Observation of Social Behavior Research Project
As an applied final project, you will conduct an observation of human social behavior in a public place (e.g., supermarket, church, nightclub, park) but not in a private area (e.g., bathroom, bedroom). Note that you are only to observe behavior; you cannot interact with your subjects in any way (this includes speaking to them). Specific references should be made in your paper to principles discussed in this class. These may include altruism, attraction, conformity, gender differences, group influence, persuasion, prejudice, etc. This is your chance to "think like a social psychologist" (like your class readings demonstrate at the end of every chapter) and incorporate appropriate social psychological theories/concepts in your documentation of an observation of social behavior.
Project Proposal (RP1):
In the Project Proposal, you will begin documenting your intended observation of social behavior and submit it for review before engaging in the actual observation to make sure you are on the right track. The proposal should be written in future tense as you will not yet have engaged in the observation and should be about two double-spaced pages long.
Copy and paste one abstract from social psychological literature relating to your intended observation, and explain how it helps form the research question for your observation. Please read the Literature Review section of the Final Paper instructions for more information on choosing an appropriate abstract.
Identify your target goals and research question(s) for your observation. You have not done all the research necessary to fully develop these concepts yet, but explain what you are thinking at this proposal stage. You will develop these topics further in the Final Paper; at this point, I just want to make sure that you are on the right track. Note: you should read ahead in your in-class readings if you intend to investigate a topic that comes at the end of the class. Remember to include APA-style in-text citations where appropriate, including any references to things you have learned from your class readings. *See below for more information on APA-style in-text citations. Please read the Goals and Research Question sections of the Final Paper instructions for more on what kinds of information to include for these topics.
Next, identify the target subjects and setting for your observation. These may change after you do more research, but again, I just want to make sure you are on the right track. Please read the Subjects and Settings sections of the Final Paper instructions for more on what kinds of information to include for these topics.
Finish your proposal with a proper APA-style reference for the abstract you included above. *See below for more information on APA-style reference list citations.