PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 1 Weekly Review
Question 1A study showed that as the number of beers consumed the night before an exam increase, the grades on the exam decreased. This is an example of
a zero correlation.
an undetermined correlation.
a positive correlation.
a negative correlation.
Question 2Norman Triplett studied the effect of others on individual action, by observing people while they were
playing tug-of-war.
running a foot race.
riding bicycles.
solving puzzles.
Question 3A major factor in the growing number of social psychologists during the 1950s and 1960s was
the need to understand war and conflict.
the increased number of people interested in human behavior.
the many social scientists that fled Nazi tyranny.
a need to understand events associated World War II.
Question 4Which of these questions would best be answered by a social psychologist?
Is global warming a reality?
Why is Tim's I.Q. below average?
Do humans have free will?
Is aggression related to leadership?
Question 5In order to learn about human beings, social psychologists use
the scientific method.
their experience.
trial and error.
common sense.
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 2 Weekly Review
Question 1A person is more likely to make the fundamental attribution error when reading
a letter from a classmate.
subtitles from a movie.
a note from their professor.
a brief email.
Question 2The ____________ explains how we might develop or enhance certain attitudes.
cognitive dissonance theory
theory of planned behavior
self-perception theory
theory of relativity
Question 3Asa believes that once the politicians stop bickering and legislation is passed to permit more funding, she will be able to obtain the science scholarship for which she applied. Asa is using a(n) ______________ to describe her current situation.
positive explanatory style
pessimistic explanatory style
optimistic explanatory style
negative explanatory style
Question 4According to the actor-observer bias, a person who just got hired for a high-paying job is more likely to offer a(n) ___________ as opposed to a(n) ___________ to explain their good fortune.
smug explanation; humble explanation
situational explanation; dispositional explanation
detailed account; brief summary
dispositional explanation; situational explanation
Question 5Researchers Frank and Gilovich (1988) investigated whether what we are wearing has an impact on our actions. The results of their study showed that
wearing dark clothes was related to aggression.
wearing black uniforms was related to aggression.
wearing black uniforms was related to intimidating behavior.
wearing black uniforms was related to rudeness.
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 3 Weekly Review
Question 1A well-known pizza company created an ad that reported the fact that many pizza companies use small amounts of cheese. In fact, the ad stated that their company was guilty of the same process. The point of the ad was to highlight their new extra cheesy pizza. This type of ad contains
a lot of humility.
a one-sided message.
a two-sided message.
a unique approach to advertising.
Question 2Older consumers are less likely to change their attitudes toward persuasive messages.
True
False
Question 3Neighbors at a town hall meeting listen to a discussion about issues that will impact their property tax rate. It is most likely that they will use the ____________ while listening to these messages.
peripheral route
route of least resistance
attentive route
central route
Question 4In an ad for a popular garden hose, the announcer highlights the price of $19.95. Toward the end of the ad, it is pointed out that this is the 20 foot hose, and the 45 foot hose is only $24.95. Which technique is being used in this commercial?
foot-in-the-door
lowball
bait-and-switch
None of these
Question 5A message coming from an expert source is always going to be more persuasive than from other sources.
True
False
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 4 Weekly Review
Question 1Which age group tends to be most physically aggressive?
Adults
Adolescents
Children
Toddlers
Question 2Bandura’s _______________ proposed that people observe and model the behavior of others.
social learning theory
social modeling theory
theory of societal learning
social aggression theory
Question 3The theory of reducing aggression by “letting off steam” was developed by
Lewin.
Bandura.
Freud.
Berkowitz.
Question 4Which of these represents the best illustration of aggression?
a person pushes their spouse when angry.
a football player tackles an opponent.
a debater shouts loudly at a member of the other team.
a sniper kills a man they have targeted.
Question 5Relational aggression is focused on destroying social status.
