QUESTION

PSYC1010 Intro to the Psych Major

Scientific Literature Searches

Spring 2020

Name:_________________________________________________

Using the two article handouts, “Focusing on Kids and Their Talents, Not on Autism” and “Mental imagery scanning in autism spectrum disorder,” and classroom materials, answer the following questions, which pertain to the types of articles you will need to find and read as you move through the psychology program. Remember, this may be the first time that you attempt a literature search and review; however, it will not be your last. J The assignment is due when we meet again, either Wednesday, March 4^th, or Monday, March 9^th, at the beginning of class. Important: Wednesday students may not switch to the Monday due date.

1. Consider both of the reading articles; Did the articles appear to follow the same writing style? Which one was easier to read (Name the article in this answer)? Why? [Make sure to answer “why” for best score]

The two articles do not follow the same writing style. Article 1 (Focusing on kids by Grandin) is more of a narrative article, while article 2 (Mental Imagery by Maeas et al.) is more of a descriptive article. I find article 2 easier to read than article 1. This is because article 2 starts with an abstract, then an introduction in that by the time a reader gets to the body section of the article, he already has a clue of what the author/authors are talking about. In the first article, the author jumps right into a discussion and does not give a reader clues of what to expect. It becomes hard for the reader to read the entire paper and actually to understand all the concepts highlighted in the paper.

2. What was the role of opinion in each article? Was scientific evidence reported to support facts [Give a brief comparison with a couple of sentences describing how you found opinion vs. facts? Refer to each article by name, so I know which one you are discussing at each point in your answer.]

The authors simply shares their opinions to give the articles a foundation and a meaning. In Article 1 (Focusing on kids by Grandin), the opinion is actually the complete information; that is, there is no other information to counter or concur it. The author states that “Autism has a wide spectrum and is not a specific behavioral profile…” He supports this information by giving an example of Dr. Grandlin. This is different from article 2 (Mental Imagery by Maeas et al.) because the opinion is given, but the author runs a survey to either support or counter this opinion. The opinion in this article is somewhat a hypothesis. Article 1 does not offer scientific evidence to support facts but offers an example of Dr. Grandlin, who has Autism. Article 2 describes Autism from the American Psychiatric Association (2013). It goes on to highlight some characteristics of ASP as listed by researchers.

3. How detailed was each article? Was the information general or specific? [Give a brief comparison referring to each article individually]

Article 1 (Focusing on kids by Grandin) was more of a general article while article 2 (Mental Imagery by Maeas et al.) addressed a specific topic on ASP. Article 1 gives brief explanations of different aspects. For instance, he talks about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, the life experiences of Dr. Grandlin, and the concept of Autism. It also goes further to describe the Business Leadership Network. Article 2 is specific. The author chooses a topic in Autism, that is, navigational impairment and sticks with it up to the end of the article. He carries out a research to test his hypothesis of navigation impairment.

4. What is the intended audience for each of the articles? Which of the articles better reflects scientific research? Why /how did you select the scientific article? [include a phrase or evidence from the scientific article]

The intended audiences of Article 1 (Focusing on kids by Grandin) are the parents, teachers, and the students with Autism. The article aims to show the student that it is possible to live with Autism. The author tells students of how Grandin was bullied as a teenager, but when she focused on her abilities, she made friends. The article is meant to urge them to focus on what they love most instead of dwelling on their conditions. The teachers and parents are urged to also help the children in becoming good in the areas they have a special skill instead of focusing on the areas that they are quite poor. The intended audiences for article 2 (Mental Imagery by Maeas et al.) are students and researchers seeking to increase their knowledge on autism. The researchers propose a hypothesis about children with autism having a condition called navigation impairment. They then take the reader through the journey of testing the hypothesis and drawing conclusions. At the end, the reader learns and a new concept from the results. Article 2 (Mental Imagery by Maeas et al.) definitely reflects scientific research because the authors undertook an experiment to prove an untested concept. “To test spatial navigation in ASD Lind et al. (2013) utilized a virtual island environment, whereby participants used a joystick to find their way to target locations on the island”. The statement shows that the researchers undertook an actual experiment… That is scientific research.

5. What is your opinion of the overall usefulness of each article? Does each article have its place of importance? For who and Why? Support your answer with reflective ideas / explain your answer.

Each article has its importance in literature.  Article 1 (Focusing on kids by Grandin) is important for readers who are only reading to get a basic knowledge of Autism. It can be important to students, teachers, and parents seeking to interact or help their special children interact with society and how to turn their problem into a gift. This is because it does not give too much scientific information that would be hard to understand. I do not think a parent would be interested in knowing if navigation impairment is common in Autism patients but would be interested in knowing what they can do to help their child lead a normal life. However, article 2 (Mental Imagery by Maeas et al) is a very good and reliable source for research, and is important for students and researcher seeking to expand their scientific knowledge on Autism. This is because the authors test and confirm a hypothesis, and another researcher can learn from this information. Moreover, another researcher can use these findings to expand on the concept of Autism.

Finally, do a formal literature search for a psychology article on a topic of your choice. Make sure it is an empirical, peer-reviewed Research Study Article, with all the appropriate components of a research study (Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusion). Bring this completed worksheet AND a printed copy of the Research Study Article you found to class. You must print your article and bring the printed copy to class. You will need both this worksheet and your printed article for full credit on this Literature Search Assignment.

The article I found is:

Satapath, S., Choudhary, V., Sharma, R., & Sagar, R. (2016). Nonpharmacological Interventions for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in India: A Comprehensive and Comparative Research Update. 38(5): 376-385. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5052948/

ANSWER