Overview: Throughout your coursework and professional career, it is extremely important that you write in your words. You will often be tasked with reading psychological materials and then to incorporate the content into a paper or other type of written or oral presentation. At times, the material you are reading might be quite technical, and it may be challenging for you to present these ideas in your words. This is your opportunity to practice this important skill.

Review the following websites to learn about summarizing:

Purdue Owl: Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing

Example of a Summary

Instructions:

Read the passage below from your textbook.

Think about the main ideas contained in the passage.

Make a list of the four (4) main ideas contained in the passage.

, summarize the main ideas in paragraph form with a minimum of four (4) complete sentences.

Textbook Passage:

"Imagine that while flipping through a new textbook you see that it spends a lot of time discussing experiments with rats and pigeons. Pretty boring, huh? But what if the principles discovered in those experiments could help you improve your study habits, understand your eating disorder, and overcome your fear of spiders? In fact, what if some of those same principles could even help you improve your romantic relationships? ......In general, a proper grounding in the basic principles of learning and behavior will help you understand why you behave the way you do and how your behavior can often be changed for the better. This knowledge can make you a better student, a better parent, a better worker, and a better friend or partner. In a very real sense, the principles described in this text have the potential to enrich both your life and the lives of others - even though many of these principles have been derived from research with rats and pigeons!"

Summarize this paragraph in your words and include the following reference for your textbook below your summary:

Powell, R.A., Honey, P.L., & Symbaluk, D. G. (2017). Introduction to learning and behavior. (5th ed). Cengage.