1 PSYC 101 – Introduction to General Psychology ~ Fall 2016 Grading Rubric for the Writing Assignment: Choosing, Defining, Applying, and Evaluating Concepts as they Apply to You Assignment must be uploaded to designated Turn It In Dropbox on Blackboard anytime before 11:59pm on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 (graduating seniors only) OR Monday, December 12, 2016 (continuing students only) Worth 100 points, broken down as follows: Criteria Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Below Expectations Incomplete Discussion/Definition of Concept 20% Student fully defined/discussed three concepts. (18-20 points) Student fully defined/discussed two concepts. (15-17 points) Student fully defined/discussed one concept. (10-14 points) Student did not fully define/discuss any of the concepts. (0 points) Examples of Concepts 40% Student gave thorough examples of all three concepts discussed (i.e., all examples had enough information to be easily understood) and thorough explanations were provided for each example. (36-40 points) Student gave three thorough examples of two concepts (i.e., two examples had enough information to be easily understood) and thorough explanations were provided for at least two examples. (30-34 points) Student gave a thorough example of one concept (i.e., one example had enough information to be easily understood) and a thorough explanation was provided for at least one example. (20-28 points) Student did not provide accurate or sufficient examples for any of the concepts discussed and/or did not provide clear explanations of any of the concepts. (0 points) Proper Paraphrasing 15% (Please note that, as described on the syllabus, if the plagiarism software detects that any of your explanations matches one or more sources word-for-word, including your own work, you will receive a 0 on the entire assignment). Please note that students that were previously enrolled in PSYC 101 must obtain permission from their instructor to revise and resubmit this assignment. Student put all answers are paraphrased in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of 0-5%). (13.5-15 points) Student put the majority of their answers are paraphrased in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of 6- 10%) (11-13 points) Student put some answers in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of 11- 15%) (7.5-10.5 points) A significant portion of the student’s answers are not explained in his/her own words (there is a similarity index of more than 15%). (0 points) 2 Criteria Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Below Expectations Incomplete Format 5% Has an introductory and concluding paragraph; follows the guidelines on the assignment sheet (i.e., paragraph form, double- spaced, APA style format) (4.5-5 points) Missing either the introductory or ...

1. 1
PSYC 101 – Introduction to General Psychology ~ Fall 2016
Grading Rubric for the Writing Assignment: Choosing,
Defining, Applying, and Evaluating Concepts as they Apply to
You
Assignment must be uploaded to designated Turn It In Dropbox
on Blackboard anytime before 11:59pm on
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 (graduating seniors only) OR
Monday, December 12, 2016 (continuing students only)
Worth 100 points, broken down as follows:
Criteria Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Below
Expectations Incomplete
Discussion/Definition of Concept
20%
Student fully
defined/discussed three
concepts.
(18-20 points)
Student fully
defined/discussed two

2. concepts.
(15-17 points)
Student fully
defined/discussed one
concept.
(10-14 points)
Student did not fully
define/discuss any of the
concepts.
(0 points)
Examples of Concepts
40%
Student gave thorough
examples of all three concepts
discussed (i.e., all examples
had enough information to be
easily understood) and
thorough explanations were
provided for each example.
(36-40 points)
Student gave three
thorough examples of
two concepts (i.e., two
examples had enough

3. information to be easily
understood) and
thorough explanations
were provided for at
least two examples.
(30-34 points)
Student gave a
thorough example of
one concept (i.e., one
example had enough
information to be easily
understood) and a
thorough explanation
was provided for at
least one example.
(20-28 points)
Student did not provide
accurate or sufficient
examples for any of the
concepts discussed and/or
did not provide clear
explanations of any of the
concepts.
(0 points)
Proper Paraphrasing

4. 15%
(Please note that, as described on
the syllabus, if the plagiarism
software detects that any of your
explanations matches one or more
sources word-for-word, including
your own work, you will receive a 0
on the entire assignment).
Please note that students that were
previously enrolled in PSYC 101
must obtain permission from their
instructor to revise and resubmit
this assignment.
Student put all answers are
paraphrased in his/her own
words (there is a similarity
index of 0-5%).
(13.5-15 points)
Student put the majority
of their answers are
paraphrased in his/her
own words (there is a
similarity index of 6-

5. 10%)
(11-13 points)
Student put some
answers in his/her own
words (there is a
similarity index of 11-
15%)
(7.5-10.5 points)
A significant portion of
the student’s answers are
not explained in his/her
own words (there is a
similarity index of more
than 15%).
(0 points)
2
Criteria Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Below
Expectations Incomplete
Format
5%
Has an introductory and
concluding paragraph; follows
the guidelines on the

