Semester Paper
1. Semester Paper: All students who have taken Introduction to Psychology should be familiar with influential contributions in research and theory, and how these relate to everyday life. Thus, the research review paper is intended to familiarize you with the research process, findings, and implications and expose you to ways in which psychological theory applies to everyday life. As you will see, the book that I have chosen will relate to an area of research called “Mind Set.” This area relates to how cognitive styles can have an impact on personal perceptions, behavior, and achievement.
You will be reading the required book by Carol Dweck called “Mindset.” You will be answering questions and providing your own thoughts and reflections about this book in Part I of your semester paper. In a second section of this semester paper (part II), you will be finding ONE current research article (published within the last seven years) in the scientific literature that relates to Carol Dweck’s concept of “Mind Set.” You will be asked to answer specific questions about this article and then apply the concepts to your life. Your article must be from a scientific research journal that is peer-reviewed. This article can be found using Psych Articles or EBSCO databases that can be accessed online through the IVC library website. It might be helpful to get assistance from a librarian to show you the scope of this literature search tool.
All responses in your semester paper must BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Also, please do not use quotes, even if properly cited. Part of this assignment is for you to THINK about what you are reviewing, and one way for you to do that is to discuss the various sections in your own words. Thus, if you quotes, points will be deducted.
Also, NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED, SO PLEASE PLAN AHEAD. PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL YOUR PAPER TO ME. IT MUST BE PROPERLY UPLOADED IN THE BLACKBOARD SYSTEM FOR CREDIT. You are to upload ONE completed paper to the “Semester Paper” link, which can be located in “Assignments,” in the Canvas system. Please remember, you are uploading your paper to a Turnitin location, which is a tool to detect plagiarism. REMEMBER, EVERYTHING MUST BE WRITTEN IN YOUR OWN WORDS—PLEASE NO QUOTES even if properly cited. Please see the detailed handout for this assignment, which is included toward the end of this syllabus.
Please note: Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism = taking credit for work done by someone else or using previously completed course/project work without permission from BOTH of the professors in their respective courses. This refers to, but not limited to, (1) turning in a paper that includes work written by another student, or downloaded from the Internet; (2) including portions of previously published work without proper referencing; or (3) using work that you have completed in a previous course or project without written permission from both professors. Please see the Irvine Valley College catalog for a more complete description of plagiarism. Plagiarism is the intellectual equivalent of forgery, and it is never permissible. Any assignment or exam, or any other component of the course, that includes any amount of plagiarized material will automatically receive a grade of zero – no exceptions. Lastly, please know that you will be turning in your semester paper into a “Turnitin” location—this is a tool to deduct any form of plagiarism—thus, if you have used wording that is too similar as the book or any other wording found on the Internet, it will be detected. So, please….again…. use your own wording.
Semester Paper Your semester paper is comprised of two parts—parts I and II. Part I is an exploration of Mindset as a
theoretical tool for understanding success in education, business, sports, the arts, and relationships. Part Ii
requires that you find a research article relating to mindset and specific outcomes. For both parts, you are to
COPY AND PASTE THE QUESTIONS IN THIS DOCUMENT, AND THEN SIMPLY PUT YOU
THOROUGH RESPONSE BELOW EACH QUESTION IN TURN. Your paper should NOT be in essay
format. Keep the questions in the document.
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Part I: MINDSET .
It is expected that you will read the Mindset Book by Carol Dweck. When answering questions, please
include thorough responses, and include the page numbers at the end of the paragraph or sentence that show
on what page you obtained your information. ALL RESPONSES NEED TO BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
Also, no quotes even if properly cited. J
1. Dweck discusses two different mindsets. What are they and what are the characteristics of
each?
2. What does Dweck say about the role of biology on behavior and mindset?
3. What does Dweck mean when she talks about the “CEO disease” and how is that related to
Mindset?
4. What does Dweck report about NASAs approach to judging someone’s potential? Do you agree?
Why or why not?
