how to do psychology assignment

How to Write a Psychology Essay

Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

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Before you write your essay, it’s important to analyse the task and understand exactly what the essay question is asking. Your lecturer may give you some advice – pay attention to this as it will help you plan your answer.

Next conduct preliminary reading based on your lecture notes. At this stage, it’s not crucial to have a robust understanding of key theories or studies, but you should at least have a general “gist” of the literature.

After reading, plan a response to the task. This plan could be in the form of a mind map, a summary table, or by writing a core statement (which encompasses the entire argument of your essay in just a few sentences).

After writing your plan, conduct supplementary reading, refine your plan, and make it more detailed.

It is tempting to skip these preliminary steps and write the first draft while reading at the same time. However, reading and planning will make the essay writing process easier, quicker, and ensure a higher quality essay is produced.

Components of a Good Essay

Now, let us look at what constitutes a good essay in psychology. There are a number of important features.

• Global Structure – structure the material to allow for a logical sequence of ideas. Each paragraph / statement should follow sensibly from its predecessor. The essay should “flow”. The introduction, main body and conclusion should all be linked.
• Each paragraph should comprise a main theme, which is illustrated and developed through a number of points (supported by evidence).
• Knowledge and Understanding – recognize, recall, and show understanding of a range of scientific material that accurately reflects the main theoretical perspectives.
• Critical Evaluation – arguments should be supported by appropriate evidence and/or theory from the literature. Evidence of independent thinking, insight, and evaluation of the evidence.
• Quality of Written Communication – writing clearly and succinctly with appropriate use of paragraphs, spelling, and grammar. All sources are referenced accurately and in line with APA guidelines.

In the main body of the essay, every paragraph should demonstrate both knowledge and critical evaluation.

There should also be an appropriate balance between these two essay components. Try to aim for about a 60/40 split if possible.

Most students make the mistake of writing too much knowledge and not enough evaluation (which is the difficult bit).

It is best to structure your essay according to key themes. Themes are illustrated and developed through a number of points (supported by evidence).

Choose relevant points only, ones that most reveal the theme or help to make a convincing and interesting argument.

Knowledge and Understanding

Remember that an essay is simply a discussion / argument on paper. Don’t make the mistake of writing all the information you know regarding a particular topic.

You need to be concise, and clearly articulate your argument. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences.

Each paragraph should have a purpose / theme, and make a number of points – which need to be support by high quality evidence. Be clear why each point is is relevant to the argument. It would be useful at the beginning of each paragraph if you explicitly outlined the theme being discussed (.e.g. cognitive development, social development etc.).

Try not to overuse quotations in your essays. It is more appropriate to use original content to demonstrate your understanding.

Psychology is a science so you must support your ideas with evidence (not your own personal opinion). If you are discussing a theory or research study make sure you cite the source of the information.

Note this is not the author of a textbook you have read – but the original source / author(s) of the theory or research study.

For example:

Bowlby (1951) claimed that mothering is almost useless if delayed until after two and a half to three years and, for most children, if delayed till after 12 months, i.e. there is a critical period.

Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fullfil the next one, and so on.

As a general rule, make sure there is at least one citation (i.e. name of psychologist and date of publication) in each paragraph.

Remember to answer the essay question. Underline the keywords in the essay title. Don’t make the mistake of simply writing everything you know of a particular topic, be selective. Each paragraph in your essay should contribute to answering the essay question.

Critical Evaluation

In simple terms, this means outlining the strengths and limitations of a theory or research study.

There are many ways you can critically evaluate:

Methodological evaluation of research

Is the study valid / reliable ? Is the sample biased, or can we generalize the findings to other populations? What are the strengths and limitations of the method used and data obtained?

Be careful to ensure that any methodological criticisms are justified and not trite.

Rather than hunting for weaknesses in every study; only highlight limitations that make you doubt the conclusions that the authors have drawn – e.g., where an alternative explanation might be equally likely because something hasn’t been adequately controlled.

Compare or contrast different theories

Outline how the theories are similar and how they differ. This could be two (or more) theories of personality / memory / child development etc. Also try to communicate the value of the theory / study.

Debates or perspectives

Refer to debates such as nature or nurture, reductionism vs. holism, or the perspectives in psychology . For example, would they agree or disagree with a theory or the findings of the study?

What are the ethical issues of the research?

Does a study involve ethical issues such as deception, privacy, psychological or physical harm?

Gender bias

If research is biased towards men or women it does not provide a clear view of the behavior that has been studied. A dominantly male perspective is known as an androcentric bias.

Cultural bias

Is the theory / study ethnocentric? Psychology is predominantly a white, Euro-American enterprise. In some texts, over 90% of studies have US participants, who are predominantly white and middle class.

Does the theory or study being discussed judge other cultures by Western standards?

Animal Research

This raises the issue of whether it’s morally and/or scientifically right to use animals. The main criterion is that benefits must outweigh costs. But benefits are almost always to humans and costs to animals.

Animal research also raises the issue of extrapolation. Can we generalize from studies on animals to humans as their anatomy & physiology is different from humans?

The PEC System

It is very important to elaborate on your evaluation. Don’t just write a shopping list of brief (one or two sentence) evaluation points.

Instead, make sure you expand on your points, remember, quality of evaluation is most important than quantity.

When you are writing an evaluation paragraph, use the PEC system.

• Make your P oint.
• E xplain how and why the point is relevant.
• Discuss the C onsequences / implications of the theory or study. Are they positive or negative?

For Example

• Point: It is argued that psychoanalytic therapy is only of benefit to an articulate, intelligent, affluent minority.
• Explain: Because psychoanalytic therapy involves talking and gaining insight, and is costly and time-consuming, it is argued that it is only of benefit to an articulate, intelligent, affluent minority. Evidence suggests psychoanalytic therapy works best if the client is motivated and has a positive attitude.
• Consequences: A depressed client’s apathy, flat emotional state, and lack of motivation limit the appropriateness of psychoanalytic therapy for depression.

Furthermore, the levels of dependency of depressed clients mean that transference is more likely to develop.

Using Research Studies in your Essays

Research studies can either be knowledge or evaluation.

• If you refer to the procedures and findings of a study, this shows knowledge and understanding.
• If you comment on what the studies shows, and what it supports and challenges about the theory in question, this shows evaluation.

Writing an Introduction

It is often best to write your introduction when you have finished the main body of the essay, so that you have a good understanding of the topic area.

If there is a word count for your essay try to devote 10% of this to your introduction.

Ideally, the introduction should;

Identify the subject of the essay and define the key terms. Highlight the major issues which “lie behind” the question. Let the reader know how you will focus your essay by identifying the main themes to be discussed. “Signpost” the essay’s key argument, (and, if possible, how this argument is structured).

Introductions are very important as first impressions count and they can create a h alo effect in the mind of the lecturer grading your essay. If you start off well then you are more likely to be forgiven for the odd mistake later one.

Writing a Conclusion

So many students either forget to write a conclusion or fail to give it the attention it deserves.

If there is a word count for your essay try to devote 10% of this to your conclusion.

Ideally the conclusion should summarize the key themes / arguments of your essay. State the take home message – don’t sit on the fence, instead weigh up the evidence presented in the essay and make a decision which side of the argument has more support.

Also, you might like to suggest what future research may need to be conducted and why (read the discussion section of journal articles for this).

Don”t include new information / arguments (only information discussed in the main body of the essay).

If you are unsure of what to write read the essay question and answer it in one paragraph.

Points that unite or embrace several themes can be used to great effect as part of your conclusion.

The Importance of Flow

Obviously, what you write is important, but how you communicate your ideas / arguments has a significant influence on your overall grade. Most students may have similar information / content in their essays, but the better students communicate this information concisely and articulately.

When you have finished the first draft of your essay you must check if it “flows”. This is an important feature of quality of communication (along with spelling and grammar).

This means that the paragraphs follow a logical order (like the chapters in a novel). Have a global structure with themes arranged in a way that allows for a logical sequence of ideas. You might want to rearrange (cut and paste) paragraphs to a different position in your essay if they don”t appear to fit in with the essay structure.

To improve the flow of your essay make sure the last sentence of one paragraph links to first sentence of the next paragraph. This will help the essay flow and make it easier to read.

Finally, only repeat citations when it is unclear which study / theory you are discussing. Repeating citations unnecessarily disrupts the flow of an essay.

Referencing

The reference section is the list of all the sources cited in the essay (in alphabetical order). It is not a bibliography (a list of the books you used).

In simple terms every time you cite/refer to a name (and date) of a psychologist you need to reference the original source of the information.

If you have been using textbooks this is easy as the references are usually at the back of the book and you can just copy them down. If you have been using websites, then you may have a problem as they might not provide a reference section for you to copy.

