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INSTRUCTIONS FOR PROJECT

OPTIONS: Required project, select one of the two projects options.
OPTION 1: BOOK REFLECTION
Your outside assignment is to read one outside book dealing with the subject of psychology and
write a five to six page Reflection Paper (2000-2300). The paper needs to utilize class material
with the material in your book and will also include your personal reaction to the book. Why did
you select the book you read? How does this book relate to your life? This is not to be a book
report, but your response to the book of your choice. What did you learn from this book? The
purpose of this project is to allow you to pursue a topic of your choosing. Psychology is an
interesting subject and can be life changing.

You may read a book not on this list for this project. However, if you choose to read
something, not on the list provided, you must clear it with me first. If you choose not to clear it
with me, the paper will result in zero credit toward your grade. This project is required and is
due anytime on or before Apr 5, 2021 by 11:00 PM. A late paper is defined as work turned in
after the class period (scheduled class time) in which it was due, whether or not the student was
in class on the day the assignment is due, does not matter. Submit the assignment in
BlackBoard under the “Term Project” Assignment tab. Late work will bear a 10% penalty
for each day that it is turned in late. Students are strongly encouraged to turn work in on
time. All assignments are given a due date in the syllabus, however, this signifies the last date
that work will be accepted, not the first. The project is worth 50 points.

In grading this project, I look for depth of thought in reflection on the book you read and applying
it to your life. The length of your paper I feel is reflected by the amount of effort and thought put
into the paper, so it is required to be between 2000-2300 words. I will be looking for the clarity
in thinking, and your appropriate usage of the English language in grammar and style, and
proper spelling. I require typed double spaced papers with size 12 font. Students are required
to include a Word count on the last page of the reflection. The top left-hand corner of the
first page of the paper must contain the student’s name, name of class and class number,
professor’s name, day and time class meets, and date. *Every paper must have a title
(centered) and an MLA or APA (2010) reference page is required when referencing
textbook and book selected for book reflection. The reference page and/or works cited page
is the last page of the book reflection paper.

BOOK LIST:
The Brain That Changes Itself, Norman Doidge, MD
Invisible Gorilla: Christopher Chabris & Daniel Simons
Dibs, In Search of Self: Virginia Axline
Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman
Moonwalking with Einstein: Joshua Foer
Picking Cotton: Thomspon-Cannino, Cotton, Torneo
The Honest Truth about Dishonesty: How we lie to everyone-especially ourselves: Ariely
Dollars & Sense: Ariely
Man’s Search For Meaning: Victor Frankl
How to Win Friends & Influence People: Dale Carnegie
Adult Children of Alcoholics: Janet Woititz (online version available)
The narcissism epidemic: Twenge & Campbell
Death: The Final Stage of Growth: Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (online version available)
Payoffs: Ariely
Mindset: The new psychology of success: Dweck

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The Quiet Room: Lori Shiller
Gifted Hands: Ben Carson & Cecil Murphey
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: Oliver Sacks
Stumbling on happiness: Gilbert
Mindless Eating: Wansink
The Impact of Vision on Flavor Perception: Wansink
Behavioural Economics Saved My Dog: Ariely (not in TCC library)
The Dance of Anger: Harriet Lerner
The hows and whys of detecting lies: DePaulo (not in TCC library)
Why Zebras don’t get ulcers: Sapolsky
The Road Less Traveled: M. Scott Peck
Magnificent Mind: Dr. Daniel Amen
No Complaining: Jon Gordon
Brain Rules: John Medina
The Power of Habit: Duhigg
Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: Pychyl
How We Learn: The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens: Benedict Carey
The Seven Sins of Memory: Daniel Schacter
Permanent Present Tense: Corkin (online version available)
What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, & Marriage: Sutherland (online version available)

OPTION 2: KINDNESS PAPER PROJECT

Please read the following instructions carefully. Although the instructions deal
considerably with parts 1 & 2, DO NOT NEGLECT part 3. Part 3 accounts for 30 points
(60%) of the total 50 points of your grade for the project. Generally, most people have an
easy time with parts 1 & 2. Part 3 requires you to demonstrate some learning of
psychological concepts, terminology, theories from the course material, and proper
referencing (APA).

Spend at least one whole day (24hrs.) going out of your way to consciously treat other people
as well as you possibly can. Assume that everyone has a reason for the things they do, even if
they’re rude to you or cut you off in traffic or whatever – assume they’re having a bad day or that
someone broke up with them or that they’re late for work.

Approach everyone as if you expect to be treated well in return, no matter how silly you feel
being so happy and nice. Go out of your way to smile at strangers on the elevator, hold doors
for other people, let people out in front of you in traffic, greet cashiers in stores with genuine
warmth, and just all around be as courteous, kind, and polite as you possibly can, in spite of
how anyone treats you. (And being kind doesn’t necessarily mean you put up with people
mistreating you or your friends – it just means being as kind and respectful in your approach as
you can be, no matter what the situation.)

