Outline of the Final Paper

For this assignment you are to examine a topic of lifespan development connecting research and life. Below is a list of topics from which you are to select one for the Outline of the Final Paper and the Final Paper. Make sure that the topic you select is different from the topics you selected for the Week Two and Week Three assignments.

• What do twin and adoption studies tell us about the effects of nature (i.e., genetic influences) and nurture (i.e., environmental influences) on human development? Select at least one of the main domains of human development (i.e., physical, cognitive, or social-emotional).
• How much credit or blame do parents deserve for the way we are? Select at least one of the main domains of human development (physical, cognitive, or social-emotional) for your answer.
• To what extent are the lives of adolescents and young adults shaped by parental and peer influences?
• Why do we have a need to belong (to affiliate with others)?
• How do our bodies and minds change from early to late adulthood?
• What are the factors that affect our well-being as middle aged and older adults?
• Why are some people attracted to members of their own sex whereas others are attracted to members of the opposite sex?  
• How do memory and intelligence change as we age?
• Does an infant’s temperament shape his/her cognitive and socio-emotional development?  
• Are babies pre-wired for survival?
• Are adolescents more likely to engage in risk-taking behavior than older adults?
• Can physical exercise affect cognitive performance in old age? Consider the time of occurrence of physical exercise (i.e., earlier in life or during old age) in your answer.
• Are there personality traits related to longevity?
• Does bilingualism improve brain functioning?
• Why do students in the United States tend to under-perform in math and science?

Once you have chosen your topic, examine the various theories of human development learned in the course and choose one or two that best assist you to understand the issues involved in your topic.

For this outline, address the following:

• Examine various theories of human development, describing relevant terminology, and addressing how the theory assists in the understanding of issues involved in the selected topic.
• Identify and describe at least two domains of human development (physical, biological, emotional, cognitive, and/or social) and how they are impacted by the chosen topic.
• Identify and describe the stages of development that are affected by the chosen topic.
• Describe the cultural and historical perspectives of the chosen topic, demonstrating an understanding of how the topic has been perceived over time and by other cultures. Provide relevant examples.

Writing the Outline for the Final Paper

The Outline:

1. Must be two to three double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
2. Must include a title page with the following:
   1. Title of paper
   2. Student’s name
   3. Course name and number
   4. Instructor’s name
   5. Date submitted
3. Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
   1. Begin with an introduction to the selected topic in which you define all concepts that will be discussed in the paper.
   2. For example, if you select “How do memory and intelligence change as we age?”, as your topic, then you will need to define the terms memory, intelligence and aging.
4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
   1. Conclude with an answer to the selected question. Did the evidence you surveyed answer the question satisfactorily? Include your analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the available evidence.
   2. If possible, suggest the course that future research should take if answers to the selected question are less than conclusive.
6. Must use at least five scholarly sources, all of which must come from the Ashford University Library or Google Scholar.
   1. It is important that you ask yourself if the articles specifically address the selected topic. It is not always easy to find the right articles. Thus, give yourself some time to search before you finalize your selection.  
   2. You may reference your textbook and other required materials from the course; however, these will not fulfill the resource requirement.
7. Must briefly summarize each article including the purpose of the investigation, its methodology, and results.
   1. If possible, select peer-reviewed articles that summarize the evidence available in a given field of study (e.g., meta-analysis combines the findings of different studies to uncover trends, commonalities and differences).
   2. Order the articles in the way you think you will discuss them in your paper. Then develop a summary of the scientific evidence that answers the question you selected.
8. Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
9. Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
   1. The reference section will be the final page of the paper.

1. Identify the three dominant ethical theories in Western philosophy, and define each of the ethical theories. Your definitions should contrast the theories based on how each would evaluate an action to determine if it is good or virtuous.
2. Explain and compare what duties each theory would impose on an individual who aims to act in a way that is good or virtuous.

Write a paper that contrasts the common myths of the American Frontier from the historical realities. Choose one group who had a significant presence in the West (e.g., Native Americans, White settlers, Black Americans, women, etc.), and maintain focus on your chosen group throughout the paper. In addition, explain all of the following points:

• Explain what two opportunities and/or challenges this group faced during the last half of the 1800s. You can choose two opportunities, two challenges, or one opportunity and one challenge.
• Explain the impact of the “closing of the frontier” during the last half of the 1800s on this group.
• Explain how the myths relevant to this group contrasted with reality.

In order to gain a better understanding of the Closing of the Frontier, watch the following film:

• Ghost dance: The West, a Film by Stephen Ives from the Films on Demand database in the Ashford University Library.

To further research this assignment, review the following online exhibition, and read the following scholarly source:

• Keeping History: Plains Indian Ledger Drawings 
• Making and Unmaking Myths of the American Frontier
  • This source is available in the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library.

Your paper must

• Be two to three pages in length, not including title and references pages.
• Be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Contain at least one quote from the article “Making and Unmaking Myths of the American Frontier.” For information on how to do this, visit the Ashford Writing Center. 
• Discuss at least one of the images from the online exhibition on Indian Ledger Drawings.
• Cite sources in text and on the reference page. Your references and citations must be formatted according to APA style as outlined by the Ashford Writing Center.

Kant famously–and controversially–argued that some knowledge is synthetic a priori. Can you explain in your own words what Kant might have meant by this, and can you give an example of the sort of knowledge that Kant believed possessed this strange status?

HINT: To answer this question in a clear and well-organized manner, you might want to first explain and illustrate Kant’s distinction between apriori and aposteori knowledge and also his distinction between empirical and synthetic judgments.

Please ensure that your essay addresses each component of the assigned questions and that your answer is well-organized, uses excellent, college-level prose, and makes judicious use of textual evidence. Your essay should be 600-900 words long.

There are several important terms used in the field of addictions and addictive behaviors. Substance misuse, abuse, and dependence are among the basic concepts of this field of study. Use your textbook and the Argosy University online library resources to examine the terms substance misuse, substance abuse, and substance dependence.

Respond to the following:

• Compare and contrast substance misuse, substance abuse, and substance dependence. Discuss at least one similarity and one difference between the terms.
• Is it possible to engage in more than one of these behaviors at the same time? That is, can you misuse and abuse the same substance at the same time? Give reasons and examples in your answer.

Write your initial response in 150–200 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.