References need to be set out APA style :

Author, A. A. (year). Title of work . Location: Publisher.

Journal Articles

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Article title. Journal Title, volume number (issue number), page numbers

A simple way to write your reference section is use Google scholar . Just type the name and date of the psychologist in the search box and click on the “cite” link.

Next, copy and paste the APA reference into the reference section of your essay.

Once again, remember that references need to be in alphabetical order according to surname.

What this handout is about

This handout discusses some of the common writing assignments in psychology courses, and it presents strategies for completing them. The handout also provides general tips for writing psychology papers and for reducing bias in your writing.

What is psychology?

Psychology, one of the behavioral sciences, is the scientific study of observable behaviors, like sleeping, and abstract mental processes, such as dreaming. Psychologists study, explain, and predict behaviors. Because of the complexity of human behaviors, researchers use a variety of methods and approaches.  They ask questions about behaviors and answer them using systematic methods. For example, to understand why female students tend to perform better in school than their male classmates, psychologists have examined whether parents, teachers, schools, and society behave in ways that support the educational outcomes of female students to a greater extent than those of males.

Writing in psychology

Writing in psychology is similar to other forms of scientific writing in that organization, clarity, and concision are important.  The Psychology Department at UNC has a strong research emphasis, so many of your assignments will focus on synthesizing and critically evaluating research, connecting your course material with current research literature, and designing and carrying out your own studies.

Common assignments

Reaction papers.

These assignments ask you to react to a scholarly journal article.  Instructors use reaction papers to teach students to critically evaluate research and to synthesize current research with course material.  Reaction papers typically include a brief summary of the article, including prior research, hypotheses, research method, main results, and conclusions. The next step is your critical reaction. You might critique the study, identify unresolved issues, suggest future research, or reflect on the study’s implications.  Some instructors may want you to connect the material you are learning in class with the article’s theories, methodology, and findings. Remember, reaction papers require more than a simple summary of what you have read.

To successfully complete this assignment, you should carefully read the article. Go beyond highlighting important facts and interesting findings. Ask yourself questions as you read: What are the researchers’ assumptions? How does the article contribute to the field? Are the findings generalizable, and to whom?  Are the conclusions valid and based on the results?  It is important to pay attention to the graphs and tables because they can help you better assess the researchers’ claims.

Your instructor may give you a list of articles to choose from, or you may need to find your own.  The American Psychological Association (APA) PsycINFO database is the most comprehensive collection of psychology research; it is an excellent resource for finding journal articles.  You can access PsycINFO from the E-research tab on the Library’s webpage.   Here are the most common types of articles you will find:

• Empirical studies test hypotheses by gathering and analyzing data. Empirical articles are organized into distinct sections based on stages in the research process: introduction, method, results, and discussion.
• Literature reviews synthesize previously published material on a topic.  The authors define or clarify the problem, summarize research findings, identify gaps/inconsistencies in the research, and make suggestions for future work. Meta-analyses, in which the authors use quantitative procedures to combine the results of multiple studies, fall into this category.
• Theoretical articles trace the development of a specific theory to expand or refine it, or they present a new theory.  Theoretical articles and literature reviews are organized similarly, but empirical information is included in theoretical articles only when it is used to support the theoretical issue.

You may also find methodological articles, case studies, brief reports, and commentary on previously published material. Check with your instructor to determine which articles are appropriate.

Research papers

This assignment involves using published research to provide an overview of and argument about a topic.  Simply summarizing the information you read is not enough. Instead, carefully synthesize the information to support your argument. Only discuss the parts of the studies that are relevant to your argument or topic.  Headings and subheadings can help guide readers through a long research paper. Our handout on literature reviews may help you organize your research literature.

Choose a topic that is appropriate to the length of the assignment and for which you can find adequate sources. For example, “self-esteem” might be too broad for a 10- page paper, but it may be difficult to find enough articles on “the effects of private school education on female African American children’s self-esteem.” A paper in which you focus on the more general topic of “the effects of school transitions on adolescents’ self-esteem,” however, might work well for the assignment.

Designing your own study/research proposal

You may have the opportunity to design and conduct your own research study or write about the design for one in the form of a research proposal. A good approach is to model your paper on articles you’ve read for class. Here is a general overview of the information that should be included in each section of a research study or proposal:

• Introduction: The introduction conveys a clear understanding of what will be done and why. Present the problem, address its significance, and describe your research strategy. Also discuss the theories that guide the research, previous research that has been conducted, and how your study builds on this literature. Set forth the hypotheses and objectives of the study.
• Methods:   This section describes the procedures used to answer your research questions and provides an overview of the analyses that you conducted. For a research proposal, address the procedures that will be used to collect and analyze your data. Do not use the passive voice in this section. For example, it is better to say, “We randomly assigned patients to a treatment group and monitored their progress,” instead of “Patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group and their progress was monitored.” It is acceptable to use “I” or “we,” instead of the third person, when describing your procedures. See the section on reducing bias in language for more tips on writing this section and for discussing the study’s participants.
• Results: This section presents the findings that answer your research questions. Include all data, even if they do not support your hypotheses.  If you are presenting statistical results, your instructor will probably expect you to follow the style recommendations of the American Psychological Association. You can also consult our handout on figures and charts . Note that research proposals will not include a results section, but your instructor might expect you to hypothesize about expected results.
• Discussion: Use this section to address the limitations of your study as well as the practical and/or theoretical implications of the results. You should contextualize and support your conclusions by noting how your results compare to the work of others. You can also discuss questions that emerged and call for future research. A research proposal will not include a discussion section.  But you can include a short section that addresses the proposed study’s contribution to the literature on the topic.

Other writing assignments

For some assignments, you may be asked to engage personally with the course material. For example, you might provide personal examples to evaluate a theory in a reflection paper.  It is appropriate to share personal experiences for this assignment, but be mindful of your audience and provide only relevant and appropriate details.

Writing tips for psychology papers

Psychology is a behavioral science, and writing in psychology is similar to writing in the hard sciences.  See our handout on writing in the sciences .  The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association provides an extensive discussion on how to write for the discipline.  The Manual also gives the rules for psychology’s citation style, called APA. The Library’s citation tutorial will also introduce you to the APA style.

Suggestions for achieving precision and clarity in your writing

• Jargon: Technical vocabulary that is not essential to understanding your ideas can confuse readers. Similarly, refrain from using euphemistic phrases instead of clearer terms.  Use “handicapped” instead of “handi-capable,” and “poverty” instead of “monetarily felt scarcity,” for example.
• Anthropomorphism: Anthropomorphism occurs when human characteristics are attributed to animals or inanimate entities.  Anthropomorphism can make your writing awkward.  Some examples include: “The experiment attempted to demonstrate…,” and “The tables compare…”  Reword such sentences so that a person performs the action: “The experimenter attempted to demonstrate…”  The verbs “show” or “indicate” can also be used: “The tables show…”
• Verb tenses: Select verb tenses carefully. Use the past tense when expressing actions or conditions that occurred at a specific time in the past, when discussing other people’s work, and when reporting results.  Use the present perfect tense to express past actions or conditions that did not occur at a specific time, or to describe an action beginning in the past and continuing in the present.
• Pronoun agreement: Be consistent within and across sentences with pronouns that refer to a noun introduced earlier (antecedent). A common error is a construction such as “Each child responded to questions about their favorite toys.” The sentence should have either a plural subject (children) or a singular pronoun (his or her). Vague pronouns, such as “this” or “that,” without a clear antecedent can confuse readers: “This shows that girls are more likely than boys …” could be rewritten as “These results show that girls are more likely than boys…”
• Avoid figurative language and superlatives: Scientific writing should be as concise and specific as possible.  Emotional language and superlatives, such as “very,” “highly,” “astonishingly,” “extremely,” “quite,” and even “exactly,” are imprecise or unnecessary. A line that is “exactly 100 centimeters” is, simply, 100 centimeters.
• Avoid colloquial expressions and informal language: Use “children” rather than “kids;” “many” rather than “a lot;” “acquire” rather than “get;” “prepare for” rather than “get ready;” etc.

