Part 1: Research Paper (100 points)
Select a scenario of your choosing from something you have read, seen, or experienced, related
to the class readings and discussion and report on it. You have several options: 1) Watch a movie
and report on a single scene that can be explained by concepts or theories from the book or
readings; 2) Debate about something that has been reported in the media (magazine story,
advertising, etc.); 3) Describe a personal experience (someone you know, something you’re
observed, or experienced) that can be explained by concepts or theories from the book or
readings;4) Report on new phenomenon or research that can be related to the class topics. Based
on your reading of the chapters, report your assessment of the social psychology topic citing
specific concepts or research that supports your positions. A good paper will be focused on and
apply one to three theories or concepts with lots of good empirical support for the psychological
literature.
Your paper should include the use of 5 academic resources ( your textbook can be one). You
must use a minimum of 2 peer-reviewed journals that normally publish studies regarding social
psychology as resources. The following list of journals typically publishes work on social
psychology: Emotion, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Journal of Experimental Social
Psychology, Journal of Personality, Journal of Research on Personality, Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Social Psychological and
Personality Science, Psychological Science. You can access these journals through the PsycInfo
database.
Remember, your paper will be graded with explicit reference to the summary of findings from
your resources and how you use these findings to support your thesis statement. Points will be
lost if your paper contains distracting grammatical problems. Here are some broad areas in social
psychology within which you can choose a more specific question for your literature review: (1)
In what ways are individuals influenced by conformity? (2) What are some ways to reduce the
influence of obedience? (3) How do attitudes change? (4) How can groups work together most
effectively when making decisions? (5) What determines if someone is attracted to someone
else? (6) Which are the best ways to reduce prejudice and discrimination? (7) What kinds of
behaviors do implicit versus explicit attitudes predict? (8) How do we compare ourselves to
others and how does this influence our behavior? (9) How do cultures differ in their social
norms? (10) What factors influence the development of the self?
Your research papers should be approximately 6-8 pages in length. Please use correct formatting,
and headings, and write with collegiate professionalism
Format Guidelines
i. Introductory of chosen Topic (recommended: ½- 1 page)
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i. The autobiographical connection between you and your chosen
topic. (Why did you choose this topic)
ii. Identification of personal thesis (recommended – ½ age)
i. (What is your theory on the social matter?)
iii. Summaries of identified resources (recommended – 2-4 pages)
iv. Key Concepts
i. Identify major differences/ arguments found in your research
(recommended -1 page)
ii. Identify theories and key concepts (recommended ½ -1 page)
v. Personal reflection (recommended: 1 page)
vi. Conclusion (recommended: ½-1 page)
This paper will be worth 100 points and must be submitted by 11:59 pm on your assigned
due date.
You will also need to be able to answer questions, draw conclusions, and discuss this area of
research.
Part 2: Presentation (40 points)
You will create a PowerPoint, Prezi, Google presentation, or another digital form of presentation
and post it to the designated discussion board for you to share the findings of your research topic
and receive feedback from your peers.
Your presentation should be no less than 10 slides or 7 minutes long. Your presentation should
include;
• Introduction to your chosen topic, (Why did you choose this topic, what are the
current arguments within this topic, and which argument do you agree with?)
• A review of each empirical article and their findings and the ability to answer
each of these questions (“What did they do? Why did they do it? What did they
find? Why is this important?”)
• How does it relate to today’s society?
• Conclusion (Summarize your findings and argue your stance)
• Citation Page (DON’T FORGET)
