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Area of Proposal

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1. Introduction

1. Introduction

Introduce the study and summarize the existing research sufficiently that your readers will understand the basis for your study.

Humanity is responsible for some of the greatest moves that are present on the scope of the world and the universe. Thus, humanity is an evolving, adaptive, and significant life force that has managed to attain a lot over the years. However, as much as humanity is something significant and comes out withholding a very powerful form as a result of achievement, humanity is also very fragile and has various flaws. The human mind and nature are one that is prone to experience emotional and logical thoughts. In many cases, some downsides of having the emotional state is that it is the easiest human element that can be altered, interfered with or impacted by reality.

Once the emotional side of life or ones personality is affected then this ends up affecting the mental state of an individual which ends up tampering with the emotional aspect that goes along with the logical state of the mind. This is a very common incident that takes place after experiencing a traumatic event and is very common in soldiers and people who work in undesirable conditions and politically unstable regions that are prone to violence. Psychological trauma can also be a result of abuse or being affected emotionally by something such as the death of an individual or by a break up/ end of a situation such as marriage, miscarriage or even being laid off work.

In such instances, it is vital to take a very humane way to handle such people as they are usually vulnerable and most of the choices made are not well adjusted, and over time, they might find it difficult to blend back into reality. Therefore, this study aims at looking at and on how merging the use of the humanistic psychology, person centered therapy approach and virtual reality can make it possible to handle such patients and be able to reduce the anxiety, stress and trauma levels. This study will present how these three elements can be related to each other and how they can be used together to articulate the psychological challenge at hand. This research program also aims at looking at how patients respond to the treatment and document any notable changes that have taken place in the patients’ way of life and livelihood as well as mental stability (Day, Ebrahimi, Hartman, Pagano, Robb & Babu, 2018).

Therefore, this is a study that aims at proving the virtual reality therapy treatment that incorporates the humanistic theory of psychology along with the treatment being made to be centered on the patient. From this study it is possible to point out the various attributed that can apply either of the three elements that are in discussion such as the bringing up of children or developing cultures in companies.

2. Research Question(s)

2. Research Question(s)

List each research question, in clear and specific terms, for this study.

1. How do war heroes and heroines learn how to connect with reality and civilians by undergoing a virtual reality therapy that is both humanistic and uses a patient centered approach?

2. What is the impact on the family when a family member undergoes the virtual reality therapy?

3. How do patients respond to the therapy even after treatment has stopped?

4. What is the notion and idealism held by psychologists?

Describe how your research questions deal with:

· Descriptions (for example, of a phenomenon of interest),

This study has various points of views as well as phenomenon’s that will be put to practice over time even after this study has been developed. None the less, this study’s first phenomenon is on how technology (virtual reality) can be used or rather is to be used to treat patients who might be suffering from various degrees of mental dilemmas. This study also aims to understand why virtual reality offers better treatment as opposed to the traditional means of treatment (Day, Ebrahimi, Hartman, Pagano, Robb & Babu, 2018). Aside from that, based on question 1, the study aims at making a crystal understanding on how humanistic psychology works on patients and also defining why using virtual reality makes it possible for the veterans to be able to find their sense of humanity once more.

From research question four, gaining an understanding on how this mode of treatment is currently perceived makes it possible to make assumptions from the notions presented by professionals who have been in the industry for a long time and have been able to witness the program take place. Through questions 2 and 3, the study as well as those who get to go through the research paper will be well informed on how the blend of humanistic psychology, use of virtual reality and a patient centered therapy approach impacts both family and patient and how this translates as well as affects their relationship in the long run (Day, Ebrahimi, Hartman, Pagano, Robb & Babu, 2018).

· Relationships or correlations (for example, how highly related are two variables to each other), or

It is evident that the emotional mentality side has a very high impact on the logical side which happens to have a direct impact on the mental ability of an individual. As a result of this, it is now possible to claim that an individual does have a direct correlation between what affects their emotional and their logical set up. However, both elements are independent, but they have an equal affect and effect to each other while they seem to share a similar dependent variable which is the variable of one’s experience and lifestyle or situation at hand.

· Differences (for example, how are participants who complete the treatment different from those who don’t?)

