Psychology 1230: Adolescence

1. Psychology 1230: Adolescence Don Hartmann Fall 2005 Slides on Writing the Term Paper

2. Selecting a Topic: #1 • Have you thought about the topic of your autobiographical term paper? • What were notable events during your adolescent years? Hair started growing on your palms? Ran out of Kleenex after stuffing your bra? • What should you be processing or reflecting about? Killing the family cat? Continuing to look through key holes after teen success looking into your sister’s key hole. • When you have an idea, check the WEB—although I don’t want all WEB references—and see what is there on that topic.

3. Selecting a Topic: #2 • Think about an issue that troubled you during your adolescence, and that might profit from additional reflection. Possible topics are independence (autonomy) conflicts; early maturation (troublesome for many girls), late maturation, divorce, puberty, sexual precociousness or ignorance, shyness, identity concerns (particularly for ethnic or sexual minority teens), eating problems, being unpopular, depression, acting-out, unusual body parts, zits, teen pregnancy, addictions, hairy palms, impossible parents, sibling rivalry. Consider a couple possibilities for you. Reflect on them. • Are they important to you? Might they relate to at least one of the theories we will discuss? Can you share your experiences with another class member or partner (possible editors) and the instructor?

4. Selecting A Topic #3 • Write about something from your adolescence that: • is important to you, • requires additional processing (reflection) or your part, • you can share with at least two other individuals—your editor and the professor, • has some scientific literature written about it, and • is relevant to some theory • Likely bad topics: TV violence, my shy sibling, my son’s girlfriend, drunkenness in my extended family

5. How do I find a relevant theory? Here is how to find a relevant theory: • Test-Based selection: Look up the topic in your text. What theories are addressed in the discussion of that topic? • Professional literature-based selection: Find a chapter in a book or a review article in a journal that addresses your issue—and then read them. What theories are used to make sense of the issue in these works? • Personal preferences: What theory do you want to learn about?. • Suck-up selection: The professor is relatively informed about behavior theory, cognitive social theory, social information processing theory, and psychoanalytic theory. But it is important to note that he is a theoretical Neanderthal—with due apologies to the Neanderthals. • Parental-dependence criterion: Ask your mother what you should do.

6. How do I find References? • Check the WEB • Check PsycInfo: This is the primary electronic database for psychology. Learn to use it • Look through • handbooks (e.g., Handbook of child psychology) • annual series (e.g., New directions for child and adolescent development) or • advanced textbooks (e.g., Developmental psychology: An advanced textbook) to find a chapter devoted to your topic of interest • These chapters should also turn up in your search using PsycInfo

7. Finding Journals & Books Getting a journal (or book) • Identify which book or journal you want—e.g., from a search using PsycInfo • Jot-down the following information about the articles: Title of title of article (author), journal, year (volume), inclusive pages, and possible issue number • Go to the Marriott electronic catalogue and find the article’s location (e.g., Science Serials, Level 4) and call # (e.g.,  RJ504 .C467) • Go to that location and pluck the journal from the shelf. If its not there, check it’s whereabouts with the librarian

8. Writing Text Citations Writing text citations: Two general approaches. Assume you want to cite Bandura regarding the importance of self processes (e.g., self-monitoring). You could use either of the following: • “According to Bandura (1999), self processes are the critical components of human functioning.” OR • “Self processes are the critical components of human functioning (Bandura, 1999).”

9. Writing References: Books Note how these references are written! Alphabetized; hanging style; no first names, only initials; publication year following the name; title of book or journal in italic; only the first word of title in upper case—with the exception of proper names • Hall, G. S. (1904). Adolescence: Its psychology and its relations to physiology, anthropology, sociology, sex, crime, religion and education: Vol. 1 & 2. New York: D. Appleton. • Ross, D. (1972). G. Stanley Hall. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

10. More on Writing a Reference to a Book (#2) Hall, G. S. (1904). Adolescence: Its psychology and its relations to physiology, anthropology, sociology, sex, crime, religion and education: Vol. 1 & 2. New York: D. Appleton. Ross, D. (1972). G. Stanley Hall. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. No first names, only initials Only first letter of first word in upper case Hanging Indent Title in Italics

11. Referencing Books #3 Thomas, R. M. (2001). Recent theories of human development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Miller, P. H. (1993). Theories of developmental psychology (3rd ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman & Company. Initials only Title in italic Edition in brackets City of publication

12. Writing a reference for a chapter in an edited book Dixon, R. A., & Lerner, R. M. (1999). History and systems in developmental Psychology. In M. H. Bornstein & M. E. Lamb (Eds.), Developmental psychology: An advanced Textbook (4th ed., pp. 3-45). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Inclusive pages of chapter Editors’ initials first; not like authors’ Big E, small d; small e & small d

13. Internet References • Note that I have limited the number of Internet references—largely for 2 reasons: • The Internet does not subject items it “publishes” to peer review, as do most journals—unless, of course, the Internet reference is a published article. • One should be familiar with the important search engines in one’s field—and PsycIfo is ours. Get on and get in! • Referencing online material (general form; Publication manual, 2001, p. 223 ): • Online periodical: Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (2000). Title of article. Title of Periodical, XX, 123-134. Retrieved month day, year, from source. • Online document: Author, A. A. (2000). Title of work. Retrieved month day, year, from source.

14. Administration: (electronic references) Consider the following electronic journal reference: Hops, H., Davis, B., Leve, C., & Sheeber, L. (2003). Cross-generational transmission of aggressive parent behavior: a prospective, mediational examination. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 456-476. If the electronic version is the same as the printed version--as is most likely, all you must do is add after the title of the article and before the journal name, the following: [Electronic version].   If the electronic version differs from the printed version, add the WEB address preceded by the date of retrieval (e.g., "Retrieved October 13, 2001, from www//gvu/useer_surveys/survey-1997-10”

15. Using Secondary Sources Consider the study by Jones and Jones which you want to cite, but did not read; you did, however, read about Jones and Jones in Santrock’s book. • The text citation: The study by Jones and Jones (as cited in Santrock, 2005)…. • The reference citation: Santrock, J. W. (2005). Adolescence (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

16. Avoidable Preparation Errors Some term-paper preparation errors that are easily avoided: • Check in with me on your proposed topic(s). I might be able to help you with references and save you from some anticipatable problems • Give your editors enough time to edit your paper and get it back to you for revision before the due date • Don’t be afraid to make all of the suggested changes that are relevant in the papers you edit. Your extra credit will depend on the number and quality of your editing suggestions—including correction of references • Read the term-paper handout and the little tidbits I inserted prior to and at the end of each lecture

17. Read the handout, and again, and again, and again just prior to handing in your paper. Remember to meet with me about the paper! Do not use only WEB references; get into the psychology database, PsycInfo. Find an editor, either in the class of outside of class. Check the frequently made errors section. Feel free to use first person pronouns. Use the active voice whenever possible (e.g., not “the book was taken to me by my mother” but instead “my mother took the book to me”) Highlights from the Autobiographical Term Paper