Social Psychology (PSYC 2606-003), Spring 2018

Social Psychology (PSYC 2606-003), Spring 2018

VAC 1B20, T/R 11:00 - 12:15 PM

http://canvas.colorado.edu

This course is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of social psychology. As such, the goal is for you to learn, (a) how social behavior is scientifically studied, (b) the major concepts, research findings, and issues in the field, and (c) how to apply social psychology to real-life situations.

PRE-REQUISITE: College-level General Psychology (PSYC 1001)

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Gilovich T, Keltner D, Chen S, & Nisbett R. Social Psychology (2016, 4th edition preferred; 3rd edition is acceptable. You are responsible for determining any differences in editions and assume any risk of using 3rd edition). Published by Norton & Company. You will also need an iClicker remote.

REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES: Regular class attendance is necessary for doing well in this course. Additional requirements are: 3 Midterm exams (44%) and a Final exam (30%); Weekly online quizzes (15%); Class participation (5%); 1 Application paper (6%).

Midterm & Final Exams. The exams will cover material from both the textbook and class lectures. That is, you will be questioned about material from the lectures that is not covered in the textbook, and about material from the textbook that is not covered in the lectures. All exams will be multiple-choice, so bring a #2 pencil and an eraser to each one. The midterm exams are not cumulative; the final exam is cumulative.

• There are no makeup exams. A single (1) midterm exam missed with an excused absence is allowed; scores from the remaining two exams will be averaged. A missed exam under any other circumstance will result in a zero. If you take all 3 midterm exams, we will drop your lowest midterm exam score.
• The final exam must be taken as scheduled, and is required for passing the course. The only exceptions are (a) if you have three or more final exams scheduled on the same day and this exam is the last one, or (b) if you have two final exams scheduled at the same time. In these two cases, we will reschedule your final exam. You must let us know about this issue AT LEAST 3 weeks prior to the final exam.

Weekly Online Quizzes. There will be weekly quizzes to be completed on the Canvas course website. Quizzes may be taken early and you may take each quiz multiple times before the deadline. Quizzes must be completed by 11:59 PM (just before midnight).

Application Paper. An application paper is due in Canvas by 11:59 PM on the date assigned to you (see schedule below). Late papers receive a penalty of 1-level reduction in grade for each day late. Additional information about this paper is available on the class website.

Class Participation. There will be a number of class activities throughout the semester. Most of the time this will mean answering iClicker questions during each class session. You must be present with your iClicker to receive credit for clicker activities. Participation may also include small group discussion, in-class worksheets, and other activities. Extra points may be given at the discretion of the professor on any day. There are no make-up points for missed participation for any reason. However, we will drop 2 regular days’ worth of participation points at the end of the semester to account for illnesses or emergencies. Please see full participation policy on the class website for more details.

GRADING: I do not “curve” grades but will adjust in the end if needed. Your grade will be determined on the basis of your performance on exams, quizzes, daily activities, and the application paper:

NOTES:

Due dates and times are not flexible. I strongly encourage you to complete activities early, in case you need help or encounter technical difficulties. The teaching assistant and I will check our email at regular intervals but may not respond immediately. Do not count on a response after 5 PM or on the weekends. The CU technology help desk is open Mon-Fri, 7:30 AM – 7 PM, and Sat/Sun, 12-6 PM; 303-735-4359 (5-HELP) or

Special Accommodations. If you need accommodations because of a disability, please obtain a letter from Disability Services who determine accommodations based on documented disabilities (Contact: 303-492-8671, C4C Bldg N200, Give this letter to Dr. Pedersen as soon as possible.

Academic Integrity. It is expected that you will uphold the highest standard of academic integrity in completing work for this course. Any academic dishonesty will result in a fail grade for the assignment, and at the professor’s discretion, a fail grade for the entire course. Additional sanctions may (and usually are) imposed by the CU-Boulder Honor Code Office who will be notified in all suspected cases.

See the Department’s website for a list of general classroom policies, with links to resources:

http://www.colorado.edu/psych-neuro/undergraduate-information (right-hand side of the page)

Disclaimer: Sometimes unforeseen events happen over the course of the semester (e.g., a class gets cancelled or material is covered faster than expected). Thus, this syllabus is subject to change to adapt to such circumstances. Any changes made will be announced to the class and will be documented on Canvas. No assignment due dates will ever be moved up. Last changes made to this document: 1/15/18.

Lecture Schedule, Readings, and Due Dates:

Lecture Date Topic Reading & Quiz Deadlines

• Introduction, rules & procedures
• Methods of social psychology

Ch. 1; quiz due 1/26

Ch. 2, quiz due 1/26

• Self-concept
• Self motives and regulation

Ch. 3, quiz due 1/26

• Schemas, heuristics & priming
• First impressions
• Causal attributions, errors & biases

Ch. 4, quiz due 2/2

Ch. 5, quiz due 2/9

• Components & expression of emotion
• Emotion, cognition & perception

• Attitudes & behavior
• Cognitive dissonance
• Persuasion & attitude change

• Social norms, conformity & compliance
• Obedience

Ch. 9, quiz due 3/9

• Attraction
• Love & relationships

Ch. 10, quiz due 3/16

• Definitions and types
• Underlying processes
• Consequences

• Social facilitation
• Group decision-making & behavior

• Socialization & media violence
• Situational factors

• Motivations for helping
• Five-step model of helping

• Behavioral Economics
• Loss aversion & Decision paralysis