Applications of Social

Psychology to Health,
Mental Health and
Wellbeing

BLOCK 5
PRACTICAL

273
Application of
Social Psychology-II

274
 Practical Component
Psychological test was defined by Gregory (2010, page 16) as “a standardised of BPCC-110: Applied
procedure for sampling behavior and describing it with categories or scores”. Social Psycholog

Psychological test can be described as measurement of sample of behaviour

that is standardised and objective (Anastasi, 1969).
Kaplan and Saccuzzo (2013) explained psychological tests as a device or
technique used in quantification of behaviour that helps in not only
understanding behaviour but also to predicting it.
Cohen-Swerdlik (2010, page 2), defined psychological tests as “ as the
process of measuring psychology-related variables by means of devices or
procedures designed to obtain a sample of behavior”.
Some of the main properties of psychological tests are apparent from the
definitions discussed above. To highlight these properties, psychological tests
are mainly objective in nature. They also have predictive and diagnostic
value. A psychological test is also a standardised, meaning that the procedure
followed while administering and scoring the test is uniform. Such
instructions and scoring is provided in the manual of the test. Besides this the
manual will also provide information about the norms base don which an
individuals score can be interpreted. Any psychological test measures a
sample of behaviour pertaining to certain psychological entity or variable.
And though there are speed tests as well, often psychological test are power
tests, that is, the difficulty level of item increaser gradually in their difficulty
level. Thus it is possible to identify the potential/ ability of different
individuals, those having higher as well as lower potentiality/ ability. It
denotes the extent of quality related to the psychological variable an
individual has. A psychological test also needs to be valid and reliable, that
gain is stated in the manual along with details of method used to establish
them (these will be discussed in details in later sections of this unit).
There are some of the assumptions that we need to highlight as well, they are
as follows:
1) A psychological test needs to be valid or should measure what it is
supposed to measure.
2) It should be reliable or consistent.
3) It should be objective and it is assumed that the individuals taking the
test, understand the test items in a similar manner.
4) It is assumed that the individuals taking the test will answer the test will
be able to accurately express their feeling in that regard.
5) It is assumed that individuals will answer the items honestly. Though
there is always a possibility individuals answering due to social
desirability.
6) Error variance is assumed to occur due to administrator ( bias,
expectations), test taker (anxiety, fatigue) as well as testing conditions
(temperature, distractions).
277
Application of Psychological tests have a vast scope and application as it is used in varied
Social Psychology-II
set ups from clinical, counselling, industrial and organisational to forensic set
up. In clinical set up it can be used for diagnosis of psychological disorders.
For example, Beck‟s depression inventory can be helpful in diagnostic
process of depression. In counselling set up, it can be used to make career
decisions and also understand one‟s aptitude and interest. Tests like
Differential Aptitude Test, Career Preference Record and Vocational Interest
Inventory can be used in this context. Psychological tests can also be used in
industrial and organisational set up for selection purpose as well as to
understand stress relations issues etc. in employees. Job Stress Scale,
Organisational Citizenship Behaviour, Job Satisfaction Scale and so on can
be used in this setup. In forensic psychology as well, psychological tests can
be used to understand the psychological state of the individual. Psychological
tests thus can be used to measure a wide range of psychological entities
including intelligence, personality, creativity, interest, aptitude, attitude
values and so on. There are even psychological tests that measure variables
like internet addiction, resilience, mental health, psychological wellbeing,
perceived parental behaviour, family environment etc.

Characteristics of a Good Psychological Test

As we have now developed an idea about what is a psychological test, let us

discuss the various characteristics of a good psychological test. These in a
way can be related to the assumptions discussed in the earlier section. Some
of the characteristics of a good psychological test are discussed as follows:

1) Psychological tests are objective in nature: Any good psychological

test needs to be objective and not subjective. There should be no place
for any kind of bias. An objective psychological test also denotes that it
is valid and reliable.
2) Validity of a psychological test: The next characteristics that a good
psychological test should possess is validity. Validity can be explained as
the ability of the test to measure what it is supposed to measure. A
weighing machine is a valid tool to measure weight and it is not valid to
measure length.
3) Reliability of a psychological test: A good psychological tests will also
be reliable or consistent. For example, if you measure length of a table
with a ruler on certain day and if you measure the length of the same
table with same ruler after six months, the length obtained in centimetres
will remain same, thus indicting that this ruler is reliable.
However, in the context of validity and reliability, it is to be remembered
that in psychology what we measure are intangible entities like
intelligence and personality. And thus establishing validity and reliability
for psychological tests is a rigorous process.

278
 Practical Component
4) A good psychological tests will be have discriminant feature: The test of BPCC-110: Applied
should be able to denote any difference between one individual from the Social Psycholog
other on a given aspect or variable. For example, if two individuals differ
in their music aptitude, the the test should be able to differentiate
between the two on this aptitude.

5) A good test will be comprehensive: This denotes that the test measures
all the dimensions or aspects of the construct that it measures.

A psychological tests thus needs to be constructed with utmost care and all
the necessary procedures need to be followed. Special care needs to be taken
when the items of a test are constructed, and they need to be clear and not
ambiguous. A good tests also should be quantifiable and it should be possible
to score the items.

Validity and Reliability

Under the characteristic of a good psychological test we briefly discussed

about reliability and validity. We used an example of weighing machine and
a ruler. It is comparatively easy to establish the validity and reliability of a
tool because the entities that they measure are tangible. In psychology, on the
other hand, the entities that are studied are intangible, like intelligence,
personality, attitude and so on. Further, human beings may also change and
their behaviour can fluctuate. Thus, it is complex to establish their validity
and reliability.
In the present section of this unit we will discuss validity and reliability, that
are two significant aspects of any psychological test.
Let us start with discussion on validity first. As unless the test is established
to be valid computing its reliability will not be meaningful.
Validity
Validity can be described as the characteristics of a psychological test that
states whether the test measures what it is supposed to or purports to
measure. Thus a test on adjustment needs to measure adjustment and a test on
self esteem needs to measure self esteem. A ruler, that measures length, is not
a valid instrument to measure weight and a weighing machine is not a valid
instrument to measure length. Similarly, a good psychological test needs to
be valid and should measure the entity (or the sample of behaviour) that it
was developed to measure.
There are various methods of validity, these are discussed as follows:
Face validity: As the name suggests the focus here is on the face value of the
test. If the test seems to measure what it is supposed to measure then it can be
said to have face validity. This is basically based on judgement
(Veeraraghavan and Shetgovekar, 2016). Such a validity may be helpful
when deciding whether the items in the test are suitable in certain situations.
Though this can be considered as initial step in the process of testing the item
rather than in drawing conclusions about the validity of the test.
279
Application of Content validity: In this validity the focus is on the content of the
Social Psychology-II
psychological test. Content validity is established by comparing the items in
the test with the behavioural manifestations. Mainly, in content validity,
whether the construct that the test is supposed to measure is represented in
the test or not is focused on. Content validity can be differentiated from face
validity as the former includes an examinations of the items that is
comprehensive in nature. Further, quantitative data is also used. Correlation
between the item and total score is computed that provides an idea about the
content validity of the test. Thus, a clear idea about how each item represents
the variable measured by the psychological tests can be sought. In order to
obtain content validity, both, the items that relate to the variables measured
by psychological test and the items that do not relate to the variables measure
by the test need to be included. A psychological tests can be first measured
for content validity during the test construction stage.

Construct validity: As was discussed in the first unit, a construct can be

terms as a concept that is adopted for empirical purpose (Kerlinger, 1995).
Thus, when adjustment or creativity is adopted in a research for empirical
purpose, it will be termed as a construct. Construct validity involves looking
for evidences that the behaviours reflected by the test to some extent indicate
the construct. In this validity, hypotheses are formulated based on theory
related to the construct and then attempts are made to accept or reject the
hypotheses based on data collection. Based on the data then it is concluded
whether the the results obtained are explained by the theory or not. If not then
the theory is modified and the process is repeated.

