General Psychology, writing homework help

General Psychology

There are many
famous historical biographies, but this project is not limited

to fame. There
are interesting artists, dancers, musicians, community leaders,

everyday
heroes, military soldiers etc. Find a person that you want to investigate as

your case
study.

Choose a
person with a published biography and write an 8-10-page case study

investigation.
Your case study should be formatted and presented according to the

order below.

Part 1: Biography and Influence (1.5 – 2 pages in length)

A. Introduction

1. The
introductory paragraphs of your paper should include:

a. A hook or
anecdote to engage the audience.

b. A thesis
statement/argument.

i. What is
your thesis or argument you are presenting about the person

you have
selected?

Hook/thesis statement example: Running a
marathon is no easy feat,

many people
would never dream of taking on such a task, but for Sammy

Wanjiru
running is a way of life. Great runners are not born running, so

what makes
them become champion runners?

c. Three
selected psychological theories.

i. What three
theories are you going to choose to support your

argument?

d.
Limitations, biases, and ethical concerns.

i. What
limitations, biases, and ethical concerns do you think you will

encounter?

B. Chronological summary of
biography subject

1. In the
second half of the introduction to your paper:

a. Give a
quick summary of the biography of the subject you read.

b. Include a
vivid picture of your person’s history and developmental

influences.

i. What was
happening in the person’s family at the time? What was the family

dynamic like?

General Psychology

ii. What was
the person’s family environment like? Were there any gender

expectations
put upon the individual?

Example: If your selected subject was George
Washington, the main focus of

your summary
could be on his being the first president of the United States and

the life
events that ultimately shaped him into that person.

Part 2: Theoretical Perspectives (Suggested length: 5
– 6 pages)

A. Select Psychological Theories (Suggested length: 2.5 – 3 pages)

1. Select
three major theories within the field of psychology and provide a rich

description and breakdown of each theory. These three theories will be used to

develop the
subsequent section of influences and outcomes of the biography

subject.

a. Choose
three of the major psychology theories below:

i. Biological

ii.
Evolutionary

iii.
Psychoanalytic

iv.
Behaviorism

v. Cognitive

vi. Humanistic
and existential

vii.
Sociocultural

viii.
Socio-emotional development

ix. Moral
Development

b. Your
summary should explain the three theories and provide a robust overview

of:

i. The
theories and facets of the theories.

ii.
Contributing psychologists.

iii.
Inspiration for the theories.

iv. Studies
and examples that help to showcase the theories.

Example: Behaviorism-rewards vs, avoid punishment, B.F. Skinner
and Operant

Conditioning.
People behave in certain ways to reap reward or to avoid

punishment.
For example: a basketball player might practice more to become a

starter and to
make more money.

General Psychology

B. Application of Theoretical Perspectives (Suggested length: 2.5
– 3 pages)

1. In this
section, logically discuss the developmental influencing factors and

life outcomes
as related to each of the three theories selected.

a. For each
theory, provide key points of the theoretical perspective to

support the
application of the theory to the life events and outcomes of

the person you
selected.

b. For each
theory, give examples of your subject’s developmental

influences and
life outcomes to support the theoretical perspective.

c. Make sure
your theoretical perspective key points are clear and

accurate, and
necessary biographical examples are appropriately used.

d. This section
should include relevant examples regarding the

theory and
predictions of behavior based on the theory.

Example: Here you will articulate how the
relevant principles, processes, and

concepts of
behavior from evolutionary psychology explain the influencing factors

such as the
movement of wanting change during that time period and adapting to

the new lands,
climate and living conditions. Outcomes of George Washington’s

life might
include the evolutionary perspective of motivation
of carrying on genetic

lines, adaptation
and being able to adapt to new environments etc. The outcome

is to concur
and dominate based on survival.

Part 3: Biases and Ethical Concerns (Suggested
length: 1.5 – 2 pages)

Provide a
critical review of the construction of your research (biography or

biographies as
evidence or documented data). Refer to the research and

theoretical
sections of your course if you need additional help.

A. Identify and review biases and limitations in your research

1. Identify at
least three biases/limitations and discuss the impacts on the

credibility;
at least one must be specific to your biography.

a. Biases and
limitation can include:

i. The
perspective of who wrote the biography.

ii. Historical
influences.

iii. Missing
data.

iv. A
comparison of qualitative vs. quantitative types of research.

v. Source
credibility.

vi. Ethical
concerns of collecting data.

vii.
Credibility of artifact data.

viii. Memory
recollection or subjectivity of the subject.

ix. Societal
views that could influence the author’s perspective.

General Psychology

x. The
author’s credibility and association to the subject.

xi. How the
information was obtained (first-hand source or second

hand).

xii. Ethical
violations against the American Psychological Association.

b. Consider
any research limitations, biases, or ethical problems that

might be
present in your research.

c. This
section must demonstrate scholarly work and be supported by

credible
resources (your text book and other professional sources).

Example: In our example of George Washington,
you may want to focus on the

possible
biases of the author of a biography on this figure who occupies such a

primary role
in the history of a nation. You might address the “mythological”

proportions
such a figure has taken in the culture of the author of the biography

and how that
could impact the way that George Washington’s life was presented

in the
biography; you might address the idea that historical data and stories

(qualitative
data) can get skewed over time, or only give one perspective; or you

might discuss
recollection and the idea that biographies are a collection of

memories that
do not always paint an accurate story.

Part 4: Conclusion (Suggested length: 1- 1.5 pages)

A. Synthesis of Material

1. The
conclusion should synthesize the material and should be a restatement of

the thesis,
and the sections of your paper. Your conclusion should clearly include:

a. The
biography summation.

b. The
theoretical perspectives explored in your project.

c. A review of
the theories’ strongest theoretical agreements that exemplify

particular
behaviors of the subject.

d. The ethical
concerns and biases.

e. A
concluding thought.

i. A
concluding statement should link to the thesis statement in the

introduction
and state what you have learned from completing this

project. The
conclusion should leave the reader with a feeling of

how the writer
feels about the investigation of the biography.

Part 5: Paper Guidelines

A. APA Formatting and Page Length

General Psychology

formatting.
Your paper should be:

a. 8-10 pages
in length.

b. This does
not include the reference page or a title page should you

construct one;
tittle page is not required.

c. Include a
minimum of 5 references.

d. Use APA
in-text citing for all references.

e. Include a
properly formatted reference page and in-text citing that

should match the reference page