True
False
Question 6According to your text book, Sigmund Freud believed that in order to control our aggressive drives___________ was necessary.
balance
harmony
culture
the id
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 5 Weekly Review
Question 1Millie drops and breaks her new cell phone as she stepped out of her car. She begins to think about how much she will have to pay for a new phone, whether she can retrieve all of her contacts, and how her Mom always asks her to not hold the phone while driving. According to your textbook, Millie’s experience can be considered to be a _____________ and _____________.
stressor; a crucial issue
stressor; a daily hassle
daily hassle; Murphy’s Law
daily hassle; a time to start cussing
Question 2Being laid off from a job, losing your home, or failing out of school all are examples of
bad luck.
poor decision making.
stressors.
typical life events.
Question 3A person that is extremely stressed, and has come to believe they cannot change their situation, is experiencing
emotionless coping.
psychological resignation.
learned helplessness.
helpless debilitation.
Question 4According to the health beliefs model, individuals have different beliefs about
cues from their own bodies.
benefits of changing a behavior.
barriers to changing a behavior.
All of these.
Question 5The way in which a person deals with a stressor is referred to in your textbook as
dealing.
coping.
surviving.
managing.
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 1 Discussion
Research in Social Psychology
To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapter 1: Studying Social Psychology of your textbook and Exploring the Ethics and Psychological Impact of Deception in Psychological Research article.
In this discussion, you will consider principles of scientific research, including methodology and ethical considerations.
First, visit the Online Social Psychology Studies (Links to an external site.) web page and select any study from the list. (Note that some links may be broken; if you choose a study that is unavailable, simply pick another option.) Participate in the research by following the instructions. After you have completed the study, answer the following questions (see Chapter 1 and Boynton, Portnoy, & Johnson, 2013):
Indicate the study you completed, including the web link.
Describe the research that was conducted. What did you do? What type of method do you think the researcher was utilizing? Can you identify the hypothesis and/or theory?
Appraise the study based on your understanding of research gained from the reading. What elements of the study “worked” and what would you suggest the researchers do to improve their study? Mention at least three specific elements.
Indicate any relevant ethical concerns. Was deception utilized?
Identify situational factors and/or social and cultural influences that may impact the phenomenon being studied.
Illustrate how this insight may be relevant to your personal or professional life through specific examples.
To fully demonstrate content knowledge and critical thinking in your Research in Social Psychology discussion
Interpret course concepts explicitly, applying them to your personal experiences/observations, and cite the required readings as appropriate.
Be thorough and specific, structuring your work intentionally (with an introductory and concluding sentence or two), providing clear context, and concisely and precisely explaining relevant course concepts.
Use personal examples to illustrate as appropriate, but do be sure to provide an objective analysis too, referencing required materials and using additional sources as needed to support your insight.
Use your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.
Review APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) for more information.
Your original post should be a minimum of 300 words.
Peer Responses: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least three of your peers in a minimum of 300 words (each reply), by Day 7 (Monday).
What lingering questions do you have about the research in which your peer participated?
Can you identify any additional methodological or ethical concerns?
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 2 Discussion
Social Thinking
To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapter 4: Attitudes, Attributions, and Behaviors; Chapter 5: Making Judgments; and Chapter 6: Prejudice of your textbook, and Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases downloadand Intergroup Contact Theory articles. In addition, watch A Class Divided.
In this discussion, you will consider theoretical perspectives on the formation, maintenance, and change of attitudes and the cognitive processes that support these thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Choose any group toward which you have a strong attitude, positive or negative.
Possible dimensions from which you may select your group include: appearance, race or ethnicity, gender, social class, nationality, sexual identity, (dis)ability, rural versus urban status, geographic region, religious belief, political ideology, incarceration/criminal history, occupational status, military status, and so on.
Relate stereotypes (thoughts about), prejudice (feelings toward), and/or discrimination (actions) directed toward members of this group on a societal or cultural level, explaining potential causal mechanisms (categorization, social norms, inequality, etc.; see Chapter 6). You may elect to identify your own implicit and explicit attitudes, as well, though this is not required.
Use concrete examples to illustrate (e.g., advertisements that depict members of the group in a stereotypical manner, statements you have overheard expressing affective reactions to the group, policies that discriminate in favor or/against the group, etc.). Consider both negative and positive elements.
Identify situational and social/cultural factors that may influence attitudes toward this group.
