Case Study

Diagnose the status of this 1951 study within the context of literature review guidelines. Explain why the student is justified in including this older study in her literature review despite her instructor's general guideline to prioritize recent research.

Case context: A student is writing a literature review on social conformity in psychology. Her instructor instructed the class to prioritize research sources from the last 10 years to ensure their reviews are up to date. However, as the student searches the literature, she notices that a landmark study by Solomon Asch published in 1951 is cited in the reference lists of nearly every single recent paper she finds on the topic.

Question: Diagnose the status of this 1951 study within the context of literature review guidelines. Explain why the student is justified in including this older study in her literature review despite her instructor's general guideline to prioritize recent research.

Sample answer: The student should diagnose this study as a classic article. Although it violates the general guideline of prioritizing recent research due to its age, its frequent presence in the reference lists of nearly every other source on conformity demonstrates that it is a foundational, highly influential study with enduring importance to the field. Because classic articles are the primary exception to the recency rule, the student is justified in including it regardless of its publication date.

Key points:

  • Diagnoses the 1951 study as a classic article.
  • Explains that being cited in nearly every other source on the topic indicates its foundational and highly influential status.
  • Justifies the study's inclusion as the primary exception to the general rule of prioritizing recent research.
  • Connects the justification to the study's enduring importance to the field of psychology.

Rubric: The response must correctly identify the 1951 study as a classic article. It must explain that its frequent citation across nearly all other sources on the topic demonstrates its foundational status and enduring importance. Finally, it must justify its inclusion as a valid exception to the general rule of prioritizing recent research.

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Updated 2026-05-26

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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