Here is the instruction:
ESSAY I 15 PTS
Compare and contrast (a) the assigned reading (the original study), (b) the in class-activity (both personal experience and general findings), and (c) related phenomena in the real world. The essay should have required parts and formats below.
Summary of the Original Study 2 pts
Briefly summarize the study’s research question(s) and finding(s) that pertain to the in-class version. Skip aspects that were not reflected in the in-class version. Be brief in this part, and it should be no more than 20% in length of the essay (i.e., 1 page).
Rubric: Elegant ~ Accurate (2 ~ 1.8); Minor Unclear ~ Minor Misunderstanding (1.7 ~ 1.5); Major Misunderstanding ~ Missing (1.4 ~ 0).
Technical Comparisons 4 pts
What’re the specific differences between the in-class activity and the related part from the original study, which could have led to the differences in findings? (Do not compare the activity with the not-included parts from the original study.) Focus on one or a few differences that actually mattered, rather than listing all remote differences. The key is not to just list the differences, but to explain why and how the differences are responsible for the different findings. The explanations should be ≥ 50% in length of this part. This part itself may be 30% – 40% in length of the essay (i.e., 1.5 – 3 pages).
Take Cyberball for example, you may discuss what differences between the original study and in-class activity’s setups might have contributed to the fact that we did not replicate Beekerman et al.’s (2016) findings? These could include, but not limited to the study designs, procedures, contexts, and participants.
Rubric: Insightful ~ Reasonable (4 ~ 3.6); Ineffective ~ Insufficient (3.5 – 3.0); Lacking Explanation or Face Value ~ Missing (2.9 ~ 0).
Theoretical Conditions 3 pts
Beyond the technical differences, discuss more general factors that would theoretically alter the expected phenomena behind both the original study and in-class activity. This whole part can be 30% – 40% in length of the essay (i.e., 1.5 – 3 pages).
Take Cyberball for example, do not discuss the original experiment or in-class activity per se, as those are for the “Technical Comparisons” above. Instead, be theoretical, focusing on need to belong, social exclusion, and negative affect/stress in general. You may, for example, talk about in general (and in real life) what factors could change the tendency that those with a high need to belong tend to emotionally suffer more from social exclusion, compared with those with a low need to belong (which is the take home point of Beekeman et al., 2016).
Take Bavales’ Box for another example, you may talk about: Under what contexts would some of the three network structures theoretically promote group performance? What aspects of the group performance are theoretically most likely to be influenced by each of the three network structures?
Rubric: Insightful ~ Reasonable (3 ~ 2.7); Ineffective ~ Insufficient (2.6 – 2.3); Lacking Explanation or Face Value ~ Missing (2.2 ~ 0).
Real-World Examples 3 pts
Identify everyday examples or personal experiences that reflect the theoretical concerns (i.e., the take-home points) behind the study.
Rubric: Insightful ~ Reasonable (3 ~ 2.7); Ineffective ~ Insufficient (2.6 ~ 2.3); Lacking Explanation or Face Value ~ Missing (2.2 ~ 0).
Easy to Read & Error-free 1 pts
Write a well-organized and easy-to-read essay.
Rubric: Enjoyable to Read ~ No Obvious Error (1~0.9); Minor Errors ~ Effortful to Read (0.8~0.7); Challenging ~ Unable to Read (0.6~0).
Format Compliances 2 pts
Comply with the required formats.
5-8 pages excluding figures, tables, and reference list
1 inch margins
11 pt font size
Double-spaced throughout, including no extra space between paragraphs
Coherent paragraphs with reasonable length (each > 1 sentence, < 1 page)
Bold, centralized title/headings with the same font size and line/paragraph spacing as normal paragraphs
No disclosure of author information
No excessive reliance on others’ work (cited work < 50% of main text)
Sources credited both in-text and as a separate list of references at the end
Reference list, figures, and tables (if there are any) located at the end and properly labeled with headings, and referred to in texts
Rubric: Each point above is worth 0.2 pt. Any incidence of violation for each point deducts the whole 0.2 pt.
This essay should be written around in-class activity. The in-class activity is Bavelas’ Box. Bavelas Box is an experiment done by Bavelas Smith and Leavit. The prof re-did this experiment in class. But by letting students use mobile phones or computers to communicate. So there are some errors. There are about 70 students in the classroom. But the most primitive way to experiment before was by handwriting on paper. The development of science and technology and the differences in experimental sites and objects will lead to changes in the experimental results. Analyze these changes and provide explanations.
