LU Effects of Vertical Images on Viewers in Social Comparison Discussion

RESEARCH PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

You will be responsible for writing a Research Paper focusing on a social psychology topic of your choosing. The topic must be one that is discussed in the textbook. The focus of the paper will be to present and review peer-reviewed research regarding your topic as well as provide a Biblical integration discussion for your topic.

For your paper, you must thoroughly review and cite 2 peer-reviewed journal articles that demonstrate research regarding your topic. Your articles must present original research studies (e.g., correlational or experimental) in which the authors of the article actually formed hypotheses, collected/analyzed data, and compiled results themselves. Theoretical/review articles and meta-analyses are not permitted to be reviewed for this paper.

Some examples include (please note you do not need to choose one of these topics):

1. For a paper on the Bystander Effect, you could find an article in which the authors manipulated the number of people present and measured helping behavior.

2. For a paper on Relational Aggression, you could find an article in which the authors measured and correlated parenting styles with degree of relational aggression in daughters.

Keep in mind that these 2 articles must come from academic, peer-reviewed journals. Articles from newspapers, magazines, and websites will not count. Also, information from unpublished dissertations contained in dissertation or thesis databases should not be used. In addition to your 2 peer-reviewed articles, you must also cite the textbook in your paper. Other book sources will not count toward the source requirements. In the Biblical Integration section of your paper, you will be required to cite 2 different Scriptural references.

You will submit your paper as a Microsoft Word document through Safe Assign. A “draft” link is available for you to check the originality of your work, but all papers must be submitted in the “final” link for credit and grading. Your paper must contain original work to this course only (i.e., you cannot reuse a paper or portion of a paper you have written in the past for another course). Papers that do not include a topic covered in the textbook will be returned and you will be asked to submit a new paper. Normal late policies will apply. In addition, the paper should be written mostly in your own words. Excessive use of quotes is not permitted and will result in a score reduction. Be sure you are paraphrasing information from articles well and citing correctly to avoid plagiarism. Paraphrasing that is too close to the original wording is still considered plagiarism. All instances of plagiarism will be reviewed and action taken as necessary (e.g., point reduction, Code of Honor report, a score of 0 for the paper, failure of the course).

Your paper must include a current APA-style title page, body, and reference section. The body of the paper must be at least 5 pages with a maximum of 7 pages (not including the title page, and references). Papers shorter or longer than this requirement are subject to point deductions. Please note that there is a specific page length requirement for the Biblical Integration section (1 page). Be sure to use current APA-style citations throughout the paper to avoid plagiarism.
The structure of the paper must follow the outline below and all section components must be included for maximum credit.

1. Title Page – current APA style

2. Introduction
· Provide a definition of the social psychology concept you are researching
· Provide a brief background of why this concept is important
· To relate your concept to “real life,” provide a specific, real-world example of your concept. This example can be either something you’ve witnessed in your own life, an example you “make up” to illustrate your concept, or an example used in one of your sources. If you use an example from a source, be sure to cite appropriately.

3. Review of Article I
· Introduce the article, including the purpose of the article and any relevant hypotheses.
· Summarize methods (i.e., type of participants, procedures used to manipulate or measure variables)
· Summarize study results
· Explain how study and results demonstrate or support the social psychology topic chosen (you must be able to demonstrate that you can relate the specific study results to the general topic chosen)

4. Review of Article II
· Include all of the same elements listed above

5. Biblical Integration (must be at least one page in length)
· Discuss your topic from a Biblical standpoint (i.e., what does the Bible say about it). You must use at least two different Scriptural references in this section to support your discussion.

6. Conclusion
· Briefly summarize/define the chosen topic
· Briefly summarize the major results of each study
· Briefly summarize the Biblical standpoint discussed

7. Reference Page – Current APA style
· Include 2 peer-reviewed journal articles describing original research
· Include textbook reference
· (Note that the Bible does not need to be included in your reference section)

RESEARCH PAPER GRADING RUBRIC
Criteria Levels of Achievement
Content 70%
140 points Advanced 90-100% (A) Proficient 70-89% (B-C) Developing 1-69% (< D) Not Present
Introduction 14 to 15 points

Introduction:
· description/definition of topic
· importance of concept
· a specific, “real-world”# example.
11 to 13 points

Introduction is lacking some detail. 1 to 10 points

Introduction is lacking substantial detail. Introduction is missing one or more required components. 0 points

Not present
Article Reviews 72 to 80 points

Two thorough article reviews are provided. Both reviews include a:
· summary of article’s purpose and hypotheses
· summary of research methods (type of participants, manipulation/measurement of variables)
· summary of study results
· explanation of how the study supports the chosen topic.
56 to 71 points

Reviews may lack some detail or some required components. 1 to 55 points

One or both reviews lack substantial detail or are missing summaries of several required components. 0 points

Not present
Biblical Integration 36 to 40 points

Paper provides a discussion of the topic from a Biblical standpoint. Section must include the use of at least 2 different Scriptural references and much be at least 1 page in length.
28 to 35 points

Biblical integration discussion is lacking some detail, uses only 1 Scriptural reference, or is somewhat shorter than required. 1 to 27 points

Biblical integration discussion is lacking substantial detail and use of references, or is substantially shorter than required. 0 points

Not present
Conclusion 5 points

Conclusion includes summaries of:
· topic chosen
· study results and how they add to understanding of topic
· Biblical standpoint.
4 points

Conclusion is lacking some detail in summaries. 1 to 3 points

Conclusion is lacking substantial detail or is missing some required summaries. 0 points

Not present
Structure 30%
60 points Advanced 90-100% (A) Proficient 70-89% (B-C) Developing 1-69% (< D) Not Present
Source Requirements 18 to 20 points

2 peer-reviewed journal articles are referenced. Both articles present original research. Textbook is referenced. 14 to 17 points

2 articles are referenced, but articles may not meet full requirements. Textbook reference may be missing.
1 to 13 points

Paper fails to reference two appropriate articles or fails to reference the textbook. 0 points

Not present
Grammar and Spelling 18 to 20 points

Minimal or no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.
14 to 17 points

A few grammatical and/or spelling errors may be present. 1 to 13 points

Several grammatical and/or spelling errors may be present. 0 points

Not present
APA Format 18 to 20 points

Title page, reference page, and matching citations are in current APA style. Minimal to no errors are present.
14 to 17 points

Some APA errors are present throughout paper and references. 1 to 13 points

Substantial APA errors are present throughout paper and/or references. 0 points

Not present