PSY 230: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ARTICLE REVIEW INSTRUCTIONS
This assignment i
PSY 230: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ARTICLE REVIEW INSTRUCTIONSThis
assignment is designed to allow you delve deeper into a topic of interest for you related to
psychology, development, or one of the three “big” domains of growth, physical, cognitive or
socioemotional:For this assignment you will locate and read TWO current, empirical, peer-
reviewed, research articles*. You will then select the ONE article that is most informative, of
highest quality, and most meaningful to you to summarize, critique, and apply the findings
to your personal experiences.*Article Criteria (read carefully)• The article topics must
reflect a concept of interest for you that relates to developmental psychology, or how we
grow and change throughout life.• The two articles you select should cover the same
topico examples: racial identity development of adolescentso It will help to choose a
more specific topic (racial identity) as opposed to a general one (e.g., identity)• Each of the
two articles must represent a different participant populationexamples:o article 1 = males
v. article 2 = femaleso article 1 = African American vs. article 2 = LatinxExample Article
Titles with the Same Topic and Different Populations: Emotional development in young
children vs. older adults–An examination of the development of children’s social and
emotional competencies in pre-school, (McTaggart, McGill, Stephens, 2020) & –Time may
heal wounds: Aging and life regret (Tassone, Reed & Carstensen, 2019)• current means
your article cannot be published before 2005• empirical means your articles must be
original research (i.e., not a review of multiple studies or a book chapter)o i.e., the article
should include introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections – look for these
headings to ensure you are meeting these criteria• peer-reviewed means your articles
come from a journal that has a scholarly editorial process – see the list of eligible journals
on the next page• Your articles CANNOT:o be an abstract only or a book chaptero be a
review or meta-analysis articleo study the creation or validation of a survey or other
research instrument – check with me if you are unsureSample Eligible Peer-Reviewed
Journals: Child Development, Journal of Adolescent Research, Journal of Positive
Psychology, Developmental Science, Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, Journal of
Adolescence, Aging and Mental Health, Social Development, Infant and Child
DevelopmentFinding Your Articles:The PVCC Library and staff are tremendous resources!
They have created so many ‘playbooks’ that can answer your questions, and help you use
their resources and write better papers! Check out all their ‘Libguides’

here:https://libguides.pvcc.edu/Step 1: How to search the PVCC
databaseshttps://libguides.pvcc.edu/search-databasesStep 2: Why use citations: what are
they?https://libguides.pvcc.edu/citationstyles/homeStep 3: What is APA style
citing?https://libguides.pvcc.edu/citationstyles/apa7Covid-19 Library Policies &
Procedures:https://libguides.pvcc.edu/PSY230-assignments/covid19-policiesTips for
Finding Related Articles Using Research Databases:1. You can usually set some parameters
to make sure you’re only getting results back that have online full-text options, were written
in 2005 or later, are written in English, are peer reviewed, etc. – take a look at all the
options below the area you write in the keywords to find where you can set these
parameters. Using these filters will save you a lot of time in the long run!2. You can read
the whole article by looking for the PDF link. If you don’t see this option, look for ‘Check
another database.’ This will check to see if the article is available in another library
database. You will be taken directly to the article, or it will say the full text is not available.
You have the option of requesting an interlibrary loan (if the article is not available) or
limiting to full text only in your search results. (Please note: You’ll need to log into MyPVCC
in order to access any library resources/databases off campus.)3. As part of the
assignment requirements, you’ll need to submit PDF files (NOT links/website addresses) of
your two selected articles. Again, links to PDFs are not sufficient. The PDF file itself will
need to be downloaded and submitted as an attachment.4. You can also visit, chat, or email
a PVCC Librarian (reference@pvcc.edu) to get help with conducting your article searches
and/or downloading PDF copies of your articles for submission to CANVAS. Also see this
page: https://libguides.pvcc.edu/PSY230-assignments/home#s-lg-box-wrapper-
30354905Article Review Tasks and Grading Criteria:Once you find your articles and select
the ONE you would like to review, you will need to re-read it and address the following
points. You must use your own words to review the articles (PARAPHRASE the material as
opposed to using direct quotes unless otherwise indicated).NOTE: Papers that have
plagiarized material from the scholarly article will earn a 0.0 for the assignment.For each
item below, provide a section heading and relevant information in separate paragraphs(tip:
the bolded words for each question would make useful section headings):1) Provide the
abstract (cutting and pasting is fine here) and a reference in APA style formatting forBOTH
of your selected articles (3 points)• for APA formatting guidelines, see
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/07/For Your ONE Selected Article:2)
Describe the PURPOSE of the research article (there is usually a clear statement of purpose
located at the end of the intro/lit review section). (2 points)• make sure you include the
full purpose, which is not always stated in the abstract3) List any RESEARCH QUESTIONS
OR HYPOTHESES the author(s) discussed. (2 points)• You may use direct quotes for this
section, but if you do, you must use quotation marks and appropriate in-text citations (see
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/).• If no hypotheses or research
questions are stated by the author(s), you must indicate this fact.4) Describe and critique
the METHODS the author(s) used to study their research question(s). (5 points)• Describe
the PARTICIPANTS used for the study.• List and describe all instruments (e.g., surveys,
field observations, interviews, etc.) used to collect data.o provide names for subscales (i.e.,
variables that are assessed), and sample items (if available) for surveyso provide sample

questions (if available) for interviews and focus groups• Describe all procedures/protocol
used to collect data.• You do not need to review the data analyses section.• Your
METHODS CRITIQUE: explain whether or not (and why) you believe the researchers used
sound and appropriate methods to answer their research questions/address their
hypotheses. Hint: there is typically a “limitations” section at the end of the discussion that
will give you some ideas for this critique.o consider participants, instruments, and
procedures in your critique5) Explain and evaluate the RESULTS & MAJOR CONCLUSIONS
of the study presented. (5 points)• This information should come from the results and
discussion sections of the article.• Your RESULTS EVLAUATION: explain whether or not
(and why) you believe the results make sense and if they answer the research
questions/hypotheses originally posed by the authors.6) Describe how you could APPLY
the study’s results and conclusions to your own past experiences and your plans as a future
professional in a related field. (6 points)• Give several specific examples of how you would
implement strategies for integrating this knowledge into your life based on the information
you have read.• Be sure to clearly tie your application strategies to specific
results/findings from the study.• This section should be at least 1 page in length.7)
Spelling, Grammar (e.g., complete sentences), Formatting (see the next page for formatting
requirements), and General Flow/Organization (2 points)Formatting: double-spaced, 12-
point, Times New Roman font with 1” margins• Use of appropriate section headings.•
While the review will be broken into sections to address each assignment question, your
writing should be in paragraph format and use complete sentences.• Your review (this
does not include the references and abstracts) should be at least 4-pages in length.• NOTE:
it is not uncommon for review to be longer than 4 pages when students have fully
addressed all six areas described aboveSubmission: Your assignment should be uploaded
to the appropriate drop-box on CANVAS.• Articles: attach a PDF copy of your two articles
to the assignment drop-box.• Points will be deducted for a missing article.• Points will
also be deducted if any of your two selected articles do not meet the criteria discussed on
the first page of this assignment instruction sheet.