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Course Assessment: Psych 302
Overview
Psychology 302 involves graded assignments that fall into four different “types” or categories: 1) Participation
Exercises 2) Mid-term Quiz, 3) Written Assignments and 4) Final Exam (complete details are provided below).
The course consists of a variety of participation exercises designed to facilitate reflection, critical thinking, feelings of
class ‘connectedness’, and awareness of the practical applications of the material you learn in the lesson. These
participation exercises are associated with specific lessons as outlined in the Course Schedule.
You will also complete a multiple choice Mid-term Quiz on-line and two graded Written Assignments. At the end of the
course you will write a final examination (closed book) that will cover material from the entire course. The due dates
for the written assignments and the date for the on-line midterm are also found in the Course Schedule.
One discussion board called the ‘Student Café’ is intended as an informal discussion area where students can go to greet
others, make enquiries to others about the course, organize study groups, etc. Unlike the posts you make as part of the
participation exercises, any posts to the Student Café will not be considered as contribution to your grade.
Summary of Evaluation Breakdown
Participation
Written Assignment 1: Article Critique
Written Assignment 2: Application Exercise
Midterm Quiz
Final Examination:
Total
14%
10%
14%
12%
50%
100%
DETAILS for the 4 TYPES of GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:
A) PARTICIPATION EXERCISES
Participation exercises will be marked according to the quality and level of critical thinking and/or creative thinking
students put into these posts (e.g., your comments and questions posted to the Discussion Boards).
Discussion Boards:
Five lessons involve posting to Discussion Boards (Lesson 5, 8, 9, 10, & 11) that will contribute to your participation
grade. For each of these lessons, the instructor will typically provide you with a couple of discussion boards to choose
from that ask you to discuss a particular topic or consider a particular question related to infancy to get you thinking.
Single word answers (yes, no, maybe) will not count; more detailed and thoughtful contributions will receive marks.
There are usually no “right or wrong” answers for these discussion exercises, we simply want to see your opinions and
thoughtful and thought-provoking comments or questions.
Discussion posts are graded out of 2. Late posts will lose at least 1 of the 2 marks if posted within 24 hours, and will
otherwise be parked incomplete.
Participation Activities:
There are also 2 other targeted ‘Activities’ (‘Ethics’ and ‘Baby Stories’) due at the end of Lessons 2 and 7, respectively,
that will contribute to your participation grade. Each is described below:
1.
Ethics Activity
Find an article or report in the media that relates to research ethics in developmental psychology; then post it
online to the Ethics Discussion topic (or post the weblink to it or source info for it, e.g. New York Times). Be
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sure to state in your own words (~200-300 words) what you think the central ethical issue is and your opinion
on the issue. You are also encouraged to read and comment on another person’s post and/or engage in a debate
with classmates.
2.
Baby Stories Activity
Log-in to My Virtual Child and raise your infant to around 12 months of age. Pair-up with a classmate and
compare your virtual infants. Identify one of the biggest differences you notice between the two infants’
development. Work together to write 300-400 words explaining why you think the two infants are different on
that dimension (based on what you have learned so far in the course and how you answered the questions on
the virtual child website that influenced his or her development). Post your explanation to the ‘Baby Stories’
Discussion topic. Be sure to use (correctly) a few key terms that you have learned thus far in the course when
making your comparison, though try not to make it too ‘jargony’—it should be easy to read. If you are unable
to work in pairs (or prefer not to) you may instead compare your virtual baby to another infant you know (or
knew) of a similar age. This is a link for more information on the Virtual Child web application:
http://www.youtube.com/pearsonpsych#p/u/1/qEvL72hbV9U
Evaluation of Participation Grades:
At the end of the course, you will receive a mark out of 12 for your Participation Grade. Five lessons involve posts to
Discussion Boards. Two lessons involve other Participation Activities—Ethics and Baby Stories. Roughly speaking,
these contributions are worth 2% each. You will be evaluated on your total contributions throughout the course.
B) MIDTERM QUIZ
There will be one mid-term quiz that students will participate in on-line. The mid-term quiz will consist of all multiple
choice questions comparable in nature to those that will appear on the final exam. The midterm is worth 12% of the
total grade.
C) WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Written Assignment #1: Article Critique
Specific Guidelines
Write a 1-2 page (single-spaced) review and critique of one of the empirical journal articles provided in the
corresponding article list.
The objective is to clearly and succinctly describe:
 Question(s) of Interest: the experimenters’ question(s) of interest and rationale/motivation for conducting the
study (or studies) [This may involve briefly describing previous findings that the researchers mention in the
article]
 Methods: the methods they employed to address their question(s) of interest. Be sure to identify the type of design
used (using the terminology introduced in lesson 2) and the dependent and independent variables.
