Design, conduct, and report on a brief study that uses naturalistic observation in a public/communal space to answer a research question you develop on a topic related to social psychology.

Objective: Design, conduct, and report on a brief study that uses naturalistic observation in a public/communal space to answer a research question you develop on a topic related to social psychology. Submit a 6- to 8-page, APA style research paper, that communicates how specific topics, theories, and research findings discussed in this course shaped: 1) your research question, 2) the approach applied and behaviors observed, and 3) your understanding of the observation(s) upon conclusion.

Using naturalistic observation, you will seek to answer a research question you develop on a topic related to social psychology. In doing so you will: 1) describe behavior as it occurs in the natural setting, and 2) describe the variables that are present and the relations among them.

Instructions Summary: The principal steps for the assignment are

Choose a topic or theory covered within the course content (e.g., altruism, attraction, conformity, gender, group influence, persuasion).
Research the topic using the UMGC Library to learn more about it.
Develop a research question you would like to explore through naturalistic observation. Question must be answerable through observation.
Create your observation strategy that will enable you to explore your research question. Include in this planning data collection/coding strategies.
Conduct the observation and evaluate the qualitative data collected.
Write and submit for grading a well composed, 6- to 8-page APA style formatted Observation of Social Behavior research paper. Included in the submitted document will be an Appendix containing Annotated Abstracts. The Appendix will not count towards the required page count for the body of the paper. The all-inclusive page count for the submitted document (Title Page, Report, References, and Appendix) will be approximately 11 to 14 pages.

Submit a single document that 1) introduces an appropriate research question grounded in social psychology; 2) answers the research question through naturalistic observation; and 3) addresses the requirements listed here.

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