Media contribution to violent behavior in children

The summative assessment for this course is a Final Paper that is due in Week Five. For your Final Paper, you must demonstrate an understanding of a topic in psychology beyond the information presented in the course textbook. Incorporate material from across the course, by describing and applying psychology knowledge as you integrate new research findings, into a cohesive and well-written paper. This learning activity will facilitate the development of research techniques, critical thinking, and writing skills that are necessary to be successful in the field of psychology. You may include personal experiences as examples to explain concepts and inform your audience.

You will have already selected a research topic from the list below in Week Three of the course. You must continue to use your selected topic. The topics include:

Does violence in the media contribute to violent behavior in children?

To begin, research the chosen topic using scholarly resources and craft a thesis statement regarding your selected topic. For assistance with creating a thesis statement, visit the Ashford Writing Center or the Ashford University Library. Your Final Paper must contain at least five references from scholarly sources that were published within the last five years and are cited according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Examples of scholarly sources include: peer reviewed journal articles, research studies, professional websites with authored material, and government websites. Popular internet sites (Wikipedia, Newsweek, New York Times, etc.) are not considered scholarly sources.

Then, address the following criteria as you write your Final Paper:

Include a well-written introduction with a succinct thesis statement and a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

Integrate research findings that address the selected topic.

Discuss the key issues and controversies surrounding your selected topic.

Discuss multiple perspectives on the selected topic, so that the discussion is balanced and not one-sided.

Include a summary and analysis of the findings from the research.

Include any additional research that could be done in the future, and provide solutions that could be implemented in the present regarding your selected topic.

Consider the cognitive and behavioral implications might play a role in your selected topic. What learning principles could factor into the topic? What theories of motivation and personality could influence your insights into the topic?

You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.

Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.

Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.

The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument