ASSIGNMENT
Write a 3-4 page paper (described below) evaluating an article that they have found in a popular media source (newspaper, magazine, online, etc) and comparing it to the original peer-reviewed published research article. Through this assignment, they evaluate both the limits of the research itself and the presentation of it in the popular media.
Description of Paper Assignment
Select an article from the print (papers or news/popular magazines) or electronic (online) media which describes a research study. The article needs to be one published or posted after (or during) January 2022. The study should be in the human sciences (ex., medicine, psychology, etc.), and the point is to look closely at the design/implementation of the study and how these issues effect the conclusions that can be drawn. Some good places to look for an article include the American Psychological Association Monitor, Psychology Today and Discover Magazine, the Opinion section (usually page 2 or 3 of that section) of the Boston Globe. Many of these may be available online, at our library and/or at the bookstore. The article should not be a literature review (which summarizes many studies) but, instead, should describe in some detail only ONE study. If you are not sure you have an appropriate article, email or see me or your TF! Once you have gotten the brief article, go and obtain the original scientific article cited in the brief article (sometimes easily available online and other times at the library; plan ahead, as you may not be able to obtain the article at the last minute). Once you have both, read them carefully and compare.
Discuss the following questions:
1)What type of study is described (correlational, experimental)? Provide a rationale for your answer.
2) Who were the subjects and how were they selected (random sample or not)? How might the sampling strategy affect generalizability? If it doesn’t say how subjects were selected, how might this effect your interpretation of the findings?
3)How were the variables operationalized (defined for the purposes of the study)? Does it seem like a reasonable approach (is it a good way to measure the phenomenon)? What problems/limits may be associated with this approach?
4) Do the conclusions seem justified based on the study design? Have the data been manipulated to make a stronger (and possibly less accurate) statement about the results? Is cause being inferred when the study design does not allow the authors to draw that conclusion?
5) Does the brief article accurately reflect what is presented in the longer journal article? Is the science really well-represented in the more “popular media” (short article)? Did you have enough information with just the brief article alone to feel confident in the conclusion?
Be careful to address all of the above questions. Also include a page of references, including the brief article and the longer one. Your papers will be graded on both content (i.e., the degree to which the questions are adequately addressed) and quality of the writing (i.e., the degree to which the paper is organized and well-written).
Please note that you have to submit a) a Topic and Reading Indication form (3 points), b) an outline (3 points), and the final paper (44 points). Deadlines are listed above and in the Course Outline below. All materials are due no later than 9:00 am (before class) on their respective due dates. You will need to upload all assignments through the Blackboard site.
