Psychology Popular Press Assignment
KarlGewer111
popular_press_assignment_v3.pptxPopular Press Assignment
Claims about the mind everywhere
Tension
Imagine you are a research scientist
You’ve spent years on a project
You carefully selected every word
Your claims are qualified and nuanced
Then some journalist writes an article that focuses on one small part of your work and gives it a misleading, sensationalized title.
Tension
Imagine you are a journalist
You’ve only got 1,000 words
You need to make the article catchy
You’ve got competition
Example: Prize fight
Thoughts
Was it engaging?
Did you learn something new?
What did you like about it?
What could have been improved?
Was it engaging?
Did you learn something new?
What did you like about it?
What could have been improved?
6
Inoue & Matsuzawa, 2007
Assignment
Part I – 10% of grade – Due on March 2nd at 11 AM
Read the Time magazine article entitled, “Watching TV Steers Children Toward Eating Junk”
Answer corresponding questions on Worksheet 1
Read the research study entitled, “Associations of Television Viewing With Eating Behaviors in the 2009 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Study”
Answer remaining questions of Worksheet 1
Part II – 10% of grade – Due on April 11th at 11 AM
Read “Priming Effects of Television Food Advertising on Eating Behavior”
Write 750-1000 word popular press article about the study
Make it engaging, not a dry summary
Have fun and be creative
Pt 2 Expectations
Absolutely no plagiarism.
Two-quotation maximum.
Keep it clear and concise.
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.
Be engaging.
Don’t forget a title!
More details
Things to keep in mind:
What are the 2 or 3 main points that you want your readers to take away from your article?
Make sure those points are very clear
What is the research question? What is the motivation for this question?
How did the researchers answer the question?
What did the researchers find? Broadly speaking, what were the results?
What are the implications? Why should people care? What questions remain?
If you thought the research wasn’t solid, why? What alternative explanation do you think should be considered?
General Rubric
50 Points
Writing: 20 points
clear and easy to read, logical organization
follows guidelines (e.g., only two quotes)
no spelling or grammatical errors
Engaging (but not overly sensationalized)
Don’t give a dry description of what the research was – help your reader understand the motivation and logic behind the work
Academic citations not needed (e.g., APA style), but quotes should have citations (e.g., Smith and colleagues state, “……….”)
General Rubric
50 Points
Content: 30 points
Required content (e.g., title, description of research)
The author clearly understands the original research
Accurate description of research question, method, findings
Appropriate level of detail (just detailed enough to get the main ideas across)
If multiple studies, you may not need to explain each one in detail.
Relevant information
Focus on the research- don’t add lots of unrelated filler
Appropriate length (750-1000 words)
Suggestions
Have a friend or parent read it
Do not wait until the last minute
Write it and then put it out of your mind for a few days
Read it with fresh eyes. Does it still make sense? Is it still clear?
Avoid writing on the same article as your friends
This is not a group project
Articles that are too similar will raise red flags
