PSY1016 FINAL Report 020215

PSY1016: Research Method & Design in Psychology

The Research is looking at:
The relationship between EMPATHY and STIGMA (towards a person with schizophrenia)
The impact of SYMPTOM SEVERITY on STIGMA
There are TWO aspects to this study:
Firstly, a non-experimental part that examines the RELATIONSHIP between stigma and empathy
Secondly, an experimental part that manipulated Symptom Severity (Mild/Severe); we will test for the impact of this on stigma scores
This was done by changing the description of ‘Harry’ in the vignette
At the end of the Introduction section you will need to make predictions about the outcome for each part of the study
The basic aims of an Introduction Section
Provide a background to the study
How are the key terms defined?
What has been found previously?
Highlight important conceptual / theoretical / methodological issues
Highlight relevant gaps in the research literature
Make sense of your alternative hypothesis
Your predictions should follow logically from the background context you provide

Stigma is a powerful phenomenon affects the stigmatized through the mechanisms of discrimination, prejudice, automatic stereotype activation and brings out an indirect threat to both personal and social identity (Major & O 'Brien, 2005). In the modern sense, stigmatization is being viewed as a critical barrier to an individual’s basic humanity. According to a research study by University of California on social psychology of stigma it defines that; stigma is allied with poor mental stability, infant fatality, physical illness, poor social prestige, poor access to job opportunities and academic achievements (Major & O 'Brien, 2005). The origins of modern-day perspectives on stigma have attracted psychologists to review its effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Especially, the common notion and most severe type of psychopathology is Schizophrenia mental illness which relates to severe stigmatization symptoms. Advances in our

References: Bora, E., Gökçen, S. and Veznedaroglu, B. (2008). Empathic abilities in people with schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 160(1), pp.23-29. Buss, A. and Buss, E. (1969). Theories of schizophrenia. New York: Atherton Press. Chadwick, P., Parker, T., & Hammond, T. (2009). Schizophrenia. London: Routledge. Corrigan, P. (2004). How Stigma Interferes With Mental Health Care. American Psychologist, 59(7), pp.614-625. Costello, C. (1993). Symptoms of schizophrenia. New York: Wiley. Derntl, B., Finkelmeyer, A., Eickhoff, S., Kellermann, T., Falkenberg, D., Schneider, F. and Habel, U. (2010). Multidimensional assessment of empathic abilities: Neural correlates and gender differences. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35(1), pp.67-82. Forrest, A. and Affleck, J. (1975). New perspectives in schizophrenia. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Hudson, Jessica, "The disclosure process of an invisible stigmatized entity" (2011).College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations. Paper 93. Major, B., & O 'Brien, L. (2005). The Social Psychology of Stigma. Annu. Rev. Psychol., 56(1), 393-421. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070137 Schizophrenia Shamay-Tsoory, S., Shur, S., Harari, H. and Levkovitz, Y. (2007). Neurocognitive basis of impaired empathy in schizophrenia. Neuropsychology, 21(4), pp.431-438.