PSY 540 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric

Rough Draft

Overview

For your rough draft, you will submit a complete proposal that includes all the required elements of the final proposal and incorporates any relevant instructor feedback you received on Milestones One and Two. In your rough draft, be sure to address all the following critical elements:

Problem Statement

Describe the contemporary problem that is the focus of your proposal with full details with respect to your selected applied setting. Here, consider how new developments or changes in your applied setting are creating new cognition-related challenges. For instance, you might note that increased use of online education is presenting new challenges to students with ADHD.

1. Identify your selected area of cognitive psychology (attention, learning, memory, language, or decision making) and appropriate foundational theories that apply to your selected problem. What are the foundational aspects of these theories, and how do they relate to your selected problem? Carrying through with the previous example, you would indicate that your area of focus is attention and identify related theories that can shed further light on the contemporary problem of attention demands on students with ADHD.

Describe performance issues in your selected applied setting based on limitations of human cognitive systems. What are some of the specific issues related to your contemporary problem, the applied setting, and the limits of the human cognitive system? Here, you will further break down your contemporary problem and explain how the problem relates to the applied setting, what we know about cognition, and how this impacts performance.

1. Create a research question that addresses potential improvements to practices in the applied setting based on the strengths of human cognitive systems. Remember that your research question should address your contemporary problem. For instance, in keeping with the previous example, you might ask, “How can changes to online learning platforms better support increased attention to course materials for students with ADHD?”
2. Contemporary Relevance
3. Evaluate the utility of the theories you identified when describing your problem with respect to their strengths and limitations. Here, revisit the theories you noted in critical element I, part b. How do the theories you identified further explain the problems and performance issues you identified? What are the strengths and limitations of each theory in helping to understand your identified problem?
4. Which particular theory offers the greatest utility for practitioners to apply in addressing real-world issues specific to the contemporary problem you selected? Defend your selection.
5. Interpretation of Research Findings: Explain how each primary or secondary resource you selected supports your research question. This is where you will apply sound methodological principles (by following the prompts below, a–b) to qualify the research results and statistical findings.

How do the research results and statistical findings apply to your research question and your proposed improvements?

1. Explain the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research question. This is where you will explain how the research results and findings you have reviewed support your research question and identify specific gaps in the research. In other words, in reviewing your sources, is there sufficient support for this research question? This is also where you will identify what research does not yet exist that is necessary in supporting the application of your research question.
2. Methodological Principles: This is where you will look at your research question (critical element I, part d) and determine what types of strategies or techniques you would use if you were to hypothesize improving upon the problem in your selected applied setting. Here, you might propose an experiment, a new program or initiative, or adoption of new tools/technologies. Remember, you are not limited to a controlled experiment.
3. What socially responsible strategies and techniques could be used for improving upon human cognitive processes specific to your applied setting? Here, consider how you could implement your proposed solution in a way that does not further aggravate the problem or put participating parties at risk of new problems or performance issues.

What are the implications for using these strategies and techniques? Consider, who and what about the applied setting would be impacted by this proposed solution? What would change, and how might these changes be received?

1. Conclusion
2. What potential future direction do you see from implementation of your research specific to addressing the contemporary problem you cited in critical element I, part a? Here, consider how implementation of your proposed solution or improvement can add to the existing body of research on your topic. How might your proposed improvements and any follow-up research prove interesting to other applied settings?
3. Please note that the grading rubric for the rough draft submission is not identical to that of the final project. The Final Project Rubric will include an additional “Exemplary” category that provides guidance as to how you can go above and beyond “Proficient” in your final submission.