6. assignment sheet
(i.e., paragraph form, double-
spaced, APA style format)
(4.5-5 points)
Missing either the
introductory or
concluding paragraph;
or does not follow one
of the guidelines on the
assignment sheet (i.e.,
paragraph form, double-
spaced, APA style
format)
(3.5-4 points)
Missing the
introductory and
concluding paragraphs;
does not follow one of
the guidelines on the
assignment sheet (i.e.,
paragraph form,
double-spaced, APA
style format)
(2.5-3 points)
Missing the introductory

7. and concluding
paragraphs; does not
follow any of the
guidelines on the
assignment sheet (i.e.,
paragraph form, double-
spaced, APA style
format)
(0 points)
Writing Quality:
Organization, Clarity & Precision
10%
There are 0-2 instances of
unclear and imprecise
language, and the answers are
very well organized. The
assignment flows seamlessly
from one idea to the next.
(9-10 points)
There are 3-4 instances
of unclear and imprecise
language, and the
answers are mostly

8. organized. The
assignment mostly
flows seamlessly from
one idea to the next.
(7.5- 8.5 points)
There are 5-6 instances
of unclear and
imprecise language,
and the structure of the
answer is somewhat
clear.
(5-7 points)
There are more than 7
instances of unclear and
imprecise language, and
the structure of the
answer detracts from the
message that the student
is trying to get across.
Paragraphs are disjointed
and there is a lack
transition between ideas.
(0 points)
Spelling/Grammar/
Punctuation

9. 10%
There are 0-2 serious errors in
spelling, grammar, or
punctuation.
(9-10 points)
There are 3-4 serious
errors in spelling,
grammar, or
punctuation.
(7.5-8.5 points)
There are 5-6 errors in
spelling, grammar, or
punctuation.
(5-7 points)
There are 7 or more
serious errors in spelling,
grammar, or punctuation.
(0 points)
Following Directions Student did not follow one or more of the
assignment instructions. (-5 points)
Late Penalty
Student submitted the assignment within 24 hours after the
deadline

10. (and has not previously submitted a writing assignment late)
(-15 points)
PSYC 101 – Introduction to General Psychology
Writing Assignment – Applications of PSYC 101 Concepts
This assignment must be uploaded to the designated Turn It In
Dropbox on Blackboard*
anytime before 5pm on Wednesday, December 7, 2016
(graduating seniors only
OR Monday, December 12, 2016 (continuing students only)
*This dropbox will scan all papers for plagiarism.
Over the course of your PSYC 101 experience, you have learned
about lots of different psychology topics. This
assignment provides you with the opportunity to communicate
in writing how a few of these topics relate to your
everyday life experiences.
To complete this assignment, you will select any three (3) main
concepts that appear on the list below and write a
brief paper (approximately 2 pages) describing each of these
three different concepts in your own words and providing
at least one example of how each concept relates to real life.
Please be sure that your description of the example is
clear enough for the PSYC 101 Team to recognize which
concept you are discussing (see the instructions below for more
clarity on how to achieve this).

11. In the event that you are really interested in writing about a
concept that does not appear on this list, you
may write about it – however, you MUST get prior written
approval from your instructor to use that concept
BEFORE you submit your assignment.
Concept Choices:
• A concept of your own
choosing (requires instructor
approval)
• Assimilation/Accommodation
• Defense mechanisms
• Drug Tolerance
• Empathy
• Freud’s psychosexual stages of
development
• Fundamental Attribution Error
• Informed Consent
• Introspection
• Insight/latent learning
• Introversion/Extroversion
• Memory strategies/Study techniques
• Modeling
• Negative Reinforcement/
Negative Punishment
• Nature vs. nurture
• Right/left brain functioning
• Sleep disorders
• Social norm
• Substance dependence

12. When you have chosen your three (3) concepts (and/or had them
approved by your instructor), please write a
brief paper that describes the following information for EACH
CONCEPT:
1. In your own words, clearly d e f i n e the concept you have
selected. (No textbook definitions or direct quotes allowed.)
2. Give an example of this concept either from your own life
OR from current events.
a. Therefore, the example of the concept could either be
something that you have personally experienced or
observed in someone else’s life OR it could be something that
you have recently heard about in the
news/media.
b. Although there is no specific length requirement, be sure to
give enough information about your example so
that the PSYC 101 Team understands which concept you are
describing.
3. Finally, please write a t h o r o u g h explanation of how the
example you provided relates back to your definition of this
concept.
a. Your goal is to make a clear connection between your
example and how you defined the concept in your
own words.
The following is an example of what a student might write if the
concept you chose was “the false consensus effect”:
The false consensus effect is when an individual overestimates
how typical their own beliefs are, and assumes that everyone