The main difference utilized to determine the efficiency of the study will be the use of evaluating the level of change that patients who take part in the therapeutic procedure attain as compared to the patients who have not taken the treatment. The main means of determining this will be the use of virtual reality where patients will be immersed in that which is distressing them and monitoring their level of heart beat, reaction and blood pressure. The test will also include taking a test that will make it possible to determine the wellness of a patient (Rauch & Rothbaum, 2016).

3. Hypotheses

3. Hypotheses

List each hypothesis you will test for this study. Be sure that each hypothesis is clear, specific, and testable. Be sure that each hypothesis flows logically from the literature and background information provided already.

1. A PTSD patient will be assisted in reflection and back to reality.

2. How psychologists view this treatment can easily affect the patient negatively and positively

3. Offering the patient, the confidence they need, and self-awareness makes them grasp their will to overcome the situation they are in.

4. Autistic children can learn to express themselves and understand emotion better if they are encouraged and receive the treatment early enough.

4. Quantitative Approach

4. Quantitative Approach

· Specify the quantitative approach (e.g., correlational research, quasi-experimental, experimental) being proposed for this study

For this study, the main on the study. The elements of study are as follows:

1. Heart beat rate and Concentration level

2. Logical ability and Mental abilities

Above is a list of the variables that will be used in the correlational study and review which will offer a better understanding on what affects mental abilities and physical health.

· Provide a rationale for this approach over other possible quantitative approaches- explain why this is the best way to test your hypotheses. Use references and cite appropriately.

By conducting a correlation research, it becomes better and easier to understand how trauma can lead to various challenges in one’s mentality. By comparing the variables against one another makes it possible to determine what exactly happens in the mental level and the physical level. Therefore, by comparing and using the correlation structure the understanding is made clearer and better as compared to using other forms of analysis. When it comes to comparing the other variables with other elements of analysis, it would be more challenging, as well as difficult to have a clear cut on what exactly is affecting the other and how they all are supposed to relate to each other.

5. Variables

5. Variables

· What are the variables of interest for this study? Provide a specific conceptual definition here.

· The variables that will be set into this study are:

The form of analysis will be the application of correlational research where there will be various variables that will make it possible to understand the case study as well as draw factual evidence.

1. Mental ability

2. Stress

3. Relationships

4. Emotions

5. Treatment

The Definition:

1. Awareness is a set that makes it possible for people to be able to perform and conduct him/herself better and efficiently. This is a very strong element that has always been able to make people to attain an upmost level of efficiency in all they can do. However, it is very common that people who are facing some traumatic issues tend to have a weaker level of awareness.

2. Mental ability is basically the day to day set up that is present in every individual and is the main way that an individual can plan their plans, activities or also be able to understand how to coordinate oneself. Mental ability needs to be well centered and always needs to be sharp. However, in this case the variable will be reviewed in a sense of how the mental ability will be challenged and affected by the various forms of instability and challenges that come around as a result of stress, anxiety and distress.

3. Stress is a very common mental condition that is rated to be more of a minor emotional stability state that causes one to have a heightened level of emotional outburst or where they are in constant obsession over something that causes them mental suffering similar to emotional unbalance. This is a very powerful element when it comes to understanding how to treat psychologically trauma patients as their stress levels are always high either as a result of anxiety, frustration or the constant fear of something and not shaking their mind off that fear.

4. Relationship is another variable that is ever present in any psychological study that has an emotional variable to it as relationships tend to be based of a form of connection that always have a level of affection or emotion.

5. Emotions are basically the feelings humans are known to exhibit, express or depress as a result of something. As much as some people are not capable of understanding emotion it is important to understand that the level of emotion is always there as much as they fail to express it which is basically a challenge of learning how to do so.

6. Treatment is the core unit of this study as well as a variable since it is what that is affecting the patient both directly and affecting most of the other variables indirectly such as how the patient relates to his/her family after treatment.

· Which of these variables are independent variables?

Considering that this study aims to apply the correlation structural study, it is evident that all variables in this test are dependent on one another. However, the treatment program is the only and the main independent variable as it is the fusion of different processes to come up with a final and effective treatment to which the patients respond to.

· Which of these variables are dependent variables?

