Hyperthymesia

Purpose of this paper: To provide a review and critical analysis of a topic within Psychology of the Self INSTRUCTIONS: 1.Choose a topic within Psychology of the Self. Your topic does not have to be one that we have covered in class but it MUST be relevant to Psychology of the Self. a.Example: “Autobiographical memory” 2.Choose a specific question that you will attempt to answer in your paper. a.Example: Acceptable Question – “What are the causes of infantile amnesia?” 3.Search for AT LEAST 3 original, empirical, journal articles from within the psychological literature that provide empirical evidence that addresses your answer topic. Your articles must be published in the year 1995 or after (Any exceptions MUST be approved by the instructor). a.Using the example question, “What are the causes of infantile amnesia”, you can search the literature and select articles that provide evidence that supports (or refutes) cognitive explanations (e.g. symbolic representations), social interactionist or explanations, retrieval error explanations, etc. b.You cannot use review articles to fulfill this criterion. (N.B. A review article reviews/summarizes the current research on a particular topic/question and does not include any data collection or analysis of empirical data). c.You cannot use meta-analyses to fulfill this criterion. (N.B. A meta-analysis uses statistical procedures to analyze the empirical results of several previously published studies). d.You cannot use dissertations, theses, or articles published in Dissertation Abstracts International. e.You cannot use articles published in non-scholarly sources (e.g. Wikipedia). 4.Once you have your articles, write an introduction that states and describes your topic and specific question and defines any key concepts a.You may use scholarly sources (e.g. textbooks, lecture slides) other than the 3 articles you will summarize for definitions, background information etc. in your introduction. 5.Write a review of your articles. a.In other words, provide a brief summary of each of your articles that includes background information, main purpose, hypotheses, methods, results, interpretations and limitations of each article. 6.Provide an answer (with explanation) to your main question that is based on the articles that you reviewed. Here is your chance to demonstrate your creativity, understanding of your topic and the evidence reviewed, and your critical analysis skills. a.Using the example question, “what are the causes of infantile amnesia?” you may decide that you agree with evidence that suggests that there are both cognitive and language causal factors. You must provide some justification for your opinion and so you may choose to critique the evidence that you reviewed. You may emphasize and explain the strengths of the evidence you agree with and emphasize and explain the weaknesses of the evidence that you disagree with. You can also include additional sources that support your answer. There are several ways to go about justifying/explaining your answer. Be creative. Simply stating that “based on the review of the evidence, there are several causes of infantile amnesia” is not sufficient! Simply re-summarizing the evidence is also not sufficient! 7.Provide an APA formatted reference list that includes ALL of your sources. You must have a minimum of 3 original empirical journal articles FORMAL REQUIREMENTS: 1.APA formatted title page (must include your name, student number, course code) 2.Introduction 3.Review of at least 3 original empirical journal articles that provide evidence that you will use to answer you main question. 4.Critical analysis that provides an answer to your question and justification for/explanation of your answer. 5.APA formatted reference list that includes ALL of your sources and a minimum of 3 original empirical journal articles. GRADING SCHEME: (In some cases below there is a list of “minimum criteria”. An “A” paper does an exceptional job at fulfilling these minimum criteria AND goes beyond by demonstrating creativity, exceptional grasp of the information and its relevance to psychology, and exceptional critical analysis skills. In other words to get an “A” you have to not only meet the minimum criteria, you have to do an exceptional job of writing an introduction, reviewing your articles, answering your question, etc.) a. Introduction [10 points] a. Minimum criteria i. Statement and description of topic and question ii. Definition of any key concepts b. Quality of Review and choice of articles [30 points] a. Minimum criteria i. At least 3 articles which are all original, empirical journal articles published between 1995 and 2013 ii. Articles are relevant to topic and question iii. Adequate information provided about each article c. Quality of Critical Analysis [30 points] a. Minimum criteria i. Clear statement and explanation of answer to main question d. Format [10 points] a. At least 3 original empirical journal articles cited in reference list b. Within page limits (8 pages DOUBLE-SPACED) c. APA format for title page, page numbers and running header, any headings and sub- headings used, ALL in-text citations and reference list d. Margins (1” all sides) e. Font size (12pt Times New Roman) e. Punctuation, grammar, spelling, and writing style [20 points] a. Minimum criteria i. Minimal punctuation, grammatical and spelling errors ii. Clearly and concisely written iii. Good transitions between sentences and paragraphs TIPS: 1. Review the university's policy on plagiarism. It will not be tolerated! 2. Get started early so that you have enough time to thoroughly research your topic (i.e. read the literature). 3. Do not make your topic too narrow as this reduces your chances of finding 3 relevant articles. Most likely you will have to come up with a couple of different topics, do your literature search, and chose the topic that is best (i.e., has enough articles to choose from). 4. Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar are important as they make your paper easier to understand. The university provides many resources to help students with punctuation, grammar and spelling. Make use of them. 5. Organize your paper using subheadings. I would suggest that you do not organize your paper using subheadings such as “Article 1”. Instead use subheadings that reflect the content of what is being reviewed in that section. 6. Your paper should flow. That is, the sequence in which you discuss information should make sense and your sections should transition smoothly. 7. Remember that a summary is not just taking ALL of the information in your articles and putting them into your own words. A summary is concise, includes only relevant information and is in your own words.