Summary/Critique Paper

Two 3-4 page critiques of recent empirical journal articles are required. Each paper includes a short summary of the study, as well as an evaluation of the study's method and/or conclusions. For the first critique paper, you will be assigned one of 4 articles selected by the instructor. For the second paper, you will select an (empirical) article (published in the last 8 years) related to your research proposal topic. You should be prepared to present a brief summary of your articles to the class on the day the papers are due.

 Your paper should be formatted in the following fashion:

At the top of your paper, provide the reference for the article, using APA style (as it would appear on a reference page. This will serve as the title for your paper. The structure of your paper should mirror the structure of the article itself, with a separate paragraph (perhaps two) for each section of the article. The paper has five sections:

Introduction:
Begin with an introductory paragraph explaining the researcher's rationale, purpose and hypotheses. Do not summarize the abstract.

Method:
Describe the study participants and the procedures and materials used to collect data.

Results:
Summarize what the researcher(s) found with respect to each of their research questions or hypotheses. There is no need to report statistics; instead simply state what the finding was. 

Discussion:
Discuss the researcher's conclusions and tie them to other research in the field. Given the results of this study, what might be the next step for researchers interested in this topic?

Evaluation and reflection:
Evaluate the study. What were (at least two) strengths or limitations to the researcher's method or conclusions? For the second paper: How is this study related to your proposed study or topic? How does it inform your research question or methodology?

Please note: Although it is not necessary to continually cite the article in your paper (since the paper itself is about the article), please use APA style throughout your paper with respect to margins, page numbers, spacing etc.

De Schipper, J.C., Tavecchio, L.W.C., & Van Ijzendoorn, M.H. (2008).  Children’s attachment

relationships with day care caregivers: Associations with positive caregiving and the child’s

temperament. Social Development, 17(3), 454-470.

Lindsey, E., Caldera, Y., & Tankersley, L. (2009). Marital conflict and the quality of young children's peer

play behavior: The mediating and moderating role of parent–child emotional reciprocity and

attachment security.Journal of Family Psychology, 23(2), 130-145.

Malti, T., Gummerum, M., Keller, M., & Buchmann, M. (2009). Children’s moral motivation, sympathy, and

prosocial behavior. Child Development, 80, 442-460.

Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., Adolph, K.E., Lobo, S.A., Karasik, L.B., Ishak, S., & Dimitropoulou, K.A. (2008).

When infants take mothers' advice: 18-month-olds integrate perceptual and social information to

guide motor action. Developmental Psychology, 44(3), 734-746.

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