1. Research in Social Psychology [WLOs: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6] [CLOs: 1,
2, 3, 4, 5]
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

2. 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

3. 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
.
Social Thinking [WLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 5]
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
and
Intergroup Contact Theory
articles. In addition, watch

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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
.

7. Text
Feenstra, J. (2013).
Social psychology
. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM)
title.
Book
Bem, D. J. (2016).
Writing a review article for
Psychological Bulletin
. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.),
Methodological issues and strategies in clinical research
(4th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/14805-041
Articles
Adams, G., & Markus, H. R. (2001).
Culture as patterns: An alternative approach to the problem of
reification
.
Culture & Psychology, 7
(3), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X0173002
Boynton, M. H., Portnoy, D. B., & Johnson, B. T. (2013).
Exploring the ethics and psychological impact of deception in
psychological research

8. .
IRB: Ethics & Human Research, 35
(2), 7¬13. Retrieved from
https://www.thehastingscenter.org/publications-
resources/ethics-human-research/
Cialdini, R. B. (2014).
Harnessing the science of persuasion
.
ASCA Newsletter, Edition 6
, 26–35. Retrieved from https://www.ebsco.com/
Crano, W. D. (2000).
Milestones in the psychological analysis of social influence
.
Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4
(1), 68–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.4.1.68
Forsyth, D. R. (2000).
One hundred years of groups research: Introduction to the
special issue
.
Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4
(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.4.1.3
Kuhn, M. H., & McPartland, T. S. (1954).
An empirical investigation of self-attitudes (Links to an
external site.)
.
American Sociological Review, 19
(1), 68–76. https://doi.org/10.2307/2088175
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991).
Culture and self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and
motivation
.

9. Psychological Review, 98
(2), 224–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224
Pettigrew, T. F. (1998).
Intergroup contact theory
.
Annual Review of Psychology, 49
, 65–85. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.49.1.65
Reis, H. T., & Aron, A. (2008).
Love: What it is, why does it matter, and how does it operate?
Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3
(1), 80–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2008.00065.x
Segerstrom, S. C., & O’Connor, D. B. (2012).
Stress, health and illness: Four challenges for the future
.
Psychology and Health, 27
(2), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2012.659516
Slavich, G. M. (2016).
Life stress and health: A review of conceptual issues and recent
findings
.
Teaching of Psychology, 43
(4), 346–355. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628316662768
Sumter S. R., Valkenburg, P. M., & Peter, J. (2013).
Perceptions of love across the lifespan: Differences in passion,
intimacy, and commitment
.
International Journal of Behavioral Development, 37
(5), 417–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025413492486
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974).

10. Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases
.
Science, 185
(4157), 1124–1131.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.185.4157.1124
Multimedia
American Academy of Pediatrics (Producer). (2014).
Achieving a state of optimal health: Stress and the health
realization model—American Academy of Pediatrics: Reaching
teens
[Streaming video]. Retrieved from the Films On Demand
database.
Peters, W. (Writer, Director, & Producer), & Cobb, C. (Writer).
(1985).
A class divided
[Streaming video]. Retrieved from the Films On Demand
database.
Prudential. (2013, May 13).
Prudential: Everybody’s doing it
(Links to an external site.)
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BgRoiTWkBHU
Web Page
Social Psychology Network. (n.d.).
Online social psychology studies (Links to an external site.)
. Retrieved from https://www.socialpsychology.org/expts.htm

11. Website
The Lucifer effect (Links to an external site.)
. (https://www.lucifereffect.com/)
Supplemental Material
Turnitin. (2012).
The plagiarism spectrum: Instructor insights into the 10 types of
plagiarism (Links to an external site.)
[White paper]. Retrieved from
https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/10-types-of-
plagiarism.pdf