Psychology Popular Press Assignment

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DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE POPULAR PRESS

Communicating new findings with others is a key driving force of scientific progress. While some researchers might donate huge amounts of time and mental energy to their work just to satisfy their own curiosity, the majority of researchers want to share their findings with other people. Generally speaking, researchers share their work with other academics through peer-reviewed journal articles and presentations at conferences. However, these forms of communication often involve strange language, complex concepts, and specialized methods and analyses that make it difficult for the average person to follow. If new advances in science are going to be shared with broader portions of society, findings need to be translated from their primary sources to more accessible forms.

This translation process can be tough for all parties involved.

Imagine that you are a research scientist that has spent years working on a project. You know the work like the back of your hand. When you were writing the research project up in a journal article, you carefully selected each and every word. You made sure not to overstate the implications of the research. Then, some journalist takes your work and describes it in 500 words with a misleading, sensational title.

Now, imagine that you were the journalist. You know how important it is to grab people’s attention with a catchy title. You also have strict space constraints; your editor said the article must be a maximum of 1,000 words. You know the original article was long, dense, and packed with important information, but you have to simplify it. What do you do?

This assignment is meant to give you an appreciation for this tension. We all

encounter news reports on recent scientific discoveries. However, what we read in newspapers, magazines, or online might be far different from what the original research indicates. Therefore, it is important to be an educated consumer of media. This assignment features several parts. All of the relevant articles and studies will be posted on Canvas.

1. First, you will read the Time magazine article entitled, “Watching TV Steers Children Toward Eating Junk” and answer questions on worksheet #1 (attached). Then you will read the original study (“Associations of Television

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Viewing With Eating Behaviors in the 2009 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study”) and answer the additional questions on worksheet #1 pertaining to the original study (attached). This worksheet is due by 11 A.M. on March 2. This worksheet will help prepare you for the next segment of this assignment. This portion of the assignment is worth 10% of your grade.

2. After receiving feedback from the worksheet, you will write a popular press article on the research study entitled “Priming Effects of Television Food Advertising on Eating Behavior.” Your popular press article should be 750-1000 words long. Remember, this article is for a wide readership, so it needs to be engaging. Don’t make it a dry summary of the original research. Have fun and be creative with this project. This article is due by 11 A.M. on April 11. This portion of the assignment is also worth 10% of your grade.

Here are things to keep in mind for Part 2 of the assignment:

• Absolutely no plagiarism. Do not take someone else’s work and present it as your own. This includes taking sentences from the original article or another popular press article and failing to cite these sources. You should not base your article off of another popular press article on the same research article.

• Two-quotation maximum. Do not simply quote large portions of text from the article. To dissuade you from doing so, you are only allowed to use up to two quotations in your article and they must be under 30 words combined. Try to put things into your own words.

• Keep it clear and concise. It is important that your article is easy to follow. Organize your article so that there is a clear logical flow. Readers should not need to re-read sections of your article multiple times to piece together your meaning. Remember, your readers have not read the original research article, so it is your job to explain key ideas in a clear and concise manner.

• Important content. You will, of course, want to describe the (a) motivation for the research study, (b) aspects of the method used, and the (c) results. But it may also be important to discuss (d) the broader implications of the research and (e) possible limitations or criticisms of the research. If you feel like there are issues with the research, you should feel free to share those in a productive manner. Make sure you understand the research. If it is clear that you did not understand the original research study, your grade on this assignment will suffer. If you have trouble understanding the article, please contact me. I would be happy to discuss the article with you.

• Be engaging. This is not meant to be a dry, scientific summary of the research article.

• Don’t forget a title!

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Name_____________________________________________ WORKSHEET #1 Please submit a typed set of responses via Canvas, using complete sentences and proper grammar. Time magazine article

1. What did you think of this article? Was it interesting to you? Why or why not? (Please respond with a short paragraph containing complete sentences).

2. Was this article easy to read and understand? Could it have been improved? If so, how?

3. What were the primary findings of the study, according to the Time magazine article?

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Research study: “Associations of Television Viewing With Eating Behaviors in the 2009 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study”

1. Briefly explain the study: (a) What type of study was it? (b) How old were the participants? (c) What was measured? What sorts of “predictor variables” were examined in the study? (d) How were the data gathered?

2. Can you describe the findings of the study? That is, if you were telling your roommate about what the study contributed to our knowledge, what would you say?

3. How closely do the results described in this study match up to what you read in Time?

4. Now that you have read the original research, do you think the Time article did a good a job of communicating the findings of the study in an engaging manner? Was there other important information that should have been included?