Psychology 2210

 

Assignment 1:   DUE NOV 18, 2021

 

In this assignment I would like you to work in groups of up to 3 other students.   Here is your chance to design and execute a social psychology experiment.  You may choose any topic in the syllabus but it is important that you clear your design with me before getting too far along. 

 

I will spend class time reviewing the essentials of design and coaching you through the process around the middle of the term.   The best way to do this assignment is to select an experimental question that interests you and then as a group (consisting of your team and me) we can hammer out the theoretical and practical details. 

 

This year we will have to see how it develops as COVID restrictions make it more difficult to actually conduct these experiments, but we will do the design development component at least. 

 

The following is an EXAMPLE only, to give you a broad sense of what has to be accomplished.   There are many more interesting questions and interesting methods to explore- so I hope you choose to be creative.   This example just gives you an overview of the kinds of issues you must consider. 

 

 

 

1.  Put together an application folder of a college student applying for a job.    The folder should include a resume, a list of undergraduate classes and grades, a short personal statement, and one letter of recommendation. 

 

2.  Now make two versions of your application --  All aspects of the application should be identical in the two versions except for the applicant’s name and/or description. 

                (this is your experimental manipulation...

                                i.e., what factor are you interested in studying?  (see point 4))

 

3.  Design a rating scale that allows you to ask people about the applicants:   How competent?

                                      How deserving of the job?

                                      How long will they last in the job?

                                      Etc

 

4.  Decide on an issue relating to stereotypes and prejudice that you'd like to investigate with these stimuli:

                e.g.,  Gender -  Age - Religion - Race - Attractiveness  ... or others

 

5.  Identify two categories (or levels)  of the issue you'd like to investigate:

                e.g., GENDER:   Male and Female

                e.g., Attractiveness:  ordinary and beautiful

 

6.  Find 10 people and show 5 of them one version (e.g., the male) and 5 of them the other version (e.g., the female).  Think carefully about who you will show these resumes to.   You should add another factor that captures some aspect of the subject (e.g., male or female subject; type of job the subject has (e.g., blue or white collar).

 

7.  Finally, write a brief 5-10 page summary of your study and results.  Did you find any differences between the groups?  Explain how your results relate to the research you read about in the textbook.  Turn in all experimental materials with your paper. 

 

Think carefully and plan how you are going to summarize and present your data so that you clearly express your results.   Please see me during class or during office hours to help you make sense of your data or to prepare your materials.