Psychology 41: Research Paper
Fall 2015
DUE DATE: 11/5, 11:59pm
Part 1: Find one scholarly research article discussing cultural differences related to a lifespan development theory (e.g.,
Baumrind’s Parenting Styles, Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory, Kohlberg’s theory moral development, Personality Theory,
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, Bowlby/Ainsworth Attachment Theory, Self-Concept Theory etc.). Next,
answer all of the questions on the outline attached to this assignment. This portion of the assignment is worth 10 points
and is due on 10/8 in class.
Part 2: In a 3-5 page paper using APA format, including an abstract, citations within the body of your essay, a reference
page, 12-point, Times New Roman Font, double-spacing, and 1-inch margins, you will provide a cross-cultural
comparison of the research presented on a psychological theory discussed in this course (e.g., attachment theory,
Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory, Kohlberg’s theory moral development, Personality Theory, Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive
Development, etc.). In other words, discuss the findings of research from a Western perspective (as proposed in the text
and/or in lecture) and how the findings differ in another culture. You must use at least one scholarly research article citing
data from a culture with a differing perspective. Do not cite websites, especially Wikipedia. Your paper will be graded in
terms of application of course content and writing quality (including organization, clarity, punctuation, and grammar).
This portion must be submitted in Turnitin.
Los Angeles Harbor College’s Library database at: https://lahc.edu/library/databases.html is one resource you can use to
find scholarly research articles. Once in the site, scroll down until you see Psychology and click on the Psychology
Collection. You will then enter the login page and need to follow the instructions:
Use the library password and login. Login information is below:
 Students: user name is first 3 letters of your last name, the first letter of your first name, and the last four
digits of your student ID number password is your birthday month and birthday day
a. For example, if I am George Washington, my student ID is 07041776 and my birthday is February 22,
my login would be:
b. User name: wasg1776
c. Password: 0222
d. Notice that February is 02 (not just 2) and that we are using the numerals, not letters.
Once you log in to the site, within the search area, you will have many of choices. A simple approach is to type in a
couple of key phrases that will get you into the right topic. Be sure to pull down the correct term. You can try subject
terms if you are not looking for a specific article. Be sure to click on the "peer-reviewed" option and also the "full text"
option. This ensures you will not waste time with only abstracts or magazines that are not authoritative.

You MUST submit your paper in Turnitin. To create a Turnitin account. Please go to:
http://www.turnitin.com/
o If you already have an account, your login ID and password will be the same.
o If you do not have an account, please click on the create account link on the upper right hand corner.
o Once you create an account, you will need the class ID and password. The password is case
sensitive.
o 9:35-11:00 Class ID: 10360983
o 11:10-12:35 Class ID: 10360986
o Password: culture
o Here is a video link if you need assistance setting up an account.
 http://www.turnitin.com/en_us/training/student-training/creating-a-new-user-profile
APA Format: Basic Overview
What is APA format?
APA Style was developed by social and behavioral scientists to standardize scientific writing. It is used for term papers and research reports and
studies.
Manuscript (Paper) Format:
APA style includes a specific format, including Times New Roman 12 point font, double-space between lines of body and text and titles, headings,
and block quotations. The reference list is also double-spaced. The first line of every paragraph is indented one-half inch with the exception of the
abstract. The text is aligned to the left-hand margin.
APA format also includes a title page (page 1), abstract (page 2), body of the paper (page 3), and a reference list.
Title Page: The title page includes a “Running head” followed by a short title in all caps in the header. Page numbers are inserted in the header on the
right side of the paper. The full title of the paper, the name of the author, and the author’s affiliation is also included on the title page.
Example of the format for the Title Page:
Running head: SHORT TITLE ALL CAPS
Page Number
Title of Your Paper
Name
Author’s Affiliation
Abstract: The abstract is on its own page. It includes a brief summary of the information included in your paper. The abstract is limited to one
paragraph (150-250 words) and is double-spaced, but the paragraph is not indented.
Body of the Paper:
Headings are used to help readers find the key points of your paper and track the development of your thought. The first heading needs to be
centered, boldfaced, and in Upper and Lowercase. The second headings are flush left, boldface, and are upper and lowercase headings. (Additional
levels of headings may be used as well for more detailed papers).
Citations in the Text:
“Citing while you write” is an important part of APA format. Anytime you cite information, including ideas, information, theories, or findings that
directly influence your work, even if you paraphrase or describe someone else’s idea (including any ideas/information from your textbook), you must
give the author(s) credit in the body of the essay. If you do not give the author credit, it is considered plagiarizing.
How do you cite while you write?
APA uses the author-date citation system. It allows the reader to find the sources in the reference list. To insert a citation in the text, include the
author’s last name and the year of publication. For a direct quote, include the page number of the original work. Even if you borrow information from
a lecture, the lecturer must be given credit using the same author-date format. For example, if the author of a study published in 2003 is Kessler, you
might use the following citations styles in the body of the paper:

Kessler (2003) found that among samples…

Early onset of a disease may lead to poorer prognosis (Kessler, 2003).