Criterion related validity: This related to the predictive feature of the

psychological test and is scientific in nature (Veeraraghavan and
Shetgovekar, 2016). This can be explained as the extent to which a
psychological test covaries with another valid psychological tests measuring
the same variable or with the help of gold standard assessment strategies
(Haynes et al., 1999). Gold standard assessment strategies are nothing but a
different and accurate criterion or behavioural evaluation that is carried out
by experts using valid psychological tests, observation and interview
(Zolotor& and Mayer, 2004; Rich and Eyberg, 2001),

Criterion validity constitutes the following three categorises

1) Discriminative validity:This can be determined based on whether a test is

able to categorise the individuals in to groups that are contracting, based
on the construct that it measures. This type of validity is relevant when
we need to make a decision that is categorical, for example, whether the
individual displays maladjustment or not. Though such a validity may
not be relevant when the tests developed is a continuous scale and
measures adjustment over a period of time, say during the counselling
process.

280
 Practical Component
1) Concurrent validity: In psychology, there could be multiple tests that are of BPCC-110: Applied
developed that measure dissimilar or similar entities. In concurrent Social Psycholog
validity, a validity of a test is established by comparing its scores with
that of another valid test that measures dissimilar or similar entity. This
can be done by administering the two tests on same group of individuals
at same time. The validity of the the developed test is determined based
on whether it has a significant correlationship with another valid tests
measuring the same construct or has no significant correlationship with a
valid test that measures a different construct.
- Convergent validity: This validity measures the extent to which two
tests that measure similar or same construct overlap. Thus, a
correlation is established between two tests that measure similar or
same entity and if there is significant correlation then we can now
that the test developed is valid. For example, a test developed to
measure occupational stress has significant correlationship with
another valid test that also measures occupational stress.
- Discriminant validity: This is also known as divergent validity. In
this validity, an attempt is made to discriminate the test from the
tests that measure an entity that the test is not developed to measure.
Thus, the test developed needs to display no correlation with such a
test. Thus, there will be no correlationship between the test
developed and the test that measures a different construct. For
example, there will not be any correlationship between occupational
stress and job anxiety. With the help of such a validity, we can come
to know that the test developed measures the construct that it is
developed for and does not measure another unrelated construct or a
construct that could overlap with the construct measured by the test
developed.

3) Predictive validity: This validity can be explained as relationship

between performance on the psychological test developed at a certain
time and performance on a criterion measure at some other point of time
(Kazdin, 1998). This validity is established with the help of correlation
between the scores that are obtained from two different tests. Thus, it is
similar to concurrent validity. But the only difference is that the tests are
administered at two different points in time and not at the same time.

Incremental validity: This is mainly used to establish whether the present

psychological tests will more information about the psychological entity that
its is developed to measure than the tests that are already available.

Reliability

Reliability denotes consistency of the psychological test over a period of

time. For example, when a length of a table is measured with the help a ruler
on a certain day and then after six months, the length obtained will be same.
Thus, the ruler can be termed as consistent instrument to measure the length. 281
Application of This is comparatively easy as table is a tangible entity and as such its length
Social Psychology-II
will not vary, unless it is broken or subjected to some other modification
which case as well, such a modification or change will be easily visible.
However, in case of psychological entities that are intangible, establishing
reliability or consistency is a difficult task. Therefore, if a psychological test
on adjustment is developed and it is administered on a group of adolescents,
the scores obtained at a certain point and some time later, say after six
months need to be more or less same or similar. Reliability can be denotes
with the help of reliability coefficient, that can be statistically computed.

There are various methods to test reliability of a test, these are discussed as
follows:

Test–retest method: In this method, a correlation is computed between the

test scores and retest scores of a particular test. The correlation obtained
needs to be obviously positive and lower the correlation, lower the reliability.
Thus, the test is measured to a certain group of individuals at a particular
point in time and then re-administered after a time gap to establish its
consistency. Though, error could occur in test- retest reliability due to issues
like practice effect, maturation, learning and memorisation of items by the
participants.

Alternate or equivalent forms method: To overcome some of the issues

faced in test-retest reliability, alternate form method can be used. In this
method an alternate form of the test is developed. The two forms are then
administered one after the other on same group of individuals and the scores
obtained are correlated to establish consistency or reliability. One of the
major challenges in this regard is creating two equivalent forms of the test.

Split- half method: This method mainly focuses on internal consistency.

This can help counter the disadvantage of the alternate forms method as only
one test is developed and administered.The test is then it is split in to half as
the name suggests. One important question that may arise is how the test can
be split. One way that it can be split in to half with the above 50% items and
the below 50% items. Though this will not work when the test is a power test
with increasing level of difficulty. A better way is to split on the basis of
alternate item, that is even numbered items in one lot and odd numbered
items in another. As the scores are obtained correlation can then be computed
between the two lots to obtain internal consistency. The Spearman–Brown
prophecy formula can be used for computation of correction as reliability is
otherwise obtained only for half the test. This method can be effectively used
with tests that have large number of items that measure same psychological
entity.

Kuder–Richardson reliability and Coefficient alpha (α): The Kuder–

Richardson Reliability indicates inter-item consistency and is mainly used for
psychological tests that have items with multiple choice, items with fill in the
blanks, items seeking short answer and so on. There is just one form of the
282
 Practical Component
psychological test and it is administered in one sitting. As the focus of this of BPCC-110: Applied
method is on inter-item consistency, it is important that the test item are Social Psycholog
homogeneous in nature. When the items are heterogeneous, the reliability
coefficient obtained will be low.

Coefficient Alpha, also known as Cronbach‟s Alpha can be termed as an

extension of Kuder–Richardson Reliability (Veeraraghavan and Shetgovekar,
2016). This can be used for tests that have more than two answers and thus
can also be used for Likert scale. This also focuses on internal consistency.

Scorer reliability: In psychological testing it is also relevant to obtain a

scorer reliability as error variance can also occur due to the test administrator
and scorer. Scorer reliability can be established by having two test scorers
score the items for a same test and then, by computing correlation coefficient
between the scores given by the two scorers.

Standardisation and norms are also important aspects of psychological tests

and are stated in the manual that comes along with the test. Psychological
tests denote how individuals are different from each other with reference to
various psychological entities. And in order to adequately measure presence
and level of such entities in an individual, uniformity in procedure,
administration and scoring of the test is required. This is termed as
standardisation.

Further, it is also important to have a norm that can be referred to suitably

interpret the scores obtained by the individuals. Often after a test is
administered and scored, a raw score is obtained which is meaningless,
unless it is compared against a standard or norms. Standardisation and norms
are established after it is ensured that the test is reliable and valid. To obtain
the norms, the test is administered to a large number of individuals. For
instance, we can obtain norm for weights of newly born infants in India, by
measuring the weight of a large number of newly born infants in a given
period of time. Then based on this, norms can be created. An average score
will also be obtained. Thus, weight of any new born infant can then be
compared with the norms to understand where they fall and make
interpretations accordingly.

In psychology, when norms are created for various psychological tests,

various aspects like gender, culture, geographical location and so on need to
be taken in to consideration and thus separate norms can be created for
different groups. And these details need to reflect clearly in the test manual.
For instance, taking the earlier example, the norms for weight of newly born
infants in India will differ from that of newly born infants in Germany or
USA.

283
Application of Types of Tests
Social Psychology-II

There are various types of psychological tests. These are discussed as

follows:

Individual test: Tests that are administered on a single individual. For

example, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Stanford-Binet
Intelligence Scale (SB), Bhatia battery.

