Groups

· Overview

Write 3–5 pages in which you critically review reliable media sources for information related to the implications of membership in a chosen group or community. Examine both scholarly literature and reliable media sources in order to identify the problems, conflicts, and issues where additional research is needed.

Today, the focus of scientific inquiry is on group dynamics, the appeal of groups, the benefits and consequences of group membership, and how groups recruit members.

Context

This assessment will delve into the characteristics and appeal of online groups and virtual communities. According to McKenna (2009) in Psychological Aspects of Cyberspace, "groups within the electronic realm share many characteristics in common with groups that meet and function in shared physical spaces" (p. 228). However, Brandon and Hollingshead (2009) say that "our collective notions of what constitutes a group have changed radically in the past 15 years" (p. 105).

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.

Resources

Required Resources

The following resources are required to complete the assessment.

Resources

Click the links provided to view the following resources:

· APA Paper Template .

Suggested Resources

The following optional resources are provided to support you in completing the assessment or to provide a helpful context. For additional resources, refer to the Research Resources and Supplemental Resources in the left navigation menu of your courseroom.

Resources

Click the links provided to view the following resources:

· Assessment 5 Context .

Multimedia

Click the links provided below to view the following multimedia pieces:

· Cyberpsychology Course Resources  |  Transcript .

· Social Gaming  |  Transcript .

Library Resources

The following e-books or articles from the University Library are linked directly in this course:

· Chen, C., & Lin, C. (2014).  Building a sense of virtual community: The role of the features of social networking sites . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(7), 460–465.

· Graham, L. T., & Gosling, S. D. (2013).  Personality profiles associated with different motivations for playing World of Warcraft . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(3), 189–193.

· Hollingdale, J., & Greitemeyer, T. (2014).  The effect of online violent video games on levels of aggression .PLoS ONE, 9(11), 1–5.

· Holt, T. J., & Bossler, A. M. (2012).  Predictors of patrol officer interest in cybercrime training and investigation in selected United States police departments . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(9), 464–472.

· Kim, Y., & Lee, W. (2014).  Networking for philanthropy: Increasing volunteer behavior via social networking sites . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(3), 160–165.

· Kuss, D. J., Louws, J., & Wiers, R. W. (2012).  Online gaming addiction? Motives predict addictive play behavior in massively multiplayer online role-playing games . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(9), 480–485.

· Leung, A. N., & McBride-Chang, C. (2013).  Game on? Online friendship, cyberbullying, and psychosocial adjustment in Hong Kong Chinese children . Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 32(2), 159–185.

· Valenzuela, S. (2013).  Unpacking the use of social media for protest behavior: The roles of information, opinion expression, and activism . American Behavioral Scientist, 57(7), 920–942.

· Vermeulen, L., Núñez Castellar, E., & Van Looy, J. (2014).  Challenging the other: Exploring the role of opponent gender in digital game competition for female players . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(5), 303–309.

· Vraga, E. K., Bode, L., Wells, C., Driscoll, K., & Thorson, K. (2014).  The rules of engagement: Comparing two social protest movements on YouTube . Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(3), 133–140.

· Woo, J.-C. (2014).  Digital game-based learning supports student motivation, cognitive success, and performance outcomes . Journal of Educational Technology and Society, 17(3), 291–307.

Course Library Guide

The University library guide has been created specifically for your use in this course. You are encouraged to refer to the resources in the  PSYC-FP4210 – Cyberpsychology Library Guide  to help direct your research.

Internet Resources

Access the following resources by clicking the links provided. Please note that URLs change frequently. Permissions for the following links have been either granted or deemed appropriate for educational use at the time of course publication.

· American Psychological Association  (APA). (2014). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org

· Pew Research Center. (2014).  Internet Project . Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/

· ResearchGate . (2014). Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net

· Assessment Instructions

For this assessment, study the psychosocial effects of a specific online community or group. For example, perhaps you are interested in researching an online sobriety community for teens—or an online group of people who love zombie films. The possibilities seem endless.

Preparation

Choose a specific group or community to research. Note: Research judiciously. Do not or choose a group or community that advocates hate, violence, or anything that might detract from the higher-education learning experience. Use caution as you research and do not reveal personal information.

Note the following:

· References should be mostly scholarly in nature. In other words, you should direct your research to professional psychology journals and texts, as well as 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.

Directions

Complete the following:

· Examine scholarly literature for the psychosocial impact of membership in a virtual group or community.

· Critically review reliable media sources for information related to the implications of membership in the group or community.

5. Explain the methods or procedures used in the studies.

5. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology used for the studies.

. Examine the problems, conflicts, and unresolved issues that require additional research and choose one issue to propose for further research.

. Provide a rationale for proposed research.

Additional Requirements

. Written communication: Ensure written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.

. APA formatting: Format resources and citations according to current APA style and formatting guidelines. Use Microsoft Word.

. Length of paper: Submit 3 pages.

. Number of resources: Use a minimum of three scholarly resources and three other reliable sources.

. Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.