5. What is the “self-esteem movement,” and how does this affect one’s Mindset?
6. How do the different mindsets perceive failure? Your responses should be VERY well
developed, with comparisons and contrasts between the two Mindsets.
7. How are the Mindsets related to emotional experiences? What are examples provided by
Dweck?
8. Why does Dweck call high effort a “big risk?” What are your thoughts on this, and what
experiences in your life are related to this?
9. Dweck asks the question of whether those with a fixed mindset differ in their confidence
compared to those with a growth mindset. Which mindset has greater confidence? What
evidence does she provide?
10. How does Mindset relate to school achievement? What examples does she provide?
11. Is there danger in praise and positive labels as questioned in the book, and what are the
onsequenes of negative labels?
12. What is the mindset of champions?. Describe, explain, and provide examples.
13. What does Dweck say about success and failure, and the relationship they have with mindset?
What is the difference in the way these are interpreted by the two mindsets?
14. In chapter 5, Dweck discusses the role of mindset in leadership and how that fits in a business
environment. Describe the optimal mindset? Give a description of three examples for both fixed
and growth mindset in a business environment.
15. Dweck discusses nature versus nurture when she asks whether negotiators, managers and
leaders are “born or made.” What are her conclusions and what examples does she provide?
Do you agree? Why or why not?
16. How do the two mindsets approach relationships? Is one better than the other? Does a growth
mindset bring advantages, or is it simply that fixed mindset brings disadvantages? Describe the
issues presented here when answering this question?
17. According to Dweck, how can understanding the literature on mindset help us with social
experiences such as shyness or bullying? Your response should include information brought out
in the book.18. In chapter 7, Dweck discusses the importance of how failure is handed on the development of
one’s mindset. What does she say about failure, and how should it be handled?
19. What make up the qualities of a great parent, teacher, or coach? What lessons do they teach,
and how does this impact the mindset of the child?
20. Dweck discusses the idea of success and failure as the enemy? What does she mean by this, and
what does she conclude?
21. How is a growth mindset cultivated? Bring out specific information and examples from the
book. What is your advice for gaining a more growth oriented mindset?
22. What are the qualities of a fixed mindset, and why is this approach problematic? Why does
Dweck say “embrace your fixed mindset” if growth mindset has greater advantages?
23. Describe your mindset. Be specific about the qualities that characterize you as having a growth
or fixed mindset?
24. How do you think your mindset was shaped as it is today? Who had the biggest impact on your
way of thinking, and what did they DO that affected the way you think? Be specific and include
detailed examples.
25. What are you overall conclusions after reading Mindset and answering these questions?
Part II: APPLICATION OF PSYCHOLOGICA THEORY / RESEARCH
Prepare written responses to each of the questions below by copying and pasting the questions and then
inserting your thorough responses below each respective question.
What current study in Psychology (within the last five years) has been conducted in the area of Mindset? For
this, you should go to the IVC Psych Articles or Ebsco database (see a librarian for help if needed). Specify your
search by specifying “peer reviewed” research articles written by professors from research universities. Also, when
you are in the Ebsco or Psych Articles database, search by title or keywords of your interest (Mindset should be one
key or title word used, but also choose another area of your interest (e.g., education or sports).
As an IVC student, you have access to the online databases that will allow for you to access full text articles online.
Please make sure that the article is written by a professor from a research university. In answering these questions, I
am looking to see that you can find current psychological research, and then relate it to the ideas expressed in the book.
Please include answers to the following questions:
1. Who was the author, what is the title and date of the article that you chose (must be within 5 years
of the current date)?
2. From what research university is the first author of the study?
3. What was the purpose and hypotheses of the study?
4. How did they test their hypothesis?
5. What were the results of the study?
6. In what ways are the findings of the current article consistent or inconsistent with the ideas
expressed in Dweck’s book on Mindset? Do the findings from this study serve as evidence for any of
the points made in the Mindset…