Analyze attitudes toward this group using one or more relevant theoretical perspectives (self-perception theory, cognitive dissonance, theory of planned behavior, etc.; see Chapter 4).
Examine the use of heuristics (availability, representativeness, etc.) and errors in judgment (belief perseverance, confirmation bias, illusion of control, etc.) with regard to this attitude (see Chapter 5).
Consider how positive or negative attitudes toward this or another group might be implicated in a professional setting (see A Class Divided). Identify realistic suggestions to eliminate as much bias as possible in this context (see Pettigrew, 1998).
To fully demonstrate content knowledge and critical thinking, in your Social Thinking discussion
Interpret course concepts explicitly, applying them to your personal experiences/observations, and cite the required readings as appropriate.
Be thorough and specific, structuring your work intentionally (with an introductory and concluding sentence or two), providing clear context, and concisely and precisely explaining relevant course concepts.
Use personal examples to illustrate as appropriate, but do be sure to provide an objective analysis too, referencing required materials and using additional sources as needed to support your insight.
Use your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.
Review APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) for more information.
Your original post should be a minimum of 300 words.
Apply relevant concepts from the readings to your own experiences and/or cite appropriate outside sources to support your insight whenever possible. Be sure to use your own academic voice and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.
Peer Responses: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least three of your peers in a minimum of 300 words (each reply), by Day 7 (Monday).
Discuss alternative theoretical perspectives or concepts that might apply to the attitude your peer described.
Identify additional examples of cognitive processes that contribute to judgment.
Ask questions that encourage your peer to more fully consider the impact of stereotypes, prejudice, and/or discrimination on his/her behavior or the targeted group.
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 3 Discussion
Social Influence
To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapter 8: Conformity and Obedience and Chapter 9: Groups of your textbook and the Milestones in the Psychological Analysis of Social Influence and One Hundred Years of Group Research: Introduction to the Special Issue articles. In addition, watch Everybody’s Doing It (Links to an external site.) video.
In this discussion, you will consider social behavior and the various normative and informational social influences you encounter in your everyday life, including the impact of groups on individual thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Complete the following:
Appraise your behavior for a period of 24 hours.
Identify at least 10 behaviors in which you engage that are due to conformity or obedience. Strive to identify less obvious examples that will allow for greater insight and a more interesting discussion. For example, how do you greet people or respond to messages? Which rules or social norms do you break, and which do you follow?
Discuss the situational factors that impact your beliefs and behaviors.
Describe potential social and cultural influences.
Analyze five of your logged behaviors, determining whether they are due to normative or informational influence and whether group pressures apply.
Then, select one of the following options below:
Choose one mundane behavior from your log that is based on a social norm. Violate this norm. Be sure you are not breaking any rules or laws or putting yourself at risk in any way. Here is a link to Examples of Norm Violations (Links to an external site.), but feel free to come up with your own (or Google search for additional ideas. Or,
Spend 24 hours living “a day of nonconformity,” living each minute as uninfluenced as possible (without infringing on the rights of others). Strive to be your true, unfettered self.
Examine your social influence log and your experience living a day of nonconformity or violating a social norm. Include the following in your summary:
To what extent is your everyday behavior shaped by social influence? Why or why not?
How do people react when you do not conform/obey?
What factors influence people to follow? (e.g., leaders, groups, etc.)
Is conformity a good thing, or a bad thing? Explain your point of view.
How do social and/or cultural differences play a role in social influence?
To fully demonstrate content knowledge and critical thinking, your Social Influence discussion must
Interpret course concepts explicitly, applying them to your personal experiences/observations, and cite the required readings as appropriate.
Be thorough and specific, structuring your work intentionally (with an introductory and concluding sentence or two), providing clear context, and concisely and precisely explaining relevant course concepts.
Use personal examples to illustrate as appropriate, but do be sure to provide an objective analysis too, referencing required materials and using additional sources as needed to support your insight.
Use your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.
Review APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) for more information.
Your original post should be a minimum of 300 words.
Peer Responses: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least three of your peers in a minimum of 300 words (each reply), by Day 7 (Monday).
