The focus of social psychology is to understand how a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of others. Unlike sociology, social psychology takes the perspective of the individualrather than the group and examines what makes us engage in behaviors such as aggression, attraction, altruism, self-justification, social cognition, and social perception. With its roots in Gestalt psychology, social psychology puts its emphasis not on physical reality, but rather on an individual's perception of the world around them.
Historically, this field has played an important role in understanding the causes of, as well as treatments for, social issues such as reducing violence, increasing helping behaviors, and assisting people in living healthier and safer lives.The purpose of this assessment is to recognize the value of social psychology on society throughout its history as a field. You will also analyze research for how it changes or does not change based on the time period when it was conducted. This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:

• Analyze social psychological research for how the field has changed over the course of its history

• Assess the impact of social psychological research trends for their influence on human behavior

• Analyze elements of social psychological research for their influence on improving social welfare

• Evaluate the influence of social psychological research on society for its efficacy for social change

• Analyze ethical issues in social psychological research for determining appropriate strategies for use in scientific research

The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in

Modules Three, Five, and Seven. The final product will be submitted in Module Nine.