Writing Assignment 1 Due in class Friday Sept 9th Topic Self Perception and Names Parents are sometimes interested in giving their children unusual names in the belief that the perfect name can affect a child s destiny An unusual name might reflect parents high hopes and signal to the world that their child is special This belief is not corroborated by research which has found no correlation between a given name and academic or social achievement Moreover an unusual name has the disadvantage of either making a child stand out too much or of not allowing him or her to fit in In fact some older studies from the 1950s and 1960s have even shown a correlation between having unique or peculiar first names and higher rates of emotional disturbance In today s culture however where unusual names have become commonplace the negative impact of having a unique name may have lessened Consider some of these issues as you answer the questions below Read the Psychology Today 2004 article Hello My Name is Unique see link below or on the course website that discusses the relationship between self perception and first names and provides examples of unique names http www psychologytoday com articles 200403 hello my name is unique For your writing assignment read the questions below and address all parts of both questions 1 Consider your own first name Specifically discuss both parts a and b a Do you think your self perceptions and self concept are at all based on your name Why or why not b Do you recall having any strong positive or negative feelings about your name when you were a younger child or was it not noticeable to you Briefly discuss your recollections 2 The article also discusses current trends in baby names Specifically discuss whether there might be any effects on a child s self concept or identity of having either of the following types of names a Naming a baby after a possession see examples in the article linked above b Vampire mania A few of2009 s top 50 baby names according to the Social Security Administration list include Bella Jacob and Sookie Included below are writing assignment guidelines that are also listed on the course website and were reviewed in class You need to follow the set of guidelines to get credit for your assignment Writing Assignment Guidelines Social Psychology You will need to complete 4 of the 6 writing assignments given this semester Your syllabus specifies a grading scale that will translate number of acceptable papers into points determined at the end of the semester If you complete 4 acceptable papers 4 credits you will receive 50 points at the end of the semester for you writing assignment total If you turn in fewer than 4 acceptable papers for any reason there will be a penalty points are listed on your syllabus for 3 2 and 1 acceptable papers Individual writing assignment grades will be posted on the course website and will be noted as either 1 for credit acceptable or 0 for no credit not acceptable You need to accumulate 4 credits by the end of the semester to receive the full credit of 50 points 1 All papers must be double spaced entirely This does not mean triple spacing between paragraphs or between the title and the start of the first paragraph Single spacing is hard to read and for the sake of consistency double spacing is the preferred style 2 All papers must be in 12 pt or 10 pt font The purpose of the font guideline is to discourage use of font larger than 12 pt The style of the font should be easily readable e g Times New Roman Arial 3 All margins should be set 1 inch from each side 4 You can choose to either number the questions or write in paragraph essay form 5 All papers should be at least one page and no more than four pages double spaced 1 inch margins 10 12 pt font 1 page is the bare minimum that will be accepted and this does not include name class professor or the title of the essay If you use half the page to display this information not recommended then your paper should be at least one page from where the first paragraph begins 6 Please answer every question thoroughly If every question is not addressed the score will result in a zero 7 You must include your name and university id number at the top of the page There is no need to include the date course number name or Dr Schneider s name 8 Papers are graded as either credit or no credit If you violate the above guidelines you will first receive a warning and get half credit and if you continue to not follow the guidelines on subsequent assignments you will get no credit It should be fairly easy to receive full credit by following the guidelines above 9 We will not return papers in class instead please attend either Dr Schneider s or Phil s office hours if you would like to pick up your paper 10 Do not submit your writing assignments via email they will not be accepted They are due in class or in my mailbox main Psychology department office 435 DeGarmo on the due date Please see Dr Schneider or Phil Drazewski psdraze ilstu edu graduate assistant if you have questions