Group test: Such tests can be administered to a group of individuals at the

same time. For example, NEO PI and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory

Speed test: A speed test constitutes items that are of same difficulty level,
however a certain time period is provided to complete the test.

Power test: A power test constitutes items that increase gradually in terms of
their difficult level. Though here there is no time limit to complete the test.

Verbal test: A paper pencil test can be termed as a verbal test where the
items are mentioned using language. For example: 16 PF and Eysenck‟s
Personality Inventory.

Non-verbal test: In this type of test certain figures and symbols are used. For
example, Raven‟s Progressive Matrices. In this the language may used only
to provide instructions to the individual taking the test.

Performance test: In performance test, the individual taking the test has to
perform certain tasks. For example: Alexander‟s passalong test and Koh's
block design test.

Objective tests: In objective tests, the individual will choose from certain
correct answers that are that are decided in advance. This avoids any
subjectivity on behalf of the scorer. The responses could be in terms of true
or false or multiple choices or even a rating scale like Likert scale or
Thurston‟s scale may be used. For example: NEO Personality Inventory.

Projective Tests: these are subjective in nature. Here, the test taker may be
asked to respond to certain semi structured or unstructured stimuli. The
responses are then to be interpreted by the administrator, where subjectivity
may creep in. Examples of projective tests are Rorschach Inkblot test,
Somatic Inkblot Series, Sentence Completion Test, Thematic Apperception
Test and Children‟s Apperception Test.

Besides the above, psychological tests can also be categorised as follows:

Intelligence tests: There are various intelligence tests that are used to
measure intelligence of individuals. Intelligence can be described as one‟s
ability to adjust and cope with the environment. Binet and Simon (1960)
defined intelligence as an individual‟s capacity to make adequate judgements,
carry out reasoning and ability to comprehend. Wechsler (1944, page 3)
284
 Practical Component
defined intelligence as“the aggregate or global capacity of the individual to of BPCC-110: Applied
act purposefully, to think rationally, and to deal effectively with his Social Psycholog
environment”.These tests are often used in educational and clinical set ups.
Examples of intelligence test are Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
(WISC), Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (SB), Bhatia battery.

Personality tests: These are used to measure personality of the individuals.

Larsen and Buss (2018) defined personality as a collection of psychological
traits and mechanisms that are stable and organised and that have an
influence an individual‟s interaction and also has an impact on how he/she
modifies his/ her physical, social and psychological environment. It can also
be explained as differences amongst individuals with regard to their patterns
of thinking, feeling and the way they behave (APA, 2019). Personality tests
are used widely in varied setups including clinical, educational, counselling,
industrial and organisational setup and so on. Examples of personality test are
Eysenck‟s Personality Inventory, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT),
Somatic Inkblot Series (SIS).

Aptitude tests: There are tests that measure the potential/ abilities possessed
by an individual in certain area. These find their application in schools and
even in industrial set up for selection purpose.They denote whether a person
will be able to perform effectively if he/ she is given training in that area. For
instance, a person with aptitude for dance or music will do well in the area if
given training. Examples of aptitude tests are Differential Aptitude Test,
Seashore Musical Aptitude Test.

Interest inventories: These measure interests of individuals. Interest is

important as aptitude in making career decisions and thus these tests are also
used often in educational setup. Examples of interest inventories are
Vocational Interest Inventory.

Attitude tests: These tests measure attitude of an individual towards events,

other individuals, objects and so on. Often in attitude tests Thurston and
Likert scale are used. These could measure attitude towards women, health
and so on. Examples of attitude tests are

Achievement tests: There are also tests that measure achievement of

individuals. They mainly test an individual‟s learning in certain academic
area. Such tests are often used in educational setup. Academic achievement
test and Mathematics Achievement Test are examples of achievement tests.

Administration and Scoring of a Test

As a student of psychology and especially when we are learning about

psychological testing, we need to not only understand what is psychological
testing and psychological tests and the relevant concepts like reliability,
validity, standardisation and norms, but we also need to have an idea about
how to administer a test and score it.

285
Application of The administration of a test will differ based on whether it is administered to
Social Psychology-II
an individual or a group. When it is administered to an individual, it will be
given to a single individual and accordingly preparations need to be made.
And if its is administered to a group, then adequate sitting arrangement is
required and necessary preparations in that direction are required.

Either ways it is to be remembered that the test is administered in a

systematic and standardised manner. Same instructions (as specified in the
manual) are to be given to the test takers.

Before the test is administered whether to an individual or a group, ensure

that all the material required for the test administration is ready. Also ensure
that the environmental conditions in whichthe test will be administered are
conducive and free from any distractions. It is also important that you
throughly read the test manual and also have good idea about the concept that
the test measures.

The following points needs to be considered while administering a test:

- Focus on the purpose for which the test is administered. Tests are
administered in order to measure an individual on certain variable. And
based on what exactly is to be measured, a test needs to be selected. For
instance, personality can be measured with the help of 16 PF as well as
NEO- PI. You need to select a test based on what you want to measure. It
is important that a psychological test is administered by a person who
possesses necessary qualification, expertse and skills to do so (As far as
your practical component of this course is concerned, the variables to be
measured have already been specified and you will learn how to
administer and score a test measuring one of the specified variables).
- It is important that you throughly read the manual of the test and are
familiar with the instructions, procedure, duration of the whole test
administration process and any other relevant information in that regard.
Typically the manual will have background information about the variable
that the test measures, besides information about the instructions,
reliability, validity. Also details with regard to how to score the test and
norms will also be provided.
- Ensure that all the material required for test administration is kept ready
before administration.
- Ensure that the room where the test will be administered is adequate in
terms of temperature and illumination. Also ensure that it is free from any
distractions. There needs to be comfortable sitting arrangement for the test
taker (s).
- Also focus on the ethical issues to be followed during test administration
like confidentiality, privacy and so on. We discussed briefly about ethics
in the unit 2 and same are also relevant in this context.
286
- While administering the test, the instructions need to be provided clearly Practical Component
of BPCC-110: Applied
to the test taker(s). Also if there are any doubts or questions, then suitable Social Psycholog
clarification/ answers have to be given.
- Keep in mind the individual characteristics while administering the test.
Your approach may differ when you administer a test to children, elderly,
people with disability and so on. Also language and culture need to be
focused on.
- Most important thing while administering a test is also creating a rapport
with the test takers so that their test anxiety is reduced and they extend
their full cooperation during the test administration process.
- After the test is administered, if required debriefing is to be carried out,
where any information that was not revealed before the test was
administered, the same needs to be informed to the test taker(s).
Introspective report can also be taken from the test taker.
- The test responses can then be scored as per the instruction and scoring
key given in the test manual and interpretations can be be made based on
the norms provided.
- After the interpretations is carried out the test results are to be informed to
the test takers in suitable manner.

Some of the Indian psychological tests are given below. Apart from these, the
academic counsellor can select any other psychological test based on the
topics covered in BPCC110:
- Attitude Scale Towards Education (ASTE) by S. L. Chopra (Hind).
- Fundamental Rights Attitude Scale by K. K. Tiwari (Hindi).
- Noise Attitude Scale by M. Rajamanikam (English).
- Temperature Attitude Scale by M. Rajamanikam (English).
- Cyber Crime Awareness by Dr. S. Rajasekar (English).
- Internet and Social Networking Sites Attitude Scale by Dr. Subhas Sarkar
and Prasenjit Das (English).
- Sports Specific personality Test by Dr. Agya Jit Singh and Dr. H. S.
Cheema (English/ Hindi).
- Employees Mental Health by Dr. Jagdish (English/ Hindi).
Procedure to be followed by Academic Counsellor for Practical 1

The practical session will be carried out by the academic counsellor at the
study centre. The procedure to be followed by the Academic Counsellor is as
follows:

287
Application of 1) Go though the manual of the test thoroughly.
Social Psychology-II

2) Explain the test in detail to the learners in the class.

