Research Methods Spring 2020 Research Proposal

Research Methods Spring 2020 Research Proposalpoints0123intro

Identify the core assignment question: The task involves developing a research proposal addressing a specific topic in research methods that includes an introduction, literature review, hypotheses, methods, analyses, and references. The proposal should be formatted in APA style, include a review of existing literature, clearly state hypotheses, describe participant selection, research design, materials, proposed analyses, and provide credible references. It should focus on a topic relevant to research methods, possibly involving psychological or social science phenomena, with detailed and well-reasoned sections demonstrating understanding of research methodology.

Restating: Draft a comprehensive research proposal covering the following components: an introduction to the research problem, a review of pertinent literature, clearly articulated hypotheses, detailed methodology including participants, research design, materials, and analysis plan, and a list of credible references formatted in APA style. The proposal should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of each element, justify choices based on literature, and be presented in APA format.

Paper For Above instruction

Title: Embodiment and Mate Selection: The Influence of Physical Stability on Preferences and Perceptions

Introduction

The interplay between physical states and psychological processes has garnered increasing attention within psychological research, especially regarding how bodily experiences influence perceptions and motivation. Embodied cognition theories suggest that bodily sensations are not merely peripheral phenomena but integral to cognitive and emotional processes (Barsalou, 2008). Extending this perspective, recent research posits that transient physical states can alter social judgments and preferences, including mate selection criteria (Williams & Bargh, 2008; Zhong & Liljenquist, 2006). This proposal aims to explore how physical instability affects perceptions of relationship stability and mate preferences, providing insight into embodied motivational processes in social and romantic contexts.

Literature Review

Embodied cognition underscores that mental representations are grounded in bodily states and sensorimotor experiences (Barsalou, 2008). Studies have demonstrated that physical warmth influences interpersonal warmth perceptions, affecting social judgments and preferences (Williams & Bargh, 2008). For example, holding a warm drink increases perceptions of others as more trustworthy and likable, illustrating how sensory cues impact social cognition. Moreover, physical sensations linked to morality, such as cleanliness, can influence social judgments, including perceptions of relationship stability and moral character (Zhong & Liljenquist, 2006; Lee & Schwarz, 2011). These findings suggest that bodily states can influence both perceptions and motivational aspects of social interactions, including attraction and mate selection.

Research also emphasizes that security needs influence mate preferences. Bowlby’s attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988) suggests that individuals seek relational stability as a core psychological need, especially under conditions of uncertainty or threat (Ainsworth, 1979). Adult attachment research indicates that individuals value stable, reliable partners as sources of security (Collins & Feeney, 2000). However, few studies have examined how transient bodily experiences like physical instability might modulate perceptions of others’ relationship stability and influence mate choice preferences.

Recent experimental research indicates that bodily cues can modify perceptions of social stability. For instance, Hong and Sun (2012) found that physical coldness reduced liking of romantic movies, hinting at embodied emotional states influencing social evaluations. Zhong and Liljenquist’s (2006) work on moral cleansing suggests that physical sensations associated with purity can impact moral judgments, implying bodily states can extend to broader social evaluations. This framework provides a basis to hypothesize that physical instability — a somatic experience — might activate perceptions of social and relationship instability and simultaneously heighten the desire for partners exhibiting stability-promoting traits.

Hypotheses

• H1: Participants experiencing physical instability will perceive less stability in other people’s romantic relationships compared to participants in a physically stable condition.
• H2: Participants experiencing physical instability will show a greater preference for traits associated with psychological stability (e.g., trustworthiness, reliability) in potential romantic partners compared to those in a stable physical condition.
• H3: Conversely, participants experiencing physical instability may perceive others’ relationships as less stable but prefer more stability-promoting traits in their own potential partners, reflecting a motivation to seek security in relationships when bodily states signal instability.

Methods

Participants

The sample will consist of 100 adult volunteers, recruited from a university student population and local community centers, to ensure diversity. Participants will be between 18 and 35 years old, with equal representation of men and women. Inclusion criteria will include unpartnered status to control for existing relationship influences. Sample size was determined based on prior power analyses (Cohen, 1988) indicating that 50 participants per condition would provide sufficient power (.80) to detect moderate effect sizes (d = 0.50) at p

Procedure

Participants will be randomly assigned to either a physically unstable or a physically stable condition. In the unstable condition, participants will sit at a slightly wobbly table and chair setup, created by adjusting the legs of the furniture with small modifications (e.g., shortening legs and adding a pebble). In the stable condition, furniture will be unaltered. After brief demographic and mood assessments, participants will evaluate four well-known couples’ relationship stability by estimating the likelihood that their marriages will dissolve within five years on a scale of 1 to 7. Higher scores indicate perceived instability.

Next, participants will rate their preferences for traits in a potential partner, including trustworthiness, reliability, spontaneity, adventurousness, and other traits selected based on literature (Collins & Feeney, 2000). Traits associated with stability versus instability will be emphasized. Preference ratings will employ a Likert scale from 1 (not desirable) to 7 (extremely desirable). Mood checks will control for affective differences.

Materials

The stimuli will include biography summaries of couples with known relationship histories, rated for stability by previous pilot testing. Trait questionnaires will distinguish between stability-promoting traits (trustworthy, reliable) and instability-promoting traits (spontaneous, adventurous). All measures will be validated, well-established scales, and labels will specify independent and dependent variables explicitly. The furniture adjustments serve as the primary bodily manipulation, validated through pilot testing to ensure perceived bodily instability.

Proposed Analyses

Data will be analyzed using independent samples t-tests and ANOVAs. The primary analyses will compare perception of relationship stability and preferences for stability traits between the two conditions. Regression analyses will examine whether mood mediates these effects. Effect sizes will be calculated to interpret the magnitude of observed differences. All analyses will consider potential covariates, including mood and demographic variables, to isolate the effect of bodily state manipulations.

References

• Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1979). Infant-mother attachment. American Psychologist, 34(10), 932–937.
• Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. Basic Books.
• Barsalou, L. W. (2008). Grounded cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 617–645.
• Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Routledge.
• Collins, N. L., & Feeney, B. C. (2000). A safe haven: Support-seeking and caregiving processes in intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(3), 1053–1073.
• Hong, J., & Sun, Y. (2012). Warm it up with love: The effect of physical coldness on liking of romance movies. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(2), 293–306.
• Lee, S. W. S., & Schwarz, N. (2011). Wiping the slate clean: Psychological consequences of physical cleansing. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(6), 307–311.
• Zhong, C.-B., & Liljenquist, K. (2006). Washing away your sins: Threatened morality and physical cleansing. Science, 313(5792), 1451–1452.
• Williams, L. E., & Bargh, J. A. (2008). Experiencing physical warmth influences interpersonal warmth. Science, 322(5901), 606–607.
• Hong, J., & Sun, Y. (2012). Warm it up with love: The effect of physical coldness on liking of romance movies. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(2), 293–306.