200025 SE Scientific Readings (2021S)

AIMS

Upon completion of the seminar, one should be able to summarise the current state of research in a certain domain of interest within the field of psychology in writing, developing a simple research question, translating it into appropriate research operationalisation, and planning a suitable scientific investigation.

CONTENTS

The contents of the seminar include the following topics from basic and applied psychology. You will choose one of the below topics and develop your own research question within the topic area in groups of 2 to 4 students.
• Emotion and stress
• Psychology and COVID-19
• Self-esteem and its development
• Narcissism, power, and conformity
• Evolutionary psychology of attractiveness and sexuality
• Mental imagery, dreams, and fantasy
• Visual perception, attention and its development
• Behavioral dynamics of social interactions
• Early social interactions

METHODS

On the first session, registration takes place, all organizational aspects are clarified, the topics are presented and the groups are created. On the second session, input is given on the critical analysis of texts, scientific writing and time management. In parallel, an initial literature search will have to be carried out as an online homework assignment. On the third session, input is provided on the independent development of a research question and a research design. Following the creation of groups, you will work independently on reviewing the current state of research in the area of your topic of choice. Based on this literature review, you will finally develop your own research question and outline a research design to empirically investigate your research question. Additional input and Q&A on individual topics will be provided on additional sessions as needed.

As a group, you will develop a presentation of the current state of your work followed by a discussion. Prior to the presentation, you will discuss the presentation planning with the lecturers. Following your presentation, you will receive feedback as a group. By May at the latest, you will hand in an individual preliminary version of your research paper, in which the method section can be prepared together with your group. The paper should resemble a research exposé and closely follow the introduction and methods section of scientific articles. You could prepare your paper in German or in English. You will receive peer feedback on these submissions from other students by May, while you will be required to provide feedback on two of your peers' papers. On the last sessions, you will receive collective feedback from the lecturers on your preliminary version, final questions will be clarified, and you will be asked to evaluate the course. In June and July, you will receive additional feedback from us on your preliminary version (online or on-site). The final version of the paper (3000 to 4000 words, excluding names, titles, indexes, abstract, bibliography, appendices, etc.) must be submitted by 31.8.2021 at the latest.

We recommend that all participants also attend the subsequent bachelor seminar in the winter semester 2021. In the bachelor seminar you will use the preparatory work of this literature seminar to conduct an empirical study (mainly questionnaires and/or online surveys) in a group, evaluate and present it and write it up in a thesis format.