What about your peer’s experience was most/least surprising?
How would you have reacted to the nonconformity of your peer?
When and how might the presence of others (i.e., a group) impact your peer’s thoughts or actions?
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 4 Discussion
Social Relations
To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapter 10: Aggression, Chapter 11: Prosocial Behavior, and Chapter 12: Attraction and Relationships of your textbook and the Love: What It Is, Why Does It Matter, and How Does It Operate? and the Perceptions of Love Across the Lifespan: Differences in Passion, Intimacy, and Commitment articles. Also, review The Lucifer Effect (Links to an external site.) website.
In this discussion, you will consider social interaction, including aggression and prosocial behavior as well as attraction and relationships.
First, select a book, play, television show, movie, etc., that contains adequate social interaction illustrating both a friend or romantic relationship and an example of aggression or prosocial behavior. Provide necessary information such as the general plot and key characters for the class to understand if they are not familiar with the source. Then, complete the following:
Interpret a depicted voluntary (i.e., friend or romantic) relationship from a social psychological perspective. Point out specific examples to illustrate the following:
Which of the various factors in attraction are present in this relationship?
Is the relationship based on friendship or love? If love, what type of love is portrayed?
Examine a scenario from the source you selected that illustrates either aggression or prosocial behavior.
Identify specific course concepts in your analysis, pointing out relevant theory and research. Note that you must utilize at least one relevant scholarly source in addition to your textbook for this portion of the discussion.
Aggression:
Examine research that examines a possible source of aggression (e.g., the media, weapons, alcohol, environmental factors, etc.). Give specific examples.
Explain why this particular variable is/is not harmful. How does this theory/research apply to the scenario you described?
Prosocial Behavior:
Examine research on prosocial behavior, predicting who will help whom, when, and why (e.g., empathy, cultural norms, gender, religiosity, etc.).
Assess whether this information might be useful in reducing aggression/violence. How does this theory/research apply to the scenario you described?
For both of the above (attraction and aggression/prosocial behavior),
Distinguish situational factors that may influence social relations (attraction, aggression, prosocial behavior, etc.).
Discuss the impact of social and cultural differences on social relations (attraction, aggression, prosocial behavior, etc.).
To fully demonstrate content knowledge and critical thinking, in your Social Relations discussion,
Interpret course concepts explicitly, applying them to your personal experiences/observations, and cite the required readings as appropriate.
Be thorough and specific, structuring your work intentionally (with an introductory and concluding sentence or two), providing clear context, and concisely and precisely explaining relevant course concepts.
Use personal examples to illustrate as appropriate, but do be sure to provide an objective analysis too, referencing required materials and using additional sources as needed to support your insight.
Use your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.
Review APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) for more information.
Your original post should be a minimum of 300 words.
Peer Responses: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least three of your peers in a minimum of 300 words (each reply), by Day 7 (Monday).
Can you identify other theoretically or empirically supported means of enhancing attraction or reducing antisocial behavior/increasing prosocial behavior?
Can you apply additional theoretical principles to the chosen relationship/scenario?
Do your personal experiences (with regard to relationships and pro/antisocial behavior) mirror theoretical predictions?
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 5 Discussion
A Prescription for Health
To prepare for this discussion, please read Chapter 13: Social Psychology, Stress, and Health of your textbook and read the Stress, Health and Illness: Four Challenges For the Future and the Life Stress and the Life Stress and Health: A Review of Conceptual Issues and Recent Findings articles. Also, watch the Achieving a State of Optimal Health: Stress and the Health Realization Model—American Academy of Pediatrics: Reaching Teens video.
In this discussion, you will consider social psychological variables that affect health. Note that you must utilize at least one relevant scholarly source in addition to your textbook for this discussion.
Interpret the relevance of one or more social variables that influence health (e.g., social support, hope, choice, etc.) in your own life.
Also, in your discussion,
Examine situational factors that play a role on health.
Discuss social and cultural variables that may influence health.
Appraise relevant theory and research to support your analysis.
