Intro Psychology: 4th Quarter Project-30% of the 4th Quarter grade
Due: At the beginning of the period on
AND submitted to turnitim.com the night before
You must complete this to pass the course.
Psychological Mysteries
“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent”
-Sherlock Holmes
Directions:
1. Your assignment is to investigate one specific area of psychology that we HAVE
NOT studied or HAVE NOT gone “in depth” in this course.
2. You will use the following requirements to complete the assignment in order to apply
the skill of “Psychological Thinking” that you have learned in this course to the
Topic you choose.
*1st look at the FOCUS SECTION PAGE provided in this packet.
Then look in the index of your textbook at the Modules (Topics) we have not
investigated in class. Browse through the modules that interest you and try to
narrow down your topic, read a little about it the subject matter, and continue to
think, revise, and explore options.
*Make sure it is something you are TRULY interested in exploring and then do
the following once you have decided on a general subject that interests you:
a. Over the first two days in the Library we will be assisted by the librarians and
they will help, and teach us, to use databases and other library resources to
explore your topic and create an initial Essential Question to your Mystery.
As we continue to explore your topics we will be synthesizing your material
and you will have a revised and SOLID Essential Question by the 3rd day,
which you will then answer through an in depth analysis of your Essential
Question.
b. Below are some Ex’s of past Essential Questions:
-Ex’s: “Is Schizophrenia really a form of madness that can
never be cured?” or “Are criminals brain damaged?” or “What
do IQ tests really measure and how should they be used?” or
“How do anti-depressants and cognitive therapies treat
Depression?”
c. You will research and write on your topic thoroughly. We will be in the
Library on: ____, ____,____,____,____ .
*You will include in your research: the textbook, 1 magazine
article, 2academic journals and/or primary documents, and 1
other resource of your choice.
**This equals a total of 5 resources.
a. You will use the research to answer the Essential Question by using
the following format:
1. Note: The title of the analysis is the E.Q. and you will write
essay format within each section clearly labeled.
2. A minimum 5 page DS typed summary (with internal
citations where necessary & a APA works cited: See Library
Homepage for APA Citation Manual) which addresses the
following:
Over
Psychological Mysteries Research Paper Requirement and FORMAT Guide/Rubric
*Paper Requirements: 100pts Total
Section 1: Basic concepts, terms, theories significant to EQ-20 pts
- 1 – 2 pages long
- Include internal citations [APA format – i.e. (author, date, pg # or paragraph #)]
Section 2: Enduring Issues-30pts
- How do 4 of the 6 enduring issues (look at the notes below) apply to your EQ?
- 2 pages long
- Make sure to define each issue and clearly explain how your research applies to the issue
- Include internal citations
Section 3: Themes of Psychology-20pts
- How do 2 of the major themes (look at the notes below) apply to your EQ?
- 1-2 pages long
- Make sure to define each theme and clearly explain how your research applies to the theme.
- Include internal citations
Section 4: Psychsim or Psychquest-10pts
- Complete a Psychsim or Psychquest relevant to your topic by printing and completing the
appropriate Sim W.S.
- What did you learn about your topic from the sim or quest? How did it change your
understanding and help you solve a part of your Mystery?
- ½ - 1 page long
Section 5: Current Issues-5 pts
- What are some relevant current issues or information within your EQ?
- 1 page long
- Include internal citations
Section 6: Most Important Thing Learned-10 pts
- What is the most important thing you learned from this assignment? Why? Use details and
specific examples from your research to support your answer.
- ½ - 1 page long
Section 7: Further Requirements and Deadlines:-5pts
- You will turn in all your notes with your final written paper.
- The Focus Section pg.
- Your paper has to be your own original work unique to this project – all research needs to be
conducted solely for this project and only this project. You have to present your own personal
synthesis and analysis of the research in your paper.
o
Scoring Key:
100-90=A
89-80=B
79-70=C
69-60=D
59=E
______________________________
Your Signature indicating that you understand the requirements and will follow the
requirements!
Comments:
Reference Sheet for Enduring Issues and Themes of Psychology
ENDURING ISSUES
BIG/ENDURING Issues = fundamental questions about behavior and mental processes
that cut across psychologists’ interests and areas of specialization.
1) Person vs. Situation
 To what extent is behavior caused by processes that occur inside the
person (thoughts, emotions, motives, attitudes, values, personality,
intelligence, and genes)?
 To what extent is behavior caused by factors outside the person
(incentives, cues in the environment, and the presence of other people)?
o EX: Were the senior girls that hazed the junior girls during the
powder puff game at GBN vicious, mean-spirited people or did the
desire to belong (normative social influence), deindividuation, and
the foot-in-the door principle contribute to their deviant behavior?
