That Can't Be Correct

That Can't Be Correct

Write a 5–7 page paper that focuses on challenging a flawed source of information about biopsychology, using evidence from credible and scholarly sources.

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Introduction

Biological systems influence our motivations. Some motivations—like eating—are pretty well understood. Other motivations remain a bit harder to explain. Understanding the biological aspect of the motivation we have is imperative for practitioners when understanding the behavior of their clients. Biology further contributes to our emotions and health. Think of your own emotional reactions or experiences of stress: what biological actions underlie such emotions or experiences? There are also biological building blocks behind our understanding of sex and gender. With this assessment, you will explore further one of these areas.

The easy availability of poor quality, outdated, or inaccurate information about how our brains work can make it challenging to find trustworthy information. The objective of this assessment is to practice finding and using credible evidence to counter flawed sources.

Preparation

Choose one of the following controversial statements:

• Obesity is caused by a lack of willpower.
• There are large differences between men and women’s cognitive ability.
• Only women should compete in women’s sports.
• Topic of your choice related to the content in the chapters on Motivation, Sex, Gender, or Emotion in your course texts.

Find one flawed source of information on the Internet. To find a flawed source, look for one with a substantial number of errors.

• Read what the textbooks say about the controversial statement.
• Use the controversial statement mentioned above and use it as your search word/phrase.
  • If you don't see a flawed source on the first page of results, skip to the third page of results or further.
• Look for sources that are not accurate based on the information in your textbooks.
• Tips for finding flawed sources:
  • Scroll through your social media feeds.
  • Scroll through your results and look for sources that are NOT:
    • .gov websites.
    • News or press websites.

Find three peer-reviewed journal articles in the Capella University Library that summarize a research study focused on the actions of the brain and body that underlie your topic. Reviews of literature or meta-analyses are not appropriate for this assessment.

Review the information about reliability, validity, and generalizability provided in the excerpt from Jhangiani et al.’s (2025) Research Methods in Psychology:

• Excerpts From Chapter 4, “Psychological Measurement” [PDF].

Review the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

Instructions

In your paper, address the following components:

• Identify ONE other academic field (e.g., biology, medical sciences) that also studies your chosen topic.
  • Compare and contrast this field with psychology in terms of approach, methods, and focus.
  • For your topic, what are the benefits of the two fields working together? In other words, explain the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Summarize your flawed source and explain why it is considered flawed.
• Use three peer-reviewed journal articles to support your analysis. For each article:
  • Discuss the research methods, participants, and key results.
  • Evaluate the reliability, validity, and generalizability of the sources.
  • Discuss, using evidence from the article, the study’s adherence to TWO of the APA’s five Ethical Principles of Psychologists:
    • Beneficence and Nonmaleficence.
    • Fidelity and Responsibility.
    • Integrity.
    • Justice.
    • Respect for People's Rights and Dignity.
• Relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.
  • Describe the biological processes of the brain and body involved.
  • Connect these biological mechanisms to your topic.

Headings

Use headers to organize your paper. Recommended headers:

• Flawed Source (Level 1).
• Peer-Reviewed Sources (Level 1).
  • Source 1 (Level 2).
  • Source 2 (Level 2).
  • Source 3 (Level 2).
• Biological Mechanisms (Level 1).
• Theories (Level 1).
• Conclusion (Level 1).
• References (Level 1 — start on a new page).

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Written communication is in professional style with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
• Resources: Use a minimum of six sources: your flawed source, a textbook, the APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and three peer-reviewed journal articles.
• APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting.
  • Use Academic Writer for guidance in citing sources in proper APA style. See the Writing Center for more APA resources specific to your degree level.
• Length: 5–7 double-spaced, typed pages.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.
  • Relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.
• Competency 3: Examine psychological research from the standpoint of adherence to the APA Ethics Code in psychological research involving human or nonhuman research participants.
  • Assess the extent to which research studies align with two of the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
• Competency 4: Expose flawed sources of information.
  • Choose a flawed source of information.
  • Explain peer-reviewed evidence.
• Competency 5: Write for purpose in a well organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
  • Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.
  • Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.

Scoring Guide

Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.

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Criterion 1

Choose a flawed source of information.

Distinguished

Chooses a flawed source of information and provides a summary.

Proficient

Chooses a flawed source of information.

Basic

Chooses a source that is not flawed.

Non Performance

Does not choose a flawed source of information.

Criterion 2

Explain peer-reviewed evidence.

Distinguished

Explains peer-reviewed evidence, including reliability, validity, and generalizability.

Proficient

Explains peer-reviewed evidence.

Basic

Explains peer-reviewed evidence, but does not discuss research method or participants.