Reducing bias in language

Your writing should show respect for research participants and readers, so it is important to choose language that is clear, accurate, and unbiased.  The APA sets forth guidelines for reducing bias in language: acknowledge participation, describe individuals at the appropriate level of specificity, and be sensitive to labels. Here are some specific examples of how to reduce bias in your language:

• Acknowledge participation: Use the active voice to acknowledge the subjects’ participation. It is preferable to say, “The students completed the surveys,” instead of “The experimenters administered surveys to the students.”  This is especially important when writing about participants in the methods section of a research study.
• Gender: It is inaccurate to use the term “men” when referring to groups composed of multiple genders. See our handout on gender-inclusive language for tips on writing appropriately about gender.
• Race/ethnicity: Be specific, consistent, and sensitive with terms for racial and ethnic groups. If the study participants are Chinese Americans, for instance, don’t refer to them as Asian Americans. Some ethnic designations are outdated or have negative connotations. Use terms that the individuals or groups prefer.
• Clinical terms: Broad clinical terms can be unclear. For example, if you mention “at risk” in your paper, be sure to specify the risk—“at risk for school failure.”  The same principle applies to psychological disorders. For instance, “borderline personality disorder” is more precise than “borderline.”
• Labels: Do not equate people with their physical or mental conditions or categorize people broadly as objects. For example, adjectival forms like “older adults” are preferable to labels such as “the elderly” or “the schizophrenics.” Another option is to mention the person first, followed by a descriptive phrase— “people diagnosed with schizophrenia.”  Be careful using the label “normal,” as it may imply that others are abnormal.
• Other ways to reduce bias: Consistently presenting information about the socially dominant group first can promote bias. Make sure that you don’t always begin with men followed by other genders when writing about gender, or whites followed by minorities when discussing race and ethnicity. Mention differences only when they are relevant and necessary to understanding the study. For example, it may not be important to indicate the sexual orientation of participants in a study about a drug treatment program’s effectiveness. Sexual orientation may be important to mention, however, when studying bullying among high school students.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

American Psychological Association. n.d. “Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style®.” APA Style. Accessed June 24, 2019. https://apastyle.apa.org/learn/faqs/index .

American Psychological Association. 2010. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Landrum, Eric. 2008. Undergraduate Writing in Psychology: Learning to Tell the Scientific Story . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Writing in Psychology Overview

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Written for undergraduate students and new graduate students in psychology (experimental), this handout provides information on writing in psychology and on experimental report and experimental article writing.

Psychology is based on the study of human behaviors. As a social science, experimental psychology uses empirical inquiry to help understand human behavior. According to Thrass and Sanford (2000), psychology writing has three elements: describing, explaining, and understanding concepts from a standpoint of empirical investigation.

Discipline-specific writing, such as writing done in psychology, can be similar to other types of writing you have done in the use of the writing process, writing techniques, and in locating and integrating sources. However, the field of psychology also has its own rules and expectations for writing; not everything that you have learned in about writing in the past works for the field of psychology.

Writing in psychology includes the following principles:

• Using plain language : Psychology writing is formal scientific writing that is plain and straightforward. Literary devices such as metaphors, alliteration, or anecdotes are not appropriate for writing in psychology.
• Conciseness and clarity of language : The field of psychology stresses clear, concise prose. You should be able to make connections between empirical evidence, theories, and conclusions. See our OWL handout on conciseness for more information.
• Evidence-based reasoning: Psychology bases its arguments on empirical evidence. Personal examples, narratives, or opinions are not appropriate for psychology.
• Use of APA format: Psychologists use the American Psychological Association (APA) format for publications. While most student writing follows this format, some instructors may provide you with specific formatting requirements that differ from APA format .

Types of writing

Most major writing assignments in psychology courses consists of one of the following two types.

Experimental reports: Experimental reports detail the results of experimental research projects and are most often written in experimental psychology (lab) courses. Experimental reports are write-ups of your results after you have conducted research with participants. This handout provides a description of how to write an experimental report .

Critical analyses or reviews of research : Often called "term papers," a critical analysis of research narrowly examines and draws conclusions from existing literature on a topic of interest. These are frequently written in upper-division survey courses. Our research paper handouts provide a detailed overview of how to write these types of research papers.

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Help with writing assignments

You can improve your skills at writing assignments for your subject area in a number of ways: 

• Read the guidance or view the online tutorial on this page.  They both go through the TIME model (Targeted, In-depth, Measured, Evidence-based) to explain what's required in academic writing.
• Come along to one of our Succeed@Tees workshops. We run a workshop on academic writing, as well as on other types of writing (including critical writing, reflective writing, report writing).  See the http://tees.libguides.com/workshops  for more information, including a list of dates and times.
• Book a one-to-one tutorial with a learning advisor  at the Learning Hub. We can provide guidance on your structure and writing style.

Guidance on academic writing

Evidence-based.

• Bringing it all together
• Finally ...

• Writing an assignment takes time, more time than you may expect.  Just because you find yourself spending many weeks on an assignment doesn’t mean that you’re approaching it in the wrong way.
• It also takes time to develop the skills to write well, so don’t be discouraged if your early marks aren’t what you’d hoped for.  Use the feedback from your previous assignments to improve.
• Different types of assignments require different styles, so be prepared for the need to continue to develop your skills.

We’ve broken down TIME into 4 key elements of academic writing: Targeted, In-depth, Measured and Evidence-based.

• What is an academic piece of work

Your assignment needs to be targeted .  It should:

• Be focused on the questions and criteria
• Make a decision
• Follow an argument
• How to be targeted
• Academic keywords or clue words

Your assignment needs to be in-depth .  You should consider your questions and criteria thoroughly, thinking about all possible aspects, and including the argument both for and against different viewpoints.

You should:

• Identify topic areas
• Plan your assignment
• Think about your introduction and conclusion
• How to be in-depth
• How to read quickly

An academic writing style is measured. By this, we mean that it’s:

• Emotionally neutral
• Formal – written in the third person and in full sentences
• How to be measured

Your assignment needs to be evidence-based . You should:

• Reference all the ideas in your work
• Paraphrase your evidence
• Apply critical thinking to your evidence
• How to be evidence-based
• How to paraphrase

Once you’ve found all your evidence, and have decided what to say in each section, you need to write it up as paragraphs.  Each paragraph should be on a single topic, making a single point.  A paragraph is usually around a third of a page. 

We find Godwin’s (2014) WEED model very helpful for constructing paragraphs.

W is for What

You should begin your paragraph with the topic or point that you’re making, so that it’s clear to your lecturer.  Everything in the paragraph should fit in with this opening sentence.

E is for Evidence  

The middle of your paragraph should be full of evidence – this is where all your references should be incorporated.  Make sure that your evidence fits in with your topic.

E is for Examples

Sometimes it’s useful to expand on your evidence.  If you’re talking about a case study, the example might be how your point relates to the particular scenario being discussed.

D is for Do

You should conclude your paragraph with the implications of your discussion.  This gives you the opportunity to add your commentary, which is very important in assignments which require you to use critical analysis. 

So, in effect, each paragraph is like a mini-essay, with an introduction, main body and conclusion.

Allow yourself some TIME to proofread your assignment.  You’ll probably want to proofread it several times. 

You should read it through at least once for sense and structure, to see if your paragraphs flow.  Check that your introduction matches the content of your assignment.  You’ll also want to make sure that you’ve been concise in your writing style. 

You’ll then need to read it again to check for grammatical errors, typos and that your references are correct.

It’s best if you can create some distance from your assignment by coming back to it after a few days. It’s also often easier to pick out mistakes if you read your work aloud.

• How to proofread

Online tutorial for writing assignments

We have an online tutorial to support academic writing. Click on the image below or go to Academic writing  to view the tutorial.

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Assignments

The assignments in this course are openly licensed, and are available as-is, or can be modified to suit your students’ needs. Selected answer keys are available to faculty who adopt Waymaker, OHM, or Candela courses with paid support from Lumen Learning. This approach helps us protect the academic integrity of these materials by ensuring they are shared only with authorized and institution-affiliated faculty and staff.

If you import this course into your learning management system (Blackboard, Canvas, etc.), the assignments will automatically be loaded into the assignment tool, where they may be adjusted, or edited there. Assignments also come with rubrics and pre-assigned point values that may easily be edited or removed.

The assignments for Introductory Psychology are ideas and suggestions to use as you see appropriate. Some are larger assignments spanning several weeks, while others are smaller, less-time consuming tasks. You can view them below or throughout the course.

You can view them below or throughout the course.

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Resources: Discussions and Assignments

Assignment: foundations of psychology, topics in psychology.

STEP 1 : Visit the TED Talks website and search for a talk on the subject matter of psychology. Watch one of the talks that interests you, as long as it is a minimum of 8 minutes in length. At the top of your response, include the title of the TED Talk, the name of the presenter, when it was filmed, along with a link to the video.

STEP 2 : In an essay of between 200-400 words, respond to the following:

• Give a summary of the TED talk, emphasizing the speaker’s main points
• What did you find most interesting about the talk, and what will you most likely remember from the talk?
• What type of data or evidence did the presenter show to back up their information?
• Read the biographical information and do some basic background research on the presenter. What area of psychology do they work in? More specifically, which psychological perspective would you say best fits the type of work they do? Why?
• What other questions would you have for this presenter if you could have a conversation with them? What else would you like to know about the topic?
• Ted Talk Perspectives Assignment. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

CSN Library Services

Get the facts, psychology assignments 101.

