01 Oct Social Psychology Research Design in Social Psychology
Social Psychology
Research Design in Social Psychology
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 2
Lesson
Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
There are many methods psychologists use to research their hypothesis or explore research questions. In social psychology in particular, common methods include observational, survey, or experimental/quasi-experimental, among others. For this discussion, identify a social psychology question or hypothesis that is of interest to you (for example, why do people tend to buy a product more if they see an attractive or famous person advertising it) and briefly describe how you might go about researching that topic using one of the research methods described in your readings this week. Why do you think that method is a good fit for your question/topic? Are there any methods that wouldn’t work well? Why/why not? How does this method in particular relate to social psychology research as compared to research in other fields?
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
APA format for in-text citations and list of references
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 2 Discussion
The Social Self in Social Psychology
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 3
Lesson
Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
Motivation is a fantastic tool that helps keep individuals moving and active in life. Consider the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. What are the motivations in your life that are pushing you to earn your degree? How do your sources of motivation align with your sense of self or self-concept? Do you find yourself more swayed by intrinsic or extrinsic sources of motivation when it comes to completing your degree? Why do you think that is?
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
APA format for in-text citations and list of references
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 3 Discussion
A Picture of Perception
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
· Textbook: Chapter 4, 6
· Lesson
· Images from lesson
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
Let’s revisit the images we looked at in the lesson this week. Share with the class a summary of the notes and thoughts you had when deciding how to perceive the individuals depicted. What was your assessment of them? What factors related to social psychology and perceptions of others led you to think that? What other information might you have wanted to know to make a more accurate assessment?
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification. Specifically, when responding to peers, consider an alternative way to perceive the person(s) in the picture. Share what factors might have led to misperceptions about that person?
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 4 Discussion
Obedience
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
· Textbook: Chapter 7
· Lesson
· Alexander Street Press video from lesson
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
Think back to the video you watched on Milgram’s study on obedience. If you found yourself to be the “teacher” in the study, do you think you would have responded the same way as the participants highlighted in the study? Why/why not? Consider what social dynamics would have influenced your choices. What impact, if any, does the time in history that this study was conducted have on its results? If this study was conducted today, would the results be the same? Why/why not? Remember to go beyond opinion in your response and to connect your analysis and conclusions to key social psychology terms and concepts we learned about this week.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
· Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
· APA format for in-text citations and list of references
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 5 Discussion
Steretoypes and Self-Esteem
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
· Textbook: Chapter 5
· Lesson
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
Consider what we discussed earlier in the course regarding our sense of self and analyze that in the context of our discussion of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination this week. What impact might being the victim of stereotypes, prejudice, or discrimination have on our self-esteem or self-concept?
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
· Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
· APA format for in-text citations and list of references
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 6 Discussion
Attraction
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
· Textbook: Chapter 9
· Lesson
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
There are so many variables that factor into the psychology of attraction. Interpersonal attraction and sociability are essential to the survival of the human species. However, human interactions have changed significantly over the past 100 years with the advent of the telephone, social media, and the Internet. In the context of your readings and research this week, discuss whether you believe that long-distance relationships are sustainable and realistic for the continuation of attraction. In particular, consider your response in the context of Sternberg’s Theory of Love.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least one peer. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
Writing Requirements
· Minimum of 2 posts (1 initial & 1 follow-up)
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
· APA format for in-text citations and list of references
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 7 Discussion
Self-Control and Aggression
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
· Textbook: Chapter 11
· Lesson
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
When it comes to aggression, self-control is one of the most important factors in keeping one’s destructive side from emerging. Your discussion post will include two parts this week. In Part I, describe a time that you witnessed aggression in others.
· What were the circumstances of the incident?
· What made the situation escalate?
· What social psychology components related to aggression were at work (situational factors, social rejection, obedience, conformity, social learning theory, etc.)
In Part II, reflect on each step of the incident and what you witnessed or felt. Then describe what the person could have done differently to stop the situation from resulting in aggression. Connect your recommendations to specific concepts or theories discussed this week such as rumination, self-control, or aggressive cues.
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 8 Discussion
Who Do We Help?
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
· Textbook: Chapter 10
· Lesson 8
· Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and an outside scholarly source)
Initial Post Instructions
Consider our exploration of factors that lead us to help, as well as those that direct us to helping certain people over others that we discussed this past week. To prepare for this discussion, find a spot in a public place that has lots of people. For example, a bench at a park, the food court at your local mall, etc. Make sure you select somewhere busy where you are likely to see numerous encounters among strangers. Now, for 30-60 minutes, observe carefully the interactions you see around you, making note of any helping/positive behaviors (holding the door open for someone, letting someone go ahead in line, helping someone pick up something they dropped, waving or smiling in greeting, etc.). When you see someone engaging in helping behavior, note as many details as you can about all of those involved in the exchange. Age, race, attractiveness, clothing, type of help, nature of the exchange, etc. Take some time to reflect on patterns you noted in your observations.
Now, respond to the following in your discussion:
· What patterns did you find, if any, in your observations?
· Did they fit with the theory and research we discussed this week?
· If so, how so? If not, why not?
Remember to be specific when making connections between your observations and relevant theory and research.
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 2 Assignment
Instructions
This week we explored the topics of self-concept, self-esteem and self-presentation. Take some time to reflect on your own self-concept. Who are you? How do you define yourself? How do you feel about your abilities to be successful and accomplish your goals? What image of yourself do you currently, or do you wish to moving forward present to the world. Keep that introspective reflection in mind as you move through this assignment, considering how your own understanding of these ideas has evolved over the years to your present level of development.