Non Performance

Does not explain peer-reviewed evidence.

Criterion 3

Assess the extent to which research studies align with two of the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

Distinguished

Accurately and thoroughly assesses each study’s alignment with two of the APA’s five Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

Proficient

Partially assesses each study’s alignment with two of the APA’s ethical principles, with some relevant detail.

Basic

Provides a general or incomplete assessment of ethical alignment, evaluates only some of the studies, or evaluates fewer than two principles for each study.

Non Performance

Does not assess the alignment of any research studies with any of the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

Criterion 4

Relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.

Distinguished

Relates the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health using examples.

Proficient

Relates the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.

Basic

Describes, but does not relate, the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.

Non Performance

Does not describe or relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.

Criterion 5

Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.

Distinguished

Uses APA style formatting for citations with no errors and a reference list with no more than minor errors.

Proficient

Uses APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.

Basic

Uses APA style formatting for citations and reference list, but includes major errors.

Non Performance

Does not use citations or have a reference list.

Criterion 6

Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.

Distinguished

Presents a focused purpose through strong organizational skills. Presents evidence through strong paraphrasing or summarizing and appropriate tone and sentence structure.

Proficient

Addresses assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.

Basic

Addresses the assessment purpose with minimal issues related to evidence, tone, and sentence structure.

Non Performance

Does not respond to the assessment prompt and/or does not organize text appropriately, uses inappropriate tone, or does not include structurally sound sentences.

Use the resources linked below to help complete this assessment.

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Mind - Body Interactions

Physiological Motivation, Sex, and Gender

Understanding the biological aspects of our motivations is imperative for practitioners when interpreting the behavior of their clients.

• In Essential Biological Psychology, read the following:
  • Read Chapter 6, “Motivation: Genes, Thirst, Hunger, Sex and Aggression,” pages 119–153.

Emotion and Health

These chapters discuss further connections between the brain, emotions, and health.

• In Essential Biological Psychology, read the following:
  • Read Chapter 8, “Emotion and Stress,” pages 171–194.
• In Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience, read the following:
  • Read Chapter 10, “Emotion & Motivation.”

Research Methods and Ethics

Research Methods

In this chapter, you will be introduced to biopsychology research techniques, and you will explore why biopsychology creates ethical concerns. When conducting research in the field of psychology, and specifically biopsychology, it is imperative that researchers adhere to ethical guidelines and protect participants.

• In Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience, read the following:
  • Read Chapter 2, “Psychological Research.”

This reading is an excerpt from a research methods textbook. It introduces the concepts of reliability and validity, which you will need to apply in this assessment.

• Jhangiani, R. S., Chiang, I. A., Cuttler, C., & Leighton, D. C. (2025). Research methods in psychology (4th ed.; Customized for Capella University by Deborah Vogele Welch and Whitney Zimmerman). (Original work published 2019).
  • Excerpts From Chapter 4, “Psychological Measurement” [PDF].

APA Ethics

In addition to the information in the textbook, be sure to review the APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct in your reading list.

Academic Research and Writing

APA Style

You can consult the Learn tab of Academic Writer and find the Basic Paper Setup quick guide in the Page Formatting section. This will help you with the mechanics of setting up an APA style paper.

You can consult the Learn tab of Academic Writer and find the Heading Levels quick guide in the Page Formatting section. This will help you with how to use headings in an APA style paper.

In your reading list, read about how to set APA Headings.

Scholarly Sources

Psychologists rely on scholarly sources to find information that is both credible and aimed at providing the highest quality of information. This can be more than the peer-reviewed sources you’ve been asked to focus on in other courses. Read What Is Scholarly? to learn more.

Scholarly sources can be challenging to read. Please review the following to learn tips and tricks for Reading Scholarly Articles. Once you are comfortable reading scholarly sources, the following source will help you to see several different ways to be an effective note taker:

• Taking Notes: Four Types of Note Taking.

Using the Library

The database guides below will help you gain proficiency in researching library resources.

• Database Guide: PsycARTICLES.
• Database Guide: Psychology Database.

You can consult the library guide Links to the Full Text on how to find full text for an article if there is not a PDF or HTML full text link.

These resources and library guides may also help you with your assessments:

• Field Searching can help you in situations when you come across too many results to be useful.
• RefWorks: Getting Started, will help you learn the basic features of RefWorks, a research management tool that allows you collect, organize, and store citations from library databases and other resources.
• Finding Articles by Type will help with finding sources appropriate to your assessment.
• Analyze Results will help you make critical appraisals of the sources you find.
• RefWorks: Exporting from the Library Databases can help you export sources to your RefWorks account.