Application and Analysis Sample Paper

Analysis and Application

Mary Sample

Liberty University

Analysis and Application^[a]

        Because an abstract is not required for this paper, the body of your paper should begin here on page two with an introductory paragraph. In this paragraph, describe your purpose by restating the basic assignment which is to apply concepts and theories used in developmental psychology to explain why our legal system is justified in ruling that young children are not responsible for criminal actions. Note that the instructions indicate that you should use only information provided in the instructions and in our textbook. Do not make assumptions about home life, parenting, environment, etc. Do not define criminal intent or any other legal terms. In fact, while the details of these cases are provided to illustrate the difficulties that can occur at this stage of life, this paper is not about these particular children. Instead, your paper should discuss developmental characteristics that would be true of any child (whether they live in a “good” environment or a “bad” environment).

Biological Argument(s)^[b]

        The first section of your paper should identify and discuss biological or biosocial arguments Note that there are many developmental milestones within each domain, but not all of these characteristics would necessarily apply to the assignment question. Only address developmental characteristics that would support the court’s decision. For example, the development of motor skills is important during this stage of life. However, would the development of fine or gross motor skills actually impact the child’s ability to form criminal intent?

        Your paragraph should begin with a clear purpose/topic sentence. Second, discuss the biological characteristics that might be considered by the court. When you include specific information from our textbook, remember that it should be paraphrased (rewritten entirely in your own words). Do not copy a sentence then substitute synonyms or rearrange words. To do this constitutes plagiarism. Read the material, rehearse the idea mentally, and then write it in your own words without looking at your source text. The final step is to check your text against the textbook to make sure you have not copied specific words, phrases, sentence structure, etc. Please see my margin notes for a fun illustration of this concept.^[c]

Cognitive Argument(s)

        The second section of your paper should identify and discuss arguments from the cognitive domain. For this section, focus on the limitations in cognition described by Piaget. As noted above, include a quote or paraphrase of one piece of information from within this domain that addresses our assigned topic.

        Remember that each paragraph should address just one topic, and that each paragraph should contain at least three sentences. Do not forget to include transition words like: next, second, finally, etc.