Social Psychology Network

Course Title: Social Psychology Semester: Fall, 2011 Instructor: Scott Plous Time: 1:10-2:30 PM, Tuesday and Thursday Classroom: Kerr Lecture Hall (107 Shanklin) Enrollment Limit: 150 students Credit: 1.0 A/F (graded only) Teaching Apprentices: Michael Inkles, Rebecca Lange, Becca Mark, Carolyn Mortell, Michaela Swee, Ema Tanovic Course Assistants: Chelsea Aiken, Deborah Cho, Nicole Okai, Rory O'Neill For Fall, 2012: TA Application Form and CA Application Form

Quick Links Sites of the Week Electronic Reserve Readings Myers Student Web Site Test-Taking Tips Grading Policy GradeGetter Wesleyan Psychology Department

		Instructor and TA Office Hours

Name Time and Place Top-Secret Hotline Michael Inkles Fri, 11:00 am - noon B3 Judd, x2206 (516) 587-1228 Rebecca Lange Mon, 3:00 - 4:00 pm 103 Judd, x2312 (919) 619-5363 Becca Mark Sun, 8:00 - 9:00 pm 103 Judd, x2312 (914) 417-7076 Carolyn Mortell Wed, 3:00 - 4:00 pm 103 Judd, x2312 (952) 221-6172 Scott Plous Tue/Thu, 2:45 - 3:45 pm 219 Judd, x2368 (860) 685-2368 Michaela Swee Wed, 7:00 - 8:00 pm 103 Judd, x2312 Unlisted Ema Tanovic Thu, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm B3 Judd, x2206 (860) 794-2658

This course provides an overview of classic and contemporary research in social psychology. A wide range of topics will be covered, including:

Prerequisites:

No prerequisites are required, though many students have found it helpful to take "Foundations of Contemporary Psychology" (Psyc105) or "Psychological Science" (Psyc101) before this course. Students who have taken other general introductions to social psychology, such as "Exploring Social Psychology" (Psyc263) at Wesleyan, are not eligible to take Psyc260.

Attendance:

Because the lectures will cover material that goes beyond the readings, class attendance is absolutely essential (including the class before Thanksgiving Break). Repeated late arrivals to class, or talking while the instructor or other students are speaking, may result in lengthy prison sentences. Please be punctual and refrain from talking in class when others are speaking.

Cell Phones and Other Devices:

Before each class session begins, please turn off all mobile phones, pagers, recording devices, video games, portable hair dryers, chainsaws, jet engines, and nuclear reactors.

Readings:

Unless otherwise noted in class, the required readings are as follows:

• Myers, D. G. (2010). Social Psychology (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

• Psychology 260 online library reserve readings (see paper syllabus for password)

I strongly recommend buying Myers' textbook, but if you'd rather not, copies of Social Psychology are on reserve in Olin Library (don't use earlier editions of the textbook; too much material is different from the current edition). Also, you can buy a 180-day subscription to an e-text version, in either online or downloadable format, from CourseSmart.

Assignments:

During the semester, you'll be given several class assignments worth a cumulative total of 40 course points:

Three of these assignments are web-based, and two are participant-observation activities that invite you to experiment with your life and report on the results. The details of each assignment will be given in class a few days before the assignment is due. If at any point you prefer not to complete an assignment (or if your attempt to complete it is unsuccessful), you can still receive full credit by turning in a one-page report discussing the barriers that prevented you from carrying out the assignment. Late assignments will not be accepted except in the event of a serious illness or family emergency; please back-up your work and print a copy at least one day before it's due.

On most Tuesdays, I will begin class by sharing a few illustrations of topics covered in the preceding week. In addition, the TAs and I will compile links to web sites and videos that illustrate course topics, and we'll post these links on a Sites of the Week web page. You're welcome to suggest illustrations -- from the web or elsewhere -- whenever you encounter items that might be of general interest to the class. If you contribute an illustration, please try to include the full item or article with complete reference information (date, volume, issue number, and page numbers, or web address in the case of an illustration from the Internet).

To avoid the stress of grades based solely on a midterm and final examination, the course will include three examinations and five assignments (the third exam will take place during finals week but will not be longer or count more than the exam before it). All three exams will cover material from class as well as the readings, and all three will contain a mixture of fixed choice formats (roughly 20 general multiple choice items, 15 applied multiple choice items, and 25 true-false items). Here are a few examples:

Multiple Choice Examples

1. Julia is about to go on a first date with LaVon, whom she has emailed through a singles web site but has never met in person. If Julia fears rejection, she might exhibit self-handicapping behavior by:

A. Talking about her high salary to impress LaVon
B. Pretending that she has a broken arm to get sympathy
C. Arriving late so that she has an excuse if LaVon doesn't like her
D. Bringing LaVon an expensive box of chocolates

2. Research suggests that the overjustification effect is mainly a function of self-______:

A. presentation
B. perception
C. serving biases
D. monitoring

True-False Examples

1. As used in social psychology, "attitudes" are generally evaluative in nature (positive or negative), whereas "opinions" need not be.