Research assignments for CSN psychology classes can be among the most varied and challenging you will encounter. For certain class assignments your instructor will ask you to locate empirical research to help you examine a specific assigned topic. You may have to examine peer-reviewed journals. Occasionally, you are asked to select your own topic based on something you care about. You may have to prepare an oral presentation in addition to the paper. You may have a group project component to the assignment – or some combination of all of the above. It is always a good idea to start by first carefully reading your assignment and ask what exactly does my instructor want? How long does the paper or presentation have to be? What types of resources are required or permitted. Do you need books, peer-reviewed journals, DSM-5 , free-web sources? Is there a date range for acceptable resources? What are your due dates? Are there multiple due dates for the different components of the assignment? Is a draft expected? Be sure to ask your instructor if you are unsure of anything in the assignment. Most important – start preparing early in the semester!

If you have a group project, you should all take time to organize goals and tasks. Appoint a group leader. Exchange contact information, review due dates, create a calendar, and find an online workspace. For oral presentations, prepare visual aids in advance and rehearse for timing. You will also want to gather your APA information and review the title, pagination, in-text, and reference page formats.

Investigate

In psychology, ongoing research accomplished by behavioral scientists establishes valid scientific conclusions or claims. As part of the psychological research process, scientists in the field carefully evaluate the methods, evidence, and resulting conclusions reported. The research is then accepted or rejected – along with any claims made. It is only after this rigorous process that academic or professional journals publish certain research reports. These authoritative published research reports should form the core of your research investigations for most assignments. Additionally, you may need to use the DSM-5 , the cornerstone of diagnostic classification in mental health, to locate professional definitions of specific disorders and current treatments. Your best bets for basic psychology research include:

• ProQuest Central – An interdisciplinary collection of full-text articles from outstanding academic/professional journals. APA citations are available for every article in ProQuest . Be sure to filter for date range. While especially strong in the behavioral sciences, the interdisciplinary selection of scholarly articles found in ProQuest can also offer new ways of seeing problems, ideas or theories in other related fields.
• PsycARTICLES – A database of full-text peer-reviewed articles published by APA and affiliated journals. Includes current journal coverage as well as historical content.
• DSM-5 – The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition. A handbook used by healthcare professionals in the US and around the world as the authoritative guide to the definitions and diagnosis of mental disorders. Our online DSM-5 Library includes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , the Handbook of Differential Diagnosis , and the DSM-5 Clinical Cases . Be sure to see a Librarian if you need assistance using this resource.

As you read reports of research in your topic area, be sure to focus on the hypothesis and ask yourself why the study is important to your topic? Ask who are the subjects, how and why were they selected? How was the study conducted and under what conditions? What were the results of the study and was there anything inconclusive? Ask your instructor if you encounter problems in understanding the research presented and its relevance to your topic. For effective online searching, you may also Ask a Librarian for help finding good keywords to express your topic, and for assistance in using these resources and recommendations for others.

For anyone working in psychology, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the definitive style guide. APA format can be challenging, and, as you work gathering resource citations generated in an online environment, it is important to be consistent with your reference page citations. Using a database like ProQuest or PsycArticles will allow you to locate scholarly resources from across various disciplines in the behavioral sciences, while at the same time maintaining consistency from citation to citation. If you’re also consulting and then citing information from resources found in the DSM-5 or other databases, go online to the APA Style Guide located under Research Help on the Libraries webpage – or check the APA Style Quick Guide found in paper in each campus Library. We also have a complete sample APA paper found by clicking Research Help , then How to Cite , and Additional Citation Resources on the Libraries webpage. APA uses a system of DOI’s or Digital Object Identifiers to help the reader identify the exact article used. All DSM-5 online information has a DOI associated with it. For assistance with editing or formatting an APA assignment, visit a CSN Writing Center or a Campus Library . We are all happy to help!

Understanding psychology starts with an understanding of scientific research methods. In order to be valid, opinions and claims all have to start with a scientific perspective of skeptical analysis of evidence and an understanding of how knowledge grows from the chain of research. For you, it all starts with Psychology 101, the classes that follow that course, and working your way through these first assignments.

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What Is a Case Study?

Weighing the pros and cons of this method of research

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Cara Lustik is a fact-checker and copywriter.

Verywell / Colleen Tighe

• Pros and Cons

What Types of Case Studies Are Out There?

Where do you find data for a case study, how do i write a psychology case study.

A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior. Case studies can be used in many different fields, including psychology, medicine, education, anthropology, political science, and social work.

The point of a case study is to learn as much as possible about an individual or group so that the information can be generalized to many others. Unfortunately, case studies tend to be highly subjective, and it is sometimes difficult to generalize results to a larger population.

While case studies focus on a single individual or group, they follow a format similar to other types of psychology writing. If you are writing a case study, we got you—here are some rules of APA format to reference.  

At a Glance

A case study, or an in-depth study of a person, group, or event, can be a useful research tool when used wisely. In many cases, case studies are best used in situations where it would be difficult or impossible for you to conduct an experiment. They are helpful for looking at unique situations and allow researchers to gather a lot of˜ information about a specific individual or group of people. However, it's important to be cautious of any bias we draw from them as they are highly subjective.

What Are the Benefits and Limitations of Case Studies?

A case study can have its strengths and weaknesses. Researchers must consider these pros and cons before deciding if this type of study is appropriate for their needs.

One of the greatest advantages of a case study is that it allows researchers to investigate things that are often difficult or impossible to replicate in a lab. Some other benefits of a case study:

• Allows researchers to capture information on the 'how,' 'what,' and 'why,' of something that's implemented
• Gives researchers the chance to collect information on why one strategy might be chosen over another
• Permits researchers to develop hypotheses that can be explored in experimental research

On the other hand, a case study can have some drawbacks:

• It cannot necessarily be generalized to the larger population
• Cannot demonstrate cause and effect
• It may not be scientifically rigorous
• It can lead to bias

Researchers may choose to perform a case study if they want to explore a unique or recently discovered phenomenon. Through their insights, researchers develop additional ideas and study questions that might be explored in future studies.

It's important to remember that the insights from case studies cannot be used to determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables. However, case studies may be used to develop hypotheses that can then be addressed in experimental research.

Case Study Examples

There have been a number of notable case studies in the history of psychology. Much of  Freud's work and theories were developed through individual case studies. Some great examples of case studies in psychology include:

• Anna O : Anna O. was a pseudonym of a woman named Bertha Pappenheim, a patient of a physician named Josef Breuer. While she was never a patient of Freud's, Freud and Breuer discussed her case extensively. The woman was experiencing symptoms of a condition that was then known as hysteria and found that talking about her problems helped relieve her symptoms. Her case played an important part in the development of talk therapy as an approach to mental health treatment.
• Phineas Gage : Phineas Gage was a railroad employee who experienced a terrible accident in which an explosion sent a metal rod through his skull, damaging important portions of his brain. Gage recovered from his accident but was left with serious changes in both personality and behavior.
• Genie : Genie was a young girl subjected to horrific abuse and isolation. The case study of Genie allowed researchers to study whether language learning was possible, even after missing critical periods for language development. Her case also served as an example of how scientific research may interfere with treatment and lead to further abuse of vulnerable individuals.

Such cases demonstrate how case research can be used to study things that researchers could not replicate in experimental settings. In Genie's case, her horrific abuse denied her the opportunity to learn a language at critical points in her development.

This is clearly not something researchers could ethically replicate, but conducting a case study on Genie allowed researchers to study phenomena that are otherwise impossible to reproduce.

There are a few different types of case studies that psychologists and other researchers might use:

• Collective case studies : These involve studying a group of individuals. Researchers might study a group of people in a certain setting or look at an entire community. For example, psychologists might explore how access to resources in a community has affected the collective mental well-being of those who live there.
• Descriptive case studies : These involve starting with a descriptive theory. The subjects are then observed, and the information gathered is compared to the pre-existing theory.
• Explanatory case studies : These   are often used to do causal investigations. In other words, researchers are interested in looking at factors that may have caused certain things to occur.
• Exploratory case studies : These are sometimes used as a prelude to further, more in-depth research. This allows researchers to gather more information before developing their research questions and hypotheses .
• Instrumental case studies : These occur when the individual or group allows researchers to understand more than what is initially obvious to observers.
• Intrinsic case studies : This type of case study is when the researcher has a personal interest in the case. Jean Piaget's observations of his own children are good examples of how an intrinsic case study can contribute to the development of a psychological theory.