To fully demonstrate content knowledge and critical thinking,
Interpret course concepts explicitly, applying them to your personal experiences/observations, and cite the required readings as appropriate.
Be thorough and specific, structuring your work intentionally (with an introductory and concluding sentence or two), providing clear context, and concisely and precisely explaining relevant course concepts.
Use personal examples to illustrate as appropriate, but do be sure to provide an objective analysis too, referencing required materials and using additional sources as needed to support your insight.
Use your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) and apply in-text citations appropriately throughout your post.
Review APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) for more information.
Your original post should be a minimum of 300 words.
Peer Responses: Review several of your classmates’ posts. Provide a substantive response to at least three of your peers in a minimum of 300 words (each reply), by Day 7 (Monday).
Provide alternative advice to your peer for managing his/her health.
Identify concepts from previous chapters that might be relevant for changing your peer’s unhealthy behavior or mental processes.
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 2 Assignment
Academic Accountability
To prepare for this activity, please review The plagiarism spectrum: Instructor insights into the 10 types of plagiarism (Links to an external site.). Part of scientific research includes conveying knowledge (about theory, research, etc.) to others in an ethical manner, avoiding plagiarism (review the Plagiarism Guide (Links to an external site.) for more). This is a key professional skill to develop. In this activity, you will practice using your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) and applying in-text citations (review the APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) web page for more).
Review the following original and plagiarized passages:
ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S THOUGHTS
The correlational method can be very useful, but it must be used with caution. If knowledge of one variable (age) helps predict another (buying), does that mean that one causes the other? Not necessarily. It is possible that the first variable caused the second, or that the second variable caused the first, or that some other variable caused both variables. Without further research we cannot know which possibility is true. For example, a researcher might find a negative correlation in schools between the number of teachers monitoring hallway behavior and the number of acts of aggression in the hallway. It is possible that more teachers in the hallway caused lower aggression, but it is also possible that there were fewer teachers in the hallway in the face of aggression because they had left to avoid it. Knowing that there is a correlation between two events does not tell us which, if either, is the cause. In fact, it is quite common to have a third variable cause a correlation between two other variables. For example, sunburn and outdoor temperature are correlated. Does this mean that hot weather causes sunburn or that sunburn causes hot weather? Of course not. The summer sun causes both sunburn and hot weather. Cum hoc propter hoc—correlation does not imply causation.
Reference
Feenstra, J. (2020). Social psychology (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
REWRITE BY SOMEONE WANTING TO WRITE ABOUT THE ARTICLE AND ITS FINDINGS
“The correlational method can be very useful, but it must be used with caution.” If knowledge of one variable (height) helps predict another (weight), does that mean that one causes the other? Not necessarily. It is possible that the primary variable caused the secondary, or that the secondary variable caused the primary, or that some additional variable caused both variables. We cannot understand what chance is true without further studies. For example, ice cream consumption and violent crime are correlated. Does this mean eating ice cream causes violent crime? Or, does a spike in violent crime cause consumption of ice cream? Probably neither... rather, a common factor (e.g., heat) may be to blame for both. “Cum hoc propter hoc—correlation does not imply causation.”
Define academic voice and plagiarism.
Apply your knowledge of academic voice and plagiarism to the rewritten passage, locating and identifying errors.
Rewrite the passage appropriately using your own Academic Voice (Links to an external site.).
Be sure to utilize strategies for Quoting, Paraphrasing, & Summarizing (Links to an external site.), avoiding direct quotes and appropriately utilizing in-text citations.
Demonstrate the importance of developing a strong academic voice for both your education and career.
What are some key features of academic writing that might be particularly relevant within your own program/intended career?
What types of plagiarism do you find most difficult to avoid? (See Turnitin, 2012).
What methods/strategies can you use to ensure that you avoid these errors in your own work?
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 3 Assignment
The Art and Science of Persuasion
To prepare for this assignment, please read the Harnessing the Science of Persuasion article.
Persuasion is oftentimes considered an art, but it is based on the psychological science of social influence. With knowledge of the key principles that undergird this process, you may become a savvier consumer. You may also find ways to implement these strategies effectively in your personal and professional life.
