Psychology Assignments Playbook

For this assignment, you will select a topic from a list provided by the instructor, and then you will find a primary source that relates to that topic. 

What are primary sources?

Primary sources are original materials created or produced during the time under study. These raw materials have not been interpreted, filtered, or evaluated. Because of this, primary sources enable the reader to make their own interpretations about the materials, without having to rely on what has already been written on the topic.  See more information about primary sources. 

What are primary sources in psychology?

Primary sources in psychology are empirical, that is, based on and verifiable by observation and experience. They are studies in which the researchers tested and observed a concept, then wrote a report about how they did this testing.  These studies are published in journals, and include standardized sections, typically Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References:. 

In fact, you can recognize that you're looking at a study if you see that it has a Methods or a Materials and Methods section. 

Where can you find primary sources in psychology?

To find these studies, use databases such as the ones listed below. 

You can search the EBSCO database to find primary sources for your project. It is a huge database with millions of articles, and you are bound to find something.

[1] Go to the EBSCO database. If you are not logged in to MyPVCC, please log in before you go to the database. The login button for MyPVCC is located on the top right corner of every PVCC page.

[2] Select all the databases, then click the Continue button.

[3] You will now see the search interface. Here is where you will format your search.  You will use your keywords, and you will specify that you want results from psychology journals. Here is a sample search:

[4] The first search box contains the keywords; in this case, fundamental attribution error. The second box contains the word "psychology," and the field next to it was changed to "SO Source."  This tells the database that you want results from psychology sources.

[5] Look at the results list. You will have to read the sources to see which ones are primary.  Here is one:

Luong, R., & Butler, K. (2023). Informal psychology education and the fundamental attribution error: Testing the effectiveness of accessible online passages. Current Psychology, 42(16), 14012–14024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02432-w

To cite your sources, use the library's citation styles playbook. 

Stay away from citation generators -- they make mistakes, and if you don't already know how to cite, you won't notice, and you may lose points. 

Each of the sources below is cited using the APA citation style.

Friendship

Son, S.M., Oh, J.S., & Jeo, B.J. (2021). Correlational study between online friendship network and internet game disorder among university students. Brain and Behavior, 11(11), e2392. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2392

Halo Effect

Zebrowitz, L.A. & Franklin Jr., R.G. (2014). The attractiveness halo effect and the babyface stereotype in older and younger adults: similarities, own-age accentuation, and older adult positivity effects. Experimental Aging Research, 40(3), 375-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/0361073x.2014.897151

Obedience

Martin, C. J. H., & Bull, P. (2010). The situational argument: Do midwives agree or acquiesce with senior staff? Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 28(2), 180–190. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646830903229876

Conformity

Sowden, S., Koletsi, S., Lymberopolous, E., Militaru, E., Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2018). Quantifying compliance and acceptance through public and private social conformity. Consciousness & Cognition, 65, 359-367. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.concog.2018.08.009

Fundamental Attribution Error

Moran, J.M., Jolly, E., & Mitchell, J.P. (2014). Spontaneous mentalizing predicts the fundamental attribution error. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 26(3), 369-376. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00513

Social Roles

Arghavanian, F.E., Roudsari, R.L., Heydari, A., & Bahmani, M.N.D. (2019). Pregnant women's experiences of social roles: Ethnophenomenological study. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 25(1), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_54_19

Cognitive Dissonance

Özyörük, H. E. (2021). What’s going on in my mind? The effects of cognitive differences on buying impulsiveness, cognitive dissonance, and price consciousness. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 46(3), 889-906. https://doi-org/10.1111/ijcs.12735

• For help finding resources, use the information in the library's playbooks. Librarians can help you understand the playbooks, but they cannot conduct research for you.
• For help with formatting citations, please consult the library's citation styles playbooks. Please note the librarians cannot help you with citation generators or with any citation guide other than the library's. 
• For help with composition issues (such as spelling, grammar, flow, etc.), please visit the Writing Center.
• If you have questions, please email the  librarians at reference@pvcc.edu, visit the library and speak with a librarian, or connect via chat. If your section has an embedded librarian, contact that specific librarian.