Compare how the popular press article differs (if at all) from the scholarly article
On a daily basis one can pick up the newspaper, watch the nightly news or visit an online news site such as, CNN.com, MSNBC.com or FOXNEWS.com, and find a report on an issue related to psychology. These reports are based on the results of empirical research studies published in scientific peer-reviewed journals. Since members of the general public rarely read or have the scientific background to understand these original papers, they are dependent on the popular press to distill and report recent research findings. But, does the popular press or the media accurately report empirical research? This assignment requires you to ponder that question.
First, find a recent (published January 2005 or later) popular press report (e.g., from a newspaper or news magazine) of a study involving psychology. Next, you’ll want to find original scholarly research conducted on the topic. You will then discuss the difference between how both articles present the topic at hand. Specifically you want to do the following:
Introduce your paper with a cover page
Begin with an introduction to the topic being explored
Discuss how the scholarly article covers the topic (include the hypothesis, independent variable(s), dependent variable(s)and results of the study)
Compare how the popular press article differs (if at all) from the scholarly article
Include a reference page that cites both sources
