PSY 301-01 Developmental Psychology
Dr. Hall
Spring 2009
Instructions for Papers
Two articles have been placed on E-reserve in the library. One is by Frances A. Campbell et al. The other is by Diane Halpern. You can access them through ELI/Library E-reserve or use the hard copies which are on file at the circulation desk. They are filed under my name (Terese Hall) and this course number (PSY 301-01).
Your project for this class will be a critical analysis of these two articles. The paper on the Campbell et al. article will be due Thursday, March 5, at the beginning of class. The paper on the Halpern article will be due Thursday, April 9, at the beginning of class. You may turn in either or both papers early. Penalties for late papers are explained in the course syllabus.
Style instructions for Campbell et al. paper:
· The paper should be double-spaced with 1” margins. Do not triple or quadruple-space between sections of the paper—double space everything. Use Times New Roman, 12 pt. type. It should be about 10 pages in length, and each of the 5 sections should have its own subheading. Penalties will be assessed for papers under 9 pages.
· Your title page should include: (a) the following title centered at the top—Critical Analysis of Campbell et al. Article; (b) your name in the center of the page, and (c) two lines at the bottom of the page giving the course name & number and the date. Do not use running heads. Your title page is not numbered, and it is not counted in your page total.
· The first page of your text should have the title centered at the top again, 1” from the top margin. There is no page number on the first page. Double space after the title and begin the body of the paper. The second page of your text should have the number “2” in the upper right corner, 1” from the top, with a double space between the page number and text. Each subsequent page should be numbered sequentially in the same way.
· You need not give citations for material you reference from the article itself, but if you use a direct quote, you must enclose it in quotations marks and give a page number. Limit your quotations—I can read the paper myself, what I am interested in is your understanding of it. It is not necessary to include a reference list entry for the article itself, so you will only need a reference page if you cite other sources. If you do cite other sources, follow APA citation and reference style.
· The paper is worth 75 points. Content will count 50 points, and style (grammar, syntax, spelling, etc.) will count 25 points. My pet peeves are sexist language and failure to use parallel construction.
Content of Campbell et al. paper: Your paper must address each of the following issues:
1. In a paragraph or two, describe the background of the study. Your description should answer the following four questions: What are the negative effects of poverty on child development; what are the benefits of early childhood programs according to the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies; how is the Abecedarian program different from others; and what are the previously reported findings from preschool to age 15 from the Abecedarian program?
2. Describe the method and design of the study, including composition of the original sample; early childhood and school-age procedures; composition of the follow-up sample; and the variables assessed.
3. Describe major results of the study concerning the variables studied. How did the treatment group and control group differ on each of the variables? Give numbers where meaningful (i.e., group A was 3 times as likely to graduate as group B), but DO NOT GIVE RESULTS OR STATISTICS YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Give the big picture.
4. What is the primary conclusion the authors draw from the study? What expected treatment benefits were not found? What effects were found on the parents of the study participants?
5. Your reflection—what are the implications of this study for individuals and for us as a society?
Style instructions for Halpern paper: Follow the same basic typing format as the first paper, but this paper will be in outline form rather than text. I want you to outline the major points of Halpern’s article, using appropriate headings and subheadings. Complete sentences are acceptable but not necessary. You should have at least three levels of heading (excluding the title). There should be seven first-level headings, preceded by Roman numerals, and these will use the major headings in the article. The first two will be:
I. Introduction/Families Are Changing (Include introductory material from the first page in this topic.)
II. Effects of Maternal Employment on Children
Do not create a section for “Creating Win-Win Policies,” the last paragraph of the article.
The second-level headings (A, B, C, etc.) and third-level headings (1, 2, 3, etc.) will vary depending on the content of each section. You must demonstrate that you have grasped the major points.
This paper will count 75 points, 50 points for content and 25 points for style.