 Results: the results or main findings of the study (or studies) described in the article
 Conclusions and Implications: what these findings tell us and why it is important
In addition, you are being asked to scientifically evaluate the research described in the article by thinking critically
about the methods, the findings, and the interpretation of the findings. Some questions to be thinking about (and
discussing if relevant) are: Why is this research important? What does it tell us about infant development or human
nature? Are there any major limitations in the methods used? Do you agree with the researchers’ interpretation of the
findings, or are there other possible interpretations? If there are other possible interpretations, how might you change
the methods to test these alternatives? What are the applications/implications of this research (e.g. how might it
influence our education system, parenting practices, clinical practices, legal practices, social policy, or other areas of
psychology)? What other questions does this research evoke? If you were the researcher, what questions might you
want to explore next? How do these findings relate to other research we have covered in this course? You may wish to
use section headings to organize your points.
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To receive credit this assignment must be submitted by the due date located on the Course Schedule. Extensions will
only be allowed for well-documented medical reasons lasting for several weeks in duration. You may complete the
written assignment anytime after completion of Module 2, so short-term medical excuses will not be accepted. There is
always a possibility of getting sick so do not leave your assignment to the last minute. You may work in pairs (but not
in larger groups). For more information on the option of working in pairs refer to the additional information below.
You will need to select one article from the article list on the homepage for the written assignment. Please select the
article using the Written Assignment Article Sign-up on the homepage. Once you sign up for a particular article you
will not be able to change your selection so select your article wisely.
Written Assignment #2: Applications Assignment
Specific Guidelines
Write a 1-4 page (single-spaced) Application assignment in which YOU will select one target question that
you will attempt to answer by researching your topic and using your critical and creative thinking. The
question can be any question as long as answering it will involve applying psychological research on infant
and/or early child development. You may work in pairs or groups of 3 (but not in larger groups). You are
encouraged to begin working on this activity early in the term and to continue to contribute to it as you
progress through the course. When you have finalized your Application Assignment (see the Course Schedule
on the homepage for the due date) submit it online.
A complete Application Activity should, minimally, contain the following 3 components:
[Refer to the ‘Applications Assignment Template’ as a guide]
a.
Target Question. Clearly identify the specific question you will attempt to answer.
b.
Articles & Article Summaries. Find 2-3 scientific journal articles that go some way towards
answering the question you chose—the further they go towards answering your question the better.
Though I recognize that not all questions will have clear answers backed by scientific evidence as of
yet, your job is to review some of the recent literature and choose 2-3 articles that provide the best
answer to your target question. I suggest you review at least the abstracts of 10-12 articles before
selecting the 2-3 which you will read in detail and summarize. The articles should be confined to
empirical research published in the year 2000 or later. Empirical research is different from
theoretical research in that the former includes a clear ‘Method’ section. That is, the authors of the
article are providing the first report of the findings from a specific study (or set of studies) they
conducted rather than solely reviewing earlier findings or offering their opinion or argument. For the
2-3 articles you choose to summarize provide the complete reference for the article as below and
include the article (preferably .pdf) as an attachment. The reference should include in the following
order: author(s) last name and first initial, year, article title, journal title, journal volume, page
numbers. For example: Birch, S. A. J. & Bloom, P. (2003). Children are cursed: An asymmetric bias
in mental-state attribution. Psychological Science, 14, 283-286.
[Note: The restriction to use only ‘empirical research published in the year 2000 or later’ only applies
to the 2-3 required articles and need not apply to any articles included in the Creative Component].
For each article, provide a ~250-400 word summary (in your own words!) applying what you learned
in the article to answer your target question. Briefly summarize the main findings as they apply to
your target question and clearly indicate the implications of those findings (e.g., how the research can
be applied to improve parenting or policies affecting infants and young children).
c.
Creative Component(s). In addition to the components above, you are required to include at least one
other component. The contents of this component will be left entirely up to you. Feel free to use your
creativity here. What other information would be useful in answering your target question? As just
some ideas to get you thinking, you may wish to find a couple of relevant press releases on the topic,
or create an ‘Other Useful Resources’ section with various links (e.g., to both academic and non-
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academic writings on the topic such as editorials from parenting magazines). Other ideas include: a)
writing a brief summary (in your own words) outlining controversies or discrepancies you noted in
the information conveyed between two articles you summarized or between the academic and nonacademic literature; b) keep a running ‘course diary’ of information you learned throughout the course
that is relevant to your target question (be sure to note how it is relevant if it is not immediately
obvious); or c) use the information you gathered from any (or all) of your readings to create a set of
guidelines for parents (e.g., a ‘How To’ document, ‘Step-by-step Program’, or ‘Key Tips’ for parents).
