PSYC1001 : Written Assignment Guidelines Foundations of Psychology Written Assignment

Assessment 1

The goal of this assignment is to develop the following skills:
• Reading and interpreting psychological articles
• Finding relevant scientific literature on a specific topic
• Applying psychological concepts and research to situations in everyday life
• Writing clearly and concisely
• Referencing and acknowledging others’ work appropriately

Assignment questions and marks

You are required to answer the following four (4) questions. Note that the question is written in bold font, with some explanatory notes underneath to assist you in completing the question. Please also note that each question has a particular referencing requirement – see the notes following each question and the marking rubric for details. It’s important that you meet these minimum referencing requirements.

1. What are the typical effects of long-term insomnia? (5 marks)

Note: Occhionero et al. (2012) start their case report by stating that the patient (SC) has a 3-year history of insomnia, and ultimately conclude that the frequent night awakenings likely trigger SC’s out-of-body experience (OBE). OBE’s are however exceedingly rare, so this question asks you to describe more common or typical effects of long-term insomnia. You need to consider research into the effects of long-term sleep deprivation on various areas of functioning and whether it might impact people differently depending on personal or contextual factors. You should use at least two (2) high-quality academic sources. Note: you do not have to cite or refer to Occhionero et al. (2012) in answering this specific question.

2. Compare the case study report of SC’s out-of-body experience to other forms of hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations. (5 marks)

Note: Occhionero et al. (2012) note that visual hallucinations are not uncommon in the phase between wakefulness and going to or waking from sleep (i.e. hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations). Is SC’s experience similar to what is commonly observed in hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations? You may wish to compare and contrast the phenomenology (i.e. the subjective presentation of the phenomenon) and consider the prevalence (how common this particular presentation is); this will require at least one (1) high-quality academic source in addition to the required reading.

3. Occhionero et al. (2012) also consider the possibility that the patient’s OBE is linked to other sleep phenomena, including SC remembering detailed and exceptionally vivid dreams. Evaluate the evidence of an association between dream experiences and OBE’s and/or other types of hallucinations. (10 marks)

Note: You should consider research that looks at associations between sleep disturbances (particularly lack of sleep), abnormal dream experiences, and/or the experience of hallucinatory phenomena such as OBE’s. You may have to expand your search to research on hallucinatory or dissociative experiences more broadly if the research specific to OBE’s is limited. That’s okay. You may wish to reflect on whether there was anything surprising or unusual about SC’s experience given the research on sleep disturbances, dreaming and hallucinations. Is SC’s experience rather unusual or could it be common? You must refer to the reading and at least two (2) other highquality academic sources.

4. Imagine your friend confides to you that their 6-year-old little sister has spoken about seeing funny shapes and images when she falls asleep. Your friend is unfamiliar with this phenomenon and worried about the long-term effects on her psychological development, despite the child currently showing no signs of being unwell. You impress upon your friend that they should speak to a real expert if they continue to have concerns, but agree to help them interpret the available scientific evidence first. What factors should your friend consider that might indicate that something pathological is going on (or not)? (10 marks)

Note: There are two elements in this question. First, you should refer to research on the causes and long-term effects of these kinds of hypnagogic hallucinations (or the lack thereof), particularly among young children. You may refer to relevant research in other populations. You may consider possible psychological and physical causes, specific considerations in children vs. adults, potential health complications etc., but it is up to you what you discuss. Second, it’s important that you give your friend a solid evidence-based answer as to the extent to which their current worry might be justified. As you have been given limited information about the specifics of the situation, investigate whether there are any general risk and/or protective factors to consider with regard to this phenomenon. You do not have to refer to or compare this to the experiences of SC in the required reading, but you do have to refer to at least four (4) highquality academic sources.

Here are some final tips to assist you with completing this assignment:

1. Check the marking rubric on Blackboard. Know what is required for each answer in terms of the content and the referencing.

2. Review the FAQ document on Blackboard. These are questions that previous students have asked and contain helpful advice for completing this assignment.

3. You should base the length of each response roughly on the number of marks assigned for that question. However, please note that the quality of a response is judged on much more than just the word count.

4. You need to use appropriate citations throughout. You should research these questions carefully. Note that you do not have to use completely different references for each question.

