnemonics/Study techniques • Tolerance (as it pertains to drug use) • Substance dependence • Nature vs. nurture • Parenting styles (you must discuss all of them) • Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development • Conformity • Availability heuristic • Introversion/Extroversion • Unconditional positive regard When you have chosen your three concepts (or had them approved by your instructor), please do the following for EACH CONCEPT: 1. How would you define, IN YOUR OWN WORDS, what the concept is?

2. Give an example of the concept either from your own life OR from current events. So, the example, of the concept, could either be one from your own life or, perhaps, it is something that you have recently heard about in the news/media. Be sure to give enough information about your example so that your instructor understands it. 3. Please give a thorough explanation about how the example you provided relates back to (or demonstrates) the definition you gave for the concept. You should be relating the example back to the definition so that it is evident how the example illustrates/demonstrates the definition of the concept.

The following is an example of what you would be doing if the concept you chose was “the false consensus effect”: The false consensus effect is when an individual overestimates how typical their own beliefs are, and assumes that everyone shares their beliefs and feelings about something. For example, I am an avid Beyoncé fan and am in love with her new album! When I meet new people I love to talk about Bey and baby Blue. Beyoncé is everything! Everyone should love her. Right? I mean, I love her. The reason that this is an example of the false consensus effect is because I am under the impression that it is normal for me to love Beyoncé, and that everyone loves Beyoncé just as much as I do. However, this is a false belief. In fact, it is possible that, in general, not everyone likes or admires Beyoncé, and that just because I like her it does not mean that everyone else likes her. (DO NOT USE THIS EXAMPLE!!) General Guidelines:

• Your entire writing assignment should be: o 2 pages (you will not lose points if it’s longer), o typed, o double-spaced, o Times New Roman 12-point font,

o with 1-inch margins on all sides (please note that the default in Microsoft Word is 1.25

o inches on the right and left, so you’ll need to change that).

o Your writing assignment should be saved as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx).

• Your writing assignment should be written in ESSAY form, with complete sentences and paragraphs: o Paragraph 1: introductory paragraph o Paragraph 2: 1st concept (definition, example, and explanation) o Paragraph 3: 2nd concept (definition, example, and explanation) o Paragraph 4: 3rd concept (definition, example, and explanation) o Paragraph 5: concluding paragraph

• While the instructor will be unable to proofread your writing assignments, I would be willing to read what you have for one concept to help ensure you are on the right track. • The rubric that I will be using to grade your assignment can be found in the Writing Assignment folder, and can be referenced at any time. Save your work (all your answers together) as ONE .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf document (so one document should have all five of the paragraphs listed above), then submit it to the Turn It In dropbox on Blackboard in the “Writing Assignment” folder by 11:00 PM on Monday, November 2, 2019. You MUST save it as one of these file formats in order for Turn It In to accept the upload. ***PLEASE NOTE: The Turn It In Dropbox is one that will check for plagiarism. If you have more than 15% plagiarism/similarity on this assignment, you will receive a 0 for the assignment. NO EXCEPTIONS. We have set the Dropbox to allow you to turn in your writing assignment as many times as you’d like prior to the due date/time so that you can check it for plagiarism, and revise it if necessary, before turning in the final copy. However, please allow up to 24 hours for it to check the assignments for plagiarism.

Once you have submitted your assignment, please return to the same area to make sure the file was uploaded. If there were any problems submitting your outline, please be sure to email it to your instructor ASAP with an explanation of the problem you experienced. Your instructor must receive it before 11:00 PM on Monday, December 2, 2019. NO LATE ASSIGNEMENTSW WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!