Page 1 of 6 Literature Review Final Paper Submitted via FLO Due June 6th, 2015 (20%) A literature review is an essay that answers a given question by presenting the relevant psychological research available, explains and discusses the research evidence, formulating an evidence based answer to the question. Students in PSYC1101 are learning the ability to evaluate psychological research, and then formulate an object evaluation of the evidence to give an answer to the question and communicate this to a particular audience. For this assignment you will need to select ONE of the following questions. Within each question you can narrow it down in various ways – some suggestion are included. Often starting with the textbook is a good way to familiarise yourself with the topics and key words before searching for journal articles (using databases like goolescholar.com; PsycInfo, or Ovid – available through the library). The questions are on the following pages Page 2 of 6 Question 1. You are asked by Marion City Council to write a literature review on the impact of Poverty on Childhood Development. In 1000 words or less, discuss the relationship between poverty and childhood development. Briefly review the literature on the association between poverty and childhood development in Australia. (One way to narrow the question down (to help you focus your search for research) would be to focus on one specific aspect of childhood development if you choose, e.g. cognitive development, social-emotional development. OR you could focus on a sub-group of Australian children if you would like, e.g. preschool aged children, migrant or refugee children, aboriginal children). Outline some other factors (mediators and moderators) that might also affect the relationship between poverty and childhood health (e.g., teratogens, nutrition, maternal wellbeing etc.). Is the research convincing or limited is some way? Are there any areas of the research that are not clear or supported or where more research is needed? OR Page 3 of 6 Question 2. You are working as a human resources advisor for a large investment firm. You are asked to write a literature review on the impact of group decision making on group performance. In 1000 words or less, discuss the relationship between group decision making and group performance. In doing so you need to address the following: Briefly review the literature on the impact of working in groups on the quality of decision making. Outline some other factors (mediators and moderators) that might affect the relationship between groups and decision making. Is the research convincing or limited is some way? Are there any areas of the research that are not clear or supported or where more research is needed? OR Question 3. You are working as a consultant with Families SA on a project on aggression in teenagers. You are asked to write a literature review on the impact of upbringing on teenage aggression. In 1000 words or less, discuss the relationship between upbringing and aggression. In doing so you need to address the following: Briefly review the literature on the impact of upbringing on the development of aggressive behaviour. Outline some other factors (mediators and moderators) that might affect the relationship between upbringing and aggression in teenagers. Is the research convincing or limited is some way? Are there any areas of the research that are not clear or supported or where more research is needed? Page 4 of 6 OR Question 4. You are working for an outdoor adventure programing company. You are asked to write a literature review on the relationship between outdoor adventure programing and psychological wellbeing. In 1000 words or less, discuss the relationship between participating in outdoor adventure programing and psychological wellbeing. (Note outdoor adventure programming can be applied in a variety of contexts, you can choose to focus on one in an area that interests you. For example: Young offenders and at risk youth; Education; Adult Development.) In doing so you need to address the following: Briefly review the literature on the impact of outdoor adventure programing and psychological wellbeing. Outline some other factors (mediators and moderators) that might affect the relationship between participation in outdoor adventure programing and psychological wellbeing. Is the research convincing or limited is some way? Are there any areas of the research that are not clear or supported or where more research is needed? Page 5 of 6 Tips on How to Plan and Write Your Essay Start by reading research relevant to your key question. Focus on Journal articles where possible. Keep notes as you read of key points and where the information came from (author, year, page numbers etc.). This will make referencing easier when it comes to writing. Also record in your notes if you have “quoted” or if it’s in your own words again this will help you avoid plagiarism when writing. Sort you notes into a structure; Introduction (1 paragraph); Introduces what the question or issue is that you are focusing on, and why it matters, and the outlines the main points you are going to make in the paper. Remember an academic essay or report is not a mystery- tell the reader what you are going to be talking about. Main Body (approximately 3 - 5 paragraphs); Review and analyze the relevant literature. What do we know about the relationship (see tutorials week 5 and 8)? What does the research show us (and in what ways is it limited)? Conclusion (1 paragraph); Summarize what you have argued. You do NOT need to describe all of the related literature. Try to select papers that are relevant and appropriate. Make sure that all the information that you present is relevant to the essay topic. Writing in psychology is to the point and does not waste words by making your writing sound ‘flowery’. Writing for Psychology is writing for the sciences (needs to be full of evidence to support your claims). Write as if you were writing to an adult from another profession- someone who is intelligent but doesn’t have knowledge of the area, so define and explain terminology that would not be known to people who didn’t study psychology. Keep it concise and focused, make sure your argument is clear and logical and you Page 6 of 6 present evidence (by citing and explaining key research findings). Read over your own work- the best way to do this is out loud. If you have difficulties with writing get someone else to read over it for you. Support arguments by citing references. For example: ..... shown to have a detrimental effect on childhood well-being (Weiten, 2010). If you are using direct quotations you also need to provide the page number and enclose the text with double quotation marks. See the American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines on FLO for referencing queries. Write a reference list. See FLO for APA guidelines. Check for spelling/grammatical errors. Avoid relying purely on your computer’s spellchecker. Check you left hand margin is wide (4cm) and you have double spaced your work. Font should be 12 point throughout and in Arial or Times New Roman. Each new paragraph should have a hanging indent. This document has been formatted to match your assignment format- so your assignment should look roughly like this when it is finished. Assignments are submitted online via FLO For tips on how to determine whether the previous literature is convincing see Chapter 3 of Burton, L. J. (2010). An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology (3rd ed.). Australia: Wiley. See Chapter 4 for tips on essay writing.
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