5. Do not use internet websites as references for your assignment. You should rely on peer-reviewed academic journal articles. Targeted academic textbooks can also be used, although these are secondary sources and therefore not as strong as using journal articles.

6. Using a direct quote does not demonstrate that you understand the material. When explaining a concept/theory/finding you should use your own words. This demonstrates your understanding of the concept in question and will be awarded more marks.

7. Double-check that you have adhered to the assignment formatting requirements above. These are easy marks!

Assessment Requirements – Summary

The assessment required students to answer four structured questions based on the reading Occhionero et al. (2012) and additional high-quality academic literature. The key expectations were:

1. Effects of Long-Term Insomnia (5 marks):

   • Explain typical consequences of insomnia on physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning.

   • Use at least two peer-reviewed academic sources.

2. Comparison with Hypnagogic/Hypnopompic Hallucinations (5 marks):

   • Compare SC’s out-of-body experience (OBE) with hallucinations that occur at sleep–wake transitions.

   • Discuss phenomenology and prevalence.

   • Use at least one additional academic source.

3. Dreams and Hallucinatory Experiences (10 marks):

   • Evaluate evidence on the links between vivid dreams, OBE’s, hallucinations, and sleep disturbances.

   • Use Occhionero et al. (2012) plus two or more academic sources.

4. Interpreting Hypnagogic Hallucinations in a Child (10 marks):

   • Provide an evidence-based response for a parent worried about a 6-year-old child seeing shapes at sleep onset.

   • Discuss pathological vs. non-pathological indicators, risk factors, protective factors, and long-term effects.

   • Use at least four peer-reviewed academic sources.

General requirements included:

• Clear, concise academic writing.

• Correct referencing and acknowledgment of sources.

• Reliance on peer-reviewed journal articles (not general websites).

• Application of psychological concepts to everyday life scenarios.

• Meeting marking rubric criteria (content quality, referencing, clarity, structure).

Academic Mentor

Step 1: Understanding the Assignment Brief

The mentor first guided the student to carefully analyse the instructions, highlighting that each question had specific referencing requirements. They discussed the mark allocation, encouraging the student to match the depth of responses proportionally.

Step 2: Structuring the Responses

The mentor explained that each question should read like a mini-essay with:

• A clear topic sentence.

• Evidence from academic sources.

• Critical discussion linking research to the question.

• A concise conclusion.

Step 3: Addressing Each Question

• Q1 (Insomnia): The mentor directed the student to summarise common long-term effects (e.g., cognitive decline, emotional dysregulation, physical health risks), drawing from two peer-reviewed sleep psychology studies. The student was encouraged to avoid anecdotal claims and instead rely on empirical findings.

• Q2 (OBE vs. Hallucinations): The mentor advised comparing SC’s OBE with typical hypnagogic/hypnopompic hallucinations, focusing on phenomenology (subjective experience) and prevalence. The student was reminded to support arguments with at least one strong additional source.

• Q3 (Dreams and Hallucinations): The mentor emphasised evaluating—not just describing—evidence linking vivid dreams, OBEs, and hallucinations. The student was guided to integrate Occhionero et al. (2012) with at least two external studies, highlighting whether SC’s experience was unusual or consistent with the literature.

• Q4 (Child Hallucinations): Here, the mentor supported the student in balancing reassurance with evidence. They explored normal childhood hypnagogic experiences, risk factors (neurological/psychological issues), and protective factors. The mentor stressed the importance of citing at least four quality sources and framing the answer in a way that an informed layperson (the “friend” in the scenario) could understand.

Step 4: Referencing and Academic Integrity

The mentor reinforced the importance of APA referencing, paraphrasing instead of over-quoting, and meeting the minimum citation requirements for each question.

Step 5: Review and Refinement

The student was guided through proofreading for clarity, ensuring each section addressed the marking rubric criteria: relevance, accuracy, depth, and referencing.

Final Outcome & Learning Objectives Covered

By following this step-by-step approach, the student produced a structured, evidence-based response that:

• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret psychological articles.

• Located and integrated relevant scientific literature.

• Applied psychological concepts to real-life and case-based scenarios.

• Wrote in a clear, concise, and academically appropriate style.

• Correctly referenced sources according to academic standards.

All assessment learning objectives were achieved, and the student gained practical skills in critically applying psychological research to both clinical case reports and everyday situations.

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