Activity Paper Option 2

ACTIVITY PAPER OPTIONS Introductory Psychology – Spring 2021

Students are required to complete four (4) activity papers for this course, out of the seven (7) options listed below. Each option has its own due date, and these dates are spread throughout the semester. Please decide which activities you want to complete early in the semester – this cannot be a last-minute thing! The purpose of these papers is to help you recognize how the concepts we discuss in class apply in the real world and can be used in your everyday life. Each will generally ask you to complete an activity, describe your experience, and connect the activity back to the concepts we cover in class. Each paper should be your own work and should be approximately 2-3 pages long, double- spaced. Papers (and any requested accompanying materials) should be submitted through Canvas by 11:59 pm on the due date listed below. Each paper is worth 15 points. We likely will not spend much time in class going over the specifics of each option, but if you have questions, please ask.

Activity Paper Option #1 – Due Thursday, February 4 For this activity paper, you will need to find an advertisement (in a magazine, online, etc.) that makes a claim (e.g., ____ is the longest lasting gum on the market!). Then, you will need to propose an experiment to test this claim. In the paper, make sure you address the following questions. However, your paper should be written in true “paper” form (please do not just answer these questions using a series of bullet points, etc.).

• What claim is the advertisement asking you to believe? • In your proposed experiment,

o What is your hypothesis? o What is the independent variable? o What is the dependent variable? o What is your experimental group? (i.e., what do they do) o What is/are your control group(s)? (i.e., what do they do, how do they differ

from the experimental) o What experimental control issues might be problematic in your experiment?

AND, what will you do to help control for these issues? When turning in your paper, please also include a copy of your chosen advertisement.

Activity Paper Option #2 – Due Tuesday, February 16 For this activity paper, you will need to test your memory on two different occasions so as to investigate the hypothesis that sleep enhances memory. During the first test, you will see how your memory for a list of words holds up over the course of 12 daytime hours. In the morning, you should read List 1 (below) 5 times, with the goal of learning the words for later. Do not look at the list of words again during the day. Then, 12 hours later (so that same evening), you should try to recall the words – write down as many as you can, in any order. Score your performance by comparing your list to List 1 here, counting up how many you got correct. During the second test, you will see how your memory for a list of words holds up over the course of 12 nighttime hours. At least one day after you’ve completed the first test, in the evening you should read List 2 (below) 5 times, with the goal of learning the words for later. Do not look at the list of words again during the night. Then, 12 hours later (so the next morning), you should try to recall the words – write down as many as you can, in any order. Score your performance by comparing your list to List 1 here, counting up how many you got correct. In your paper, first discuss the hypothesis (sleep enhances memory) – why might we propose that idea? To help you, read about consolidation in your textbook (pgs. 275-277), and think about interference (pgs. 281) as well. You are also welcome to consult other, reputable sources (such as: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27695144, http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep/learning- memory). Then, describe your procedure, report your scores, and discuss whether or not your findings supported the hypothesis that sleep enhances memory. Why do you think you got the results you did? LIST 1

Thumb Walrus Peach Oil Wrapper Twig Paper Change Busy Hope Suit Wave Double Fair Point Key Pig Blade Curve Bang Skate Nerve Switch Race

LIST 2

Large Retire Flag Joke Plug Dust Mouse Cake Flood Leg Trouble Roll Tree Mother Yard Wine Throne Spider Corn Bomb Mint Record Kick Blood

Activity Paper Option #3 – Due Tuesday, February 23 For this activity paper, you will need to take two longevity predictor quizzes at https://www.blueprintincome.com/tools/life-expectancy-calculator-how-long-will-i-live/ and http://media.nmfn.com/tnetwork/lifespan/#0. Based on your answers to some demographic and lifestyle questions, these quizzes will predict how long you will live, and give you more information about how potential changes to lifestyle factors could affect your longevity. In your paper, report your life expectancy estimates, and discuss the lifestyle factors that are positively or negatively affecting you and your longevity. It might help you to play around with the predictors a bit (for example, try entering a different race or height or marital status, etc. Did anything surprise you? Does this make you think about aging (or your current lifestyle choices) any differently?

Activity Paper Option #4 – Due Thursday, March 18 For this activity paper, you first need to describe/define each of the monocular depth cues we discussed in class. Then, you will need to find TWO paintings (or drawings – just not photographs), in a book or online (just none from Chapter 5 of your textbook or that I showed in class!), and discuss which depth cues they each utilize in order to create the illusion of depth. If there are depth cues that either of your paintings does not include, or you think the depth illusion could be improved, you may also discuss that. Finally, please discuss why artists cannot use binocular depth cues to create illusions of depth. When turning in your paper, please also include a copy of your chosen paintings.

Activity Paper Option #5 – Due Thursday, April 1 For this paper, you will need to try out at least one of the following strategies psychologists have identified to improve health and/or happiness for at least 5 days.

• Learn to relax or meditate (see pages 113 and 115) • Learn to better cope with stress (see pages 447-450) • Engage in happiness exercises:

o Write a letter of gratitude and deliver it in person to someone who has been kind to you but whom you have never thanked.

o Write down three things that went well each day and explain why they went well.

o Tell a friend about a time when you did your very best, and then think about the strengths you displayed. Review this story every night.

o Imagine yourself 10 years in the future as your best possible self, as having achieved your most important goals. Describe in writing what your life is like and how you got there.

o Keep a journal in which you write about the positive aspects of your life. Reflect on your health, freedom, friends, and so on.

o Act like a happy person. You will need to engage in at least one of these methods (more than one may make for an easier paper, but it is up to you) for at least 5 days – so make sure you start this early enough before the due date. Keep track of what you do (which activities you engage in on each day), as well as how you feel while doing them (is it difficult? Does it get any easier over time? Do you feel calm? Silly? Something else?). In addition, rate your happiness each evening: For the majority of today, I felt: 1 2 3 4 5 Very happy Very unhappy In your paper, write about your efforts – what you did and what your experience was like. In addition, discuss whether you think the strategy or strategies made any difference, in your happiness rating (at the end of the week vs. beginning) or otherwise. Do you think you will continue, and why or why not?

Activity Paper Option #6 – Due Tuesday, April 20 For this activity paper, you will need to try and persuade someone to comply with a request using at least one of the techniques we discussed in class (such as low-ball, foot-in-the- door, etc.). In your paper, describe the technique(s) you have chosen, and discuss how you used it. What was the interaction like? How did the other person react? Were you successful in getting them to comply? You may need to try and persuade more than one person in order to really observe your experience and others’ reactions. Finally, also think more about how this persuasion technique could be used in the real world – in which situations might it be particularly effective? Have you experienced anyone using it on you, now that you can recognize it? Can you imagine any risks to using it?

Activity Paper Option #7 – Due Thursday, April 29 The first seven activity papers all asked you to apply course concepts in your real, daily life. This activity paper does the same, but in a slightly more open-ended way. For this activity paper, you must identify THREE additional real-world applications of psychological concepts we discussed this semester (things not addressed in previous activity papers). To get started, you might think about times you have been able to come up with personal, real- life examples of course concepts, or times in which you have found something from class useful in explaining (or maybe even changing) behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Perhaps another approach is to start by thinking about what advice you might offer to someone, based on things you’ve learned in this course. The options are endless! Importantly, though, you need to focus on real-life applications – this shouldn’t just be “things you’ve learned, or “things you liked.” I know that sometimes these open-ended topics are challenging – let me know if you have questions or need help. Importantly, at least ONE of these applications needs to be focused on your prospective career. Think about how psychology is relevant to that career, and/or how you could use something you’ve learned in this class to help you in that career. In your paper, for each of the three applications you identify, you need to fully describe the relevant concept(s) from class as well as where you see it playing out or making a difference in the real world. Include enough detail so that I can see you have spent some time reflecting – your ideas should be thoughtful and meaningful (as opposed to shallow and basic).