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Assignment 3 (30%): Critical Thinking Exercise – Literature
Review Strict Word Limit: 2000 words (No +10% leeway) Due:
Friday 24thMay, 3:00pm
Before you begin… Choose ONE of the topics below!
We encourage you to select the same topic that you did for Assignment 1, however
this is not mandatory; the decision is up to you.
Topic 1: Learning
Can Social Learning Theory be used to change people’s behaviour?
Provide one example where social learning theory has been applied in the real
world. What is the evidence for its effectiveness?
Starting Reference:
Occhino, J., Mallett, C., Rynne, S. (2013). Dynamic social networks in high performance football
coaching. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy 18(1), 90-102.
doi:10.1080/17408989.2011.631003
TOPIC 2: Developmental Psychology
What is the influence of a person’s age on their capacity to make mature
decisions? In this context at what age, can an individual be given responsibility to access the
internet, obtain a driving license, or provide sexual consent? What developmental factors might
you have to take into consideration when developing public policy on one of the above issues?
Starting Reference:
Blakemore, S-J., & Mills, K. L., (2013). Is adolescence a sensitive period for sociocultural
processing? Annu. Rev. Psychol 65, 187- 207. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115202
Topics: To take the first steps towards completing this assignment, please only choose one of the
three topics listed with starting references. You will then be expected to use the literature search
skills that you have obtained during your consultations to find at least seven relevant journal
articles (including references used in assignment 1 but excluding the starting reference) to use as
supporting evidence in your literature review.
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Topic 3: Stress, Health and Coping
Compare interventions designed to enhance coping strategies to stress in the
workplace. Workplace stress is costing the Australian economy nearly 15 billion dollars per year.
Compare different interventions that enhance workers abilities to cope with on-the job stress, thus
increase productivity and reducing the cost to employers. Focus on articles relating to one particular
employment area.
Starting Reference:
Smith, S. A., (2014). Mindfulness-based stress reduction: An Intervention to enhance the
effectiveness of nurses’ coping with work-related stress. International Journal of Nursing
Knowledge, 25(2), 119-130.
doi: 10.1111/2047-3095.12025
Assignment 3: Critical Evaluation Exercise (Literature
Review) (30%) Due: Friday 24thMay, 3:00pm
The Critical Evaluation Exercise is the major written task for PSY1011, worth 30% of your
final mark for the unit. This year, it will take the form of a 2000 word literature review. Your
oral presentation and written summary has been building to this final task. You will receive a
mark out of 10 in Moodle for the literature review. Please familiarise yourself with the marking
criteria for this assignment (see the “Assessments” section of Moodle). Make sure you are
thoroughly familiar with all of the guides and resources available to assist with this
assignment.
What are the literature review topics?
The literature review topics are the same as for the Atrticle Matrix. You do not have to base
your assignment on the same topic as Assignment 1, but it is highly recommended. You may
cannot use the starting reference previously provided to complete your literature review. You
need to have at least seven brand new references total. These can include the articles you chose to
summarise in Assignment 1 if they are relevant to your overall literature review.
Please note: Seven references (including references used in assignment 1) are the minimum
requirement. There is no maximum limit. You are marked on the quality of your work. It is
possible that you will require more than seven references to demonstrate you have
addressed the criteria outlined in the marking rubric (i.e. depth of coverage, identifying
central issues and concepts) – so aim higher if you can!
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Remember to include:
 Title Page (adhering to APA 6th Edition Formatting; use Findlay’s textbook as a
guide) Introduction
 Body (reviewing recent literature – i.e. 2009 & above)
Conclusion
Reference List (adhering to APA 6th Edition Referencing)
The word LIMIT for the literature review is 2000 words (strict word limit). The title page
and reference list are not included in the word count. In-text citations are included in the
word count.
In summary, to fulfil the requirements for the critical thinking Lit review assessment
you should: Locate a minimum of SEVEN good quality sources (including
references used in assignment 1) related to your chosen topic
Summarise the information in a scientific way
Provide APA formatted references for all SEVEN sources you found.
NOTE: You cannot use dissertations, animal studies and case studies.
What file format should my uploaded file be in?
You must save Assignment 3 Critical Thinking Exercise (Literature Review) as a Microsoft
Word (.doc or .docx) file and upload this file for marking. Make sure you keep a copy of your
work and back up this copy as well in case we cannot open / read your Word file. If you have
followed the process correctly you will see a little Microsoft Word icon (looks like a blue W)
beside the name of your saved Word file as it appears at the bottom of this page. If you have
question mark icon beside your file then it is likely that you either did not follow the
instructions above and / or you have uploaded a file in the wrong file format, so you should try
again.
What if I still need help?!
Read through the above instructions carefully
Read through the marking rubric (on Moodle) to know what you are being assessed on
Attend as many if not all of your Consultations to get the help and guidance you need
from your tutor who will be marking your assignment
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 Buy or borrow a copy of Bruce Findlay’s textbook “How to write psychology research
reports and essays” for further guidance on APA referencing, formatting, and scientific
writing within Psychology units
 If you are still stuck, you are welcome to post on your tutor’s discussion forum OR the
general discussion forum for further assistance.