Research Proposal for Cyberpsychology

Use the provided template to develop a qualitative research proposal to examine a specific question related to a chosen topic in your career field.

In this unit, you will deal with research proposal. By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

SHOW LESS
Competency 1: Describe the evolution of the field of cyberpsychology, along with implications for future.
Describe the benefit of the proposed research for the field of cyberpsychology.
Describe the benefit of the proposed research to a specific career field.
Competency 4: Evaluate the methods, procedures, and techniques useful in the conduct of empirical research within cyberpsychology.
Explain the methods, procedures, and techniques to be used in the proposed study.
Evaluate the pros and cons of research methodology and tools for the proposed research study.
Competency 5: Evaluate problems, conflicts, and unresolved issues in the study of cyberpsychology through critical thinking.
Examine unanswered questions from scholarly literature related to a career field.
Write a research statement for a qualitative research proposal to advance a specific career field.
Competency Map
CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
Use this online tool to track your performance and progress through your course.
Toggle Drawer
Context
Social scientists are interested in studying how the Internet and its related technologies facilitate the learning process. We know that more people have access today to educational opportunities due to the advances in technology, and in many ways, this is a wonderful benefit for our society. However, what are the social implications of attending college, high school, middle school, and even younger grades online? What are the physical consequences of being wired for so long on a given day, particularly for children? How have teaching and learning changed as a result of technological advances? All this and more will be considered in this assessment.

SHOW LESS
The Assessment 6 Context document contains important information on the following topics:

Online learning at all ages.
Ergonomics.
Toggle Drawer
Questions to Consider
To deepen your understanding, you are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of the business community.

SHOW LESS
For the following questions, refer to the article “Impact of the Internet on Thinking,” linked in the Resources.

How do online tools bring educational opportunities and experiences closer to learners? Are there some people that benefit more than others or thrive more in an online environment?
What are the limitations of online learning? Can educational institutions thrive without the use of the Internet and other tools?
What are your personal feelings about online learning and children? Is there a point when children are too young to be connected?
Reference
Greenblatt, A. (2010). Impact of the Internet on thinking. CQ Researcher 20(33), 773–796.

Toggle Drawer
Resources
APA Resources
Because this is a psychology course, you need to format this assessment according to APA guidelines. Additional resources about APA can be found in the Research Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom. Use the resources to guide your work as needed.

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. This resource is available from the bookstore.
APA Paper Template [DOCX].
Required Resources
Refer to the following internal resource:

Qualitative Research Proposal Template[DOCX].

SHOW LESS
Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The PSYC-FP4210 – Cyberpsychology Library Guide can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.

Topics in Human Computer Interaction
Assessment 6 Context.
Lazar, J., Feng, J. H., & Hochheiser, H. (2017). Research methods in human-computer interaction. Elsevier Science & Technology.
Chapter 1 provides an introduction and overview to human-computer interaction (HCI) research, with some history and changes in topics and research methods over time.
Chapter 14 addresses online and ubiquitous HCI research issues.
Pew Research Center. (2018). Internet & Technology. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/

Complete the following Capella multimedia presentations:

Research Methodologies Comparison.
Cyberpsychology Course Resources.
Identifying a Gap in the Literature
Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suarez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26–46.
This article provides details on the components of qualitative research requirements for publication based on APA standards. Many pages of tables provide an overview of the research expectations and requirements.
Identifying a Research Question
Planning: Research Question and Topic

Writing a Research Proposal
Library Research & Information Literacy Skills.
Lazar, J., Feng, J. H., & Hochheiser, H. (2017). Research methods in human-computer interaction. Elsevier Science & Technology.
Chapter 1 provides an introduction and overview to human-computer interaction (HCI) research, discussing some history and changes in topics and research methods over time.
Chapter 15 addresses working with human subjects in HCI research.
Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research methods : A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of qualitative research.
Chapter 2 addresses research design and writing a research proposal.
Assessment Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Select a Topic
Considering what you have learned about the field of cyberpsychology, choose one of these topics that interests you or pertains to your current job or future career:

Activism.
Addiction.
Art.
Artificial intelligence.
Augmented reality.
Big data.
Blogging or microblogging.
Cloud computing.
Cloud forensics.
Cyberbullying.
Cyberdefense.
Cyberhate.
Cyberporn.
Cyberstalking.
Cybertherapy.
Criminal networks.
Digital divide.
E-commerce or consumer behavior.
Embedded computation.
Enterprise architecture.
Enterprise analytics.
Education.
Energy efficiency.
Entrepreneurs.
Ergonomic issues.
Fundraising.
Hackers.
Health care.
H–CI (Human–computer interface).
Individual differences.
Influence and persuasion.
Internet addiction.
Media.
Mobile technology.
National security.
Online learning or virtual high school.
Physiological interaction.
Privacy.
Product development.
Real-time analytics.
Robots.
Security.
Self-disclosure.
Shadow IT.
Social networking.
Support groups.
Tracking.
User customization.
Virtual gaming.
Step 2: Identify Unanswered Problems or Issues
Research the scholarly literature and reliable media to identify unanswered problems or issues related to a specific issue or problem (from the list above) in a career field.
Note the following:

References should be mostly scholarly in nature. In other words, you should direct your research to professional psychology journals and texts, and current articles from the media (for example, articles from PewResearch, professional journals, and respected media).
The library guide for this course will help you locate appropriate sources.
Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information for this purpose but may be useful for background information. Do not cite Wikipedia.
Instructions
Complete each section of the Qualitative Research Proposal Template, linked in the Resources under the Required Resources heading, to complete your research proposal. If you are not familiar with writing a research question, below are some suggestions for writing a research question:

Ask a primary (or main) question and then, if necessary, follow with sub-questions that will lead to the primary question. For example, you may ask “How does social networking help people to feel connected?” Sub-questions may include, “What ways do people use social networking?” or “How is connectedness measured?”
Recognize your own biases as you ask your question. For example, you may believe that social networking is a waste of time, but you should ask your question in a neutral manner. For example, “What does the research show about the psychosocial impact of social networking?” is a neutral question. “Why social networking?” is not a neutral question.
Use question words to guide your work: How? What? Why? Where? When? With whom?
Ensure your question is answerable by consulting research sources (such as the Internet and the Capella University Library).
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
Formatting: Format references according to current APA style and formatting guidelines. Use Microsoft Word.
Number of resources: Include a minimum of five scholarly references.
Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.