The dependent variables are by far the most elements in the study as they are comprised of the rest of the remaining elements to be reviewed in this study. The dependent variables vary with the test and also happen to be dependent amongst each other. The variables are as follows:

1. Awareness

2. Mental ability

3. Stress

4. Relationships

5. Emotions

· Which of these variables are other variables of interest? Specify how they are of interest (for example, covariate, confound, etc.)

The main and leading covariate element of this research process is how the psychologist’s respond to the inception of the treatment idea as well as the results it offers. Similar to medicine, doctors and surgeons aim at offering the patient their stand point on the procedure or condition they are in and from what the medical staff tells them. This usually has some level of impact towards how the patient receives the treatment and the effort they make. Unlike in medicine, from a psychological point of view, and from the type of medication at hand, the patients need to be able to see that the psychologist is thrilled about the treatment and the patient especially considering that the treatment is patient centered (Westra & Aviram, 2013).

· Operationally define each of your study variables. Be sure each variable is objectively and reliably measureable.

The functional definition would and will be the comparison of various forms that are tied to the end result as well as conducting a final contrast after a treatment is complete. There is also the presence of evaluation of the various results that will and can be obtained as a final result in form of interviews, observations and tests.

· Will you use existing measures in your research? If yes, describe the reliability and validity data of the measure.

Considering this is a test, it is very important to include various forms of existing data such as previous test results of patients and medical history.

· Will you create measures for this research? If yes, Describe your development and pilot testing procedures for this measure.

No

6. Sample

6. Sample

· What is the population of interest?

For this study, the main population to be used will be victims of trauma or any individual who might be suffering from any traumatic disorders.

· Who are the sample participants?

The study will comprise of, veterans and autistic children as well as family members who have experienced family abuse which result is traumatic challenges. Not only will the study be host to individuals undergoing traumatic stress, but it will also feature a set of psychologists who have knowledge to the humanistic theory as well as the patient centered treatment but have no faith in them. This is an act of determining whether the treatment does have an impact on both patient and doctor. This will help to determine the adaptability psychologists get from the training and experiment (Sharpless & Barber, 2011).

· Explain how this sample is (and is not) representative of the population. Include a discussion of any inclusion or exclusion criteria for participation.

This sample is a basic summary of the participants that will take part in the study. However, all participants who are not autistic must be of age while those who are autistic must be young as it is easier to treat and manage autism at a younger age as compared to an older age set up.

7. Procedures

7. Procedures

· What are the participant recruitment procedures?

Requirements:

· The participants must undergo a testing to ensure that they to suffer from the condition. This will be done at the examination section as the data will be used to evaluate the findings

· The study patients will also need a signed letter of consent if they happen to be autistic.

· The last requirement will be all participants must have their close family with them or a close friend who will also take part in the experiment as a secondary source of data when it comes to developing the relationship section.

· What are the study procedures? (What will you do and where will you do it in obsessive detail)

Procedures

· For this study, the procedure will be made short and simple with the aim of minimizing any waste of time and resources as well as being able to capture the act of treatment from the therapeutic procedure. Therefore, the research will have the following procedures:

· Collection of data from patients and performing various test on them to collect their reactions, heart rate, emotional level, mode of coordination, relation to family and friends as well as stress levels.

· The second phase will be the assigning of patients to professional psychologists who will also be part of the test and who have been well informed on the procedures of treatment. In this phase, the patients will begin undergoing patient centered treatment first while the relevant data is recorded.

· The third phase will turn into the main phase which will be use of the virtual reality technology to perform the therapeutic treatment (Nelson, 2013).

· The fourth phase will be the compilations and analysis if the data collected over the treatment as well as a final data collection on the participants medical record, interview with the family members or friends as well as offering the participant a virtual reality test and a one on one interview (Nelson, 2013).

· The final procedure will be the presentation of the data.

· Describe research ethics and diversity considerations for this proposed study. How, when, and from whom will you obtain consent? How will you protect participant privacy and the confidentiality of their data?

Considering this is a modern age research study and the mode of treatment is more of a technology advanced set up, the consent will be obtained from the relevant guardians from an online platform while the data will be stored in a cloud computing setup. This is to ensure that privacy is always maintained even after the experiment is over. The patients will also be given a legal form to sign to ensure that they do not over share the contents of the study that also binds the experimenting team to maintaining patient privacy under the privacy right Act.