2. In David Rosenhan's article "On Being Sane in Insane Places," the sanity of the pseudopatients was never detected by hospital workers or other patients on the ward.

Before you turn in a completed exam, please check that no items have been accidentally skipped. In the event that a full page of items is skipped, 50% credit will be given for true-false items and 25% for multiple choice items (the average value that would be received by chance responding), and the final exam score will be rounded up or down to the nearest whole point.

Please note: Make-up exams or extensions will NOT be given, except in the event of a serious illness or family emergency (e.g., death of a relative). If you're not feeling well before an exam, please contact me right away rather than taking the exam, because once an exam is taken, the score you receive cannot generally be erased.

To help prepare for the tests, see Tips on Taking Multiple-Choice Tests and Online Social Psychology Quizzes. The Myers textbook also comes with a CD-ROM that contains study questions.

Because students often take awhile to develop a successful study strategy for the exams, the first exam will count less than the later two exams. Specifically, the first exam will count for 120 course points (2 points for each of 60 items on the test), and the later two exams will each count for 180 points (3 points per test item). Final letter grades will be determined by adding together points from two different sources: (1) the three exams (worth a total of 480 points), and (2) the five assignments (worth a total of 40 points). In other words, all course points are counted equally, regardless of whether they come from exams or assignments.

During the semester, you will be able to check your point total by clicking on the GradeGetter link at the top of this page. Within one week of turning in an assignment or receiving a scored exam, you should check GradeGetter and email me immediately if you discover an error (after that time, your scores will generally remain fixed). Likewise, if after speaking with the TAs you feel that your answer to an exam item marked wrong should actually be considered correct, you have one week to email me a statement explaining why your answer is correct.

Once the course is over, your cumulative point total will be translated into a final letter grade. Because the exams in this class will be created from scratch, it is difficult to specify in advance how various exam scores will translate into particular letter grades. Nonetheless, you may use the following cutoffs from a previous year as a rough guide in translating course point totals into letter grades (the final cutoffs will be different from these, but not by much). These cutoffs are based on Peterson's, which is the most common method for translating between grades and 100-point scales.

Laptops are permitted, but studies by Fried (2008), Hembrooke and Gay (2003), and others suggest that they tend to lower student performance (e.g., from surfing the web in class, answering email, and other multitasking) and that they disturb nearby students, so I wouldn't advise bringing one unless you truly need it. In fact, research on multitasking has even found that texting during class is associated with lower grades (Ellis, Daniels, and Jauregui, 2010), which suggests that the smartest mode for smart phones is "off."

If you have a disability or any special needs, please notify me and the Dean's Office during the first week of the semester, and I'll do my best to accommodate them. The TAs and I are committed to creating the most inclusive and supportive learning environment possible.

Here's a statement that Wesleyan asks instructors to include in all course syllabi:

It is the policy of Wesleyan University to provide reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities. Students, however, are responsible for registering with Disabilities Services, in addition to making requests known to me in a timely manner. If you require accommodations in this class, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, so that appropriate arrangements can be made. The procedures for registering with Disabilities Services can be found at:

www.wesleyan.edu/studentaffairs/disabilities

Please note: Audio or video recording of lectures without permission is expressly forbidden.

Assignments should be read in the order below following each class (except for assignments immediately before an exam, which may be read early if you prefer).

Tuesday, Sep. 6: Introduction

• Myers Chapter 1--Introducing Social Psychology
• Pages 10-13 of Ellyson, S. L., & Halberstadt, A. G. (Eds.). (1995). Explorations in social psychology: Readings and research. New York: McGraw-Hill. [Start with "A Note About Nonsexist Language"]

Thursday, Sep. 8: The Social Construction of Reality

• Myers Chapter 2--The Self in a Social World
• Ellyson and Halberstadt, Reading 7: Burger and Burns (1988)

  Lecture link:
  Peter Wason's Four-Card Task

Tuesday, Sep. 13: Interpreting Behavior ("Interpersonal Perception Task" DVD)

• Milgram, S. (1992). The individual in a social world: Essays and experiments ("Cyranoids," pp. 337-345). New York: McGraw-Hill.
  
