Week 4
- 1. Gathering Ideas about Psychology • Identify the argument in a piece of reading • Compare and contrast key points from a range of reading • Suggest reasons for differences between pieces of reading
- 2. What do we mean by argument? Expressing a point of view and giving the reasons why you have that point of view.
- 3. Find the argument In pairs: • identify the argument of the paragraph you have been given • break the paragraph down into WEED
- 4. What’s the argument? We often dismiss terrorists as non-humans, monsters, at first but when we learn that they were seemingly normal individuals with families and jobs, it is hard not to wonder about how their minds really work. The search for a terrorist “personality” or “mindset” dominated psychological research in the 1970s and 1980s and remains a significant area for research today. A new study published in Nature Human Bahviour, which assessed the cognitive and psychological profiles of 66 Colombian paramilitaries imprisoned for committing terrorist acts, now argues that poor moral reasoning is what defines terrorists and have attempted to define a single predictive ‘marker’ for terrorist behaviour. However, more psychologists are now beginning to believe that a number of key psychological components are fundamental to the radicalisation process. These include motivation, group ideologies and social processes that encourage progressive distancing from former friends, for example. Rather than measuring to predict, we might be better off devoting resources to improve understanding of what motivates individuals to join the ranks of violent extremists. Therefore, quality psychological research aimed at searching for multiple markers of the radicalisation process, such as changes in dress, behaviour and social circles may be fruitful. Increasingly important, is that the more we find out about terrorists’ quest for significance, the better we can understand the identity and social issues that are fundamental to radicalisation. There is every reason to be optimistic that psychology can be a powerful tool in the fight against terrorism.
- 5. So, how is an argument built? How does knowing this help us identify an argument?
- 6. What’s the argument? Each group has two different pieces of reading and you have been given one of them to read. Read and identify the argument and how it has been built. Compare with the other group members who have read the same article: have you found the same argument? Share what you have found with the others in your group who read the different article.
- 7. Gathering different arguments. A reading grid like this is a useful way of keeping track of your reading and to start seeing how different authors’ ideas compare and contrast. Author/Title/ Date Topic Argument Key evidence How to use Bellur, Nowak and Hull (2015) Effect of media multitaksing on concentration in class Switching between/using different media in class distracts 361 students – more multitasking in class = lower grades Contradicts Minear et al. (2013) (students able to switch) Junco and Cotton (2012) Effect of media multitasking when studying at home Media multitasing when stuyding is detrimental on learning 1839 students – Facebook and texting when studying = lower grades Supports Bellur, Nowak and Hull (2015) - could disucss toagethr to make the point. Also contradicts Minear et al. (2013)
- 8. Some current research suggests that a high level of media multitasking is associated with lower levels of educational achievement due to the distraction it can cause For example, Bellur, Nowak and Hull (2015) surveyed 361 students on technology usage and high school estimated Grade Point Average (GPA). They found that media multitasking during class reduces GPA by lowering students’ ability to concentrate. However, a common theme of media multitasking that has been central to current research is the ability to switch attention between mediums, and some of these studies may question Bellur, Nowak and Hull’s (2015) findings. Minear et al. (2013), for example, found no correlation between frequencies of media multitasking and task switching ability. Their study participants indicate that cognition ability may have evolved to ignore irrelevant information as a coping mechanism for the increasing levels of media in day to day life. This suggests that human cognition does have the ability to process the ever-increasing levels of external stimuli and that media multitasking may not have a negative impact on concentration levels. Using a grid makes it easier to write comparisons. Look at how this Psychology student has done it for an esssay on whether students' media multitaksing is associated with distraction levels, using two articles from their grid.
- 9. Now present! • Use your reading, organising and discussion to give a 5 minute presentation on your group’s topic. Suggested format: • Introduce the topic • Argument 1 • Argument 2 • Compare and contrast the arguments • Sum up
- 10. Online Learning Complete the review activity on Canvas: Identifying an Argument (find in Quizzes). Continue your blog. Homework Find your next article/podcast on Psychology and write summary notes
Editor's Notes
- #2: 5 minutes Chosen students to share their article/podcast: what does it say? Q and A on why they chose it and their thoughts on it. 5 minutes Explain LOs and plan for session. Explain how this is building on their work on summarising by moving on to position/opinion/conclusion in what they’re reading – getting deeper into their reading by picking out an argument and of more than one reading (remind them that doing this is part of their first assignment, and that some comparison could be a way of getting higher marks – it could be worth getting it up on the screen to remind them and highlight how each week, we have been building up their ability to complete it, from what type of information to use and how you find it, to summarising, comparing and contrasting, all with some good academic writing and strong paragraph structures) Then going to ask them a question – who agrees/disagrees with a statement (anything you want - just something simple. Ask them their opinion but also why they think that. Then we can point out that that is their argument, if they have given a valid reason for their position – we give arguments all the time – leading into the next slide.
- #3: 5 minutes - Some brief input: What do we mean by argument? It is NOT a disagreement/row. Why argument is part of academic reading and writing. Lead into next activity.
- #4: 10-15 mins including feedback discussion. Paragraph to be provided on handout. They have to identify the argument in a piece of writing and think about reasons why this writer may be putting forward this argument. This is also an opportunity to get them to break it down into WEED to reinforce (clarify?) last week.
- #5: To have up during their feedback.
- #6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnqRydWXJo0 - if it doesn’t play from the slide. This is to move them on from their original feedback on the article to thinking about the way in which an academic argument is built – identifying the argument in a more systematic way. Follow up the video with a little Q and A to check their learning.
- #7: 15 minutes Reading group: two readings shared out amongst the group- ideally two students reading each piece of reading in each group (differentiated based on observation and assessment to date – allows parity of contribution when sharing). The readings have been chosen to cover range of popular Psychology topics that may become relevant in later modules across their degree – this is to be made explicit to them so they see the relevance of what they’re reading (they may even decide at the end of the year to swap strands to focus on for the rest of their degree.) Individually read and identify the argument made in their article, then discuss with the other person in their group to see if they have found the same elements, and then the two share with the other two in reading group. NB – each group will have a different topic/set of readings
- #8: 5 minutes Back to some input: introduce a very basic reading grid as a way of tracking their reading (filled in with the two example piece of reading they worked through at the start), noting the argument but then how it allows them to compare and contrast.
- #9: Show them this as an example of how to write a short compaorison of two articles. It uses two articles mentioned on the grid – picked out as way of showing compoarson betwneen just two, even through three are mentioned on the grid. That is to show them how to build one up. Some of the language can also be highlighted here as a way of modelling their own writing. The work they have already done on summarising their reading can also be referred to explicitly here – how a good summary is the foundation of a good comparison, and part if the identification of an argument. If there is time, they can now be encourgaed to conplete a grid int heir grousp for the two articles they have been reading. If there is no time, they can still move on to the next activty.
- #10: 20 minutes They then use this to prepare a presentation of about 5 minutes each. This can be scaffolded with some guidance on structure (intro the topic, argument of article 1, argument of article 2, start drawing comparisons and contrasts with some acknowledgement of why they could be different. leading to a summing up)