Research Proposal

Psychology 330

The goal of this assignment is to demonstrate that you can understand a social psychological theory, develop predictions derived from it, and design a factorial experiment to test these predictions. You do not have to run the experiment, but it must be an experiment that
could be run, given the proper resources. Your experiment must be derived from existing social psychological theory. Some fundamental background readings have been provided, but you must also conduct a literature search to learn more about the topic. The proposal should be about 6-10 pages in length (not including appendices). You may work with a partner or work alone.

THE PROPOSED EXPERIMENT

1. The experiment must be a 2 x 2 research design (that is, it must have two manipulated independent variables, each with two levels). You may use either between-participant or withinparticipant factors. Do not use participant variables (e. g. age or gender)!

2. You must predict an interaction between the two variables.

3. The experiment must be a constructive replication, in the sense that it takes an existing finding and adds new conditions to the research to produce an interaction. For instance, you may wish to test for conditions under which a previously established effect might be weaker or stronger, or conditions under which it reverses. Or, you may want to rule out an alternative explanation for the previous effect. In every case, the prediction must be derived from the theory under consideration.

WRITING THE PROPOSAL

The research plan should follow a modified APA format:

QUALITY

1. Properly formatted title page and abstract

2. Proposal is written in APA format

3. Correct use of spacing/headings

4. Spelling, punctuation, and capitalization

5. Properly typed for APA submission and neatness

6. Readability and clarity of writing

INTRODUCTION

Include each of the following:

1. What is already known about your topic, and how the relevant theory explains and predicts the findings. Discuss and cite at least 6 scholarly journal articles related to your topic of interest and/or proposed study (including at least 1 from the list of background
readings).

2. What is not yet known (e.g. limits of the effects, conditions under which the effect might not occur, potential alternative explanations, etc.).

3. What you are going to try to demonstrate in your experiment.

4. Why your experiment is important and interesting. Be sure to include your rationale for investigating the problem.

5. State your hypothesis clearly; make sure it is falsifiable. Be sure to explain WHY you are making your specific hypothesis.

6. A figure representing your hypothesis/predictions is included (label it as Figure 1 and include it at the end of your report, which is the normal APA position for figures)