Psychology has a lot of folklore around it. There are “stories” that we all kinda know, but the truth is sometimes lost in order to sensationalize the story.
For this assignment, you will work in a group to investigate a “common story” in the history of psychology. Groups should look at this story from many different angles to determine why the story was changed to become folklore.
Once you have chosen a story, you MUST get approval from your instructor.
An Introduction to the History of Psychology by 
An Intellectual History of Psychology by 
A History of Modern Psychology by 
Brett's History of Psychology by 
An Illustrated History of American Psychology by To find information about your story, begin by looking at different psychology textbooks. Your professor has some textbooks available. You can also look at textbooks available in the library (see the left column).
After you have assembled multiple resources, compare how the story or topic is discussed—are their outrageous differences?
Look at the original research/newspaper articles that discuss the story. What details have been lost in the retelling?
You can find these types of resources in the following databases:
To find out more about these databases, check the Experiments in Context tab of this LibGuide.
Is there any information on the internet about this story? How is it presented to the general consumer of psychology?
To find this information, you can perform a Basic Google search or an Advanced Google search.
If you need help determining if a website is a good resource, see the CRAAP Test LibGuide.
Are their already articles out there that have investigated this idea?
To find relevant articles, check the following resources:
To learn more about these databases, go to the Historical Analysis Paper tab of this LibGuide.
As a group, consider why the details of the story have been changed or left out. What motivation is there to simplify the story?
Some books are available through your professor. Make an appointment to browse her shelves and see what is available to check out.
Don't forget other professors too. They may have historical books that would be of interest to you.
The EBSCO eBook collection includes titles covering many subjects. Click here to start searching for eBooks on your topic.
Google Scholar (2010) provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research.
Final papers should include:
The final paper should be 2-4 pages, not counting title and reference page.
In your paper be sure to highlight examples of how the story has changed from the original.
Your paper should include at minimum three sections; however your investigation may take you in several different directions:
a.) What the folklore is
b.) What actually happened in history
c.) Why there is folklore surrounding the story
If you need help with APA style, you can talk to your professor or a librarian. You can also check out our APA LibGuide.
Contact your professor or the Writing Center if you need help with the structure of your paper.