MOTIVATIONS AND EMOTIONS PSYCHOLOGY

Our syllabus lists the learning outcomes of our course, which you have been working hard on, throughout the term. #1 and #6 are already well-reflected in your major papers so we will be focussing on #2 through #5 here. For this Assignment, you will need to reflect on, then write about, your own progress toward learning outcomes #2 through 5 (which are listed below) and how successful you have been in accomplishing them. Your written submission will be:

A succinct statement (no more than 600 words) of how you have met these criteria, with evidence and specific examples to back up your points. The specific evidence to use is details from research covered in lectures after Test 1. In other words, use your knowledge of findings we learned about in class to demonstrate your progress toward the learning goals.

This requires some thought and careful editing to be clear, concise, and complete. Be sure this work is your own (in your own words, so paraphrase – do not use any quotes or wording taken from other sources). Reference list is needed and DO include researcher surnames where you refer to specific studies or theory, e.g., “from Fleeson et. al.’s work on extraversion, I now understand….”.

Format:

• Single-spaced, indent at the start of each paragraph (like above). No blank lines between paragraphs (you’ll need the space).
• First person is acceptable and appropriate since your job is to convince your reader of your own personal progress and understanding.
• Maximum of 600 words (no more, please). To give you an idea, 600 words is almost exactly 1 full single-spaced page of writing, when using 1 inch margins all around.
• Do NOT include or submit anything other than your text/writing. No need to waste space with your name, a title or any other content that takes up valuable space. This is very similar format to the mini-assignments, just a bit longer.
• DO refer to researchers to identify who did a study, e.g., “in Dunn’s study of prosocial spending”.
• Year of study is not expected (there won’t be room for full APA-type citations in TEXT).
• Do NOT refer to lectures themselves, but to research. Do not refer to me (Professor Nisbet) unless it’s a study I actually did (!). We learned about other people’s research in our course, so be sure to give the right person credit, e.g., “motives can be implicit, as Pelham et al. demonstrated …”
• Use space wisely. Do NOT reiterate the assignment question or full wording of learning goals unnecessarily. It is fine to refer to “goal 2” or “goal 5” as the learning outcomes if you are short on space.
• Use full sentences. No point forms!
• Be explicit in what learning goal you are writing about, clearly explaining how the evidence demonstrates your progress, e.g., “the practical implications of Author X’s findings are that …”
• I expect you can craft a good submission if you have been studying (this is drawing on what you already know but organizing it carefully).
This task involves a little writing, but a lot of thinking. Be sure to edit your work so you are concise but address the question thoroughly. I expect this to be a challenging but also rewarding assignment as you likely will marvel at all you’ve accomplished this term. Have fun with this and use it as a chance to highlight the research you found most compelling, surprising, or practical if you wish. I look forward to reading your answers!

Wording from our syllabus: (focus ONLY on learning outcomes #2, 3, 4, and 5 for this Assignment):
Learning Outcomes:
As a student who successfully completes this course, you will be able to:
1. critically evaluate theories, basic principles, and research methods used to study emotion and motivation;
2. predict the barriers as well as the resources necessary for goal-setting and self-motivation;
3. predict when, why, and how we experience emotions;
4. propose practical applications of motivation and emotion research;
5. enhance your social-scientific reasoning ability; and
6. refine these skills by communicating effectively in class, seminars, and written assignments