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PSYC1001R iPSYC Assignment

This document describes your iPSYC assignment in 3 parts. Part 1 describes what it is and how to do the
assignment. Part 2 summarizes the grading of the assignment in a rubric. Part 3 lists the thirty-seven
questions from which you will pick one.

Part 1:
As described in the chapter on Memory, one of the best ways to “lock-in” new information is to link it
with info that is personally relevant. That is what this assignment asks you to do.

iPSYC is designed to assess your ability to write what might be one of your first university papers. You
will be asked to interpret a portion of course content and to apply it to an aspect of your life through an
analytical lens. Your explanation will be clear and concise. Pick one of the questions listed in Part 3 and
find one or more references that are relevant to your discussion.

A. Content:
This is a formal paper that demonstrates that you can synthesize your knowledge of some part of the
course with real-life examples and/or aspects of your own life. It is also expected that you will start to
demonstrate how to include references and put them into your own words and avoid plagiarism. For
this assignment, you will not quote your sources. If you cite the work of journal articles or books or class
lectures, you will put their ideas into your own words.

B. Value:
From 0 to 10% of your final grade in PSYC1001R.

C. Due date:
11:55pm on the date specified in the Course Outline & on cuLearn. If your paper is submitted in the 24-
hours after the due date, you will receive no more than 5 marks. If your paper is submitted in the 24-
hour period after that, you will receive no more than 2.5 marks. If your paper is submitted any time
after that you will receive zero.

D. Format:
400-1000 words in total. The word count includes your entire assignment from the title page through to
end. Use 12-point Times Roman font, double-spaced. Include a separate Title page (but part of the
same file) with your name, ID, course number, date, and the question number you are addressing.

E. File name, File type:

Name the file “YourLastName_YourFirstName_PSYC1001R”. The file type must be .DOC or .DOCX or
.TXT. This is done to facilitate comments on your paper. If you are a Mac or Open Document user
convert your file to .DOC or .DOCX or .TXT. Do not submit PDF or ODT or any other format. You will
receive zero if the TA cannot open your file.

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F. References/Citation:
You are encouraged to use references in your assignment. These might include the text, lecture
videos, and/or powerpoint, internet sources, or a journal article. The quality of your references
will be a consideration in the grading of your paper. For example, is it possibly from a source of
“fake news” or is it from a more credible, academic source? Identify or cite your source(s) using
APA format as detailed at https://library.carleton.ca/help/apa-citation-style . List your references
in a brief References section. For lectures use: Tsuji, B.H. (2018). Title of lecture
powerpoint. Class notes in PSYC1001R, Carleton University. Downloaded on DD/MMM/YYYY.

G. Quotations & Plagiarism:

Do not quote from any of your sources. Instead, put things in your own words. If more than 5
consecutive words are copied and pasted into your assignment from the internet, Wikipedia, text,
journal, or any other source, this is considered plagiarism and you will receive zero. For details
see http://carleton.ca/registrar/academic-integrity/

H. Submission:
You may submit your paper multiple times until the due date. Whatever you have posted as of
11:55pm on the due date will be graded.
I. Writing Style:
How easily can your assignment be understood? Spelling and grammatical errors detract from
what you are trying to communicate. Write formally but you may use the word “I” or “my”.

Part 2:
Your assignment will be graded according to the rubric provided below.

Specific criteria
Quality of Did you answer the question you selected? Did you clearly draw the links between specific
ideas. 4 marks aspects of course content and your personal experience? Are your ideas relevant? Did you
consider one side of the issue or more? Was your answer feasible & believable? Do you cite
one or more references? What is the quality of those references? Did you put ideas into your
own words (good)?
Organization. Is there a Title Page? Are there introductory & concluding sentences? Do paragraphs flow
2 marks from one to another? Are there structure words like “for example” or “first” or “finally” to
guide readers? Did you follow instructions for font, filename, and filetype? Is the total length
of your paper between 400 and 1000 words?
Writing Style. Are the sentences easy to read? Did you use APA format? Did you correctly cite your
2 marks references? Did you list your references?
Grammar & Is your spelling & grammar correct? Do subjects & verbs agree? Are there run-on sentences
usage. 2 or non-sentences? Is punctuation used correctly?
marks
Due date Assignments submitted within the 24 hours immediately after the due date will be graded
out of 5. Assignments submitted within the next 24 hours will be graded out of 2.5.
Assignments submitted after that will receive 0.
Plagiarism Assignments with evidence of plagiarism will receive 0.

