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OVERVIEW: Psychological and medical studies are commonly discussed in the media. Often, the general public hears about these studies through popular press articles. It is our responsibility to critically evaluate whether the conclusions being drawn by these popular press articles are consistent with the data from the original research. The goal of this paper is to practice critical thinking and summarizing research articles.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

For this assignment, you will pick and read one of the following pairs of articles. You will read the first pair about video and creativity or the second pair about sleep. In each pair, there is 1 popular press article and 1 peer-reviewed research article. If you have taken this class in the past, you must choose the pair of articles that you have not written about previously. If you have written about both pairs of articles previously, email your TA for an alternative pair of articles.

Read the peer-reviewed article, paying close attention to their research design and findings. Then, read the popular press article, paying close attention to how the findings of the peer-reviewed article are interpreted and described. Review what you learned from lecture regarding research methods and causality.

Please see the rubric for how the paper will be graded: Link

Formatting and guidelines:

• The final paper should be:
  • 2-3 pages long
  • Double-spaced
  • Size 12 Times New Roman font
  • 1” margins
• You are only allowed up to 2 quotes in the entire paper if necessary.
  • These quotes cannot be longer than 1 sentence.
  • Use your own words – paraphrase the authors’ ideas carefully.
• Make sure your main argument is clearly identified. Give concrete examples.
  • Make sure each paragraph makes a clear point
  • Make sure the ordering of points from paragraph to paragraph is logical
• Proper spelling, grammar, style, and writing quality are all very important.

FIRST PAIR: SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Use the following outline:

1. Summarize the peer-reviewed article.
   • Identify the research hypothesis, the subject variable(s), the design of the study, and the outcome.
   • Explain whether and how the outcome of the study supports the research hypothesis.
2. Summarize the popular press article.
   • The popular press article may or may not use causal language. Note any statements, phrases, or conclusions that imply causality.
3. Evaluate whether the press article provided an accurate report of the original research.
   • Did the author use any language that implied a causal relationship between the variables that were studied?
   • Describe why causal conclusions cannot be made from correlational studies.
   • Suggest and explain a possible third variable that might account for the finding that videogame playing is associated with creativity.

SECOND PAIR: SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Use the following outline:

1. Summarize the peer-reviewed article.
   • Identify the research hypothesis, the subject variable(s), the design of the study, and the outcome.
   • Explain whether and how the outcome of the study supports the research hypothesis.
2. Summarize the popular press article.
   • The popular press article may or may not use causal language. Note any statements, phrases, or conclusions that imply causality.
3. Evaluate whether the press article provided an accurate report of the original research.
   • Did the author use any language that implied a causal relationship between the variables that were studied?
   • Describe why causal conclusions cannot be made from correlational studies.
   • Suggest and explain a possible third variable that might account for the finding that sleep quality is associated with changes in brain structure.