Essay Assignment 1: Research Methods

Using the methods discussed in the “Research Methods” section of your textbook (Module 3.3, pages 89 to 98) explain how you could design a study to find the brain basis of doing well in a physiological psychology course. In other words, using the relevant research methods described in your textbook you need to explain how the brain areas correlated with doing well in the class could be identified.

Keep in mind that:

• Your essays should include a title page and a references page that follow APA format, should be one full page of content (this does not include the title page, or the references page), and should be double spaced throughout with 1″ margins on all sides. Use 12 pt.
• The entire essay should be written in your own words. DO NOT USE DIRECT QUOTES.
• You must paraphrase and give credit to (i.e., in-text citation and reference list) the sources you use (e.g., your textbook, the notes, a documentary, etc). Follow APA for in-text citations and references. Failure to do that constitutes plagiarism and will result in a grade of zero. It may also result in a referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action (See Sections Academic Integrity and Responses to Academic Dishonesty, Plagiarism, or Cheating in the syllabus). Note that in this course we will use turnitin.com to detect plagiarism. For more information, see section “Turnitin.com” in the syllabus.

Grading Rubric

This assignment will be worth 125 points. The components of your grade are:

Content (100 points)

• If your essay does not fully address the question, 10 points will be deducted.
• If your essay does not incorporate relevant information from your textbook, 10 points will be deducted.

Paraphrasing and Citing Sources (10 points)

The entire paper should be written in your own words:

• You are not to include direct quotes. If direct quotes are included in your paper, three points will be deducted from your grade. In addition, the quotes will be removed, and we will grade what is left after the direct quotes are removed from your paper.
• When you use information from your textbook and other sources, make sure that you paraphrase that information and that you give credit to your sources (include in-text citations and a reference list that follow APA).
• If the reference list is not included, three points will be deducted from your grade.
• If you paraphrase a source (or sources) but do not include the corresponding in-text citation(s), three points will be deducted from your grade.

APA (6 points)

• If in-text citations do not follow APA, two points will be deducted. If they partially follow APA, one point will be deducted.
• If the References list does not follow APA, two points will be deducted. If it partially follows APA, one point will be deducted.
• If the title page does not follow APA, two points will be deducted. If it partially follows APA, one point will be deducted.

Grammar and Mechanics (6 points)

• If several grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors occur in the paper, but they do not interfere with reading the paper, 3 points will be deducted.
• f the paper contains a lot grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that significantly interfere with reading the paper, 6 points will be deducted.

Length (3 points)

If your paper does not meet the length requirement (one full page of content (this does not include the title page, or the references page), 3 points will be deducted from your grade.

Your grade will be a zero if:

• There is indication that you used AI.
• You plagiarize your sources. When you copy information from a particular source and either 1) do not include the corresponding in-text citation or 2) do not include what you copied inside quotation marks, you are plagiarizing that information. Plagiarism in any part of your paper will result in a grade of zero, and depending on the severity of the offense, in a referral to SCAI for further action. Note that quotes are not allowed, but it is better to use quotes (that would result in deducting points from your grade as explained above) than plagiarizing information.
• You do not turn in a paper.