AEC Diploma in Psychology Theories of Learning

Assessment II: Extended Writing Assignment

Students will produce a comprehensive essay based on a thorough review of research articles
discussing the following.

Explain substance (drug) dependence and how perspectives (i.e. biological perspectives,
cognitive perspectives and social perspectives) learned in the module can be used to explain
why people develop this condition. Also discuss in detail how theories of classical
conditioning, operant conditioning and social learning can be utilized to assist people to
overcome drug dependency. Ensure to present a concise argument supporting your views by
highlighting the pros and cons of each technique. Also ensure to review latest research
advances in the area relevant to the theories.

The essay may include the following sections

a. Introduction
b. A comprehensive literature review
c. Concise conclusion
d. The essay must contain in-text references and a correct, complete reference list
(follow Harvard referencing guidelines)

Assessment Deadline: TBC

Word count: 3,000 (+/- 10%)

Evaluation criteria

Introduction 0-5 General lack of coherence; a weak presentation of the

0-20 summary of the essay; does not sufficiently provide an
introduction to the essay; no rationale provided or unclear
rationale
5-10 A rather weak opening to the essay; does not sufficiently cover
what the reader will come across later; lacks coherence and
unclear rationales
10-15 Overall satisfactory introduction; creates a clear stage for the
essay to be built on; rationale fairly clear
15-20 Excellent all round. Clear & coherent throughout, focused
rationale, & clear purpose; ensures that the reader will
understand the content of the essay clearly; excellent summary
Literature Review 0-10 Lacks coherence; irrelevant literature; insufficient (discusses
0-40 one or two papers at length presenting irrelevant details or
discusses a large number of papers haphazardly rather than
building a coherent argument); overall poor discussion of
literature and poor structure
10-20 Literature reviewed is unclear and/or insufficient; does not
provide a convincing argument to support the rationale of
study; even though the reader maybe able to understand the
points discusses, the essay lacks structure

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AEC Diploma in Psychology Theories of Learning

20-30 Literature review is sufficient; uses a satisfactory selection of

past work relevant to the rationale of the essay; there is space
for improvement with little work; the structure of the essay is
satisfactory
30 - 40 Good – excellent review of literature; has chosen current and
relevant articles and combined them to form a clear essay; well
structured with sufficient attention given to each section of the
essay topic
Conclusion 0-3 No clear conclusion or a poorly written conclusion. Does not
0-10 provide a recap of the essay contents coherently
4-7 A fair or satisfactory concluding paragraph. However the
conclusion does not concisely summarize the important points
of the essay
8-10 Good to excellent conclusion with a concise recap of the essay
written
Reference 0-3 Incorrect/ absent
0 - 10 4-7 Incomplete and partially incorrect
8-10 Correct list of references following Harvard referencing
guidelines
Overall Title; structure of the essay; accessibility; English (persistent
0-10 errors rather than a few); table & figure headings & layout;
overall writing style