The three main case study types often used are intrinsic, instrumental, and collective. Intrinsic case studies are useful for learning about unique cases. Instrumental case studies help look at an individual to learn more about a broader issue. A collective case study can be useful for looking at several cases simultaneously.

The type of case study that psychology researchers use depends on the unique characteristics of the situation and the case itself.

There are a number of different sources and methods that researchers can use to gather information about an individual or group. Six major sources that have been identified by researchers are:

• Archival records : Census records, survey records, and name lists are examples of archival records.
• Direct observation : This strategy involves observing the subject, often in a natural setting . While an individual observer is sometimes used, it is more common to utilize a group of observers.
• Documents : Letters, newspaper articles, administrative records, etc., are the types of documents often used as sources.
• Interviews : Interviews are one of the most important methods for gathering information in case studies. An interview can involve structured survey questions or more open-ended questions.
• Participant observation : When the researcher serves as a participant in events and observes the actions and outcomes, it is called participant observation.
• Physical artifacts : Tools, objects, instruments, and other artifacts are often observed during a direct observation of the subject.

If you have been directed to write a case study for a psychology course, be sure to check with your instructor for any specific guidelines you need to follow. If you are writing your case study for a professional publication, check with the publisher for their specific guidelines for submitting a case study.

Here is a general outline of what should be included in a case study.

Section 1: A Case History

This section will have the following structure and content:

Background information : The first section of your paper will present your client's background. Include factors such as age, gender, work, health status, family mental health history, family and social relationships, drug and alcohol history, life difficulties, goals, and coping skills and weaknesses.

Description of the presenting problem : In the next section of your case study, you will describe the problem or symptoms that the client presented with.

Describe any physical, emotional, or sensory symptoms reported by the client. Thoughts, feelings, and perceptions related to the symptoms should also be noted. Any screening or diagnostic assessments that are used should also be described in detail and all scores reported.

Your diagnosis : Provide your diagnosis and give the appropriate Diagnostic and Statistical Manual code. Explain how you reached your diagnosis, how the client's symptoms fit the diagnostic criteria for the disorder(s), or any possible difficulties in reaching a diagnosis.

Section 2: Treatment Plan

This portion of the paper will address the chosen treatment for the condition. This might also include the theoretical basis for the chosen treatment or any other evidence that might exist to support why this approach was chosen.

• Cognitive behavioral approach : Explain how a cognitive behavioral therapist would approach treatment. Offer background information on cognitive behavioral therapy and describe the treatment sessions, client response, and outcome of this type of treatment. Make note of any difficulties or successes encountered by your client during treatment.
• Humanistic approach : Describe a humanistic approach that could be used to treat your client, such as client-centered therapy . Provide information on the type of treatment you chose, the client's reaction to the treatment, and the end result of this approach. Explain why the treatment was successful or unsuccessful.
• Psychoanalytic approach : Describe how a psychoanalytic therapist would view the client's problem. Provide some background on the psychoanalytic approach and cite relevant references. Explain how psychoanalytic therapy would be used to treat the client, how the client would respond to therapy, and the effectiveness of this treatment approach.
• Pharmacological approach : If treatment primarily involves the use of medications, explain which medications were used and why. Provide background on the effectiveness of these medications and how monotherapy may compare with an approach that combines medications with therapy or other treatments.

This section of a case study should also include information about the treatment goals, process, and outcomes.

When you are writing a case study, you should also include a section where you discuss the case study itself, including the strengths and limitiations of the study. You should note how the findings of your case study might support previous research. 

In your discussion section, you should also describe some of the implications of your case study. What ideas or findings might require further exploration? How might researchers go about exploring some of these questions in additional studies?

Need More Tips?

Here are a few additional pointers to keep in mind when formatting your case study:

• Never refer to the subject of your case study as "the client." Instead, use their name or a pseudonym.
• Read examples of case studies to gain an idea about the style and format.
• Remember to use APA format when citing references .

Crowe S, Cresswell K, Robertson A, Huby G, Avery A, Sheikh A. The case study approach .  BMC Med Res Methodol . 2011;11:100.

Crowe S, Cresswell K, Robertson A, Huby G, Avery A, Sheikh A. The case study approach . BMC Med Res Methodol . 2011 Jun 27;11:100. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-11-100

Gagnon, Yves-Chantal.  The Case Study as Research Method: A Practical Handbook . Canada, Chicago Review Press Incorporated DBA Independent Pub Group, 2010.

Yin, Robert K. Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods . United States, SAGE Publications, 2017.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Introduction to Psychology: Reflective Journal Assignment

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Reflective Learning Journals

What is reflective learning.

Our default way of tackling almost anything - assignments, projects, and even life - tends to be more like a checklist. We "tick the boxes" when we've finished a task and move on. How often do we REALLY stop to think, question, or reflect on what we've read or learned, or what we've learned. Mostly we're just glad to be done!

Watch the video below to learn a better approach. The concept of reflection - deciding how to make use of knowledge, information, or experience is a significant part of the learning process.

What is a Reflective Learning Journal?

A learning journal is about writing that's done for the purpose of learning.  You are writing to learn. There is no single right way or wrong way to write a reflective learning journal. You simply write down, using your own personal everyday language, what you thought about or what you felt or experienced as you engaged with the reading or other course materials. Reflective writing or reflective practice help you develop the skills to be an independent learner.

• Reflective Learning Journal Ideas A learning or reflective journal is a steadily growing document that you write to record the progress of your learning. This type of journal is not simply a summary of the course material; it should also include your reactions , your thoughts, your feelings and your questions about what you've learned. There is no right or wrong way to do this.

If You're Stuck....

How to get un-stuck when writing .

Your instructor explained her expectations in the guidelines she provided to the class, but you may still find yourself stuck when encounter that blank page. Here are some idea that might help you get unstuck:

• Write as though talking to yourself or a friend. This puts you in touch with your writing voice and helps you express your thoughts which in turn, helps you connect what you're learning to the ideas or experiences meaningful to you.
• Don't censor what you are thinking ahead of time. Don't judge what you are writing.Something that might seem silly or stupid at first may just be the seed that turns into something strong and focused as you continue to work with it.
• Don't be afraid to express a negative reaction to something you read. Again, as you work with it, you will begin to understand why you responded the way you did. You may learn something about yourself, you didn't expect to.
• Start to look for connections in the theories you are reading about to knowledge you have in other areas whether your personal life, other courses, your job or workplace, your family life, relationships etc. Notice patterns that may begin to emerge. This expands your learning and understanding in a real-world context.

Still stuck? Maybe some of the Student Reflection Question listed in the link below willhelp  jump start your thinking.

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How to Do Psychology Research: An Introductory Guide

By Logan Pearce

PhD candidate in Social Psychology at Princeton University

4 minute read

Psychology is a very exciting field, and many students find great personal meaning in conducting psychology research. For example, through Polygence I have worked with students who used psychology to: identify factors that predict mental health issues; encourage people to make more environmentally friendly choices; and develop a novel mobile application to improve mental health.

As exciting as all these opportunities are, there are special considerations to have in mind to make your research as experimentally and ethically sound as possible. Before getting started with your psychology research, make sure you’ve accounted for these factors.

How to recruit participants for psychology research

At its core, psychology is the study of humans – how they think, feel, and behave. While it may seem obvious, it’s important to remember that everyone is different! This isn’t physics, where a two-pound sphere will act the same whether it’s in The United States or India. In psychology, people may respond in very different ways to the same experiment based on their cultural background, genetics, experiences, etc. - even within the same country or community.

Because of this variety, when you recruit participants in your research, you should only make claims about the specific population you studied. For example, many psychologists use college students as participants because it is a low-cost and convenient option. However, just because they know how college students at a particular university respond to the situation doesn’t mean that they know how Americans in general would respond!

You should aim to recruit diverse participants for your research. That way, you will learn about more types of people, which will make your research apply more broadly (psychologists call this concept “making your research more generalizable”). Psychologists often use platforms like Prolific and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to recruit participants for online studies. These types of platforms allow researchers to quickly recruit participants from around the country or the world. However, the downside is that these platforms are not free. If you don’t have the resources to pay participants, consider asking friends or family who will likely participate for free. While it reduces the generalizability of your research, it will allow you to conduct in-person experiments! 

Learn more about ways to do scientific experiments at home

How to publish ethical research

Since psychologists almost always conduct research with humans, it is critical that they protect the rights of their participants. To publish research, psychologists must get approval to conduct their research from a committee called an Institutional Review Board (IRB) . (Learn about how to get IRB approval) The key idea is that your psychology research should cause “minimal risk” to participants – no more than what they would experience in daily life. But more on that in a moment – let’s start by diving into why this process is necessary in the first place.

