Theory And Research In Social Psychology

Write a 3–4-page assessment in which you examine scholarly research articles about a chosen theory or concept, describe the theory or concept in terms of your own experience, and explain how the theory or concept increases awareness of social perception, social interaction, or social influence. 

Applying theory to a real-life situation facilitates understanding.

Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Course Library Guide

A Capella University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the Introduction to Social Psychology Library Guide to help direct your research.

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Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have either been granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

• WGBH Educational Foundation. (2001). Understanding research. Annenberg Learner. Retrieved from http://www.learner.org/series/discoveringpsychology/02/e02expand.html
• McLeod, S. (2007). Social psychology. Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/social-psychology.html

Bookstore Resources

The resources listed below are relevant to the topics and assessments in this course and are not required. Unless noted otherwise, these materials are available for purchase from the Capella University Bookstore. When searching the bookstore, be sure to look for the Course ID with the specific –FP (FlexPath) course designation.

• Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2014). Social psychology & human nature (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
  • Chapters 1 and 2.

Assessment Instructions

Preparation

Select one of the social psychology theories or concepts of interest to you from the list below:

• Self-perception theory.
• Agent self.
• Appraisal motive and self-enhancement motive.
• Self-handicapping.
• Self-serving bias.
• Over-justification effect.
• Confirmation bias.
• Actor-observer bias.
• False consensus effect and false uniqueness effect.
• Theory perseverance.

Once you have selected your theory or concept, search in the Capella library to locate two scholarly research articles on the theory or concept.

Instructions

Use these articles to complete the following:

• Explain the theory or concept you selected.
• Describe the purpose of the study.
• Describe the research methods used in each of the studies.
• Explain the research findings for each study.
• Describe how you have personally observed the theory or concept in practice.
• Explain how the theory or concept, along with the research findings, increases awareness of social perception, social interaction, or social influence.

Your submitted assessment should be 3–4 pages in length, excluding title page and reference page. You are not required to use resources other than the two articles your assessment is based on; however, you may do so if you wish. Be sure that you follow APA guidelines for format and style.

Additional Requirements

• Include a title page and reference page.
• Times New Roman font, 12 point.
• Double spaced.

Theory and Research in Social Psychology Scoring Guide

CRITERIA NON-PERFORMANCE BASIC PROFICIENT DISTINGUISHED Explain a theory or concept of social psychology.Does not identify a theory or concept of social psychology. Identifies a theory or concept of social psychology. Explains a theory or concept of social psychology. Analyzes a theory or concept of social psychology. Describe the purpose of research conducted in social psychology.Does not describe the purpose of research conducted in social psychology. Describes research conducted in social psychology but does not clearly articulate the purpose of the research. Describes the purpose of research conducted in social psychology. Describes the purpose of research conducted in social psychology and connects the purpose to a theory or concept. Describe research methods used to examine a theory or concept related to social psychology.Does not identify research methods used to examine a theory or concept related to social psychology. Identifies research methods used to examine a theory or concept related to social psychology. Describes research methods used to examine a theory or concept related to social psychology. Analyzes research methods used to examine a theory or concept related to social psychology. Explain research findings pertaining to a theory or concept related to social psychology.Does not explain research findings pertaining to a theory or concept related to social psychology. Explains research findings pertaining to a theory or concept related to social psychology but omits key elements. Explains research findings pertaining to a theory or concept related to social psychology. Explains research findings pertaining to a theory or concept related to social psychology and thoroughly examines the relationship between the findings and the theory or concept. Describe how a theory or concept is evident in real-life situations.Does not describe how a theory or concept is evident in real-life situations. Describes how a theory or concept is evident in situations, but the situations do not represent real life. Describes how a theory or concept is evident in real-life situations. Describes how a theory or concept is evident in real-life situations and identifies the characteristics of the situation that illustrate the theory or concept. Use valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field of social psychology.Does not use valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field of social psychology. Uses research resources that are not valid, scholarly, or relevant to the field social psychology such as Wikipedia or About.com. Uses valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field of social psychology. Uses valid, scholarly research resources relevant to the field of social psychology and establishes the credibility of the research. Write coherently to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional.Writing does not support a central idea. Does not use correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional. Writing supports an idea but is inconsistent and contains major errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics. Writing coherently supports a central idea with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics. Writing is coherent, using evidence to support a central idea with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional. Use APA format and style.Does not use APA format and style. Uses APA format and style but inconsistently and with errors. Uses APA format and style consistently and with few errors. Uses correct APA format and style consistently and with no errors.