8. Statistics

8. Statistics

· What statistics will be used in this study? Be specific for each hypothesis to be tested which variables you will use and which statistical test. Separate them by number.

Considering that this study has taken a turn into using the correlation set up, the experiment will use one single manager of statistical review but heavily rely on the end result that can and will be compared to the statistics obtained. The method of statistical data deriving will simply be comparing all statistical data attained before the start of the study to that which is attained as the program proceeds to the end. Therefore, the following will be attained:

· Margin shift

· Change in ration

· Comparison of vital levels to attain a liner direction and rate.

· How do the statistics fit the needs of the study?

The statistics are very vital as they will be able to show the changes that take place and how the variables mentioned tend to shift as the patient improves their healing process. The statistics can also be a marking point of grading the participant in terms of improvement.

· If post hoc analyses are being considered, discuss these as well, including a rationale for your choice of analysis.

If and when a study is conducted and the patients show an incredible shift in vitals or conditions in only one particular set of patients then the hoc analysis will be put in place as a determinant of the situation (Farber, Suzuki & Lynch, 2018).

9. Strengths

9. Strengths

What are the strengths of this study? Why are they strengths?

· Ability to better relationships is by far one of the best moves this study will have as the family members will be able to walk with the patient every step, as opposed to the olden forms where they were left to figure themselves out.

· Makes it possible to reduce the challenging structures of autism when children are introduced into the program. This also makes it possible for them to tap into the mental abilities that they tend to have that ordinary human minds tend to fail to grasp.

· Reduce suicidal acts in veterans.

· Be able to offer beneficial data to other study’s by laying a grading system that is beneficial in various ways.

10. Limitations

10. Limitations

What are the weaknesses or limitations of this study? Why are they weaknesses?

· Costly: Virtual reality and technology systems are not that easy to come across nor are they that affordable to maintain. This makes the project delicate and very expensive to start, run and maintain.

· Time consuming since it all depends on the progress of the participant.

· Difficult to find willing participants as their lies a lot of controversy behind the use of technology to treat mental dilemmas.

11. Recommendations

11. Recommendations

What recommendations would you make for future research? Consider including the following:

· How could this study be improved?

The study can be made better by the including government resources as well as the willing participation of veteran association as well as the board of psychiatric treatment. From this, there will be more resources pulled together that can make the study better as well as do the study relatively faster. The study can be improved if the virtual reality system could be made a bit more affordable.

· How could internal and external validity be improved in future research?

In this study, various parties were being observed in a rather superficial level, thus, not much time or in-depth look was given to either. Therefore, for future studies, it can be more efficient to divide the group into segments that will review the various elements of this study in more detail and in a better categorization form of structure.

· How does this study fit in with other research in this area?

This study fits in that it is using actual psychiatric medical doctors as well as is dealing with mental challenges that have been a major backbone that has been researched over time in search of answers.

· What research should follow this study to help move the field forward?

The next study to fit in best with this one is probably a study that will investigate the training of the mind to adapt to emotional change. This can be very essential as it can also be taught in schools thus building a generation that can manage traumatic events and find a way to still survive in the long run.

References

References

Provide full APA references for each citation included in this proposal.

Day, B., Ebrahimi, E., Hartman, L. S., Pagano, C. C., Robb, A. C., & Babu, S. V. (2018). Examining the effects of altered avatars on perception-action in virtual reality. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1037/xap0000192

Farber, B. A., Suzuki, J. Y., & Lynch, D. A. (2018). Positive regard and psychotherapy outcome: A meta-analytic review. Psychotherapy, 55(4), 411–423. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1037/pst0000171

Nelson, R. J. (2013). Is virtual reality exposure therapy effective for service members and veterans experiencing combat-related PTSD? Traumatology, 19(3), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534765612459891

Rauch, S. A. M., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2016). Innovations in exposure therapy for PTSD treatment. Practice Innovations, 1(3), 189–196. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1037/pri0000027

Sharpless, B. A., & Barber, J. P. (2011). A clinician’s guide to PTSD treatments for returning veterans. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 42(1), 8–15. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1037/a0022351

Westra, H. A., & Aviram, A. (2013). Core skills in motivational interviewing. Psychotherapy, 50(3), 273–278. https://doi-org.library.capella.edu/10.1037/a0032409