In 2003, Kessler’s study showed that…
Basic citation styles:

One author: Walker (2007) or (Walker, 2007).

Two authors: Walker and Allen (2004) or (Walker & Allen, 2004).

Three-Six authors:
o First citation in text list all author’s last names- Walker, Allen, and Soo (2004) or (Walker, Allen, & Soo, 2004).
o Second citation in text – Walker et al. (2004) or (Walker et al., 2004).

Six or more authors:
o You only need to use the first author’s last name followed by et al. and the year of publication - Walker et al. (2004) or (Walker
et al., 2004).

Direct Quotes
o **If it is a direct quote, then the page number must follow. “Psychology is the study of mental processes and behavior” (Walker
& Allen, 2004, p. 63). Note that the period follows the citation.
Reference List:
The purpose of the reference list is to help readers find the sources you used. Therefore, the reference list should include all of the sources cited in
you paper. The reference list starts on a new page. References are put in order by the author’s last name or the first author’s last name if there is more
than one. Use the handing indent paragraph style and double space the entire reference list.
Reference List Example:
If the source is a book:
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher City: Publisher Name.
If the source is a journal article:
Author, A. (date). Tile of article. Italicized Title of the Journal, Vol # (issue #), and page #.
Citation creation helps you format your references, and can be found at the following link: http://www.citationcreation.com/
Part 1: Due 10/8
Attach the research article to this portion of the assignment. This portion must be typed. Please use proper
grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
1. Provide an APA reference citation for the research article (you will use this for the reference page
of your final paper). You may use citation creation to help you format the reference:
www.citationcreation.com
2. Provide 2 examples of how you will cite while you write when summarizing the information from the
research article. **If it is a direct quote, a page number must also be included. If you paraphrase (put it
in your own words, you do not need to include the page number).
a. Author(s) (year):
b. (Author(s), year):
3. What is/are the hypothesis(es) of the study?
4. Who are the participants in the study (e.g., how many, ethnicity, male or female, children or adult, where
are they from)?
5. What type of study is it? (e.g., survey (questionnaire), experiment, meta-analysis, correlational, case
study, naturalistic). Briefly describe the measures used to collect the data for the study.
6. Did the results support/fail to support the hypothesis?
7. What are the strengths or weakness of the study in your opinion?
Psychology Written Work Grading Rubric
This rubric is designed to clarify the grading process for written work by detailing the key elements expected for the
assignments in this course.
Assignment Specific Criteria
Part 1:
____Cross-cultural research from one scholarly article was printed, summarized, and discussed in class.
(10/10 points)
Part 2:
Discussion of Psychological Theory/Research
____Provided a clear explanation of the psychological theory/research from a western perspective from
scholarly sources. (20/20 points)
____Need some improvement in the explanation of the psychological theory/research from a western
perspective from scholarly sources (e.g., some important factors were missing). (17/20 points)
____Some major errors present in the explanation of the psychological theory/research from a western
perspective from scholarly sources (e.g., major factors were missing). (15/20 points)
____Significant errors present in the explanation of the psychological theory/research from a western
perspective. (10/20 points)
Discussion of Cross-Cultural Research
____Provided a clear explanation of the psychological theory/research from a cross-cultural perspective from
scholarly sources. (20/20 points)
____Need some improvement in the explanation of the psychological theory/research from a cross-cultural perspective
from scholarly sources (e.g., some important factors were missing). (17/20 points)
____Some major errors present in the explanation of the psychological theory/research from a cross-cultural
perspective from scholarly sources (e.g., major factors were missing). (15/20 points)
____Significant errors present in the explanation of the psychological theory/research from a cross-cultural
perspective. (10/20 points)
Grammar/Sentence Structure/Clarity/Punctuation
___ No major grammatical errors and writing is clear and logical: presents no problem for understanding any sentences or
paragraphs. (10/10 points)
___Slight grammatical errors and/or parts are unclear: presents minor problem for understanding some sentences/and or
paragraphs. (8/10 points)
___Some major grammatical errors and/or parts are unclear: presents moderate problem for understanding some sentences
and/or paragraphs. (5/10 points)
___Many grammatical errors and/or writing is unclear: presents major problem for understanding sentences and/or
paragraphs (3/10 points)
APA Paper Format
____ No significant problems with APA format (follows guidelines, citations included in the text, abstract
and title page included, and APA formatted reference page). (10/10 points)
____ Slight problems with APA format (follows guidelines, citations included in the text, abstract and
title page included, and APA formatted reference page). (8/10 points)
____ Some problems with APA format (follows some guidelines, citations included in the text, abstract
And title page included, and APA formatted reference page). (5/10 points)
____ Significant problems with APA format (does not follow guidelines, missing citations in the text,
missing abstract, title page, or APA formatted reference page). (3/10 points)
Critical Thinking
____Demonstrated adequate critical thinking skills. (5/5 points)
____Needs some improvement in critical thinking skills. (3/5 points)
____Needs significant improvement in critical thinking skills. (1/5points)
Total Grade: ____/75 points