This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possibilities—the possibilities for what to include are
likely nearly endless. Just remember, the main goal of this ‘Application’ assignment is to apply what
you have learned (throughout the course and in your own reading) to your target question to show the
practical implications of psychological research on infant or early child development.
Grading Criteria for Written Assignments
You will be assigned a grade for each of the following aspects (each given a mark out of 50):
1. Writing Style and Quality of the Review: Be clear, yet concise. It should be easy for someone who has not
read the article(s) and is not familiar with the topic to understand the main findings and importance of the
research. Describe the research in your own words (i.e. paraphrase—do not use quotes, or technical jargon, and
do not report specific statistics). Pay attention to structure and paragraphing. Lead from one point to the next in
a logical order. It should flow. Make sure there are no typos, spelling errors, or grammatical mistakes.
Proofread it and have someone else proofread it!
2. Critical/Analytical Thought and Creativity: The writing should demonstrate that you have thought deeply
about the research that you have reviewed and evaluated. It should exhibit sound reasoning to support your
evaluations and arguments. Critical thought can be demonstrated by being able to identify the limitations of the
research and by recognizing the implications and applications of such research. Other ways to show you have
thought critically and creatively about the topic are to relate the findings to other research we have covered in
this course, to raise thought questions (i.e. ‘food for thought’ even if they are difficult questions to test
experimentally), and to discuss future research questions that need to be addressed.
Formatting
In addition, documents should follow these guidelines:
 Your written assignments must be submitted online (as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf attachment).
 Be single-spaced using 12 point Times New Roman font with 1 inch margins
 Be proof-read carefully by you and someone else!
 Include a header in 10 point underlined font with your full name, ID#, Course#, and Section# appearing in the
top right-hand corner and, the Assignment Name (e.g. Article Critique) in top left-hand corner.
[e.g., Article Critique Suzy A. Sample, ID# 912345678, Psyc 302, Section 99C]
 The complete reference of the article(s) should appear in bold. The reference should include in the following
order: author(s) last name and first initial, year, article title, journal title, journal volume, page numbers.
o For example: Birch, S. A. J. & Bloom, P. (2003). Children are cursed: An asymmetric bias in
mental-state attribution. Psychological Science, 14, 283-286.
 Avoid quotes, technical jargon, and statistics: Write it in your own words but in a professional/scientific
manner.
D) FINAL EXAMINATION
You must pass the final examination with a minimum grade of 50% to receive credit for this course. The final
examination is based on the textbook and the required readings. The final examination will be closed book and cover
material from the entire course. Given that considerable attention has been given to written assignments, exercises, and
discussions throughout the course the final exam will take a multiple choice format. The final exam will consist of 75100 multiple choice items equally representing the required reading from each lesson.
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OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION RELEVANT FOR COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
The Option of Working in Pairs
For some assignments you have the option of working in pairs (if that option is specified). Should you choose to work
with another classmate on this assignment be sure to include both names on the assignment. Be aware that each person
that contributes will receive the same grade on the assignment. If you choose to work with a partner but then realize
there is an incompatibility issue or other problem stemming from working with another person each of you are still
responsible for turning in the assignment by the due date so be sure to start early and plan accordingly.
Finding Scholarly Articles
For some assignments (e.g., Application Assignment) you will want to find your own scholarly articles. There are
several ways you may do so. Perhaps the best way to ensure your find a scholarly article is to use the PsycInfo Database
provided through the university library. Other possible ways include searching from www.scholar.google.com (or other
scholarly databases you may be aware of), by going to individual scientific journal websites, or by looking through the
professional websites of developmental psychologists on the faculty at different Universities. For instance, if you know
from your textbook that K. E. Adolph published work on toddler’s motor development (and your question is on motor
development) you could try finding the professional website of K. E. Adolph and seeing what else she has published on
motor development. The ‘References’ section of your text (starting on p. 423) might prove a useful starting point for
this type of search.
Some suggested top quality journals to consider are: Science, Nature, Psychological Science, Child Development,
Developmental Science, Developmental Psychology, the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Cognition, and
Social Cognition. These are considered some of the higher quality journals in the field, though you do not need to limit
your search to these journals. Personnel at UBC Library (as well as other libraries) can usually also provide
assistance.