3) Introduce the test in terms of:

- History of the Test
- Author
- Development of the test
- Features of the test (e.g. no. of items, dimensions, reliability,
validity)
- Administration
- Scoring
- Interpretation
4) After the introduction of the test, demonstrate to the learners how to
administer the test.

5) The demonstration of administration will include the following:

a) Preparation for the test, for instance, keeping the test material (test
booklet, answer sheet, stopwatch) ready.

b) Establishing rapport with the participant, making him/her feel

comfortable

c) Explaining the test ( procedure, time limit, precautions)

d) Taking informed consent for undergoing the test and informing the
participant that the test findings will remain confidential.

e) Taking permission to record the session, wherever applicable.

f) Reading the instructions for test administration from the manual and
showing it to learners as to from where they have to read the
instructions.

g) Clearing all doubts in the mind of the subject about the test
administration.

h) The participant takes the test.

i) Taking the answer sheet from the participant after completion of the
test.

6) Explain the scoring procedure (as given in the manual) to the learners.

7) Explain how to interpret the data.

8) Ask learners to administer the test on each other in pairs and monitor the
same.
288
 Practical Component
9) The learners will now administer, score and interpret. of BPCC-110: Applied
Social Psycholog
10) The learners will have to write a report of the test in the Practical
notebook which will be evaluated by the academic counsellors.

11) Reporting the practical in practical notebook.

As mentioned above, you will be administering test in the Practical

component You will thus, record the procedure in the practical notebook.

4.0 PRACTICAL 2: IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW

METHOD
This is an optional practical and the academic counsellor may decide to
select this practical.

We discussed about interview as a method of data collection in unit 3 of this

course. One of your practicals could be using interview method. To facilitate
your learning process, we have given the details of interview method in the
present unit and also details of how the interview responses are to be
analysed.

Interview is one of the most commonly used methods of data collection.

Various methods of data collection can be categorised based the extent to
which they are direct. For instance, one way data can be collected is by
asking questions to the participants and another way would be by using
projective techniques like Rorschach inkblot series and so on. Interview can
be termed as a direct method that may help in gathering relevant information
directly from the participants. Though, it is possible that the participants are
not able to or not willing to reveal certain information. In which case a direct
method like interview will not work. Kerlinger (1995, page 441) described
interview as “a face to face interpersonal role situation in which one person,
the interviewer, asks a person being interviewed, the respondent, questions
designed to obtain answers pertinent to research problem”. The key points in
this definition are that there are two main individuals involved, interviewer
and interviewee who are involved in a face to face interaction. And during
this interaction, the interviewer will ask certain questions to the interviewee
to elicit responses.

One of the main aspects of the interview is the interview schedule. Interview
schedule is nothing but questions that the interviewer has to ask as well as
certain guidelines with regard to how the interviewer is expected to proceed
with the interview. Preparing an interview schedule is a challenge and a lot of
planning and work is required. While preparing an interview schedule one
needs to be sure that the sentences are specific and clear and lack words with
double meaning or ambiguous words. Though interview schedules are costly
and are time consuming affair, the amount of information that can be
obtained with the help of interview schedule is large.
289
Application of Before preparing an interview schedule suitable background information
Social Psychology-II
needs to be collected about the focus of research and research problem. An
interview schedule will mainly constitute „identification information or face
sheet, census type information and problem information‟ (Kerlinger, 1995,
page 441). Identification information is mainly required so as to be able to
identify the schedule. The census type information is related to the socio
demographic information including age, gender, education, occupation,
marital status, socio-economic status and so on and the problem information
includes questions pertaining to the research problem for which the responses
from the interviewee are elicited. The items in the interview schedule could
be open ended or close ended. In open ended items, a frame is provided for
the answer but otherwise the interviewee has freedom to answer the way he/
she wants to. In close ended items certain fixed alternatives are provided
from which the interviewee has to select, thus, limiting the flexibility of
answers. In certain cases, scales are also used in interview schedule where
responses can be provided in terms of degree of agreement or disagreement.
For example, agree, undecided, disagree or frequently, sometimes, rarely,
never. The researcher or the interviewer needs to carefully decide about what
type of items he/ she wants in his/ her interview schedule based on the
research problem. While carrying out interview, audio and video recording
can be carried out with due consent of the interviewee(s). Ensure that the
ethical guidelines are followed while the interviews are carried out. Also
during the interview process, the interviewer needs to be careful about
interviewers bias.

Care needs to be taken while framing the questions and the following needs
to be ensured:

1) The questions focuses on the objective of the interview.

2) The questions are not vague and lack any ambiguity.

3) The questions need to elicit answers and should not elicit questions.

4) Ensure that background information is collected about the focus of the

interview and interviewees are selected in such a way that they would be
able to answer the questions in the interview schedule. This will also
help ensure low resistance to the question on part of the interviewees.

5) Questions that may elicitresponses that are influenced by social

desirability need to be avoided.

Types of Interview:Interview can be categorised as follows:

1) Structured Interview: This is also referred to as standardised interview.

This type is standardised, as the name suggests and includes predefined
questions that are sequenced in certain predefined order and also worded
in certain way. Thus, there is not much freedom to the interviewer to
make any changes to the questions asked. The interview schedules for
290
 Practical Component
such an interview are prepared carefully well in advance and with much of BPCC-110: Applied
deliberations. And it is prepared with a focus on the research problem. Social Psycholog
Though one disadvantage could be that preparing such an interview
schedule is an exhaustive and time consuming process and there is not
much scope for the researcher to make many modifications.

2) Unstructured Interview: Also termed as unstandardised interview, this

type of interview is more flexible and as such questions are not
predetermined and the interviewer has full freedom to ask the questions
in the way and sequence that he/ she wants to. This in a way provides the
necessary freedom to the interviewer to make any modifications as per
the demand of the situation.

3) Semistructured interview: Such an interview is a combination of

structured and unstructured interview. There will be an interview
schedule that is predetermined, but the interviewer has full freedom to
modify and make changes in it.

In the present practical you will use semi-structure interview to collect the
data from the interviewees.

The questions asked during the interview need to be clear and specific and
care need to betaken that the interviewee has understood the question. After
developing the questions, you can also carry out „piloting‟, that is, taking
opinion from the experts regarding the questions developed by you. the
questions can be critically analysed by the experts and suggestions cab be
given to delete, modify or improve them. The questions can also be
administered to a small group of participants (as per the population of the
research) to check their effectiveness. The questions can then be finalised for
the research

Some of the types of questions, that could be asked are as follows:

- Warmup questions: These can be used to create rapport with the
participants. For example: How are you? How was your day?
- Demographic questions: These are questions asked to collect
demographic details of the participants, like age, religion and so on.
- Core questions:The questions that pertain to the main objective of the
research or subject area of the research are termed as core questions. The
interviewer needs to ensure that maximum information is collected with
the help of these core questions. And in this regard, the interviewer can use
probes and prompts as well.
- Clarifying questions: Such questions can be used to further clarify certain
points or aspects that were reflected in answers to the core questions.

The response can be written down or even recorded (with prior consent of the
interviewees) so that they can be analysed later during thematic analysis.
291
Application of In the present practical, you will use thematic analyses to analyse the
Social Psychology-II
interview datas.

Advantages of Interview

1) A lot of relevant, in-depth and a large amount of information can be

collected with the help of this method.

2) This method is suitable to collect data regarding certain serious and

complex issues (that could even evoke emotional reactions).

3) This method is flexible and can be used with varied respondents from
varied backgrounds.

4) Since it is in face to face, the interviewer also has an advantage of

observing the nonverbalbehaviour of the interviewee. Certain
spontaneous reactions of the interviewee can also be noted.

5) It is possible for the interviewer to explain certain questions or words to

the interviewee or clarify any doubts, thus increasing the likelihood of
eliciting appropriate responses.

6) Certain participants may display resistance in replying, but with suitable

skills and rapport it is possible for interviewer to elicit responses from
such participants.

7) It is comparatively easy for the interviewer to notice if the interviewee is

faking or providing genuine responses.

Limitations of Interview

1) Preparing a suitable and adequate interview schedule is a task in itself

and not only hard work and time but certain level of expertise and skills
are also required.

2) Even interviewing requires necessary expertise and skills.

3) It is time consuming and is not cost effective.

4) It may be difficult to analyse and interpret the responses to the open

ended questions.

5) Subjectivity may creep in.

6) Reliability and validity could be low.

7) Influence of social desirability cannot be ruled out.

The responses obtained with the help of the interview need to be analuysed
using thematic analysis, that was discussed by us in Unit 3.

Procedure for carrying out Interview

The following steps be followed while carrying out this practical:

292
 Practical Component
1) Select a social issue: In the block 2, you studied varied social issues and of BPCC-110: Applied
in block 3 and 4, we have discussed about application of social Social Psycholog
psychology in varied fields. You may select any issue from amongst
the subtopics discussed. Some of the topics that can be considered are
- Health related behaviours
- Environmental related behaviours
- Behaviour in classroom
Before you finalise the social issue, it is important that you understand
the issue or aspect and refer to the relevant review of literature or studies
carried out in that context.

Topic is to be selected in consultation with the academic counsellor

under whom you will carry out the practicals.

2) Objective of the interview: Specify the objective of the interviews.

3) Identify participants on whom you will conduct the interview: You

need to conduct the interview on at-least three participants. The nature,
age, demographic profile of the participants will be based on the social
issue selected by you. Also ensure that these participants have somewhat
similar profile. For example, you could take adolescents, or older aduls,
or delivery persons and so on based on the social issues/ aspect selected
by you.

4) Developing a semi structured interview: Based on the social issue/

aspect selected, you need to develop a semi structured interview schedule
of around 10 core questions. You can also have a few warmup,
demographic and clarifying questions. All these will be reported by you
in your practical notebook. Overall interview schedule can have around
20 questions.

4) Conducting the interview: You then need to carry out the interview,
which can be face to face or via online mode. Though you need to
remember that interview will be one to one. Thus, you will carry out
three interviews.

Remember the following while carrying out the interview:

- While conducting the interview, ensure that you have all the material
that you need like pencil, pen, paper, the interview schedule
prepared by you.
- Select a quiet and comfortable place to carry out the interview.
- Build rapport with the interviewee(s) as you start the interview. This
can be done by asking warm questions.
- Ensure that you follow the ethical issues and ensure confidentiality
and privacy. Also take informed consent of the participant. 293
Application of - Observe the non verbalbehaviour of the participants and make notes.
Social Psychology-II
- If you intend to record (audio or video) the responses of the
participants, ensure that you take prior permission from the
participants.
- Note down the session verbatim (as the conversation took place
between you and the participants)

1) Data analysis:The data analysis is to be carried out with the help of

thematic analysis.

Example of Interview

Let us explain with the help of an example.

Suppose you want to carry out an interview on Usage of Social Media by

adolescents.

Topic: Usage of Social Media by Adolescents

Objective: To study the usage of social media amongst the adolescents.

Participants: 3 School going Adolescents from Delhi. You can further

describe the participants based on relevant socio demographic details like,
gender, Socio-Economic status and so on. This will be decided based on the
topic selected.

Semi-structured interview: Including warmup questions like how are you

today? What have you been doing these days? and so on. Collect
demographic details about the participants by asking some demographic
questions You can have around 10 core questions like Which social media
platforms do you use? What is the duration of use of social media? For what
purpose do you use social media? What do you think are positive aspects of
using social media? What do you think are negative effects of use of social
media? The questions will depend on the objective of your interview. If you
want to further clarify certain aspects, clarifying questions can also be asked,
like How do you think usage of social media affects your social relationship?

Conducting the interview: Create a conducive environment for the

interview, material to be kept ready. If recording is to be carried out, keep the
recorder or camera ready. Explain the ethical issues and seek informed
consent. Take permission before recording. Note down the verbatim and also
the non verbalbehaviour of the participant

294
 Practical Component
of BPCC-110: Applied
Social Psycholog
Example of how the verbatim is recorded

Interviewer:So what do you think are the positive aspects of social media?

Interviewee 1:Well, a lot of people think social media is bad, but it helps me
keep in touch with my friends and also when i am bored, i can use it for
entertainment. My parents say that its is bad and can be additive. But it
really helps me connect with my friends. You know now due to COVID 19, I
am not able to meet my friends, so wee keep in touch though Facebook. I
know what they are up to……silence…..if watched a new movie, or visited
some place, how they celebrate their birthday party. It is otherwise very
boring you know. This is what I feel, it is very useful and i can be updated
with what is happening around.

Observation: As the interviewee was replying, he had put his head down. He
was not maintaining eye contact.

Data analysis: The steps mentioned in thematic analysis are to be followed.

Response Label

Well, a lot of people think social General perception of social media

media is bad, but it helps me keep in Parental perspective of social media
touch with my friends and also when i Keep in touch with friends
am bored, i can use it for Entertainment
entertainment. My parents say that its
Information about friends
is bad and can be additive. But it
really helps me connect with my Update with social happenings
friends. You know now due to COVID
19, I am not able to meet my friends,
so wee keep in touch though
Facebook. I know what they are up
to……silence…..if they watched a
new movie, or visited some place,
how they celebrate their birthday
party. It is otherwise very boring you
know. This is what I feel, it is very
useful and i can be updated with what
is happening around.

Step 1 Become familiar with the data: Read the responses of the
participants again and again to become familiar with the data. Thus, in case
of our example, the responses given by the three participants to the questions
in the semistructured interview are read again and again so as to become
familiar with the data.

