The goal of this paper is to review the available evidence for a commonly held belief and provide a conclusion regarding the merit of this claim by describing concepts in core psychological domains and examining variations in psychological functioning.
To complete this activity,
• Write an introduction paragraph for your topic.
o For assistance with a thesis for your introduction paragraph, visit Ashford Writing Center’s Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) and Thesis Generator (Links to an external site.).
• Develop supporting Body Paragraphs (Links to an external site.) that apply a professional psychological perspective to a commonly held belief about why people think or act as they do. Consider both perspectives.

Visit APA Style Elements (Links to an external site.) for help with headings, and the Ashford University Library to obtain additional scholarly articles as necessary to fully inform your thinking and address gaps in your knowledge of the topic.

Refer to the Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table for additional guidance.).
o Apply psychological theory and research to a commonly held belief.
 Employ examples to fully illustrate your analysis.
o Examine potential implications of diversity.
o Discern any relevant ethical issues.
o Relate potential applications of this insight to various careers.
• Write a conclusion paragraph that summarizes your findings and whether or not the commonly held belief you have chosen to explore is supported by psychological research and theory. Review Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) for more.
The Fact or Fiction? Final Paper
• Must be five double-spaced pages in length at minimum (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.)resource.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
o A header
o Title of paper
o Student’s name
o Course name and number
o Instructor’s name
o Date submitted

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
o For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
o Using headings within your writing may assist you in organizing your thoughts more succinctly. For more information about using headings, please review APA Style Elements (Links to an external site.).
• Must use at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. These may be from Week 3 annotated bibliography, unless your instructor has requested the use of differing sources.
o Additional scholarly sources are encouraged. Be sure to integrate your research smoothly rather than simply inserting it. Review Integrating Research (Links to an external site.)