Back in the day, there were very few regulations on what types of research psychologists could conduct. Unfortunately, researchers such as Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo conducted infamous and highly ethically questionable research that drove the development of IRBs. Milgram asked participants to shock another participant to the point of death. (Don’t worry, there was no real person that was being shocked. It was just a recording.) Zimbardo forced his participants to live in a prison environment that he created. He had to end the experiment early because it got so out of hand.

So … you can’t do that type of research anymore, which is a good thing.

Another good thing is that IRBs require researchers to be thoughtful and reflective when recruiting special, vulnerable populations as research participants. These populations include minors, pregnant women/fetuses, and prisoners. It is still possible to do research with them, but you will have to jump through more (necessary and valid!) hoops to get permission to do so.

As a middle or high school student, it can be tricky for you to get IRB approval. However, you have a few options:

Get approval from your school’s IRB.

Assemble your own IRB.  It can be difficult to assemble your own IRB, so make sure to start that process early if you want to do this type of research.

We’ve previously published a guide about how to assemble your own IRB (note: you’ll have to log into your Polygence account in order to access this content).

Speak with Polygence’s projects team to get help assembling your own IRB.

Work with your Polygence research mentor to use their institution’s IRB.

Pivot your passion project idea to one that does not involve IRB approval. Take a look at our list of psychology passion project ideas for high school students for inspiration.  

How to design psychology studies

Once you’ve identified your research participants and have chosen which IRB approval option to proceed with, it’s time to conduct your psychology research! 

Check out this article to learn about the essential elements of research for any field you conduct your research in .  

Psychology projects can vary greatly, but there are a few key concepts to keep in mind. For example, let’s assume you are testing whether participants remember more vocabulary from reading a textbook or watching a video.

Since you are conducting an experiment, make sure that participants are randomly assigned to conditions!

In other words, do not let participants choose if they want to be in the textbook or video group; randomly pick which group they will be in. Random assignment is what allows psychologists to make claims such as “my experiment caused X to happen.” To make your experiment even better, make it “ double blind ” – both the participants and researchers don’t know which group the participants were assigned to.  

As much as possible, try not to influence participants to behave in a certain way.

For example, do not ask leading questions. A leading question would be along the lines of: “Why do you think that reading the textbook was better than watching the video?” Participants don’t have the option to disagree with the proposed question.

Emphasize that questions will be kept confidential to ensure that participants feel comfortable answering honestly to difficult questions.

For example, a survey form that has the question: “How much did you pay attention to the textbook/movie?” will likely get a different response if students do or do not have to write their name at the top of the form. 

When I am conducting online research, I also always test out my experiment several times before launching it. During these checks, I make sure that: 

 The instructions and questions are clear.

There are no typos. I like to read aloud the instructions to myself to slow down and see every word. (I did the same thing when editing this article!)

The online platform is correctly storing information about which condition participants were randomly assigned to, which responses participants clicked on, etc. This information is essential for easy data analysis later! 

Don’t skip these checks! It can be boring, but you’ve already put in so much work – make sure that the final product is what you intended!

That concludes our introduction to conducting psychology research! However, this guide is only the beginning. I’ve also covered how to collect quantitative data in psychology and how to analyze that data. After you’ve analyzed your data, the next steps are outlining your research paper and writing it.

If you want to conduct psychology research under the guidance of a mentor, apply to be a part of our flagship mentorship program . You can also check out these articles to learn more about the variety of opportunities available for students to pursue:

Research Opportunities for High School Students

Internships for High School Students

Psychology and Neuroscience Competitions for Middle and High School Students

Do Your Own Research Through Polygence

Your passion can be your college admissions edge! Polygence provides high schoolers a personalized, flexible research experience proven to boost your admission odds. Get matched to a mentor now!"

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How to Write Psychology Assignment

The topic of psychology is vast and one needs to be careful while making an assignment on it. It doesn’t only include mood swings, but also deals with improvement or disturbance in our minds.

Hence, students need to take care before starting their research work so that they can explain this subject correctly instead of relying upon already available information for writing a plagiarism-free paper on psychology.

It requires immense knowledge about the structuring and formatting style for preparing a proper psychology assignment. If the students need any psychology assignment-related help , then they can contact the expert team of writers at any time.

How to Write a Compelling Psychology Assignment in easy steps

Here is a piece of helpful advice that will assist you in completing your psychology homework without undue stress.

• Begin by conducting basic research and outlining.

The most important aspect of your academic coursework is research. Research is necessary for creating a successful assignment because it allows you to discuss the subject like an expert. You may get the same information from your textbooks, the internet, and other sources.

Also, make sure you have a good notion of how your academic paper will be structured. Keep track of the assignment’s word count and consider how you could improve the quality of your psychology assignment in other ways. Outlining is a necessary step in completing any homework assignment properly.

• Extensively discuss the subject.

Readers will read whatever you have written simply because they desire to widen their horizons by learning more. Make sure that your work increases the readers’ knowledge, and that your assignment contains a lot of strong arguments. To elaborate on the topic, you should use a combination of both the researched content and your knowledge. This will aid in the perfection of your arguments, and you will be able to persuade the readers to concur with your viewpoints.

• Your language should be simple to comprehend.

You are not supposed to use a creative way to discuss difficulties in psychological replies and assignments. The ideal way to write academically is to use simple, easy-to-understand language. However, this does not rule out the use of vivid language and creativity in the writing process. All you have to do now is figure out how to find a good balance between the two.

• Make sure the coursework is well-structured and that references are included.

You will simply be able to obtain additional marks for your task if it has an appealing appearance. As a result, attempt to take all necessary steps to guarantee that the assignment is well-structured. The reference section of your psychology paper is very crucial. You must include references at the end of the assignment, and you must do it in the format specified by the university.

• Only submit the assignment after you have proofread it.

Nothing puts the assignment checker’s mood in jeopardy more than an assignment riddled with grammatical and spelling problems. What’s worse, incorrectly presented facts in an assignment are far worse. As a result, before you hit the send button, double-check that you’ve gone through the entire assignment thoroughly and that you’ve repaired all errors to the best of your ability.

Tips for making efficient psychology assignments in Ireland

• Write an impressive title: The title is the primary thing that catches the attention of the readers. The college students need to properly search about the psychology topic, which is concise to explain. A perfect psychology title explains the research conducted and the motive for writing an assignment.
• Start with a small abstract: An abstract should contain vital information about the aims of the conducted study. It can explain the reason why the research has been undertaken. The students need to tell how they had completed the research and what they have found in the form of results. However, it does not imply the ending part; also, students have to keep this apart from the introduction paragraph.
• Write the beginning section: The students have to set the scene correctly for their assignment, so the starting section is perfect to elaborate. Here the students can give an efficient background to the readers through which the audience can identify what they are going to get from the entire section.

The students have to provide a little explanation about the highlighting points in the beginning section. It can benefit the students to elaborate on what is the aim of the logic behind conducting this subject research. However, it is not necessary to state the hypothesis directly in the introduction.

• Write with the psychology method: The students have a choice to write the technique with design, materials, participants, procedures, or results.

If it is about the plan, then the students need to explain the experimental part of the study. The college students have to be aware of the experimental conditions of the psychology topic.

In the participants’ section of the assignment, the students need to discuss the references with the help of which they had prepared an excellent psychology assignment. Even the students can give opportunity samples along with facts in this section.

The students need to write all the psychology methods in a fully proven sentence rather than applying the short forms. It can be beneficial for the students to use some of the images, figures, and other things in the assignment.

In the result part, the students need to explain what they did finally. It includes information about the data collected in the form of impressive sub-titles.

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• Write a brief discussion: Here, the students have to discuss the research findings of the study, which they have mentioned in the beginning section. The college students of Ireland need to find knowledge and implications that the sources can have for real life. If the students are discussing any of the non-significant things, then they have to remain sure about the accuracy. The students can suggest practical ideas for further future results.
• End with an outstanding conclusion: The students of Ireland need to put some significant points regarding the psychology topic. A perfect ending can impact the reader’s mind with some ideal conclusion.
• Include the reference section in the assignment: It directly involves the sources that the students have consulted for gathering information. If the college students have gained ideas from the specific cause or reference, then they have to mention acknowledgement in this section.

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What types and topics of undergraduate research do 100 percent of PLU psychology students participate in?

Dr. Michelle Ceynar, Professor of Psychology, answers these questions and more during this session!

RELATED: Want to check out the psychology major in less than a minute? View our Pschyology Major Minute with Associate Professor of Psychology Laura A. Shneidman.

