PSY382: Review and Essay Assignment

Assignment 

The primary aim of this assignment is to provide students with an opportunity to experience the following learning outcomes, consistent with the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council Graduate Competencies (APAC GC):

1. Describe biopsychosocial processes of ageing and explain the effects of genetics, sociocultural and lifestyle factors, and individual differences, (APAC GC 1.1).

2. Communicate your understanding of ageing as a multidimensional and multidirectional process that may have normative, pathological, or healthy trajectories, (APAC GC 1.3).

3. Critically evaluate the traditional theories and conceptualisations of Psychology of Ageing against recently published research and empirical evidence, (APAC GC 1.3).

4. Demonstrate critical thinking and inquiry skills in the field of Psychology of Ageing through communicating your own research findings and applying your understanding of Psychology of Ageing onto practical problems and issues, (APAC GC 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.6).

Each student is expected to prepare a 2500-word Research Review report on a topic closely related to Psychology of Ageing, as noted in PSY382 Unit Information document (Table 3. Potential Essay Topics). The review assignment is expected to include peer-reviewed original research (i.e. published in scientific journals). One or two Meta-analytic papers can also be included.

There is a marking rubric that can be used as a guide when working on this assignment. Also, there are some papers that provide you with tips on how to prepare your review, including Turner’s Literature Rev., Bem’s Writing a Review for Psych Bull., Pautasso’s Ten Simple Rules …, and Winchester and Mark Salji’s Writing a literature rev. You can find these papers in this section, too.

Finally, when preparing the review assignment, you should closely look at the following tips. A review paper is not a lab report. It is not a journalistic essay, either. Rather, it is a scientific piece that follows established scientific procedures so that your literature review becomes informative for readers and adds value to the field. Therefore, review assignments for PSY382 should include the following:

a) Title, Authors name and affiliations (school or discipline, university, state, country) and student number, as well as contact details (only email address for this task).

b) Abstract that provides a summary of 250-300 words describing what was reviewed (introduction), the method, findings or results, and a conclusion.

c) Introduction, that provides a brief background and prepares your reader to understand the aims of the review and hypothesis it examines, or questions that you would like to answer by this review (note aims and hypes or questions; have the first two or the last)

d) Body of the literature review should clearly summarise previous research and their findings in relation to specific aims, hypos or questions of the review.

e) If you decide to have your assignment being considered a systematic review, then you should describe the methodsincluding keywords, inclusion/exclusion, data of interest and so on. Preparing a meta-analysis is beyond the scope of this assignment, but you are welcomed to work on if you are interested and have the required skills and expertise.

f) Discussion and conclusion should include your critical evaluation of previous publications summarised in the Body and their findings, limitations, and future direction.

Brief Summary of Assessment Requirements

Task: Prepare a 2,500-word research review on a topic from the PSY382 list (Psychology of Ageing).
Purpose: Demonstrate mastery of biopsychosocial ageing processes, critically evaluate classic and recent theories, and apply research to practical problems mapped to APAC Graduate Competencies.
Sources: Use peer-reviewed original research (journal articles); you may include one or two meta-analytic papers.
Structure & mandatory elements:

• Title page: title, author name, affiliation, student number, contact email.
• Abstract (250–300 words): concise summary of background, method (how studies were selected), key findings, and conclusion.
• Introduction: background, scope, aims and either hypotheses or research questions.
• Body: thematic, critical synthesis of previous research aligned to aims/questions (not a chronological literature list).
• Methods (if conducting a systematic review): search strategy, databases, keywords, inclusion/exclusion criteria, data extracted (optional but required if you call it systematic). Meta-analysis is optional and beyond scope unless you have skills to do it.
• Discussion & Conclusion: critical evaluation of the literature, limitations, implications, and directions for future research.
• Appendices / Figures (optional): tables, a flowchart of search (if systematic), and any figures summarising key results.
• Style & standards: Treat this as a scientific review (not a lab report or journalistic essay). Follow the marking rubric and the guidance papers recommended in the unit (e.g., literature review methods and writing tips). Keep within the word limit (±10%) and use peer-reviewed evidence to justify claims.