2) Rationality vs. Irrationality
 Are humans noble, admirable creatures that can make judgments with
amazing efficiency (rationality)?
 Are humans prone to err and have a tendency to overestimate
judgments and abilities (irrationality)?
3) Diversity
 To what extent is “Every person in certain respects (a) like all other
people, (b) like some other people, (c) like no other person?
o EX: How does gender, age, ethnicity, race create differences and
similarities between individuals?
4) Mind vs. Body
 To what extent is what we experience (such as thoughts and feelings) and
biological processes (such as activity in the nervous system, parts of the
brain) connected?
5) Heredity vs Environment / Nature vs. Nurture
 Do our human traits (intelligence, personality, etc) develop through
experience (nurture)?
 Are human traits (intelligence, personality, etc) inherited or inborn?
o Answer to debate = nurture works on what nature endows. Nature
via nurture.
6) Stability vs. Change
 Do people change throughout their lives?
 Do individual traits (intelligence, personality, etc) persist as we age?
THEMES OF PSYCHOLOGY
1. Union of Opposites = the human organism displays various reactions that are
characterized by opposing tendencies.
- EX: Autonomic nervous system
- Sympathetic nervous system arouses the body and gets the body ready
for fight or flight
- Parasympathetic nervous system calms the body or returns the body back
to normal
2. For Every Psychological Event there is a Corresponding Biological Event =
the idea that every mental process or behavior has underlying biological
contributions.
-EX: Phineas Gage’s personality (psychological process) changed as a
result of damage to his frontal lobe (biological process)
3. Psychology is a Science = the idea that psychology is not based on common
sense or intuition but relies on the scientific method, using different types of
research methods (naturalistic observation, surveys, statistics, case studies, and
experiments) to come up with theories about behavior and mental processes.
4. Correlation is not Causation
- Correlation = relationship between how closely two things vary together and
thus how well either one predicts the other.
- Causation = when one variable causes the other variable. Can only be proven by
experimentation, a research method in which an investigator manipulates one or
more factors (independent variables) to observe the effect on some behavior or
mental processes (the dependent variable). By random assignment of participants
into a control group and an experimental group the experimenter controls other
relevant factors.
-EX: Watching violence correlates with (and therefore predicts)
aggression. But that does not mean that violence causes aggression. No
matter how strong the relationship between two things, correlation does
not prove causation. Watching TV violence might influence aggressive
behavior. However, aggressive people might prefer violent programs.
Need to create an experiment to prove causation.
Over
The Focus Section
(This ENTIRE page must be completed and turned in with your project)

My topic is___________________________
-My topic is in Module #____________________

My Final and Revised Essential Question
is:_________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
*Resources I used were: Write down the actual citation information here.
*Use APA Citation Guide Links on DHS Library Home page; as well as the ‘Helpful Links” to guide
you through in text citations!
1. Textbooka. Citation
b. What basic information did this source provide? Is it a creditable source? How do
you know?
2. Magazinea. Citation
b. What basic information did this source provide? Is it a creditable source? How do you
know?
3. Journal/Primary Documenta. Citation
b. What basic information did this source provide? Is it a credible source? How do you
know?
4. Another Primary Document of your choice- MUST BE CREDIBLE.
a. Citation
b. What basic information did this source provide? Is it a credible source? How do you
know?
5. Other (Your choice)-MUST BE CREDIBLE
a. Citation
b.
What basic information did this source provide? Is it a credible source?
How do you know?
Pair & Share
Psychological Mysteries
Unraveled!
Directions:
1. Take out the provided Graphic Organizer and put your name and
your partners name on it. Each person will turn in their own
Organizer that will be stapled to the back of their assignment.
2. You and your partner will be sharing your “evidence” from your
mystery with each other. You will talk once and then you will
listen once.
3. Complete the following with your partner:
a. Tell your partner what your E.Q. was and spend about 5-8
min. telling them about the information you found that
helped unravel your “Psychological Mystery” (the
EQ). As you are sharing the person listening should be
taking down the “Evidence” on the Graphic Organizer.
*You will fill in a total of 4 EVIDENCE Boxes. (These do
not have to be complete sentences just complete thoughts).
THEN SWITCH ROLES AND REPEAT THE ABOVE
b.
Next, In Box #5 on the Graphic Organizer you will answer
the following question: “How well do you think your
partner did in unlocking the CLUES in their investigation?
Why? *Did they unravel their “Psychological Mystery?”
How do you know? (Write a 4-5 sentence paragraph here)
c. ON THE BACK OF YOUR ORGANIZER answer the
following question: “How did your partners “Mystery”
help change or reinforce your understanding of
Psychology?
d. You are now done. Staple this to the back of your
assignment and go back to your regular seats. Thanks.