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Cannot open Files that are not .DOC or .DOCX or .TXT filetype or that the TA cannot open will receive 0.

Part 3:
Pick one of the following thirty-six questions to write your iPSYC assignment and identify the question
on your Title Page. No other topics will be accepted.

1. What do you think PSYC1001R can do for you? (Ch00-A)

2. How is PSYC1001R a good “fit” for you? How is PSYC1001R a bad “fit” for you? (Ch00-B)
3. Which one of the Chapters do you think you will be most interested in? Which one of the Chapters
do you think you will be least interested in? Why? (Ch00-C)
4. What would you like to learn from psychology? (Ch01-A)
5. Do you believe your abilities are “fluid” or “fixed”? (Ch01-B)
6. What do you think the “phi phenomenon” teaches us about ourselves? (Ch01-C)
7. Of the 5 “schools of thought” we discussed in Module 01-D, which appeals to you the most? Why?
(Ch01-D)
8. Why is the scientific method sometimes described as “trial and error”? (Ch02-B)
9. What is your personal “operational definition” of success in this course? (Ch02-D)
10. What do you think is a really important psychological research question and which of the 4 general
methods we discussed do you think would be best to answer it? (Ch02-E)
11. Of the 3 measures of central tendency we discussed, which one do you think should be used by
governments when they describe unemployment statistics? Explain. (Ch02-F)
12. If I told you there was a significant negative correlation of -.90 between age and final grade in this
course you would laugh in my face. Why? (Ch02-G)
13. If I said I was interested in the population of all people taking this course, is there any instance in
which you would not be a good potential part of a sample from that population? (Ch02-H)
14. Can you give me an example (include the URL) of some information you found on the internet that is
absolutely untrue? (Ch02-I)
15. An evil neuroscientist has you tied up and is about to lesion a part of your brain but is giving you the
choice; lose your Wernicke’s area or your Broca’s area. What do you choose and why? (Ch03-A)
16. What were the circumstances the last time your sympathetic nervous system kicked in? (Ch03-D)
17. Explain why we have such a huge numerical difference between our 100 billion neurons but 100
trilliion synapses. (Ch03-F)
18. Why is the concept of epigenetics so fascinating? (Ch03-H)
19. Provide me with an example of a False Alarm you have experienced. (Ch04-B)
20. If you suffered damage to Broca’s area of the brain, what effect would that have on your
performance on the Stroop phenomenon? (Ch04-D)
21. Of the sensory systems we have discussed, which one would you least like to have
removed? Explain. (Ch04-F,G)
22. Is there a difference in your overall efficiency after spring versus fall Daylight Savings time change?
(Ch05-B)
23. Analyze one of your recent dreams from a Freudian perspective. (Ch05-C)
24. Do you have one of the sleep disorders we discussed? What are its effects on you? (Ch05-D)
25. If you practice one of the conscious-altering techniques we discussed, what does it do for you?
(Ch05-E)
26. How have you been classically conditioned? What are the learning elements? (US, US, CS, and CR)
(Ch06-B)

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27. Give an example of some problem that might be treated with virtual reality therapy. (Ch06-E)
28. Can you provide me with an example of your own observational learning? (Ch06-F)
29. How might you use the concept of schema to help you remember things? (Ch07-C)
30. Based on our discussion of Williams’ research on sexual abuse victims, do you think the victims
simply “forgot” the incidents? (Ch07-E)
31. What do you think would be the best 3 things you could do to remember the content of this course?
(Ch07-G)
32. If instead of a computer revolution in the 1950’s to 1990’s, there had been a steam locomotive train
revolution instead, what might psychology look like today? (Ch08-A)
33. Do you ever think without language? Provide an example. (Ch08-B)
34. Do you think that animals and humans will ever share a common language? Why? (Ch08-E)
35. Are you expert at something? What is it? How long did it take to develop? (Ch08-F)
36. Have you solved a problem recently by overcoming one of the barriers we talked about? (Ch08-F)
37. Identify one of the different kinds of errors we discussed and provide me with an example of a
“bad” decision you made with it. (Ch08-H)

PSYC1001R iPSYC F2018 © Bruce H. Tsuji