Now, pretend that you have been asked to speak to a group of middle school students on the topic of bullying as it relates to self-concept, self-esteem and self-presentation. Create a PowerPoint presentation that addresses the following:
Keeping in mind your audience of 12-14 year olds, define self-concept, self-esteem and self-presentation.
Analyze and explain the possible causes of bullying in the context of these three concepts.
Analyze and explain the impact of bullying (on the victim and aggressor) of these three concepts.
Provide specific actions or behaviors kids in your audience can use to stop or respond positively when they see bullying, are bullied, or are tempted to bully.
As you complete your presentation, be sure to:
Use speaker’s notes to expand upon the bullet point main ideas on your slides, making references to research and theory with citation.
Proof your work
Use visuals (pictures, video, narration, graphs, etc.) to compliment the text in your presentation and to reinforce your content.
Do not just write a paper and copy chunks of it into each slide. Treat this as if you were going to give this presentation live to a group of middle school kids – be relevant, engaging, and focused.
Presentation Requirements (APA format)
Length: 8-10 slides (not including title, introduction, and references slides)
Font should not be smaller than size 16-point
Parenthetical in-text citations included and formatted in APA style
References slide (a minimum of 3 outside scholarly sources plus the textbook and/or the weekly lesson for each course outcome)
Title and introduction slide required
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 4 Assignment
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 7,8
Lesson
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources in addition to textbook and lesson.
Instructions
While our focus in the lesson this week was on the concepts of conformity and obedience, we also studied group processes and dynamics in our readings for the week. For this assignment, select two specific groups to which you personally belong. This could be a church group, sports team, club, department at work, etc. In a slide presentation, address the following for each of the groups you selected:
Describe the group (membership, purpose, etc.).
Define the group roles, emphasizing your own role in that group.
Describe the group norms.
Analyze the group dynamics – How does the group communicate? How are decisions made? Who evaluates group members’ performance?
Evaluate how dissension or conflict are managed within the group.
Select two social psychology group concepts (for example: cohesion, groupthink, social loafing) and apply them to these two groups, comparing and contrasting how the group norms and dynamics impact how the group behaves.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
As you complete your presentation, be sure to:
Use speaker’s notes to expand upon the bullet point main ideas on your slides, making references to research and theory with citation.
Proof your work
Use visuals (pictures, video, narration, graphs, etc.) to complement the text in your presentation and to reinforce your content.
Do not just write a paper and copy chunks of it into each slide. Treat this as if you were going to give this presentation live to an audience of your peers/instructor.
Presentation Requirements (APA format)?
Length: 8-10 slides (not including title, introduction, and references slides)??
Font should not be smaller than size 16-point??
Parenthetical in-text citations included and formatted in APA style??
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 6 Assignment
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 9
Lesson
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources in addition to your textbook and lesson.
Instructions
Research courtship and marital customs in the US and one other country. Compare and contrast core aspects of love and relationships in the US and the country you selected. Analyze and describe the following in your paper in both cultures you identified:
What is the typical age people marry?
What are the ways people meet and initiate romantic relationships?
What are some of the common practices when it comes to marriage (engagement, parental selection/approval of mates, celebrations, intimacy, etc.)
What are cultural values regarding close, intimate relationships?
How are marital difficulties and divorce viewed in that culture?
Consider core theories and research we have explored this week and that you investigate in your research as you conduct your analysis, making clear connections between your observations and conclusions and relevant psychological theories.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 3-4 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources in addition to your text and lesson)
PSYC315N Social Psychology
Week 8 Assignment
Final Project Presentation
Start Assignment
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapters 10, 14
Lesson
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources
Instructions:
This we week explored the idea of prosocial behavior and the impact it can have on ourselves and others. This week, for a full day, consciously observe and take note of any helping behavior you see around you. Try to also engage in helping behavior yourself. Let the person cut ahead of you in line in traffic, hold the door open for those reaching the entrance at the same time, make breakfast for your partner or kids if they normally do that, etc. Take notes throughout your experiment on the scenario, your behavior, and the response of others. Then, create a PowerPoint to describe your analysis of the results. Specifically, be sure to include:
A detailed description of at least three prosocial behaviors you engaged in and/or observed others exhibit.
An analysis of the impact of your behaviors on you. How did you feel? What impact did the experiences have on your outlook for the day? Stress levels? Thoughts? Perceived levels of aggression?
An analysis of the impact of helping behaviors on others. How did they feel? What impact did the experiences seem to have on their outlook for the day? Stress levels? Thoughts? Perceived levels of aggression?
An analysis of at least two social psychology principles or theories discussed in class as they relate to your observations
Make use of presentation best practices
Include visuals (images, video, graphs, etc.) that support your text
Use the speaker’s notes to expand upon your bullet points or main ideas in the presentation.
Cite any sources used on the slide itself with an in-text citation as well as in your full reference list on the reference slide.
Presentation Requirements (APA format)
Length: 10-15 slides (not including title, introduction, and references slides)
Font should not be smaller than size 16-point
Parenthetical in-text citations included and formatted in APA style
References slide (a minimum of 2outside scholarly sources plus the textbook and/or the weekly lesson for each course outcome)
