PSYC 2120 3.0 Social Psychology

Thursday, January 7 – April 20, 2016

Section M - 11:30-2:30, Curtis Lecture Hall ESection O – 2:30-5:30, Curtis Lecture Hall G

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: kawakami@yorku.caOffice: 324 Behavioural Sciences Building (BSB)

Best contacted via email.

Website:http://www.kawakamilab.org/course-outline-2120/

Course Teaching Assistants

Elysia Vaccarino email: elysia.va@gmail.comOffice: 321 BSBOffice Hours:

Caroline Erentzenemail: erentzen@yorku.caOffice: 264 BSBOffice Hours: Tuesday, 1:00 - 2:00

Course Teaching Assistants

Miranda DiLorenzoemail: mgdilo@yorku.caOffice: 320 BSBOffice Hours: Monday, 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 9780132918350Price $159.15

Required reading: Chapters 1 – 12. Not required: Social Psychology in Action 1, 2, and 3

Textbook Website

Check out website:https://pearsonmylab.com

ebook Practice test questions

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 4, 2016

Grading Two in-class exams (worth 30% each)

Thursday, February 4th

Thursday, March 10th

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 6th – April 20th Multiple choice and short answer questions Cumulative - Material from lectures, videos, and textbook from whole

course

Missed Exams

Grade

Course Schedule

1) Thursday, Jan 7th - CarolineIntroduction 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: http://www.kawakamilab.org/course-outline-2120/

Course Schedule

2) Thursday, Jan 14th - CarolineSocial Cognition

Reading material:Chapter 3: Social Cognition: How We Think about the Social World, pp. 54-87.

Course Schedule

3) Thursday, Jan 21st - CarolineSocial Perception and Self-Perceptions

Reading material:Chapter 4: Social Perception: How We Come to Understand Other People, pp. 88-121.

Course Schedule

4) Thursday, Jan 28th

No Class

Reading material:Chapter 5: Self-Knowledge and the Need to Maintain Self-Esteem, pp. 122-151.

5) Thursday, Feb 4th - CarolineFirst In-Class Exam (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)

Course Schedule

6) Thursday, Feb 11th – ElysiaAttitudes

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

7) Thursday, Feb 18th

No Class - Reading Week

8) Thursday, Feb 25th - ElysiaPersuasion

Lecture but no reading material

Course Schedule

9) Thursday, March 3rd - ElysiaConformity and Group Dynamics

Reading material:Chapter 7: Conformity: Influencing Others, pp. 192-233.

Chapter 8: Group Processes: Influence in Social Groups, pp. 234-269.

Course Schedule

10) Thursday, March 10th – Elysia Second In-Class Exam (Chapters 6, persuasion, 7, and 8)

Course Schedule

11) Thursday, March 17th - MirandaAltruism 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

12) Thursday, March 24th – MirandaStereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Reading material:Chapter 12: Prejudice: Causes and Cures, pp. 372-415.

Course Schedule

13) Thursday, April 2nd - MirandaInterpersonal 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 (Cumulative): April 6th - 20th - CarolineDate 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:http://www.kawakamilab.org/course-outline-2120/

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

Reading and Empathy

Who do you think are better at understanding and empathizing with others – a bookworm or a nonreader?

Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test:http://kgajos.eecs.harvard.edu/mite/#thers – book worms or nonreaders?

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 (mechanisms, boundar conditions,

extensions)

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:

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?

Variable A – diet or notHow observe/measure this?One way - Restrained Eating Scale

Variable 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?

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 Variable A causes changes in Variable B

Manipulate independent variable

Observe effect on dependent variable

Basic principles:

Experimental Control

Random Assignment

Experimental Research

Manipulate 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

ControlEmotions

NoInstructions

No Movie

Seconds inWater

Types of Validity

Validity issues 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

Possible Problem with Correlational Research

Issues with internal validity - Don’t know whether:

A B A B

or A B

C

Possible Problem with Experimental Research

Issues with external validity - Don’t know whether results generalize.

Possible Problems with Correlational & Experimental Research

Issues with construct validity – Whether operationalization and measurement of variables reflect the theoretical construct.

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.