The stage 3 paper, like the stage 1 paper is missing key information and data that could make the claim legitimate. It is the way the research and data is conducted and presented that makes it understandable to an academic audience, and makes the claim valid. Psychology has given me the opportunity not only to think critically, but also understand behaviors as well as myths, and learn how to determine if information is valid. The goal of the class is to acquire basic tools for becoming critical consumers of research and claims about behavior as presented in the media and other real-world sources. I believe that the development of critical thinking skills is not just important for understanding research papers, but gives students the ability to think critically about behaviors in real life situations. My stage 3 paper demonstrates that I have met the course goal because I no longer just had what was in the textbook, but experience of thinking critically about research requirements and what a research paper needs to include from the prior stage papers.
In the stage 1 paper I used information from our class and the textbook to determine what was pieces of information were missing that could make the paper and its’ claim valid. As I began the stage 2 paper and was given an example of what a research paper for the academic audience should look like, I was able to even further understand the process. The stage 2 paper was an example of a research paper that covered all research and experimental requirements. The stage 3 paper however, was missing information and data in its’ text for an academic audience to understand and validate the claim. When writing the stage 3 paper, I not only had the textbook and information from class, but the knowledge and understanding of what a legitimate research paper should include.
The ability to critically evaluate claims about behavior is relevant to the course goal because it is not only pertinent for research papers and academic...