Life Span Development Project 2 (due April 22)

Project Description. In this project you will collect data about human behavior using television programming as your source.  Choose one of the topics below:

Parenting
Marriage
Dating
Moral reasoning
Adolescents
College students
Middle Age adults
Senior citizens
Death

How do I do this?  Choose your topic and then identify a data source (i.e., TV program).  For example, I chose parenting and I have decided to compare Homer and Marge Simpson on their approach to parenting Bart, Lisa and Maggie  Before I start watching The Simpsons, I read up on parenting styles and become familiar with the types of behaviors associated with of the parenting styles.  I then make a grid listing the different behaviors (e.g., uses physical punishment, uses praise). I'll have a separate grid for Homer and one for Marge.  I decide to focus only on their interactions with Bart when I realize that there maybe little interaction with Maggie and Bart's behavior may elicit many more interesting responses from his parents than would Lisa's behavior.  I will collect my data using the grids.   These grids will be turned in with your project.  Turn on the TV and watch five episodes.

Or....I could be interested in the difference between soap opera and crime shows portrayal of senior citizens.   There are endless possibilities.  If you have an idea talk to me live or via email and we can come up with a research question and a data source.

What's in the paper?  You will use the format of the journal article you read in the first project. Those sections are:

• Review of the literature.  Tell me what is currently known about your topic.  You can use the text, lecture and, of course, reading another journal article will always contribute to your knowledge and accumulating point total.
• Purpose, research question(s) and hypotheses
• Method (how did you collect your data) Give a step by step description so that your experiment can be replicated by anyone reading your method section.   Details are very important....you are giving the directions to repeat your study.
• Results.  Describe and summarize what you've found.  You can try some easy statistics like a mean, mode or a median or even present a data table or graph.  The data grids will be attached in an appendix at the end of your paper.
• Conclusions.  How closely does television programming conform to what you have read about your topic.  How realistic were the portrayals of the behavior.  Be sure to comment on the effect of television programming on your ideas about human behavior and development.
• References.  Be sure to cite and avoid plagiarism
• Appendix.  Data grids and any other interesting things that support your paper.

Format. Your project must be typed with double-spaced lines. The margins (top, bottom, left and right) should be no larger than 1-inch and the font size no larger than 12 point. This format is standard for college-level work. Staple or clip your paper in the upper left hand corner. Do not use folders or binders. Attach the cover sheet from the website.  Your paper will be returned ungraded if you fail to comply with this format.
Length. Students frequently asked, "How long should my paper be?" There is no point value attached to the length of your paper. The grade you receive on your project is based on the quality and thoroughness of your writing and organization. The estimated length is approximately 5-7 pages. If your paper is substantially shorter than the estimate, go back and make sure that you have addressed all parts of the assignment and you have discussed each part in a thoughtful and thorough manner. Single word lists or single sentence responses are inadequate.  Be sure to use your own words, avoid plagiarism and give credit when you use an author's idea or words.