295
Application of Step 2 Initial codes need to be generated: This includes highlighting
Social Psychology-II
certain aspects of the responses and labelling these aspects. Thus, let us look
at the verbatim responses we noted earlier.
Step 3 Themes are to be identified: The codes generated can then be
categorised under themes. Themes are more general when compared to
codes. Thus from above codes, themes that we can generate are
Theme: Others perspective of social media
Codes: General perception of social media , Parental perspective of social
media
Theme: Peer relationship
Codes: Keep in touch with friends, Information about friends
Theme: Entertainment and Information
Codes: Entertainment, Information about friend
Some codes could be converted in to themes. There could also be codes that
are ambiguous and such codes can be deleted. While creating themes look for
patterns in the responses provided bt the interviewer.
Step 4 Themes are to be reviewed: Themes need to represent the data and
therefore it is importnat that they are revisited. Thus, we will look at our
themes and the data set and then compare them. If you feel any changes are
required than the same can be carried out.
For example, we may feel that the code: information about friends can go
under Peer relationship theme rather than entertainment and information.
Step 5 Themes are to be named and defined: Here, we will specify what
we mean by each theme. For instance, when we say „Others perspective of
social media‟, who are these others. Are they significant others, or both
general public and significant others. Peer relationship can also be explained
as relationship with those whom the individual thinks to be equal age.
Entertainment and information can be explained with social media providing
means of entertainment as well as information about social happenings.
Step 6 Report is to be prepared: While writing the report of thematic
analysis, the following needs to be included:
- Introduction: Here we can write about the overall perspective of
adolescents towards social media. How many adolescents prefer social
media and active on social media platforms. On the basis of introduction,
the aim, questions and approach of thematic analysis can be explained.
- Methodology: This will include details as to how the data was collected.
In case of our interview, we used semi structured interview.
- Results: Each theme is explained under this section. Meaning of the theme
can be explained with the help of examples from the data.
- Conclusion: The main findings can be highlighted here and also an
answer can be provide dto the research question.
296
 Practical Component
5.0 PRACTICAL 3: DESIGNING of BPCC-110: Applied
Social Psycholog
INTERVENTION BASED ON THEORY OF
PLANNED BEHAVIOUR
This is an optional practical and the academic counsellor may decide to
select this practical.
The third practical is designing an intervention programme based on theory
of reasoned action. Thus, first we will discuss the theory in detail and then
focus on how we will proceed designing an intervention based on the theory
of planned behaviour.
Let us now discuss about what is theory of planned behaviour.
Theory of planned behaviour can be explained as an extension of theory of
reasoned action. The theory was put-forth by Aizen in 1985 (Sarafino and
Smith, 2011). The main focus on this theory is on intentions. Intentions
denote what we intend to do. Thus, for instance, a smoker could intend to end
smoking, an individuals could intend to buy a certain car , and so on.
Intentions can determined based in three judgements.
- Attitude pertaining to the behaviour: This is the judgement on the basis
of which whether the behaviour is good thing to do or not is decided. And
this further is based in the outcome expected if the person behaves in a
certain way and whether this outcome would be rewarding or not. It can be
described as a tendency of an individual to respond favourably or
unfavourably to an object, person, event, institution orbehaviour (Sharf,
2000).The behaviour thus is evaluated positively or negatively by the
individual. For example, an individual would decide to go on a diet plan
provided he/ she feels that the outcome would led to reduction of weight,
which in turn would help the individual stay healthy or look good.
- Subjective norm: This mainly has to do with the social pressure or can
also be described as social expectation. Social pressure has more influence
on an individual behaviour when compared with social expectations.
Subjective norm is mainly based on how others perceive thebehaviour,
whether it is considered as appropriate or not. Thus, the individual in the
earlier example, would go for diet, if it is seen as appropriate and
acceptable by significant others in his/ her life.
- Perceived behavioural control: This is a term that is similar to self
efficacy and denotes the expectations regarding the success of performing
the intended behaviour. This denoted the “subjective probability that a
person is capable of executing a certain course of action” (Sharf, 2000,
page 100). Thus. again referring to the individual in the earlier example
would adopt the diet plan and eat the food accordingly based on his/ her
expectation that he/ she has about its success. It is about “Whether I will
be able to do it?”.

Thus, intention will lead to reforming of the behaviour. Various studies

have supported the theory and thus interventions that focus on intentions
297
Application of of the individual can be developed in order to bring about a change in the
Social Psychology-II
individual behaviour. The theory has been explained in figure 1.

Attitude
pertaining to
the behaviour

Subjective Intention Behaviour

norms

Perceived
behavioural
control

Fig. 1: Theory of Planned Behaviour

Thus, all three, that is the attitude pertaining to the behaviour, subjective
norms and the perceived self control will lead to the intension, which in turn
will determine whether the behaviour will be displayed. To further discuss on
the basis of the example, if the family of the individual feels that the diet plan
will not be effective and if the individual also feels that he/ she will not be
able to diet, then the individual will not have an intention to follow the diet
plan and thereby will not follow the diet plan.

One of the imitations of theory of planned behaviour is that behaviours in

certain cases may not depend on intentions and individuals may plan to do
things but may still not carry them out. But this can be dealt by if there is an
adequate planning, efforts made in the direction of the behaviour are tracked,
feel that they need to behave for a long period of time and they feel confident
that they will be able to behave as per the plan.

Adopting a diet plan

would help me loose
weight (positive
attitude)

My family The individual

feels that the intends to Diet
diet plan will adopt the diet plan is
be effective followed
plan

I believe I can
successfully follow
the diet plan
Fig. 2: Example based on Theory of Planned Behaviour
298
 Practical Component
of BPCC-110: Applied
Social Psycholog

In the context of this theory, yet another important aspect is pact experience,
though it is not adequately covered in the theory. Thus, if people were
already involved in certain behaviours or similar behaviours, they are likely
to adopt the behaviour. For example, at some point in time, the individual
followed a similar diet plan, the likelihood that the individual be able to
follow the diet plan is high.

Procedure for designing intervention based on theory of planned

behaviour

The following steps be followed while carrying out this practical:

1) Select a social issue: In the blocks 2 you studied varied social issues and
in block 3 and 4, we have discussed about application of social
psychology in varied fields. You can select any issue from amongst the
subtopics discussed. Some of the topics that may be included are
- Health related behaviours
- Environmental related behaviours
- Behaviour in classroom
It can be any topic that will fit in the theory of planned behaviour. Before
you finalise the social issue, it is important that you understand the issue
and refer to the relevant review of literature or studies carried out on the
issue.

Topic is to be selected based on review of literature and in

consultation with the academic counsellor under whom you will
carry out the practicals.

2) Select specific behaviour that you propose to target: For example, it

could be promotion of physical fitness, awareness related to waste
management, adopting certain learning strategy and so on. This also
needs to be done based on discussion with the academic counsellor.

3) Selecting the group: Select a group of people for whom the intervention
is intended for.” Provide their demographic details including age, gender,
region, Socio-Economic Status etc based on the issue that you select. For
example, the target group for the intervention can be for adolescents or
for employees or for older adults and so on.

4) Designing the intervention: In this based on the theory of planned

behaviour, you will design an intervention. You will focus on each
aspect of the theory, that is how you will deal with the attitude pertaining
to the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived control.

299
Application of You must have come across various health related awareness programmes
Social Psychology-II
that focus on these aspects. For instance, there are COVID19 related
awareness programmes that promote use of safety devices like masks and
safe behaviours, like washing hands often, use of sanitiser and so. Such
awareness programmes mainly focus on developing a positive attitude
towards use of the devices and precautionary behaviours.

You may have also come across awareness programmes where a child tells
his father to witch off the motorbike or car engine while waiting at the traffic
signal. This caters to subjective norms.

There are also awareness programme that emphasise on how the issue can be
dealt by us and how we will win over it. Such awareness programmes focus
on the perceived control.

When you design an intervention programme, you will have to focus on all
the three components and your intervention needs to be explained not only in
terms of the figure that we provided in figure 2, but also need to specify what
measures will be included in each of the component, that is, attitude
pertaining to the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural
control. Your intervention will thus be a combination of these three
components.

6.0 FORMAT FOR PRACTICAL NOTEBOOK

The practical notebook will have a Title page as given in the appendix I and
that will be followed by the Certificate, as given in appendix II.

Format for Writing Psychological Test

You must be well aware of this format, but for you ready reference, the same
has been given as follows:

The following format can be followed while preparing the practical

notebook.
- Title: This heading will mention the „title‟ or „name‟ of the practical, for
example, Practical 1: Attitude Towards Environment Scale.
- Aims/ Objectives: This will basically consist of the main objectives or
purpose of the practical. For example, if you are performing a test on
„Attitude Towards Environment‟ then the basic objective of the test will
be: „To assess the attitude towards environment of the participant using
Attitude towards environment scale developed by Dr. A (name of the
author).
- Introduction (four to five pages): Under this section, theinformation
about the concept being measured and the test is mentioned. For example,
in case of Attitude towards environment, you need to mention about the
300 topics and related concepts and information. In introduction section of
 Practical Component
your practical 1, you will have to refer to reference books and add more of BPCC-110: Applied
information about the topic and also about the test that has been selected Social Psycholog
by the academic counsellor. This will also help you prepare for viva voce
during the Term End Examination (TEE).
- Description of the Test: Under this, the details with regard to the test are
mentioned, like author of the test, basic purpose of the test, number of
items, dimensions/ factors included in the test, time limit, reliability,
validity, scoring.
- Materials Required: The materials required for the administration of the
test are mentioned. For example, in case of Attitude towards environment
scale, the test booklet, answer sheet, scoring key, pencil, eraser are
required.
- Participant’s Profile: This will consist of all the detailed information
about the participant, like, name of the participant (optional), age, gender,
educational qualification and occupation. You need not mention the name
of the participant to ensure confidentiality. Instead you can use a code.
- Procedure and administration: The following sub headings are included
here

 Preparation: The material required for conduction of the test, like,

test booklet, answer sheet, stopwatch etc. are kept ready.

