DB 7

The Movie Analysis Paper
PSY-150: General
Spring 2020

Where to start…
Open and read the Movie Analysis Paper instructions located inside Module 7 (the document is titled “Movie_Analysis_Paper.docx”)
This document includes step-by-step instructions on completing the paper, including formatting information, the grading rubric, and the list of movies that you can choose from.
It is extremely important that you read and follow the instructions!

Step 1: Select a Movie
The instructions document includes a list of all the movies students can choose from.
DO NOT write your paper on a movie that is not included in the list!
Movies are listed in order by the chapter they are relevant to.
Review the ENTIRE list before choosing a movie!
Each movie has a psychological concept listed beside it in parenthesis.
Your paper MUST focus on the psychological concept listed!

Chapter 1 (, Critical Thinking and Science)
Space Jam (placebo effect)
Kinsey (research design)
Eurotrip (placebo effect)

Step 2: Read/review the textbook chapter
Movies correspond to specific chapters in your textbook.
Students should be familiar with the psychological concept they will be writing about.
Take notes from the chapter; you will use them when writing your paper.
If you need additional information about the psychological concept, look up information that helps you better understand it.

Step 3: Watch the Movie
Gather your notes and watch the movie.
While watching, write down specific examples of the psychological concept from the movie. You will need to include those examples in your paper.
Ex.: I have chosen to watch the movie Space Jam and write about the placebo effect. I will review chapter 1 in my textbook and take notes on what the placebo effect is, how it looks in experiments and how to control for it. While watching Space Jam I will use those notes to identify when the placebo effect occurs in the movie and why.

Step 4: Find an Article
Use the FTCC Library page to look find a peer-reviewed academic journal article on your psychological concept.
Your article should discuss the psychological concept, not the exact situation(s) from the movie
Ex.: Space Jam is a movie about basketball and my psychological concept is the placebo effect. In the search bar on the FTCC Library page, I will enter the key words “placebo effect in sports”. You should apply these limiters to narrow down your results:
Full text
Peer Reviewed
Academic Journals
Publication Date: 2000-2020

Step 5: Write the paper
1st paragraph: a *short* summary of the movie that identifies the main themes.
DO NOT provide a 2-page summary of the movie.
2nd paragraph: describe the article you chose
Provide details of the study or analysis and the main findings
The next several paragraphs will tie together the movie and the article. These paragraphs should each include 3 main points of information:
Information about the psychological concept
An example of how it’s portrayed in the movie
What the article says about it

Step 5, cont.: Example Paragraph
This example is from a paper that chose the movie Rain Man and the corresponding psychological concept of autism and savant syndrome.

The first psychological concept that is correlated between the movie and the journal article is mental set. Mental set is defined as “the tendency for people to persist in using problem-solving patterns that have worked for them in the past” (Ciccarelli et al, 2017, p. 274). During the movie, Raymond wants to adhere to a set schedule. He feels the need to maintain a timeline down to the minute. The time he goes to sleep, the time his TV shows start, and the time he insists on eating throughout the day are all part of his “schedule,” so he does not want to change it. The set schedule is what has worked for him in the past, so he insists on following it. Following a set schedule is something that the article points to as common with many individuals diagnosed with autism regardless of whether they have savant syndrome or not (Hughes et al, 2018).

Format
Double-spaced, 1-inch margins all around, 12-point font
No direct quotes from the article!
Use your own words to explain what the article says.
There is no set min/max word count or page requirement
Most papers will be 3-5 typed pages
DO NOT include personal stories or anecdotes.
Include in-text citations and full reference information for the article and your textbook.
References should be in APA format
You do not need to include reference information for the movie

Grading Rubric
25 pts: Summary of the movie
25 pts: Summary of the article
40 pts: Connect the article and the movie
10 pts: APA formatting and references
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Total: 100 points

This assignment is 20% of your overall grade in PSY-150.