PSYC 2120 3.0 Social Psychology
Wednesday, January 8th – April 24th, 2014
Section M - 11:30-2:30, Vari Hall BSection O – 2:30-5:30, Curtis Lecture Hall L
CLASS 1 – INTRODUCTION & METHODOLOGY
1) Class Structure2) What is social psychology?3) What methods do social psychologists use?4) Break5) The psychfiles.com6) One of my favourite articles7) Class 2
Class Structure
1) What am I going to learn?
2) How am I going to learn it?
3) How will I be tested on it?
Course Instructor
Dr. Kerry Kawakamiemail: [email protected]: 324 Behavioural Sciences Building (BSB)
Best contacted via email.
Website:https://kawakami.squarespace.com/lectures-6405/
Course Teaching Assistants
Fran Karmaliemail: [email protected]: 321 BSBOffice Hours: Tuesday, 11:00 – 12:00
Regis Capraraemail: [email protected]: 321 BSBOffice Hours: Wednesday, 10:00 – 11:00
General Description
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with an introduction to research and theorizing in social psychology. Topics covered in this course will include research methods, attitudes and social information processing, social influence, the self, group processes, prejudice, altruism, aggression, and interpersonal attraction.
Class Format
One three hour class will be held each week consisting of lectures, video clips, and class discussions.
Course Textbook
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Fehr, B. (2013). Social Psychology (Fifth Canadian Edition). Pearson Education Canada.
This textbook is available from the York Bookstore.ISBN: 978−0−13−216539−6Price $147.20
Required reading: Chapters 1 – 12. Not required: Social Psychology in Action 1, 2, and 3
Course Administration
Enrolled? Please check the class list during the break or after class and
write down your name if you do not see it on the list.
Prerequisites Psyc 1010 6.0, minimum grade of C
Last Drop Date: March 7, 2014
Grading Two in-class exams (worth 30% each)
Wednesday, January 29th
Wednesday, March 12th
Multiple choice and short-answer questions Noncumulative - Material from lectures, videos, and textbook from each
section
One final exam (worth 40%) Final Exam Period, April 8th – April 24th Multiple choice and short answer questions Cumulative - Material from lectures, videos, and textbook from whole
course
Missed Exams
Grade
Course Schedule
1) Wednesday, Jan 8th - RegisIntroduction and Methodology
Reading material and websites:Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Psychology, pp. 2-25.Chapter 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do
Research, pp. 26-53.
Check out website:https://kawakami.squarespace.com/lectures-6405/
Course Schedule
2) Wednesday, Jan 15th - RegisSocial Cognition
Reading material:Chapter 3: Social Cognition: How We Think about the Social World, pp. 54-87.
Check out website:https://pearsonmylab.com
Course Schedule
3) Wednesday, Jan 22nd - RegisSocial Perception and Self-Perceptions
Reading material:Chapter 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People, pp. 88-121.Chapter 5: Self-Knowledge and the Need to Maintain
Self-Esteem, pp. 122-151.
Course Schedule
4) Wednesday, Jan 29th - RegisFirst In-Class Exam (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
Course Schedule
5) Wednesday, Feb 5th – FranAttitudes
Reading material:Chapter 6: Attitudes and Attitude Change: Influencing
Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior, pp. 152-191.
Do Web demonstrations of the IAT – https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Course Schedule
6) Wednesday, Feb 12th - FranPersuasion
Course Schedule
7) Wednesday, Feb 19th – Reading Week – No Classes
Course Schedule
8) Wednesday, Feb 26th - FranConformity
Reading material:Chapter 7: Conformity: Influencing Others, pp. 192-233.
Course Schedule
9) Wednesday, March 5th – FranGroup Dynamics
Reading material:Chapter 8: Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups, pp. 234-269.
Course Schedule
10) Wednesday, March 12th – FranSecond In-Class Exam (Chapters 6, persuasion, 7, and 8)
Course Schedule
11) Wednesday, March 19th – RegisStereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Reading material:Chapter 12: Prejudice: Causes and Cures, pp. 372-415.
Course Schedule
12) Wednesday, March 26th - FranAltruism and Aggression
Reading material:Chapter 10: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help?
pp. 310-337.Chapter 11: Aggression: Why We Hurt Other People, pp.
338-371.
Course Schedule
13) Wednesday, April 2nd - RegisInterpersonal Attraction and Close Relationshipsand Course Wrap-Up
Reading material:Chapter 9: Interpersonal Attraction: From First Impressions to Close Relationships, pp. 270-309.
Course Schedule
14) Final Exam: April 8th - 24th (Cumulative) - Fran and Regis - Date and Location TBA
Psyc 2120, Social PsychologyClass 1: Introduction and Methodology
Reading material:Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Psychology, pp. 2-25.
Chapter 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research, pp. 26-53.
Check out the website:https://kawakami.squarespace.com/lectures-6405/
Social Psychology and Its MethodsChapters 1 and 2
1) What is social psychology?
