The assignment gives you the opportunity to undertake a social psychological analysis of yourself-in-a-helping-encounter. Reports will vary in their content and their emphases, but all must demonstrate the ability to integrate social psychological literature with interaction process analysis. A transcript of 30 minutes of interaction, in which you are a participant should be appended to the report. You may also include a video or audio tape if you wish.

The total word length should not exceed 4000 words, excluding diagrams, references and appendices. If you think you may not meet the deadline for handing in the work, please see a tutor well before the hand-in date and negotiate an alternative date with the course co-ordinator. Please hand in the work in the postgraduate assessed coursework box - make sure you complete a postgraduate cover slip for the work and a receipt for your work will be put in your pigeon hole. If you are unable to get in to the University, you may send the work via recorded delivery to the postgraduate secretary in the office - if you want a receipt to be sent to you, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope.

Guidance Notes:

• The encounter may be 'real' or simulated, and may consist of a 1: 1, triadic or group interaction.
• For the purposes of the analysis, you should provide a written transcript of 30 minutes of interaction. Please provide a completed front sheet for your transcript (attached).
• The transcript should consist of a 30 minute sequence of interaction (i.e. not five minutes from one encounter, plus ten minutes from another and so on), and should contain concurrent reflexive analysis.
• The reflexive analysis may either run alongside the transcript ( for example in a separate, parallel column) or it may be embedded in the transcript but clearly differentiated from it. Examples of the two alternatives are given in Appendix 1. If you intend to deviate from either of these methods, please negotiate an acceptable form with a course tutor.
• Undertaking the helping encounter ('real' or simulated) and transcribing it is an important part of the work for this module. Assistance is available if you think you will find it difficult to arrange such an encounter - please see a tutor.
• The transcript should be provided as an appendix to your assignment.
• The bulk of your report should consist of a social psychological analysis of the transcripted extract.
• You may choose to give a broad social psychological analysis or a more focused, depth analysis. Please make it clear at the outset how you will be approaching the

• analysis (an introductory paragraph is a good Place in which to orientate the reader to your approach in the assignment).
• Please incorporate reference to relevant literature in your analysis and ensure that you provide a full bibliography at the end. The text should include names and dates referring to works that are fully cited alphabetically by author at the end of the report.
• If you use a direct quote from the literature in your analysis, please cite the names, date and page number in reference.
• You should make reference to your transcript in your analysis ( so it is important you include some means to reference different parts of the transcript - such as line numbers, utterance numbers and so on - in the transcript itself.

Criteria for assessment

• Demonstrated understanding of social psychological explanations of interaction particularly helping relationships - in context.
• Ability to apply social psychological knowledge to both the processes within a specific helping encounter, and to an understanding of that encounter in context.
• Understands the relative contributions that the social psychology of interpersonal communication (non-verbal and conversational), social cognition, self, and social problem solving can make to helping encounters.
• Understands the complexity of 'self in social interaction and experience.
• Shows social psychological understanding of relationships between people in helping encounters in their personal, environmental, social and cultural contexts.
• Able to make links between different fields of social psychology and between theory and practice.
• Able to critically appraise social psychological approaches and understandings.
• Demonstrated open and honest appraisal of 'self in the context of a specific helping encounter.

Context in which the encounter took place:

Method of recording: audio / video / other (please specify)

Permission sought from other participants: Yes / No

Rules of transcription:

Briefly state what preceded this extract:

Briefly state what followed this extract: