Frank T. McAndrew, Ph.D.
Psychologist - Professor – Essayist
Psychology 205 - Social Psychology
Spring, 2023
5th Period, MWF, Room E-117 SMC
Instructor:
Frank T. McAndrew E-131 SMC, Ext. 7525
e-mail: fmcandre@knox.edu.
Textbook:
Social Psychology, 14th Ed.,
by David G. Myers & Jean M Twenge.
ISBN: 978-1-260-88853-9 (Bound Edition)
ISBN: 978-1-260-71889-8 (Loose Leaf Edition)
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Psychology Department Writing Policy
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Psychology Department Research Participation Extra Credit Policy
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Psychology Department Web Page
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Implicit Association Test (IAT)
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The Oxford Encyclopedia of Social Psychology
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Resources for Teaching Social Psychology
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GOALS OF THE COURSE:
Psych 205 (Social Psychology) is a lower level class that assumes that you have already taken Psychology 100. This is a broad survey of the field of social psychology, including such topics as attitude change, interpersonal attraction, social cognition, and aggression. In this class you will be studying a textbook and reading four scientific journal articles. You will complete a series of four written assignments based upon the journal articles. Your learning will be assessed by the quality of your written work and by a series of four examinations. Every course that you take is designed to help you acquire knowledge and skills. This course will help you achieve the following departmental learning goals:
1) Apply the scientific method to studying the mind, the brain, and behavior.
2) Understand the basic theoretical approaches and classic empirical findings of psychology.
3) Effectively communicate with clear, grammatically-correct writing.
The written assignments address goals #2 & #3 above. The textbook reading and lectures address goals #1 & #2; the exams are designed to assess how well you have achieved the first two learning goals.
OFFICE HOURS
I will be available in my office during 5th period TTH and during 6th period MWF. I am also freely available to meet at other times by appointment.
PLEASE GET IN THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR EMAIL DAILY - This is the primary way in which I will communicate with you.
GRADING
Your final grade will be based upon the average of the grades that you receive on four tests and on four short written assignments. The average grade that you receive on the written assignments will carry the same weight in your final grade as one test. Test questions will be based on both textbook and lecture materials. No makeup tests will be given without prior permission and a very good excuse.
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Letter Grades for the course will be assigned as follows:
A = 93-100%
A- = 90-92%
B+ = 88-89%
B = 83-87%
B- = 80-82%
C+ = 78-79%
C = 73-77%
C- = 70-72%
D+ = 68-69%
D = 63-67%
D- = 60-61%
F = Need I say more?
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EXTRA CREDIT FOR PARTICIPATION IN PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH
By participating in research projects being conducted in our department, you can earn bonus points (extra credit). You are free to participate in as many studies as you like, and you will earn one point for each half hour that you participate in. However, no one will earn more than 6 points through research participation. If you volunteer to participate in an experiment and fail to show up, one point will be DEDUCTED from your grade.
TOPICS & READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Wednesday, March 22 – First Day of Class; Introduction to the Course -
Friday, March 24 - Social Psychology & Its Research Methods Chapter 1
Monday, March 27 – The Self & Personality Chapter 2
Wednesday, March 29 – Person Perception & Attribution Theory Chapter 3
Friday, March 31 – Person Perception & Attribution Theory Chapter 3
Monday, April 3 – Cognitive Biases in Social Situations Chapters 2 & 3
Wednesday, April 5 – Impression Formation & Self-Perception Chapters 2 & 3
(Assignment #1 is Due)
TEST #1 (Friday, April 7) CHAPTERS 1, 2, & 3
Monday, April 10 – Attitudes: Measurement & Predicting Behavior Chapter 4
Wednesday, April 12 – Attitude Formation & Change Chapters 4 & 7
Friday, April 14 – Attitude Change & Persuasion Chapter 7
Monday, April 17 – Stereotyping and Prejudice Chapter 9
Wednesday, April 19 – Stereotyping & Prejudice Chapter 9
Friday, April 21 – Conflict & Peacemaking Chapter 13 (pp. 386-405)
(Assignment #2 is Due)
TEST #2 (Monday, April 24) CHAPTERS 4, 7, 9, & pp. 386-405)
ALTRUISM & HELPING BEHAVIOR Chapter 12
(Please Note! I will not be lecturing on Chapter 12 – Helping – but you still need to study it as it will be on the next test)
Wednesday, April 26 – Conformity & Obedience Chapter 6
Friday, April 28 - Conformity & Obedience Chapter 6
Monday, May 1 – Love, Attraction, Sex, & Jealousy Chapter 11
Wednesday, May 3 – Love, Attraction, Sex, & Jealousy pp. 108-109 & pp. 128-130
(Assignment #3 is Due)
Friday, May 5 – Love, Attraction, Sex, & Jealousy Chapter 11
TEST # 3 (Monday, May 8) CHAPTERS 6, 11, 12, & pp. 108-109 & 128-130
Wednesday, May 10 – Aggression Chapter 10
Friday, May 12 – Aggression Chapter 10
Monday, May 15 – Aggression Chapter 10
(Assignment #4 is Due)
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Wednesday, May 17 – Human Territorial Behavior read pdf – download
Friday, May 19 – Group Behavior Chapter 8
Monday, May 22 – Group Behavior Chapter 8
TEST # 4 (Wednesday, May 24) CHAPTERS 8, 10,
The Written Assignments:
The written projects will acquaint you with the way in which social psychologists conduct research and communicate their results to each other. Journal articles are the primary way in which psychologists share the results of their research with each other, and as you progress into higher level psychology courses, you will spend more time learning about research through these primary sources.
Scientific journal articles are difficult to read if you have not encountered them before, and it is the goal of the written assignments in this class to get you acquainted with this type of reading and to give you practice with interpreting journal articles. In each assignment, you will read about a social psychology experiment in an article published in a professional psychology journal. You will answer a series of short questions about each article and summarize the “take-home message” from the article in one clear sentence written in everyday language.
The articles that you read can be downloaded from this class web page, and the instructions for writing each assignment will be given to you in class.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE QUALITY OF YOUR WRITING WILL BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR GRADE ON THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS. THERE IS A STANDARD PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT WRITING POLICY THAT IS APPLIED TO WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN ALL COURSES IN THE DEPARTMENT EXCEPT FOR PSYC 100. THE POLICY WILL BE HANDED OUT IN CLASS, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE DOWNLOADED FROM THIS WEB PAGE.
Due Dates for Each of the Assignments are listed below. Click on The "Assignment #" to download the instructions for the assignment, and click on the title of the article to download the article.
Assignment #1 - The Liking Gap in Conversations: Do People Like Us More Than We Think? by Erica J. Boothby, et al. Due Wednesday, April 5.
Assignment #2 – The Minority Spotlight Effect by J. R. Crosby, M. King, & K. Savitsky. Due Friday, April 21.
Assignment #3 - Fertile and Selectively Flirty: Women’s Behavior Toward Men Changes Across the Ovulatory Cycle. by Stephanie M. Cantu, et al. Due Wednesday, May 2.
Assignment #4 - Guns Automatically Prime Aggressive Thoughts, Regardless of Whether a “Good Guy” or a “Bad Guy” Holds the Gun. by Brad J. Bushman. Due Monday, May 15.
To see the powerpoint slides that were used in the lectures for this course, click on the picture of the overhead projector.