 Rapport: You have to mention that rapport was created with the
participant and that he/she was well informed about the details of the
test.

 Ethical issues: Keep in mind the ethical issues and accordingly

provide suitable information to the participant. Take necessary steps
in this direction to secure the rights and safety of the participant.
Debriefing be carried out if required.

 Instructions: Instruction as given in the test manual are to be

included here.

 Precautions: Precautions, if any, to be considered while

administration of the test to be are mentioned under this sub heading.

 Introspective Report: After completion of the test by the participant,

an introspective report is to be taken, that is, the participant‟s feeling
and constraints faced by him/her while undergoing the test is
mentioned under this sub heading in first person.
- Scoring and Interpretation: After the participant completes the test, the
answer sheet is to be scored with the help of the scoring key and the data is
to be interpreted with the help of the norms given in the manual. The
scores can then be mentioned and interpreted under this heading.
301
Application of - Discussion: You have to discuss the result based on the interpretation. It
Social Psychology-II
may be further analysed in the light of the introspective report.
- Conclusion: Under this heading, you have to conclude the findings of the
test/ experiment.
- References
- The books, websites and the manual referred to by the learner are
mentioned in American Psychological Association (APA) format.
- References: References need to be in APA format.
Format for Reporting the In-depth Interview
The following format can be followed while preparing the practical
notebook.
- Title: This heading will mention the „title‟ or „name‟ of the practical, for
example, Practical 2: Interview on Usage of Social Media by Adolescents
- Aims/ Objectives: This will basically consist of the main objectives or
purpose of the practical. For example,To study the usage of social media
amongst the adolescents.
- Introduction (four to five pages): Under this section, theinformation
about the main focus of the interview is to be mentioned. So you could
write about social media usage amongst adolescents. In introduction
section of your practical 2, you will have to refer to reference books and
add more information about the topic and also about the test that has been
selected by the academic counsellor. This will also help you prepare for
viva voce during the Term End Examination (TEE).
- Description of the Interview: Under this section you will have to include
the details about the interview type that you used. Also list all the
questions asked by you.
- Participant’s Profile: This will consist of all the detailed information
about the participant, like, name of the participant (optional), age, gender,
educational qualification and occupation. You need not mention the name
of the participant to ensure confidentiality. Instead you can use a code.
- Procedure for conducting the interview: The following sub headings are
included here

 Preparation: The material required for conduction of the interview,

like, question, sheet to note down responses, recorder, camera etc.

 Rapport: You have to mention that rapport was created with the
participant and that he/she was well informed about the details of the
interview.

302
 Practical Component
 Ethical issues: Keep in mind the ethical issues and accordingly of BPCC-110: Applied
provide suitable information to the participant. Take necessary steps Social Psycholog
in this direction to secure the rights and safety of the participant.
Debriefing be carried out if required.
- Verbatim and observations of all the three interviews: Provide
verbatim and observations of all the three interviews.

Thematic analysis: As was discussed in earlier section, the thematic analysis

needs to be carried out. Here the introduction and methodology can be briefly
mentioned as the same was covered by you in Introduction and description of
interview. The main focus could be on results.
- Conclusion: Under this heading, you have to conclude the findings of the
interview.
- References: References need to be in APA format
Format for Reporting the Intervention based on
Theory of Planned Behaviour
Remember that you just need to design and plan an intervention and not
actually implement it.

The following format can be followed while preparing the practical

notebook.
- Title: This heading will mention the „title‟ or „name‟ of the practical, for
example, Practical 3: Intervention for Use of Safety Devices Amongst
Workers in a Manufacturing Industry.
- Aims/ Objectives: This will basically consist of the main objectives or
purpose of the practical. You will mention the objective as “ To develop
an intervention strategy for use of safety devices amongst workers in a
manufacturing industry‟.
- Introduction (four to five pages) :Under this section, you need to provide
some information about the theory of planned behaviour as well as the
focus of your intervention. In case of our example, information of
manufacturing industrial along with need and importance of safety devices
(like safety masks, gloves, ear plugs and so on) can be included. Also
include some review of literature in this context, it could be on the issue
taken by you as well as studies on application of theory of planned
behaviour with regard to the issues selected by you. This will also help
you prepare for viva voce during the Term End Examination (TEE).
- Profile of the group for whom the intervention is designed: This will
consist of the nature of the group for whom you are designing the
intervention, their age range, status, any other relevant information about
the characteristics of the group. Also mention the number of participants
for whom the intervention is designed.
303
Application of - Actual design of the intervention along with figure: This section will be
Social Psychology-II
most important in reporting of your practical 3. Here you will provide
information about how each of the components as discussed under the
theory of planned behaviour will be focused on. To revisit the theory, the
main focus of your intervention will be on behaviour change. In case of
our example, it is use of safety devices by the workers. Thus, the
intervention needs to be developed by evoking the intention amongst the
workers to use safety device. The workers need to intent to use the safety
devices and for this we need to focus on the attitude towards the
behaviour, subjective norms and perceived control.

Thus, what activities will be carried, how, duration and so on to cultivate

positive attitude towards use of safety devices. In case of our example,
attitude towards behaviour can be catered by having awareness
programme, by having posters about importance of using safety devices
and so on. You need to give details of how you will plan the awareness
programme as well, if you include the same, for example, would it be in
workshop format (mention duration and topics that would be covered,
whether it will be carried out in batches).

Next you need to mention how you will focus on subjective norms. In
case of our example, one of the important persons from management can
address the workers on importance of safety device or the families of the
workers can be involved and encouraged to play a role in encouraging
the workers to use safety devices at workplace. This can be done with the
help of personnel or human resource department.

Lastly to deal with perceived behavioural control measures can be taken.

In case of example taken by us, employees can be first of all given
training to use the safety devices and measures can be taken to inculcate
confidence in them with regard to use of safety devices at work place.

Awareness
programmes

Talk on
importance of Intension: I
using safety intend to use
device by a safety devices Using safety
prominent local devices at
personality work place

Training on
effective use of
safety devices

Fig. 3: Example of Activities based on theory of Planned Behaviour

304
- Conclusion: Under this heading, you have to make a concluding Practical Component
of BPCC-110: Applied
statement. Social Psycholog

- References: References need to be in APA format.

Format for References

The books, websites and the manual referred to by the learner are mentioned
in American Psychological Association (APA) format.

References (APA Style)

References have to be written in APA format. These should be alphabetically
listed.
Books
Anastasi, A. (1968). Psychological Testing. London: MacMillan Company.
Journal Article
Dennision, B. (1984). Bringing corporate culture to the bottomline.
Organizational Dynamics, 13,22-24.
Book Chapter
Khan, A.W. (2005). Distance Education for Development. In: Garg, S. et.al.
(Eds.) Open and Distance Education in Global Environment: Opportunities
for collaboration. New Delhi: Viva Books.
Websites
http://www.mcb.co.uk/apmfirum (accessed on 2.3.2011)
NOTE
- The practicals are to be handwritten and for the same in ruled A4 size
papers and the same can be neatly filed.
- Ensure that you draw any tables, diagrams, figures on a blank page. These
are to be drawn with pencil and to be labeled appropriately.
- Enclose the original answer sheet of the test filled by the participant.
- Remember to number all the pages in your practical notebook.
- Do not directly copy practicals from any source. Write them in your
own words and quote references where ever necessary.
- Please keep a photocopy of the Practical notebook before submitting it
at the study centre. Acknowledgement (Appendix III) may also be
taken while submitting the notebook.
- Refer to IGNOU and your regional websites for any updates
regarding practical (given the situations like pandemic). In case if
online practical is permitted by Discipline of Psychology, SOSS,
IGNOU, Delhi due to pandemic situation, the learners can carry out
practical 2 and 3 and report the same in practical notebook.
305
 Practical Component
on the day of exam, on whom the test will be conducted. Once you finish of BPCC-110: Applied
conducting the practical, write the findings in the answer sheet. This will be Social Psycholog
followed by viva-voce. The participant may leave after the conduction of
practical is over.

