Benchmark Assignment: Research Reflection
Benchmark Assignment Research Reflection
The ever-evolving demographic pattern in the United States of America together with the world at large necessitates social and cultural competency to establish a positive climate that accommodates the needs of diverse populations. According to Chiu and Shi (2019), social competency refers to the emotional, cognitive as well as behavioral skills required for social adoptions in a given setting. It relates to the ability of an individual to apply past encounter or experience in order to adjust to the current situation and respond to the dynamics of social interactions in an environment. On the other hand, cultural competency implies the ability of a person to work effectively with individuals from diverse ethnic, cultural, religious as well as economic backgrounds. Betancourt et al. (2016) posit that the competency is emulated when people are able to honor and respect the values of people from different cultures by accommodating their perspectives at work, school or any social setting.
In social psychological research, cultural concepts enable researchers to provide high-quality data by incorporating the diversity of the population understudy into the project findings. The premise also allows researchers to develop study ideas and explore different options to optimize the outcomes from populations in a unique environment. Chiu and Shi (2019) argue that researchers of social psychology takes into account cultural competency to issue consent documents, develop the study design, formulate research questions and recruit study participants. The competency also fills the void by providing a framework for meeting the social, cultural together with the linguistic appeals of the target population. Nonetheless, social and cultural competency enable researchers of psychology to understanding the behavioral changes among the selected population in order to avoid conflicts in the belief system.
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The behavior of members of a community depends on their thought process with regard to a given subject matter. Emotion is one of the social psychological concepts which influences interaction and patterns of behavior among communities. Emotion refers to a state of feeling that results from mental changes and in overall, it influences thought process as well as behavior. It can be
manifested in psychological phenomena such as mood, motivation, personality, and temperament. According to Betancourt et al. (2016), cultural competency enables researchers to identify physiological arousal and leverage it with expressive behaviors as well as the conscious experience of the population under study. This plays an essential role in forming emotions that will encourage all members of the diverse culture to take part in the activities of a given study. Emotional responses tend to occur much faster than the physical activity of a person. It is manifested through the shaking of hands racing heart and first breath.
Failure to incorporate cross-cultural perspectives can result in rejection by the study populations and in overall, compromise the quality of findings. Exclusion of social-cultural concepts occurs when the beliefs and practices of members of a given community are not addressed through the issuance of consent documents during the inception stage of the project (Chiu & Shi, 2019). The population may develop a negative perception of disrespect from the researcher. For instance, failure to include cultural competence especially during patient care can lead to dissatisfaction with the health services delivered. Betancourt et al. (2016) illustrate that inadequate response to cultural competence of patient affects the emotional and thought processes which can have a negative impact on health outcomes. The second example is based on the inclusion of participants in research. Both the study population and research enumerators should not be compelled to be part of a study that they may not be willing to attend. Ethical procedures must be followed to the latter as a remedy to disrespect among participants. However, when participants perceive a cultural bias, their involvement in research will be impaired, and the outcome of study findings will be subject to errors.
Social competence is a complex concept consisting of social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral skills. For example, one might change social interactions based on the situational perspective of another individual. Cultural competency enables organizations to work in cross-cultural situations based on skills, attitudes, behaviors, and policies. For example, it is important to provide health care services that meet the needs of all patients and addresses diversity issues.
In 500-750 words, address why social and cultural competency is critical in the research process. Be sure to address the following prompts:
Define social and cultural competency
Evaluate the importance of these concepts in terms of social psychological research.
Give an example of a social psychological concept that can be understood from a cross-cultural perspective (e.g., social self, emotion, attitudes, fundamental attribution error)
Why does cultural competency matter when researching a concept like the one you chose?
Discuss problems that might occur if cross-cultural perspectives are neglected in the research. Be sure to share an example(s). Use two to three scholarly resources to support your explanations.