100 Captivating Social Science Research Topics

Table of Contents

Are you searching for the best social science research topics? If yes, then you are at the right place. Typically, social science is the study of people, cultures, and societies.  It is categorized into different branches such as anthropology, history, civics, economics, etc., each offering a unique perspective of the world. So, for preparing a social science research paper, you can choose any relevant topic from a variety of sub-disciplines including history, economics, psychology, sociology, and more.

Since many students find it more challenging to identify a topic for their social science paper, in this blog, we have published a list of 100 outstanding social science research questions, ideas, and titles. Additionally, we have explained how to choose a good topic for a social science research paper.

Continue reading this blog and get awesome ideas for social science research paper writing.

Know How to Select a Social Science Research Topic

To make your social science research paper stand unique in the crowd, you must pick a great topic. Most importantly, the topic you select should be authentic, relevant to your field of study, and should fall within your interest.

In case, you are confused about how to choose the right topic for your social science thesis, then follow these steps.

• First, determine your area of interest in social studies or its branches
• In your field of interest, search for themes or topics that impress you. It can be anything from historical events, psychological phenomena, or social trends.
• Conduct preliminary research on the shortlisted themes and collect background information to narrow your focus. To gather significant details, you can use relevant sources such as scholarly articles, books, or magazines.
• Analyze the sources and identify any data gaps, contradictions, or inconsistencies in existing research. These gaps will give a new perspective for your research.
• Based on your analysis, refine your topic and come up with a concise research question.
• Check whether the chosen topic is researchable and has enough authentic information to stay focused.
• Before finalizing the topic, discuss it with your instructor and gain insights.

Also Read : 195 Informative Social Studies Topics for Academic Writing

List of Social Science Research Topics and Ideas

If you experience any difficulty with generating social science research questions, take a look below. For your convenience, here, we have presented a list of excellent social science research paper topics and ideas from different themes related to social studies.

Simple Social Science Research Topics

• Explain the role of newspapers in our daily life.
• Discuss how recycling helps the planet.
• Explain how cartoons influence kids.
• Discuss the effect of volunteering on personal development.
• Analyze the effect of climate change on global economies.
• Examine the causes and consequences of global migration trends.
• Analyze the influence of graphic novels on youth culture.
• Examine the trend of urban gardening.
• Discuss the ethical implications of artificial intelligence in society.
• Examine the influence of gender roles on career choices.

Interesting Social Studies Research Topics

• Discuss the role of technology in reshaping education.
• Explain how mass media shapes public opinion.
• Discuss the causes and effects of overpopulation.
• Explain how cyberbullying affects teenage mental health.
• Discuss the cultural impact of street art in cities.
• Analyze the influence of technology on interpersonal communication.
• Discuss the effects of urbanization on biodiversity.
• Explain the role of urban planning in community well-being.
• Discuss the impact of biotechnology on agriculture sustainability.
• Analyze the influence of cultural heritage on fashion trends.
• Study the societal implications of aging populations.
• Discuss the economic implications of cryptocurrency adoption.
• Examine the influence of music on societal norms.
• Discuss the role of censorship in freedom of speech.
• Analyze the implications of drone technology.

Top Social Science Research Questions

• Discuss the role of data analytics in shaping marketing strategies.
• Examine the ethical boundaries of genetic engineering.
• Explain the role of NGOs in shaping public policy.
• Discuss the social implications of multilingualism.
• Analyze the cultural factors that influence dietary habits.
• Explore the culture of political satire.
• Discuss the role of intersectionality in social justice movements.
• Analyze the effects of migration patterns.
• Understand the sociology of leisure.
• Analyze the impact of universal basic income on society.
• Discuss the social dynamics of homelessness.
• Analyze the effect of ecotourism on local economies.
• Explain the role of museums in preserving cultural heritage.
• Discuss the political implications of meme culture.
• Examine the social consequences of binge-watching.

Unique Social Science Research Topics on History

• Discuss the role of fashion in America during the 1920s.
• Examine the influence of Roman architecture on modern cities.
• Analyze the impact of radio on World War II propaganda.
• Discuss the evolution of modern medicine during World War I.
• Examine the role of women in Victorian society.
• Discuss the iconic design trends of the 20 th
• Explain the influence of pirate communities on maritime laws.
• Discuss the history of the global perception of Tattoos.
• Analyze the impact of the printing press on the Renaissance.
• Discuss the influence of Jazz on the Civil Rights Movement.

Captivating Social Science Research Topics on Anthropology

• Analyze the social implications of food taboos.
• Discuss the role of folk tales in cultural preservation.
• Analyze the influence of pop culture on language evolution.
• Examine the correlation between fashion and culture.
• Discuss the impact of urbanization on tribal communities.
• Prepare a research paper on cultural adaptation in immigrant communities.
• Analyze body language and non-verbal communication in various cultures.
• Compare cultural appropriation and appreciation.
• Prepare a research paper on graffiti.
• Discuss the cultural beliefs that influence health practices.

Also Read: 85 Bullying Research Topics and Essay Ideas

Excellent Social Science Research Topics on Religion and Culture

• Discuss the role of religious charities in community development.
• Analyze the impact of cinema on cultural stereotypes.
• Explain the role of religion in conflict resolution.
• Take a closer look at fan culture and celebrity worship.
• Write about religious iconography in popular culture.
• Explain the evolution of atheism in the 21 st
• Discuss the rituals of birth and death across cultures.
• Examine the global influence of Hip-Hop culture.
• Explore meme culture.
• Discuss the role of cyberculture in shaping modern societies.

Amazing Social Science Research Questions on Philosophy

• Analyze postmodern philosophy.
• Discuss the virtue ethics in business practices.
• Analyze Stoicism in modern society.
• Discuss the evolution of feminist philosophy.
• Analyze the ethical dimensions and implications of space exploration.
• Examine the philosophy behind climate change denial.
• Write about existentialism in contemporary literature.
• Discuss the portrayal of Nihilism in pop culture.
• Prepare a research paper on determinism in a technological era.
• Compare rationality and emotion in decision-making.

Popular Social Studies Research Topics on Psychology

• Analyze the effects of adoption on child psychology.
• Examine the correlation between mindfulness and stress reduction.
• Analyze the psychological effects of dopamine fasting.
• Discuss the efficacy of art therapy in mental health treatment.
• Examine the psychology behind procrastination.
• Discuss the impact of sleep quality on cognitive function.
• Analyze the effects of stereotype threat on performance.
• Discuss the developmental advantages of bilingual education.
• Analyze the psychological perspectives of pain perception.
• Write about color psychology in marketing.

Engaging Social Science Research Ideas on Sociology

• Explain the role of social media in modern protests.
• Discuss the sociology of conspiracy theories.
• Analyze societal reaction to pandemics.
• Discuss the social media applications of the bystander effect.
• Analyze the effect of hyper-consumerism on modern society.
• Write about intersectionality and social inequality.
• Discuss the effects of intergenerational trauma on identity.
• Write about racial disparities in educational results.
• Prepare a research paper on veganism.
• Examine the impact of immigration on host communities.

Also Read : 115 Impactful Social Change Essay Topics

Wrapping Up

From the list recommended above, pick any topic that impresses you and compose a well-structured social science research paper. If you struggle to write your social science thesis or if you need any other original social science research paper topic, then reach out to us immediately.

At greatassignmenthelp.com, we have a team of talented and experienced social science assignment helpers . From academic paper topic selection to writing and editing, as per your needs, our subject experts will provide cheap and best social science research paper help online.

In specific, on a topic from any branch of social studies, our subject experts will guide you in composing a plagiarism-free research paper. Moreover, by getting our social studies assignment help , you can complete all the relevant tasks on time and achieve the highest grades.

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Spring 2024

Schedule & Assignments

5 Article Reading Responses out of 10 (5 points each) – 1 Paragraph

To actively engage with the course material and foster critical thinking, you will submit concise written responses (approximately 1 paragraph) to ONE assigned article per week listed on the syllabus ( but only for 5 responses total out of the 10 opportunities ). These responses are an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the material and thoughts on the readings. It will allow you to come to class prepared for discussions. I value your participation and anticipate engaging reactions in the form of questions, critiques, observations, or personal impressions. Responses are due before each class session they’re listed for, and remember that you may skip 5 without penalty. Please note that readings may adjust based on course progress and student interest.