Treat your significant other like you did when you first met him or her, say hello to your profs
when you enter the room, whatever you can think of to treat others as well as you can. If you
make a mistake, just set it aside and go back to being as courteous and kind as you can.

Now, write about your own reactions (thoughts, feelings, physical responses, behavior) before,
during, and after your actions, as well as the reactions of the people around you. What did you
learn about how your expectations affect others’ behaviors? How did people respond differently

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to you than they normally do? Did anything surprising happen? Will this affect how you behave
in the future? Did you enjoy it, find it difficult, find it thought-provoking, etc.?

Also, in part 3 please relate your experiences to topics you have been learning about in this
class. For each concept or theory, first explain the concept, term or theory. Then carefully
explain how it applies to your experience. For example, you might apply concepts related to the
study of attitude or related to emotions. You may want to apply attribution theory and how
internal and external attributions applied to your perceptions of the causes of others’ behavior
and the causes of your own behavior. There are many social psychology concepts, potentially,
related to your experience. Altruism (e.g., egoistic/empathic) or the violation of social norms
may also be applied (but you must explain this in detail). Theories and concepts related to
motivation may also be applied. These are just a few ideas; there are many other possibilities.
Just stating that you experienced an emotion or felt a motivation does not demonstrate learning
from the science of psychology. A significant portion of your grade (20 points or 40%) is
associated with critical thinking and demonstrating that you understand psychology concepts. In
part 3 you must demonstrate some learning of course material.

Your project paper should be organized in the following way (some sections may be longer
than others, but you must devote about half of your paper to psychological concepts, terms, and
theories. In other words, I don’t just want a story; I want to see how your experience connected
with your learning in the course.

PART 1: WHAT THE DAY WAS LIKE (what happened)

PART 2: MY REACTIONS (your thoughts, what you learned, how you feel about having done
the assignment, etc.)

PART 3: CLASS CONCEPTS (relate your experiences to the topics you’ve been learning about
in class — please note that you need to discuss at least four or five concepts, and you must do
more than mention terms in passing — you must explain how you saw the concept at work
during the Experience)

Your name, the project assignment and the class name should be on the paper. You should
write the paper in first person. You should spell check and grammar check your paper (that is,
PROOFREAD). Your paper length should be a minimum of five full pages (double spaced,
typewritten); six or seven pages is usually better. It is required that you include an MLA or APA
(2010) reference for the last sheet of your Kindness Project Paper. This project is required
and is due anytime on or before Apr 5, 2021 by 11:00 PM. A late paper is defined as work
turned in after the class period (scheduled class time) in which it was due, whether or not the
student was in class on the day the assignment is due, does not matter. Submit the
assignment in BlackBoard under the “Term Project” Assignment tab. Late work will bear
a 10% penalty for each day that it is turned in late. Students are strongly encouraged to turn
work in on time. All assignments are given a due date in the syllabus, however, this signifies
the last date that work will be accepted, not the first. The project is worth 50 points.

Here is a list of concepts that may apply to your Kindness Project. This is not an exhaustive
list. Remember, you need to discuss at least four or five concepts, and you must explain how
you saw the concept at work during the experience.

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BIOPSYCH CONSCIOUSNESS LEARNING
COGNITION,

LANGUAGE,
INTELLIGENCE

MOTIVATION
&

EMOTION

SOCIAL

PSYCH

Sympathetic Nervous

System
Controlled

Processing

Thorndike’s Law of

Effect
Heuristics

Hierarchy of

Needs:

belonging,

esteem, self-

actualization

needs

Situational

Attributions

Parasympathetic

Nervous System
Automatic

Processing

Operant conditioning:

positive

and/or negative

reinforcement
Mental Sets

Cannon-Bard

Theory
Dispositional

Attributions

Parts of the brain REM

Operant

conditioning: primary

vs. secondary reinforcers
Confirmation Bias

Facial

Feedback

Hypothesis

Fundamental

Attribution Error

Neurotransmitters States of sleep

Operant

conditioning: reinforcem

ent schedules

Representativenes

s Heuristic

Schacter’s

Two-Factor

Theory
Saliency Bias

Sensations
Operant

conditioning: shaping
Creativity/Diverg

ent Thinking
Intrinsic

Motivation
Attitudes

Operant

conditioning: positive

and/or negative

punishment

Extrinsic
Motivation

Cognitive

Dissonance

Observational learning Emotions

Prejudice,

Stereotyping, and

Discrimination

(and knowing

how to reduce

them)

Normative Social
Influence

Informational
Social Influence

Altruism –
Egoistic Model

Empathy-

Altruism

Hypothesis

Diffusion of

Responsibility

(and knowing

how to counter

it)

Project Assignment Submission Guidelines
Submit “Project” ASSIGNMENT in BlackBoard under the “PROJECT ASSIGNMENT”
tab. It is required that the Assignment be submitted as word document file or pdf file.
The assignment will receive a score of zero if submitted as google docs, notes, or
pages format.