Key pointers you must cover

• Clear statement of why this topic matters in ageing research (biopsychosocial framing).
• Explicit link to APAC competencies (e.g., biological, psychological and social influences; multidimensional/multidirectional ageing trajectories).
• Balanced critique of traditional theories (e.g., disengagement, activity, continuity) versus recent empirical findings.
• Consideration of normative, pathological and healthy ageing pathways.
• Evidence synthesis that identifies consensus, disagreements and methodological gaps.
• Practical implications (clinical, policy, or intervention-focused) and realistic future research directions.
• Transparent methods if claiming the review is systematic (search dates, databases, keywords, inclusion/exclusion).
• Accurate, consistent referencing and professionally presented tables/figures where helpful.

How the Academic Mentor guided the student step-by-step

Step 1 Topic selection & scoping

• Mentor helped narrow a broad topic from the unit list into a focused review question (e.g., “role of lifestyle factors in cognitive resilience after 65”).
• Agreed the scope (timeframe, age group, outcomes) so the review could be handled well within 2,500 words.

Step 2 Search strategy & source selection

• Demonstrated how to build an efficient search: choose 2–4 databases (e.g., PsycINFO, PubMed), select keywords and Boolean strings, and set date/language limits.
• Decided inclusion/exclusion criteria (population, study types, sample sizes, outcomes) and how many studies to include for a balanced review.

Step 3 Critical appraisal

• Trained the student to appraise study quality quickly: design (longitudinal vs cross-sectional), sample representativeness, measures used, and statistical rigor.
• Encouraged note-taking templates to capture study aim, methods, findings, limitations, and relevance to the review question.

Step 4 Thematic synthesis & structure

• Helped convert extracted notes into themes (e.g., genetic contributions, lifestyle moderators, sociocultural factors).
• Mapped an outline: Introduction → Methods (if systematic) → Thematic sections in the Body → Discussion/Conclusion. Mentor insisted each theme tie back to the review’s aims/questions.

Step 5 Writing the abstract & introduction

• Coached on writing a precise abstract (250–300 words) that reflects the review’s approach and key takeaways.
• Advised a concise introduction that establishes importance and sets research questions/hypotheses.

Step 6 Drafting & evidence-based argumentation

• Reviewed draft paragraphs to ensure claims were evidence-based, balanced (strengths and limitations), and linked logically between ideas.
• Suggested where to add comparative analysis (e.g., how older theories fare against recent meta-analytic findings).

Step 7 Discussion, implications & limitations

• Guided the student to critically evaluate what the collected evidence shows and equally important what it does not show.
• Helped formulate practical implications (clinical, policy, or intervention) and identify clear future research priorities.

Step 8 Editing, formatting & submission checks

• Performed word-count editing to keep within limits while preserving key arguments.
• Checked referencing consistency, figure/table captions, and that the review matched the rubric’s marking criteria.
• Final pass for clarity, academic tone, and coherence.

Outcome achieved

• A 2,500-word research review that: clearly framed a targeted ageing topic, synthesised peer-reviewed evidence across multiple thematic areas, critically evaluated classic theories vs recent research, and presented reasoned implications and future research directions.
• Supporting materials (figures/tables and search documentation) included where relevant; methods transparently reported if systematic elements were used.
• The final paper met rubric expectations for structure, depth of analysis, and academic presentation.

Learning objectives covered (mapped to APAC GC)

• APAC GC 1.1: Explained biopsychosocial processes of ageing and how genetics, sociocultural and lifestyle factors interact.
• APAC GC 1.3: Communicated ageing as multidimensional/multidirectional, addressing normative, pathological and healthy trajectories.
• APAC GC 1.3 (evaluation): Critically evaluated traditional theories against contemporary empirical findings.
• APAC GC 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.6: Demonstrated critical thinking and inquiry by synthesising research, applying findings to practical issues, and communicating research outcomes professionally.

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