For the final paper in this class, students will write a Research Paper.
The purpose of the research paper is for students to find 3 empirical articles about how some
topic affects cognitive and socioemotional development during children. The topic in question
will be chosen by the student. This topic can be anything the student is interested in or had
experiences with during their own childhood. [Some example topics: Effects of abuse/neglect
on cognitive and socioemotional development during childhood; Effects of playing a musical
instrument on cognitive and socioemotional development during childhood; Effects of playing
video games on cognitive and socioemotional development during childhood.] More
information will be provided about the research paper, including a rubric and a template for
students to download in which they should write their paper.
-Format of the paper: Students will begin the paper by introducing their topic and their
reasons for choosing it. The body of the paper will be made up of summaries of
empirical articles that students find relating to their chosen topic. Students will conclude
the paper by summarizing what their body of research says about their topic. Papers
should be written in APA format and should include: title (title page not required), page
numbers, running head, APA-format in-text citations of empirical articles, and references
page. Papers should be a minimum of 4 pages.
-Summaries of empirical articles: Each summary should have 3 total paragraphs: 1
paragraph about the hypotheses, methods, and results; 1 paragraph about the strengths
and weaknesses of the methods; and 1 paragraph about the implications of the findings