What to Submit

1. Your rough draft should be double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins and APA citations. Your draft proposal should be a minimum of six pages, not including cover page and references, and use preapproved resources. (The submission should include a variety of research and findings from at least three of the provided publications. Review the Final Project Document to access the list of approved publications provided for you.)
2. Milestone Three Rubric
3. CriteriaProficient (100%)Needs Improvement (80%)Not Evident (0%)ValueProblem Statement: Contemporary ProblemDescribes a contemporary problem in full detail with respect to the applied settingDescribes the contemporary problem, but with gaps in detail with respect to the applied settingDoes not describe a contemporary problem in any detail with respect to the applied setting9Problem Statement: Selected AreaExplains aspects of foundational theories, fully connecting them to selected problemExplains aspects of foundational theories, but with gaps in connecting them to selected problemDoes not explain aspects of foundational theories9Problem Statement: Performance Issues and LimitationsIdentifies performance issues in the selected fields (education, law, mental health, or technology), demonstrating clear connection to the limitations of human cognitive systemsIdentifies performance issues in the selected applied setting (education, law, mental health, or technology), but connections to the limitations of human cognitive systems are unclearDoes not identify performance issues in the selected applied setting (education, law, mental health, or technology)9Problem Statement: Potential ImprovementsCreates research question that addresses potential improvements to practices in the applied setting based on the strengths of human cognitive systemsResearch question addresses potential improvements to practices in the applied setting, but connections to the strengths of human cognitive systems are unclearDoes not create research question that addresses potential improvements to practices in the applied setting9Contemporary Relevance: Utility Of TheoriesEvaluate the utility of the foundational theories for practitioners with respect to their strengths and limitationsEvaluates the utility of the foundational theories for practitioners, but with gaps in addressing their strengths or limitationsDoes not evaluate the utility of the foundational theories9Contemporary Relevance: ApplySelects theory and defends with explanation on how particular theory offers the greatest utility for practitioners to apply specific to contemporary problem selectedSelects theory but is unclear on how selection offers the greatest utility for practitioners to apply in addressing real-world issues specific to contemporary problem selectedDoes not select particular theory for practitioners to apply in addressing real-world issues9Interpretation of Research: QuestionExplains the research and research findings with regard to how they apply to proposed improvementsExplains the research and research findings, but does not connect to proposed improvementsDoes not explain how the research and research findings apply to proposed improvements9Interpretation of Research: SupportExplains the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research questionExplains the research results and findings, but does not address strengths or limitationsDoes not explain the strengths and limitations of the research results and findings in supporting the research question9Methodological Principles: Strategies and TechniquesRecommends appropriate, socially responsible strategies and techniques for improving human cognitive processes that are applicable to applied settingRecommends appropriate strategies and techniques for improving human cognitive processes, but with gaps in applicability to proposalDoes not make appropriate, socially responsible recommendations for strategies and techniques for improving human cognitive processes9Methodological Principles: ImplicationsExplains implications of the strategies and techniques in full detail with respect to the applied settingExplains implications of the strategies and techniques, but with gaps in detail with respect to the applied settingDoes not explain implications of the strategies and techniques with respect to the applied setting9ConclusionExplains potential future direction from implementation of research specific to addressing the contemporary problem(s)Explains potential future direction from implementation of research, but with gaps in how it is specific to addressing the contemporary problem(s)Does not explain potential future direction from implementation of research study5Articulation of ResponseSubmission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organizationSubmission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideasSubmission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas5Total:100%Milestone 3 Review: Videos and Examples!

Hello!

1. As you work on Milestone 3, and any other assessments (including discussions) for the course, I urge you to use the words from the rubric elements. That makes it easier for me and your peers, who will be doing a peer review, to tell when and where you have addressed the assignment requirements. For example, “Two strengths of this research article are…” Note that the annotative bibliography (Milestone 2) is a major portion of Milestone 3 but there are other rubric elements to address. Also note that it is the writer’s responsibility to convey all meanings and not make the reader guess. This can be challenging, I know! That is one reason why there are writing resources supplied by SNHU that I urge you to take advantage of; after all your fees are paying for them.

Please review these Milestone 3 videos:

Milestone 3 review video, part 1

Milestone 3 review video, part 2

Some other items:

You may benefit from this Purdue OWL website, which has many writing resources.

Here is the correct way to provide the APA-formatted textbook reference: McBride, D. M., & Cooper Cutting, J.  (2019). Cognitive psychology: Theory, process, and methodology (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

(Vitalsource is not a retrieval repository like library journals are; rather, it is merely a platform or program to read books. Please don’t include ‘Retrieved from’ and the Vitalsource info for any reference.)

I have also attached/provided two example Milestone 3 papers; one is an ‘A’ paper and one is a ‘B’ paper; I have also typed annotations on these papers. Of course, use your own writing and critical thinking (no plagiarizing, please).

As always, please let me know if you have questions!

Milestone 3 (A Paper) Example with Annotations

Milestone 3 (B Paper) Example with Annotations