Discuss the relevance of this topic and body of research for our everyday lives.

Cognitive psychology: Scientists think about how people think
Students of cognitive psychology: People think about how scientists think about how people think (Sternberg, 2009, p. 2)

In a 10- to 12-page paper, including title page and reference list, you will examine how cognitive psychologists think about a specific aspect of how people think. Your goals are to (1) identify, for your topic, the major issue or issues that cognitive psychologists are addressing, (2) discuss empirical studies of the topic, including methods and key findings, (3) explain cognitive psychologists’ current state of thinking about the topic based on research to date, (4) outline their ideas for further research on the topic, and (5) discuss the relevance of this topic and body of research for our everyday lives.
Topic Selection: The topic you choose should be quite narrow—for example, cocktail party phenomenon or visual neglect rather than attention; incubation and creative problem solving or functional fixedness rather than problem solving; or the deliberation-without-attention effect or belief bias rather than reasoning. A good place to look for topic ideas is in your text: the chapter subheadings, the lists of key terms, or the Think about It and If You Want to Know More sections in each chapter.
Timeline for Research Paper Assignments: During Week 1, you will choose a topic and briefly describe it for your peers on a discussion forum.
By the middle of Week 2, you will submit a brief description of your topic and a reference list to your instructor and discuss any challenging you are having with your literature search with your peers on a discussion forum. By the middle of Week 3, you will submit an outline of your paper and share some of the interesting things you have learned about your topic with your peers.
The final paper is due on the last day of instruction. The grading rubrics outlined below should be a useful tool for you as you plan, research, and write your paper.

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