The following be remembered while answering the TEE of practicals:

 You will receive an answer sheet in which you have to fill in the details
like enrolment number, course code and so on. Ensure that you fill in the
details correctly.

 Mention the name of the test that you are conducting along with the aims
and objectives. Further, you also need to mention about the description of
the test, material required, participants profile. procedure and
administration, findings based on scoring and its interpretation,
discussion and conclusion (these are as we discussed under the format for
writing practical notebook.

The practical answer sheet will be corrected by the external examiner and the
viva- voce will also be conducted by the external examiner. The examiner
can ask question regarding practical 1 as well as practical 2/3. (based on the
one carried out by you and noted in the practical notebook).

Minimum passing marks in the practical component is 35 out of 100. There is

no re-evaluation in TEE of Practical.

Date Range for Term End Examination of Practical in BPCC110

TEE Date range

June 1st July to 14th August

December 1st January to 15th February

Note: The dates for TEE of Practical of BPCC110 will not appear in the date sheet provided
by SED, IGNOU. For this, please contact your respective study centres.

9.0 REFERENCES
Anastasi, A. Psychological Testing. (1969) New York: Macmillan

Anastasi, A. and Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological testing (7th ed.). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. (2003). Psychological testing. Delhi:
Pearson Education Pvt. Ltd.

Banister, P., Burman, E., Parker, I., Taylor, M. & Tindall, C. (1994)
Qualitative Methods in Psychology: A Research Guide. Buckingham-
Philadelphia: Open University Press.

307
Application of Bedford, T. (1982) Vocational Guidance Interviews: A Survey by Careers
Social Psychology-II
Service Inspectorate, London: Careers Service Branch, Department of
Employment.

Binet, A and Simon, T. (1960). The Development of Intelligence in Children,

Vineland, N.J.: T.S. publication.
Bordens, K. S and Abbott, B. B. (2011). Research Designs and Methods: A
Process Approach. New Delh: McGraw Hill Education (India) Private
Limited.

Burns, Robert B. (2000). Introduction to Research Methods. New Delhi: Sage

publication Ltd.

D‟Amato, M.R. Experimental Psychology: Methodology Psychophysics and

Learning. New Delhi: Tata Mcgraw Hill (1985).

Eagly, A. H., &Chaiken, S. (1993). The psychology of attitudes. Fort Worth,

TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Freeman, Frank S. (1965) Theory and Practice of Psychological Testing.

rd
3 Edition. New Delhi: Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd.

Fernald, L.D. & Fernald, P.S. Munn‟s Introduction to Psychology. Delhi:

AITBS Publishers and Distributors (2007).

Gregory, RJ (2004). Psychological Testing: History, Principals and

Applications. Pearson Hilgard & Atkinson (2003) Introduction to
th
Psychology. 14 Edition. Thomson Wadsworth

Goodwin, C. J. (2003). Research in Psychology: Methods and Designs.

Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

Haynes, S. N., Nelson, K., & Blaine, D. D. (1999). Psychometric issues in

assessment research. In

P. C. Kendall, J. N. Butcher, & G. N. Holmbeck (Eds.), Handbook of

research methods in clinical psychology (2nd ed., pp. 125–154). New York:
Wiley.
Jackson, S.L. (2009). Research Methods and Statistics: A Critical Thinking
Approach 3rd edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Kaplan, R. M. and Saccuzzo, D. P. (2013). Psychological testing: Principles,

applications and issues. Belmont CA: Wadsworth/ Thomson Learning.

Kazdin, A. E. (1998). Research design in clinical psychology (3rd ed.).

Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Kerlinger, Fred, N. (1995). Foundations of Behavioural Research. Bangalore:

Prism Books Pvt. Ltd. for information on research, research designs, types of
research and methods of data collection.
308
 Practical Component
Larsen, R.R., and Buss, D.M. (2018). Personality Psychology: Domains of of BPCC-110: Applied
Knowledge About Human Nature. Social Psycholog

Majumdar, P.K. research Methods in Social Science. New delhi: Viva Books.

Mcbride, B. M. (2010). The Process of Research in Psychology. Sage

Publications: USA Wilson-

Murphy, K. R. and Davidshofer, C. O. (1998). Psychological testing:

Principles and applications. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Parameshwaran, E.G. &Ravichandra, K. Experimental Psychology. A

Laboratory Manual. Seema Publications, Delhi (1983).

Personality retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/personality/on

28/09/2019 at 11:00 am

Postman, L. & Egan, J.P. Experimental Psychology: An Introduction. Indian

Edn., Ludhiana, Kalyani Publishers (1982).

Rajamanickam, M. (2005) Experimental Psychology, Vol. I & II. New Delhi:

Concept Publishing Company.

Rao, S. Narayan (1999) Educational Psychology. New Delhi: New Age

International (P) Ltd. Reber, A S &Reber, E. (2001). The Penguin Dictionary
rd
of Psychology, 3 Edition. London: Penguin Books.

Rich, B. A., &Eyberg, S. M. (2001). Accuracy of assessment: The

discriminative and predictive power of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory.
Ambulatory Child Health, 7, 249–257.
Ruane, J. M. (2016). Introducing Social Research Methods: Essentials for
Getting the Edge. United Kingdoms: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.

Sarafino, E. P and Smith, T. W. ( 2011). Health Psychology: Biopsychosocial

Interactions. USA: John Wiley & Sons, INC.

Sears, D. O., Peplau, A. L., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social psychology.

Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Sharf R. S. (2000). Theories of Psychotherapy and Counselling, (2nd

edition). University of Delaware: Brooks/Cole, Thomson Learning: U.S.A.

Shetgovekar, S.. (2018). An Introduction to Social Psychology. Delhi: Sage.

Veeraraghavan, V and Shetgovekar, S. (2016). Textbook of Parametric and

Nonparametric Statistics. Delhi: Sage.

Venkatraman, D. (1994). Style of Learning & Thinking: Administrator‟s

Manual. New Delhi: PSY-COM Services.

Wechsler, D. (1944). The measurement of adult intelligence (3rd

ed.). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
309
 Practical Component
11.0 APPENDICES of BPCC-110: Applied
Social Psycholog
APPENDIX-1: FORMAT FOR TITLE PAGE OF PRACTICAL
NOTEBOOK

Programme: BA Psychology (Honours)

Semester IV

Course: Applied Social Psychology

Course Code: BPCC110

Name of the Learner:

Enrolment No.:

Address:

Phone No.:

Email:

Study Centre Name/Code/Address:

Regional Centre:

Date:
Signature of the Learner

311
 Practical Component
APPENDIX III: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of BPCC-110: Applied
Social Psycholog

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This is to acknowledge that Ms./Mr. …………………………………………

Enrollment No. ..................................... of BA Psychology (Honours) has
submitted the Practical Notebook for BPCC110:Applied Social Psychology
at the study centre .........................................................., Regional Centre
………………………………………

Date:

Signature (with stamp)

(Coordinator, Study Centre)

313