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Option 3: Compare/Contrast

PSYC 2301

This assignment is intended to have you compare and contrast the writing style and potential uses of a popular press article versus a peer-reviewed primary research article that discusses a psychological phenomenon, written within the last 10 years. The articles need to address the same area of interest (for example, depression and gender, love and crying, teenage norms and ostracism etc.), but do not have to necessarily be about the same exact experiment. For hints on appropriate psychological phenomena reference the textbook. You will have a total of 6 articles in order to write 3 different comparisons. You may choose a different topic for each of the three comparisons.

Your popular press report can come from any popular magazine, newspaper, or website.

Your peer-reviewed primary research article must come from one of the peer-reviewed scientific journals listed below:

• American Journal of Psychology

• Applied Cognitive Psychology

• Behavioral Neuroscience

• Cognitive Neuropsychology

• Cognitive Psychology

• Developmental Psychology

• Educational Psychologist

• Emotion

• Experimental Psychology

• Health Psychology

• Journal of Abnormal Psychology

• Journal of Applied Psychology

• Journal of Comparative Psychology

• Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

• Journal of Counseling Psychology

• Journal of Educational Psychology

• Journal of Mind and Behavior  NOTE: Current four years not online!

• Journal of Neuroscience

• Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

• Journal of Personality 

• Journal of Social Psychology

• Memory

• Merrill-Palmer Quarterly

• Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology

I would suggest finding an article of interest in the popular press section first, and then searching for a related article in one of the approved peer reviewed primary research journals.

For this paper you must:

1. Summarize the main points and evidence found within each resource (NOTE: USE YOUR OWN WORDS, DO NOT PLAGIARIZE THE ARTICLES).

2. Describe, using examples, at least 3 ways that the theoretical approaches or article writing styles are different (note: mentioning participant pools is too simple, and if you notice that they are addressing completely different topics, your articles aren’t related enough).

3. Describe, using examples, at least 2 ways that the articles styles are similar in goals, structure, or something similar to this.

4. Describe a situation where you think that you would benefit using a popular press article, and then describe situations where you would be better off using a peer-reviewed research article.

5. Provide in-text citations and a reference page in APA format (including DOI number for the peer-reviewed article).

6. Provide a full reference list at the end of each section.

7. Write a paper that is coherent, with smooth transitions between topics (no bullet points or lists).

8. Do this THREE times… one for each pair of articles you find.

Notes for both articles:

Articles MUST be full articles (avoid summary papers, blurbs, or blogs)

Notes for the popular press articles:

• Again, make sure that your article is NOT a blog

• Articles MUST be less than 10 years old

• Articles MUST be at least 3 pages long in order to ensure that you’re reading a full article from one of these sources

Notes for the peer-reviewed articles:

1. Be aware that many un-approved journals have similar names. Misreading names will not be an accepted reason for not using articles from the approved journal list located above.

2. Articles MUST be less than 10 years old

3. Articles MUST be at least 5 pages long.  This will ensure that you’re reading a full research article instead of a summary essay.  The one exception to this rule is for neuroscience topics.  Several well-written neuro articles are less than 5 pages long. 

The total paper should be 3-6 pages in length, allowing for 1-2 pages for each comparison. You should have a conclusion paragraph at the end of the 3 comparisons, discussing what you learned from the assignment and how the information will assist you in your future studies.

Make sure that your paper is written as an expository essay. It needs to be coherent, with smooth transitions between topics, and it must be in an essay format. You should not have different sections in your paper. There should also be no bullet points or other forms of separation in the paper.

Grading Rubric: Total value: 200 points

Updated April, 2021

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