13. shares their beliefs
and feelings about something. For example, I am an avid
Beyoncé fan and am in love with her new album! When I meet
new people I love to
talk about “Bey” and her baby, Blue Ivy. Beyoncé is everything!
Everyone should love her. Right? I mean, I absolutely love her.
The reason
that this is an example of the false consensus effect is because I
am under the impression that it is normal for me to love
Beyoncé, and that
everyone loves Beyoncé just as much as I do. However, I
realize that this is a false belief. In fact, it is possible that, in
general, not everyone
likes or admires Beyoncé, and that just because I like her it does
not mean that everyone else likes her, too.
General Formatting Guidelines:
Your entire writing assignment should be written using the
following format:
• Approximately 2 pages (you will not lose points if it’s longer),
• in essay form (complete sentences and paragraphs; no bulleted
lists or outlines)
• typed (with your full name, PSYC 101, instructor’s name and
date at the top)
• double-spaced
• Times New Roman 12-point font,
• with 1-inch margins on all sides
o (please note that the default in Microsoft Word is 1.25 inches
on the right and left, so you’ll need to change this).
• Your descriptions of all three concepts should be written in

14. one continuous document.
• Your entire writing assignment should be saved as a Microsoft
Word compatible document (.doc, .docx or PDF).
In general, your essay should follow the normal essay format,
including:
• Paragraph 1: introductory paragraph
• Paragraph 2: 1st concept (definition, example, and
explanation)
• Paragraph 3: 2nd concept (definition, example, and
explanation)
• Paragraph 4: 3rd concept (definition, example, and
explanation)
• Paragraph 5: concluding paragraph
• While the Peer Mentors will NOT proofread your writing
assignments, they will be willing to read what you have for
one concept to help ensure you are on the right track and give
you feedback about the overall quality of your
assignment and tips on how to get the best grade possible.
• The rubric that we will be using to grade your assignment can
be found in the Writing Assignment 2 folder.
• We highly recommend that you reviewed the rubric before you
start the assignment and double check it before
you submit your final draft to the dropbox.
• We highly recommend that you take a draft of your paper to
the Writing Center (MLK 251) or use
SmartThinking Online Writing Lab (OWL), which is available
24/7 through Blackboard.
o Either of these resources will help you with grammar/writing
style and earn the most points possible.

15. After completing your assignment:
1. Save your final draft (with all of your answers together in
one document) in either .doc, .docx, .rtf, or .pdf format.
a. Turn It In dropbox will not upload the file if it is not in the
correct format.
2. Open the designated Turn It In dropbox in the Writing
Assignment 2 folder on Blackboard.
3. Upload your assignment before anytime before the designated
deadline.
***PLEASE NOTE: The Turn It In Dropbox is one that will
check for plagiarism (which will be measured by how well you
paraphrased information in your own words). The report will
highlight any information that you have written which matches
internet sources or other student’s work. The number reflects
the percentage of your work that is similar to other
sources and thus, is not considered “original.” If your paper is
identified as having more than 15%
plagiarism/similarity on this assignment, you will receive a 0
for the assignment. No exceptions.
• We have set the Dropbox to allow you to turn in your writing
assignment as many times as you’d like prior to the
due date/time so that you can check it for plagiarism, and revise
it, if necessary, before turning in the final copy.
o However, please allow up to 24 hours for it to check the
assignments for plagiarism.
o Not receiving the originality report before the deadline is not
a sufficient reason for submitting your
assignment late or not submitting it at all.

16. Please give yourself enough time to get the feedback that
you need before the deadline.
Once you have submitted your assignment, please return to the
same area to make sure the file was uploaded properly. If
you experience any technical difficulties while submitting your
outline, please be sure to email it to your instructor ASAP
with a photo and clear explanation of the problem that you
experienced. However, your instructor must receive the
email before the anytime before the 5pm deadline on
Wednesday, December 7, 2016 (graduating seniors only OR
Monday, December 12, 2016 (continuing students only) in order
for it to be accepted.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions or