Directions
Your assignment is to write at least a 3-page paper (not including reference page) that is typed using Times New Roman 12-point font, double spaced, and 1-inch margins. In-text citations and reference pages should be in APA-style. You do not need to include a title page or abstract. There is no maximum page limit – write until the message is clear, complete, and concise.
Pick one of the following psychology myths:
• Humans only use 10% of their brains
• Opposites attract and make better partners
• Low self-esteem is a major cause of psychological problems
• Human memory works like a tape recorder or video camera, and accurately records the events we experience
• Psychiatric hospital admission, suicides, and crimes increase during full moons
• Playing Mozart music to infants boosts their intelligence
• Electroconvulsive (“shock”) therapy is a physically dangerous and brutal treatment
• Extrasensory perception (ESP) is a well-established scientific phenomenon
• Some people are left-brained, others are right-brained
• Most people experience a mid-life crisis in their 40s or early 50s
• Hypnosis is useful for retrieving memories of forgotten events
• People can learn information, like new languages, while asleep
• The polygraph test (“lie detector”) is an accurate means of detecting dishonesty
• Men and women communicate in completely different ways
• Most people with mental illness are violent
• It’s better to express anger to others than to hold it in
In this paper, you need to use outside sources to convince your reader that your myth is false.
Required elements:
1) Introduction explaining the myth in your own words
2) Describe at least one example of the occurrence of the myth in popular culture. This could be in a book, movie, tv show, commercial, news articles, blog post, etc… but it may NOT be anecdotal (i.e., “my grandma told me…” or “I heard from a friend…”).
3) Provide three pieces of evidence that the myth is false, using at least one different academic source to support each piece of evidence. Acceptable sources include your textbook, journal articles, and reputable, factual online sources (NOT Wikipedia!).
Evidence needs to be explained in your own words. Quotes may be used but should NOT make up your entire piece of evidence.
Your evidence must include in-text citations. You need to cite your sources!