• Ellyson and Halberstadt, Reading 5: Rosenhan (1973)
  
• Dunning, D., Johnson, K., Ehrlinger, J., & Kruger. J. (2003, June). Why people fail to recognize their own incompetence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(3), 83-87.

  Lecture link:
  Salience Study by Taylor and Fiske (1978)

Thursday, Sep. 15: Attributional Biases

• Myers Chapter 3--Social Beliefs and Judgments
• Ellyson and Halberstadt, Reading 6: Abbey (1982)

  Lecture link:
  Research Randomizer

Tuesday, Sep. 20: The Relationship Between Attitudes and Behavior

Deadline: Random Assignment Assignment Due
• Myers Chapter 4--Behavior and Attitudes (pp. 122-140)
  
• Myers, D. G. (2001, December). Do we fear the right things? APS Observer, 14(10).
  
• Optional reading: Larrick, R. P., & Soll, J. B. (2008). The MPG illusion. Science, 320, 1593-1594.

Thursday, Sep. 22: Cognitive Dissonance and Self-Perception

• Myers Chapter 4--Behavior and Attitudes (pp. 140-153)
  
• Tips on Taking Multiple-Choice Tests (to help prepare for exam)

Tuesday, Sep. 27: Deindividuation and Dehumanization ("Quiet Rage" Video)

• Myers Chapter 5--Genes, Culture, and Gender
  
• Baird, V. (2003). Transgender identities: Like stars in the sky. In S. Plous (Ed.), Understanding prejudice and discrimination (pp. 414-420). New York: McGraw-Hill.
  
• Optional reading: Arnett, J. J. (2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63, 602-614.

  Lecture link:
  Stanford Prison Experiment

Thursday, Sep. 29: Obedience to Authority ("Obedience" Video)

• Blass, T. (2009). From New Haven to Santa Clara: A historical perspective on the Milgram obedience experiments. American Psychologist, 64, 37-45.
  
• Burger, J. M. (2009). Replicating Milgram: Would people still obey today? American Psychologist, 64, 1-11.
  
• Optional reading: Blass, T. (2002, March/April). The man who shocked the world. Psychology Today, pp. 68-74.
  
• Optional reading: Elms, A. C. (1995). Obedience in retrospect. Journal of Social Issues, 51(3), 21-31.
  
• Optional reading: Brief, A. P., Buttram, R. T., Elliott, J. D., Reizenstein, R. M., & McCline, R. L. (1995). Releasing the beast: A study of compliance with orders to use race as a selection criterion. Journal of Social Issues, 51(3), 177-193.

  Lecture link:
  StanleyMilgram.com

Tuesday, Oct. 4: First Examination

Thursday, Oct. 6: Conformity ("Candid Camera" DVD Clips)

• Myers Chapter 6--Conformity and Obedience

  Lecture link:
  Solomon Asch's Line Judgment Task

Tuesday, Oct. 11: Persuasion: An Overview of Tactics

Deadline: Norm Violation Assignment Due
• Myers Chapter 7--Persuasion

  Lecture links:
  William McGuire's Schematic of Attitude Research
  Senator Robert Dole Falling Off a Stage
  Senator Clinton Introducing Her Health Care Plan
  The Democrats Ask Again: "Do You Feel Better Off?"
  Rick Perry's Lightning Strikes RomneyCare

Thursday, Oct. 13: The Threat of Social Equality (special guest lecture by Professor Clara Wilkins)

• Norton, M. I., & Sommers, S. R. (2011). Whites see racism as a zero-sum game that they are now losing. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(3), 215-218.
  
• Jost, J. T., & Hunyady, O. (2005). Antecedents and consequences of system-justifying ideologies. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 260-265.
  
• Optional reading: Cohen, G. L., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., & Master, A. (2006). Reducing the racial achievement gap: A social-psychological intervention. Science, 313, 1307-1310.

  Lecture link:
  Guest Lecture Slides

Tuesday, Oct. 18: Compliance Techniques

• Cialdini, R. B. (2003, August). Crafting normative messages to protect the environment. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(4), 105-109.
  
• Mazar, N., & Zhong, C. B. (2010). Do green products make us better people? Psychological Science, 21, 494-498.
• Optional reading: Burger, J. M., Messian, N., Patel, S., del Prado, A., & Anderson, C. (2004). What a coincidence! The effects of incidental similarity on compliance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 35-43.
• Optional reading: Cialdini, R. B., & Schroeder, D. A. (1976). Increasing compliance by legitimizing paltry contributions: When even a penny helps. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 599-604.