Before beginning your paper, select one of the six fundamental principles identified in Cialdini (2014).
Assemble at least three advertisements, commercials, or personal experiences/observations that illustrate this principle. Do not use examples from the course resources.
Submit your examples (paste ads into the document, include URL links, and/or provide a synopsis), along with a one paragraph description of each clearly indicating how the advertisement, commercial, or personal experience/observation illustrates the selected principle.
Then, in your paper,
Examine in depth how social psychological principles of persuasion are relevant, citing scholarly research (which may include course resources) on the specific principle you are addressing in your analysis.
Identify characteristics of the communicator, the message, and the target audience, considering key situational and contextual factors.
Produce a plan to intentionally enhance persuasiveness.
What are various alternative principles and/or techniques one might employ effectively?
Discuss ethical issues relevant to the collected examples, as well as your own persuasive plan.
Apply this insight to your own personal or professional life. Specifically, how might you utilize this insight moving forward?
The Art and Science of Persuasion paper
Must be three to five double-spaced pages at minimum (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
A header
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
Must use at least three peer-reviewed sources in addition to course readings. Additional scholarly sources are encouraged. Be sure to integrate your research smoothly rather than simply inserting it.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.
PSY301 Social Psychology
Week 5 Assignment
Final Paper
To conclude the course, you have the opportunity to choose a topic of interest to you and analyze it from a social psychological perspective. You will then write a literature review (see Bem, 2016), which is a scholarly paper, written in an objective and academic tone, focused on a particular subject. To do this, you must gather, review, and summarize relevant theory and research.
For example, if you chose to examine a proverb, such as “Opposites attract,” you would first find scholarly articles outlining the major predictors of attraction and testing this notion specifically. Begin your paper with a clear stance on the topic—yes, opposites do attract, or no, they do not—and then present the evidence in an organized fashion to support your thesis.
The topic of your literature review might come from the following list download, or you may choose to identify a different area of interest. Scan your textbook for relevant concepts to explore. However, if you choose something other than the options below, you are encouraged to obtain permission from your instructor prior to writing/submitting the paper to ensure the suitability of your topic.
Here are some ideas you might choose to explore:
Accuracy of proverbs
Example: “Don’t judge a book by its cover” or “Beauty is a good letter of introduction.” In other words, what can one conclude based on appearance alone?
Example: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” or “Out of sight, out of mind.” In other words, do long distances or extended amounts of time strengthen relationship ties, or weaken them?
Example: “Birds of a feather flock together” or “Opposites attract.” In other words, are people attracted to similar or dissimilar others?
Impact of titles/labels
Example: How do team mascots (such as the Redskins or Braves) impact Native Americans (self-esteem, stereotype threat, etc.)?
Example: How do labels (such as smart/stupid, crazy or criminal, etc.) impact people’s mental processes and behaviors?
Altruism
Example: Does true altruism exist? What motivates people to help?
Explanatory style
Example: Do optimists experience better life outcomes than pessimists?
Persuasive appeals
Example: How do political campaigns utilize various techniques?
Self-esteem
Example: Is there a dark side? Can one be too confident?
School size
Example: Do students fare better in big schools or small schools? Why?
Reactance
Example: What is the theory behind “reverse psychology”?
Gender differences
Example: in aggression, sex, etc.
A form of prejudice
Example: fat prejudice, racial prejudice, etc.
Psychology and the law
Example: jury behavior, etc.
Other: If you have something else in mind, contact your instructor as soon as possible to ensure the topic is appropriate and to seek additional direction.
In your paper,
Analyze the social psychological literature for evidence that supports your thesis, providing a Synthesis (Links to an external site.) of your findings. Be sure to dispel refuting evidence.
Illustrate specific social psychological concepts using real life examples.
Examine relevant situational factors.
Identify social and cultural forces at work.
Indicate potential ethical considerations in research on this topic or application of insight.
The final paper
Must be seven double-spaced pages at minimum (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.) resource.
Must include a separate title page with the following:
Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted
For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).
Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
Must use at least five peer-reviewed scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.
