Sometimes the hardest part about writing a good Internal Assessment report in IB Psychology is knowing how to begin.
With this simple exercise, students can (hopefully) figure out how to write a great opening couple of lines and really get their introduction off to a flying start.
Students can read the following examples and see if they can come up with any common characteristics that these lines share and these use this to guide how they will begin their own introductions.
Example One
- “There is a critical need for academics and policy-makers to better understand the puzzle of how and why some people turn to violent extremism… ”
- Lyons-Padilla et al.’s study on marginalization and radicalization
Example Two
- “Anecdotal observation and empirical research suggest that strangers are more likely to receive help in some cities than they are in others (e.g. Steblay, 1987).”
- From Levine et al.’s research “Cross-cultural differences in helping strangers”
Example Three
- “How accurately do we remember the details of a complex event, like a traffic accident, that has happened in our presence?.”
- From Loftus and Palmer’s 1974 study on memory reliability.
Example Four
- “Approximately 20,000 – 25,000 Americans will die in homicides this year, and tens of thousands more will be injured in stabbings or gunfights that could have ended in death.”
- From Cohen et al.’s study on the culture of honor and aggression
What do these opening lines have in common?
Why do you think they begin like that?
Can you use this as a guideline for opening your own introduction?