2) What methods are used?
3) The Psych Files
4) One of my favorite studies
Social Psychology
Psychology: Scientific study of behavior and the mind
Gordon Allport (1985) Social Psychology is
“the scientific study of the way in which people’s (individual’s) thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of other people.”
Social Psychology
The scientific study of how we think and feel about, influence, and relate to one another.
The importance of the ABCs to social psychology- Affect (feelings)- Behavior (actions)- Cognitions (thoughts)
Social Psychology
How does social psychology differ from Sociology?
It’s about the individual and psychological processes Other areas of psychology?
Cognitive psychology It’s social
Clinical psychology It’s about normal populations
Personality psychology It’s about people in general (psychological processes that people have in common
with one another)
Research (and Theory)in Social Psychology
Theory: An integrated set of principles that explain and predict observed
events
Creating hypotheses based on a theory (But can also creating hypotheses based on an observed
phenomenon)
Testable predictions about the relationship between two or more variables
Testing the hypotheses
Theory refinement
What is a Theory?
A theory aims to fill a gap in explaining important phenomena. In basic research, a theory is a system of logical principles that attempts to explain relations among observable phenomena.
Signs of a Good Theory
• Posits causal relationships• Attempts to be coherent• Tells a good story• Aims for parsimony (simple explanations are
preferable to complex explanations)• Is testable• Proves fertile• Solves problems
Susan Fiske (2004)
Example
Does exerting willpower/control deplete us?
Theory: People have a common source of controlled resources/willpower from which they draw. Each time we try to control our will, we reduce this pool of resources.
Baumeister et al. (1998)
How Can We Test a Hypothesis?
Hypothesis:
Do women on a diet have fewer cognitive resources than women not on a diet? Method
Correlational: Observational method* Observe/measure natural associations to assess the relationship
between two or more variables
Experimental: manipulate one factor to see if it affects another factor
Correlational Research
Examine whether the occurrence of A is related to the occurrence of B
Theory: Exerting willpower/control will deplete us.
Hypothesis: Women on a diet will have fewer cognitive resources than women not on a diet?
A – diet or notHow observe/measure this?One way - Restrained Eating Scale
B – cognitive resourcesHow observe/measure this?One way – Stroop Task
Measure of Diet?Restrained Eating Scale
1 . How often do you diet? Never Rarely Sometimes Usually Always
2. What is the maximum amount of weight (in pounds) that you have ever lost in one month?
0 4 5-9 10-14 15- 19 2O+
3. Do you have feelings of guilt after overeating? Never Rarely Often Always
4. How conscious are you of what you are eating? Not at all Slightly Moderately Very Much
Measure of Cognitive ResourcesStroop Task
Yellow
Stroop Task
Blue
Stroop Task
Red
Stroop Task
XXX
Correlational Research
Examine whether the occurrence of A is related to the occurrence of B
Example: Does exerting willpower/control deplete us?
Do women on a diet have fewer cognitive resources than women not on a diet?Results – correlation between score on the restrained eating scale and the Stroop task.
What is another way of testing this relationship? Another way of operationalizing willpower and controlled resources?
Experimental Research
Examine whether A causes B
Manipulate independent variable
Observe effect on dependent variable
Basic principles:
Experimental Control
Random Assignment
Experimental ResearchManipulate independent variable to see if it affects the dependent variable
Example: Does exerting willpower/control deplete us?
Independent Variable- 1/3 subjects told not to show emotions during sad movie- 1/3 subjects given no instructions during sad movie- 1/3 not shown a movie and no instructions
Dependent Variable- Holding your hand in cold water for as long as possible
Experimental Research
Manipulate independent variable to see if it affects the dependent variable
Example: Does exerting willpower/control deplete us?
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Control
Emotions
No
Instructions
No Movie
Seconds inWater
Types of Validity
Issues related to validity are related to whether a relationship exists between 2 variables.
Internal Validity whether changes in the independent variable cause changes in the
dependent variable External Validity
whether the results generalize to other labs, participants, settings (e.g., in the field)
Mundane versus psychological realism Construct Validity
whether the manipulation related to the independent variable and the measurement of the dependent variable are good representations of the theoretical constructs intended
Problems with Correlational Research
Don’t know whether
A B A B
or A B
C
Problems with Experimental Research
Don’t know whether results are externally valid.
The Psych Files
The Psych Fileshttp://www.thepsychfiles.com/
Episode 45 – Research Designhttp://www.thepsychfiles.com/2008/02/episode-45-basic-research-design-part-1/
One of My Favourite Studies
Dijksterhuis & van Knippenberg (1998)
- ideomotor effects
- independent variable
- dependent variable
- procedure
Questions?
Next Class
Class 2 Social Cognition
Reading material:Chapter 3: Social Cognition: How We Think about the Social World, pp. 54-87.
Check out website:https://pearsonmylab.com
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