  Lecture link:
  Foot-in-the-Door Experiment

Thursday, Oct. 20: Negotiation and Group Dynamics ("Abilene Paradox" Video)

Deadline: Persuasion Assignment Due
• Optional reading: Harvey, J. B. (1988). The Abilene Paradox: The management of agreement. Organizational Dynamics, 17(1), 16-43.

  Lecture links:
  Chaotic Group Dynamic
  The Abilene Paradox

Tuesday, Oct. 25: Fall Break!

Thursday, Oct. 27: Individual Versus Group Performance (Class Experiment)

• Myers Chapter 8--Group Influence

Tuesday, Nov. 1: Group-Level Biases

• Myers Chapter 9--Prejudice
• Optional reading: The Sentencing Project. (2006, February). Felony disenfranchisement in Connecticut (fact sheet).

  Lecture link:
  Information on Capital Punishment

Thursday, Nov. 3: The Faces of Prejudice (watch "A Class Divided" [Direct Link] first, and then watch "Blue Eyed" [Direct Link] DVDs)

• Glick, P., & Fiske, S. T. (2003). An ambivalent alliance: Hostile and benevolent sexism as complementary justifications for gender inequality. In S. Plous (Ed.), Understanding prejudice and discrimination (pp. 225-231). New York: McGraw-Hill.
  
• Optional reading: Gaertner, S. L., Dovidio, J. F., Banker, B. S., Rust, M. C., Nier, J. A., Mottola, G. R., & Ward, C. M. (2003). The challenge of aversive racism: Combating pro-White bias. In S. Plous (Ed.), Understanding prejudice and discrimination (pp. 491-499). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Tuesday, Nov. 8: Group Discussion on Discrimination (20/20 DVD Clip on Prejudice)

• Optional reading: Herek, G. M. (2000, February). The psychology of sexual prejudice. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(1), 19-22.
  
• Optional reading: Plous, S. (2003). Is there such a thing as prejudice toward animals? In S. Plous (Ed.), Understanding prejudice and discrimination (pp. 509-528). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Thursday, Nov. 10: Second Examination

Tuesday, Nov. 15: Aggression ("Bobo Doll" and "Does TV Kill?" DVDs)

• Myers Chapter 10--Aggression
  
• Optional reading: Bushman, B. J., & Phillips, C. M. (2001, April). If the television program bleeds, memory for the advertisement recedes. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(2), 43-47.
• Optional reading: American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media. (2009, November). Policy statement -- media violence. Pediatrics, 124(5), 1495-1503.

  Lecture links:
  Fijare Conducting Business (15 months old)
  Fijare Taking a Mobile Call (2.5 years old)

Thursday, Nov. 17: Attraction and Intimacy

• Myers Chapter 11--Attraction and Intimacy
  
• Optional reading: American Psychological Association. (2004, July). Resolution on sexual orientation and marriage. Washington, DC: APA.

  Lecture links:
  Capilano Suspension Bridge
  Image Gallery of the Bridge
  A 360-Degree View of the Bridge

Tuesday, Nov. 22: Bystander Intervention ("Brother's Keeper" DVD)

Deadline: Web Interview Assignment Due
• Myers Chapter 12--Helping

  Lecture links:
  Brother's Keeper: Part 1 (4-minute video)
  Brother's Keeper: Part 2 (9-minute video)
  

Thursday, Nov. 24: Thanksgiving Break!

Tuesday, Nov. 29: Peace and Conflict Resolution

• Myers Chapter 13--Conflict and Peacemaking
  
• Optional reading: Vedantam, S. (2006, December 4). Iraq and the danger of psychological entrapment. Washington Post, p. A2.

Thursday, Dec. 1: Clinical Applications of Social Psychology

• Myers Chapter 14--Social Psychology in the Clinic

Tuesday, Dec. 6: Tips on Leading a Happy Life

Deadline: Day of Compassion Assignment Due
• Myers Chapter 15--Social Psychology in Court
  
• Optional reading: Taylor, P., Funk, C., & Craighill, P. (2006, February 13). Are we happy yet? Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.

Thursday, Dec. 8: Empathy--A Magic Bullet?

• Myers Chapter 16--Social Psychology and the Sustainable Future
• Optional reading: Van Vugt, M. (2009, June). Averting the tragedy of the commons: Using social psychological science to protect the environment. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(8), 169-173.

  Lecture link:
  How Doctors Regulate Their Empathy

Tuesday, Dec. 13: Third Examination

7:00-8:20 pm in Shanklin 107 (where class normally meets)

[Note: Please don't ask to take the test at a different time. The Registrar sets exam times, and even if the TAs and I were able to prepare the exam before the Registrar's stipulated time, administering the test at multiple times would create extra work for the TAs and CAs when they're taking their own exams. We thank you for your understanding.]

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