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PSYC 330: Developmental Psychology: Infancy to Childhood: Boyle

This is a guide to the research required for the completion of the two papers and oral presentation students will be completing in this course.

Only resources within the research literature will be accepted. Materials from the popular press, open web sites (e.g. Wikipedia), parenting books, and similar types of information sources are NOT accepted by Dr. Boyle for this assignment.

 

Literature reviews
Background information
Finding journal articles
Citing your information

 

 

 

Literature reviews

"A literature review is NOT just a summary, but a conceptually organized synthesis of the results of your search. It must:

  • organize information and relate it to the thesis or research question you are developing
  • synthesize results into a summary of what is and isn't known
  • identify controversy when it appears in the literature
  • develop questions for further research."

More help from the University of Toronto.

 

Comparison Chart:  Empirical studies and Literature reviews
 
Empirical studies:
  • have data that has been collected by such means as experimentation, survey methodology, or observation. 
  • have a methods section because it reports on an experiment.
  • try to measure something: a behavior, reaction, treatment, etc.

 

 Literature reviews:
  • do not have the usual parts of an APA report, since it does not report on a single experiment.
  • briefly summarize and critique each study and discuss how the findings relate to other studies.
  • are useful when learning about the current research on a topic.

 

Background information

For this course, you must find, understand, and use scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles.

However, basic reference sources often provide background information and include bibliographies that direct to important research articles.

Child development

Encyclopedia of children and childhood

Boyhood in America : an encyclopedia

Girlhood in America: an encyclopedia

Parenthood in America : an encyclopedia

Handbook of child psychology
BF721 .H242 1998 Reference

Growing up in America : an atlas of kids in the USA
HB1323.C52 U649 1998 

Encyclopedia of family life
HQ534 .E53 1999 Reference

Handbook of contemporary families
 HQ536 .H3185 2004  4th Floor Stacks

The encyclopedia of parenting theory and research
HQ755.8 .E526 1999 Reference

Infancy in America : an encyclopedia
 HQ774 .I528 2001 Reference

Encyclopedia of childbearing : critical perspectives
RG525 .E52 1993 Reference

Search CSUSM Library
Use the search box below to find more books in the library on the topic being researched.

  • Too many? Add another term: teenage pregnancy--united states
  • Too few? Search Submit search to SDCircuit
  • If we don't have an item you can request it through Submit search to SDCircuit.
Search for: in

 

Finding journal articles
 

PsycINFO   Psychology database
A comprehensive international database of psychology, covering the academic, research, and practice literature in psychology from over 45 countries in more than 30 languages.
Coverage: 1887→current

 
Research tip How to
Identify more search terms Click on Thesaurus
Search by a particular age group In Advanced Search click on:
 Refine Search>Age Groups
Search for empirical studies In Advanced Search click on:
 Refine Search>Methodology>Empirical Studies
Search for literature reviews In Advanced Search click on:
 Refine Search>Methodology>Literature review
Search for word variants
e.g. sex*=sexes, sexual, sexism		 Use the truncation symbol: *