• Poletti et al. (2022) article talks about how recent crises – economic instability, climate change, COVID-19, and the Ukraine war – have impacted adolescent future thinking and mental well-being. They argue that uncertain times stop adolescents’ ability to envision and plan for the future, potentially increasing their risk for mental health issues. I can relate to what this article says because during COVID-19 pandemic I had a really hard time focusing and caring about doing anything because it felt like the world was ending. Simiarly to what is happening now in the Middle East, it makes me feel hopeless about my future. I can’t imagine what adolescents must feel like since their perspective is limited because they are still young. Like the article states, we need greater support for adolescents because they do can understand what is happening in the world and its affecting them. With children they may not remember or understand, but adolescents do.
• I think that what this study was trying to do was look at how Mexican-heritage 5th graders adapt to American culture. I think they found kids fit into 5 groups based on how much they liked American and Mexican culture. Most kids fit their expected group based on how long their family had been in the US, meaning the longer they stay in the US, the more Americanized they become. Which I think makes sense because they are being exposed to US culture all the time. But a small group didn’t really like either culture, even though they’d been exposed to both. Maybe there is another culture they prefer. This study shows that adapting to a new culture can be complicated, especially for young kids. I had a hard time understanding the analysis part since I never heard of latent class analysis. Could we review this in class. I was a little confused.
• I really liked this article because it shows that college success isn’t just about grades and test scores. It also matters how stressed, confident, and socially connected you are. Many students only care about how well they do on assignments and neglect their mental health. This may not affect them at first, but over time it becomes worse. The study showed that students who don’t cope with the stress end up taking longer to graduate, which can lead to even more stress. Colleges should really focus on helping students feel more calm and less anxious. Doing things like getting involved in academic clubs and socializing can help, but there has to be a balance because if you party too much it can affect your grades in a negative way. Colleges should support students’ mental and social well-being, not just their academics, to help them succeed and stay in school.

4 Chapters Quizzes (10 points each) –  10-15 questions, take-home

Four take-home quizzes will assess your grasp of the material, each focusing on specific areas:

• Quiz#1: Intro-Theories
• Quiz#2: Prenatal-Toddlerhood
• Quiz#3: Early Childhood
• Quiz#4: Middle Childhood
• While you have the flexibility of tackling these quizzes at your own pace, each assessment will have a strict time limit of 30-45 minutes once you begin. Expect 10-15 questions per quiz.
• A 15-year-old teenager is suddenly withdrawn and secretive, spending most of their time online and avoiding social interactions. Based on your understanding of adolescent development, what is the MOST likely explanation for this behavior: (a) They are experiencing the typical hormonal changes of puberty. (b) They are developing a strong sense of identity and independence. (c) They might be struggling with depression or anxiety. (d) They are simply going through a normal phase of teenage rebellion.
• A 13-year-old student expresses strong opinions on social and political issues, often contradicting their parents’ views. This behavior leads to frequent arguments at home. Which concept best illustrates the process the student is going through? a) Punishment b) Harmony c) Autonomy d) Guilt
• Which scenario best describes Alicia’s (16 year old) main developmental process based on Erikson’s stage 5 (Identity v. Role confusion)? a) Erin is struggling to develop basic trust with her parents. b) Erin knows she wants to be a doctor and is going to med school once she finishes high school. c) Erin is ashamed to tell her friends she doesn’t like boys. d) Erin isproud that she did well on her exams and wants to tell her parents.

1 Article Discussion Facilitation – summary and in class discussion (5 Points)

To deepen our engagement with the readings and give you a chance to practice your presentation skills, throughout the semester, each student will co-facilitate the discussion for ONE assigned reading in a particular week. This means you’ll take the lead in sparking conversation, posing thought-provoking questions, and guiding the class through key points. Feel free to get creative! You can bring in additional images, media, or even brief supplemental readings to enrich the discussion. Your classmates will be actively involved, ready to share their insights and raise questions based on the readings.

You can submit your Article Facilitation here: Submit AF

1 Final Paper (700 words) and Presentation (15 points) – 700 word paper, 5 minute presentation (5 points)

This paper is your chance to bridge the gap between theory and reality, showcasing your understanding of child psychology through a 700-word paper. Choose ONE of the following options (or propose your own!) and include at least 4 peer-reviewed journal articles from the course reading list:

• Case Study:  Analyze a child’s development (real or fictional) through the lens of course readings. Explore their physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional domains, highlighting strengths and potential challenges. Remember, this is about understanding development, not suggesting any type of treatment or policy implications. Example : Paper Presentation
• Toy : Imagine you are invited to a birthday party for a child and have to bring a present. What toy would you bring to the child? Your choice must be developmentally appropriate and backed up by the scientific research. In order to do this, you must discuss at least readings that support your choice of toy. Your job is to explain what the evidence is based, and how this toy reflects the scientific evidence reviewed during our class discussions.  Example : Paper Presentation
• Media Analysis:  Choose a specific media piece (song, movie, social media trend, image, news, hashtag results) and analyze how it portrays children through the lens of course concepts. Example : Paper Presentation
• Other: Get creative! Propose your own unique project that applies course knowledge to a real-world context.

Then it’s time to showcase your work. You will prepare a 5-minute presentation to share your final paper and course readings. You have the creative freedom to choose any media platform that suits your style, such as a PowerPoint slide presentation, a poster presentation, or any other format that allows effective communication of your insights.

You can submit your final paper and presentation here:

SIGN UP FOR A PRESENTATION TIME HERE:   https://childpsy2024sp.commons.gc.cuny.edu/sheet/presentation/  

Active class participation and engagement are integral to the learning experience in this course. I encourage you to share insights, ask questions, and collaborate with your peers. I undestand there may be some days that being actively engaged may not be possible, but consistent engagement will be key to your success.

This section offers diverse opportunities to demonstrate your grasp of course material beyond regular assignments. Choose ONE option to complete for extra credit:

• Peer-Reviewed Journal Article Review: Select and analyze a peer-reviewed article from any domain of child psychology (consult me for guidance). Write a concise (500-word) review, critically evaluating the research main argument, methodological strengths, findings, and limitations, and its relevance to course concepts. Example : Review
• Child Development Policy Evaluation: Analyze a real-world policy related to child development (e.g., anti-bullying, headstart) using course discussions and readings. Assess the policy’s impact on children’s daily lives and its long-term implications. Propose constructive changes. Write a 500-word paper supported by at least two course readings. Example : Policy
• Concept Illustration Meme: Create a meme that captures a key concept covered in class. Write a 500-word explanation outlining the meme’s components and their connection to course material. Support your analysis with at least two course readings. Example : Meme
• Other: Propose an alternative creative assignment aligned with the learning objectives. Prior approval from me is required.

You can submit your Extra Credit here:

Topics & Slides

Assignments

Facilitations

Introduction

No Readings

No Articles

No Assignments

No Facilitations

Social Construction

Chapter 1.1 – 1.3

-Lesko (2012) -Uprichard (2008) -Woodhead (2005) -Berlinsky (2015)

Research Methods

Chapter 1.4

-Ling (2023) -Garandeau (2022) -Fairchild (2017) -Crouch (2021)

Theories of Childhood/Adolescence

Chapter 1.5

-Crenshaw (1989) -Suarez-Orozco (2018) -Garcia-Coll (1996) -Spencer (1996)

Prenatal & Birth

Chapter 2 Chapter 3

-Coussons-Read (2013) -Lee (2017) -Schaal (2020) -Combellick (2021)

AR Week 4 Quiz#1

Bercaris A. Eboni C. Leticia G. Yeneri A. Submit AF

Infancy & Toddlerhood: Physical

-Libertus (2016) -Kozlowski (2011) -Huang (2016) -Demeusy (2018)

Awa D. Angel O. Briana B. Giselle M. Submit AF

Infancy & Toddlerhood: Cognitve

Infancy & Toddlerhood: Socioemotional

-Keller (2018a) -Keller (2018b) -Rigato (2019) -Campagna (2021)

Raphael D. Arianna C. Sayra S. Luismairy P. Submit AF

Early Childhood: Physical & Cognitive

Chapter 7 Chapter 8

-Hemmingson (2018) -Mandalaywala (2019) -Kit (2017) -Siyambalapitiya (2021)

AR Week 7 Quiz#2

Evelyn M. Cesar S. Geika D. Kadija W. Submit AF

Early Childhood: Socioemotional

-McCoy (2017) -Perry (2019) -Ansari (2016) -Watts (2023)

Melissa P. Finley R. Noella P. Jiovanna S. Submit AF

Middle Childhood: Physical & Cognitive

Chapter 10 Chapter 11

-Whitten (2019) -Leung (2020) -Pagliaccio (2019)

AR Week 9 Q uiz#3

Briana S. Lene M. Mayrenis C. Submit AF

Middle Childhood: Socioemotional

-Rogers (2012) -Gloger-Tippelt (2016) -Schmidt (2020) -Dumas (2016) 

Terra R. Natalie R. Johan S. Aaron B. Submit AF

4/22/2024-4/30/2024: Spring Recess

Student Presentations

Presentations Quiz#4

Presentations

Extra Credit

Grading Scale

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