Write a paper on Intervene in a real-world problem
This final project is intended to apply what you have learned throughout the class to an intervention for a real-world problem. You should be able to demonstrate your level of mastery and understanding of social psychology in your final project. Papers whose analyses/critical evaluations are not clearly and directly about social psychology will receive a score of 0.
The social issue you choose does not need to be directly about social psychology but your application and analysis do. Often it is easier to apply social psychology to an issue that is directly related to social psychology but this is not a requirement. What is required is that the phenomena, theory, and content you draw upon for the majority of your paper in analyzing/critically evaluating your social issue are about social psychology.
You should include references to lectures, readings, and/or outside validated, peer-reviewed sources to support your claims. Although we will not be grading by the pure number of citations, typically papers that include at least 10 references are the most successful. You should paraphrase (i.e., not use direct quotes) the findings or suggestions from the empirical articles you select. Using direct quotes will be penalized. If more than 25% of your paper is direct quotes, you will be given a 0 on this project.
For the final project, you will be asked to design an intervention or education program based on the knowledge, theories, and research you learned throughout the term. This is an intervention or prevention that you are developing. You are not evaluating an existing intervention or prevention program.
Your intervention/education program should target a specific phenomenon (e.g., racial injustice in schools, smoking behaviors, intimate partner violence, bystander interventions, etc.) and should outline a specific method for addressing the chosen phenomenon by drawing upon content from the lectures and readings to support your argument. You may choose any phenomenon of your liking but you must be able to justify how social psychological research and/or theories can be applied to intervene in that phenomenon. A list of suggested readings relating to intervention/prevention programs is attached here Download A list of suggested readings relating to intervention/prevention programs is attached here; however, you are welcome and encouraged to draw upon any readings or relevant content that is scientifically valid to support your arguments. Be sure to choose an issue that is specific enough that you can reasonably address it. For example, racism overall is probably too broad, however, police brutality and its differential impact on BIPOC communities is more specific and can be more directly addressed than “racism” broadly defined. Relationship quality is also probably too broad, however, relationship quality in low-income transitioning to parenthood is more specific and can be more directly addressed than “relationship quality” broadly defined. Try to choose a topic about which you are passionate and/or already knowledgeable. Most students find this project more enjoyable if they like the overall topic they chose.
Note: Be mindful of your terminology. Prevention refers to taking action ahead of time to stop an issue from occurring (e.g., teaching someone how to swim to prevent them from drowning). Intervention refers to doing something after an issue has begun (e.g., teaching someone to do CPR to save someone who has drowned). Education refers to spreading information and knowledge in the hopes to engage in either prevention or intervention but it is most often (though not always) a prevention strategy. So: PREVENTION = STOP BEFORE IT CAN EVEN START and INTERVENTION = HELP AFTER IT HAS STARTED.
Your paper should be similar to a policy proposal (i.e., a review of the issue that needs to be addressed and the presentation of evidence in support of implementing a policy). The paper should include a summary and analysis of the literature/evidence and a descriiption of the proposed prevention, intervention, or education plan. At a minimum (to get a C), your paper should:
– Include a clear thesis about how social psychology can be used to create an intervention, prevention, or education program to address a social issue. Your thesis needs to be clear, direct, and supported by the remainder of your paper. (This should be 1 paragraph at the beginning of your paper. The general theme and tenant of the thesis should, however, be carried throughout the paper).
– Summarize the social issue you will be attempting to address. You should be sure to make it clear why the social issue you are attempting to address is in fact an issue. For example, why is police violence a problem? (Don’t just assume we will know why something is an issue. Be explicit about it even if it seems obvious.) Provide enough information for the reader to understand the premise of the issue, existing attempts to address the issue, etc. Basically, tell us what we absolutely need to know to understand the rest of your paper. (This should be no more than 1 paragraph and no longer than 1 page, at an absolute maximum. Most summaries will be significantly shorter than 1 page).
– Thoughtfully describe the social-psychological concepts, theories, and/or literature you will be using to understand and analyze your chosen social issue. Explain what the concepts are in their fundamental forms. For example, if you are applying the Stereotype Content Model to a social issue, you should begin by describing the dimensions of warmth and competence and the quadrants they form as well as describe the implications of those stereotype domains. That is, make sure you demonstrate that you know what a concept is before you apply it. (This should be ~2-3 pages of your paper. Length will vary depending on how you format your paper and how many concepts you choose to incorporate based on your chosen topic/thesis.)
– Directly apply social-psychological concepts, theories, and/or literature to your social issue by developing an intervention, prevention, or education program. This should be the bulk (> 50%) of your paper. You should provide a thoughtful evaluation of how one or more social-psychological phenomena can help us understand the social issue you are discussing. You should include your unique insights about how social psychological concepts can be used to form an intervention or prevention program. You should specifically outline your intervention or prevention program and clearly demonstrate how each social psychological concept is being used to inform every decision in your prevention/intervention program. (This should be the vast majority of your paper – and is worth the most points. This should be ~6-7 pages of your paper. Length will vary depending on how you format your paper.)
– Finish with a strong concluding paragraph that clearly explains how you have supported your initial thesis. Wrap up your argument and briefly summarize your intervention, prevention, or education program. Answer this question: What is the core takeaway message? (This should be 1 paragraph at the end of your paper. The general theme and tenant of the thesis should, however, be carried throughout the paper).
Suggestions for Intervention/Prevention Program Development
1. Identify a clear and specific target group for your program (e.g., BIPOC students, Minneapolis police officers, low-income first-time parents, lawyers working with victims of IPV, inmates convicted for non-violent offenses, rural farmers).
2. Target a specific psychological process or motivation that you are aiming to change, address, or activate to impact the social issue (e.g., need to belong, need to understand, need for accuracy, need for self-esteem).
3. Advocate for a specific and targeted approach (e.g., message matching, bystander intervention, education/training program, social media campaigns or manipulations).
4. Include outcomes that are specific, measurable, and visible (e.g., improved grades, decreased gun violence, greater water conservation, less domestic violence, more positive intergroup relations).
5. Think about and present your intervention/prevention program in steps. How will you get access to your target population? What psychological process are you attempting to change? What approach will you be taking and how will you do it? What outcomes are you interested in and how will you assess them?
6. Don’t get bogged down in “practicalities” such as financial support for the project or access to a certain population. This is an exercise in showing what you have learned and applying it to the real world.
Some examples of intervention/prevention approaches:
1. Education programs/learning in general
2. Empathy/perspective taking practices
3. Message matching
4. Functional matching
5. Creating dissonance (and accompanying dissonance reduction)
6. Self-awareness manipulation
7. Promoting collective identity
8. Recall exercises
9. Socially-relevant mindfulness exercises
10. Affirmation exercises
Exceeds expectations – Work goes far beyond what we expect from students’ work. The quality of the work demonstrates outstanding mastery of the material, clear communication of ideas, and a unique/inventive approach. This category represents going above and beyond what the instructions simply ask for. Work of this quality may seem like it is at the level of what we would expect in an upper-level class or early graduate school class. This represents the top 20% of work.
Rubric Attached
Example Paper Attached.
