PSYCH301: Social Psychology « Saylor.org – Free Online Courses Built by Professors

This course has recently been updated. To view the archived version of the course, please go here.

Social Psychology

Purpose of Course show close

This course will introduce you to the concepts and ideas in the area of social psychology. Social Psychology aims to discover the different ways in which people interact with other individuals, groups, and the larger society as a whole, as well as why people act in certain ways. As with an anthropology or sociology course, social psychology looks at the inner workings of groups of people. However, it differs from these courses in terms of its focus; social psychology focuses primarily on the single individual’s psychology as part of the group or society, rather than the culture or group interaction (though both of these areas have some relevance in social psychology). This may seem to be quite a broad subject area – and it is. Humans are social creatures (in other words, they have evolved to be able to interact and communicate at high levels with individuals of their own species) and almost invariably exist in a social context (even a situation in which society is absent could be studied by social psychologists as a social context). Social psychology deals with a huge range of aspects of human life, including love, attraction, aggression, helping behaviors (or altruism), and obedience. While social psychology encompasses a multitude of topics, it also relates to many other fields, both within psychology and outside of it. For example, other branches of psychology (personality, gender, culture, emotions, clinical, and industrial psychology) have used important findings from social psychology in their own studies. Subjects outside of psychology, such as religion, economics, and even engineering, have made use of information that has come out of social psychology research. Social psychology research has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on the field of psychology as a whole. This course will introduce you to the most influential social psychology experiments and explain the impact that they have had on the field as a whole. First, we will introduce you to the broad topic of social psychology. Next, we will get into the content areas in which social psychological research is conducted. These areas will include the research, findings, and theories regarding self and person perceptions, attitudes, social influence, prejudice and discrimination, interpersonal relationships, aggression, and altruism, in addition to applications of social psychology to health, law, businesses, and the environment.

Course Information show close

Welcome to PSYCH301: Social Psychology. General information about this course and its requirements can be found below.

Primary Resources: This course is comprised of a range of different free, online materials. However, the course makes primary use of the following materials:

YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s Saylor PSYCH301 Lecture Series
University of Idaho: Traci Craig’s Social Psychology Lessons
Principles of Social Psychology
Psych Web: Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction

Requirements for Completion: In order to complete this course, you will need to work through each unit and all of its assigned materials. Pay special attention to Units 1 and 2, as these lay the groundwork for understanding the more advanced, exploratory materials presented in the latter units. You will also need to complete:

The Final Exam

Note that you will only receive an official grade on your Final Exam. However, in order to adequately prepare for this exam, you will need to work through all of the resources provided in each unit.
In order to “pass” this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the Final Exam. Your score on the exam will be tabulated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam, you may take it again.

Time Commitment: This course should take you a total of 74 hours.Each unit includes a “time advisory” that lists the amount of time you are expected to spend on each subunit. These should help you plan your time accordingly. It may be useful to take a look at these time advisories and to determine how much time you have over the next few weeks to complete each unit, and then to set goals for yourself. For example, Unit 1 should take you approximately 5.75 hours. Perhaps you can sit down with your calendar and decide to complete subunit 1.1 (a total of 4.25 hours) on Monday night; subunit 1.2 (a total of 1.5 hours) on Tuesday night; etc.

Tips/Suggestions: As you read, take careful notes on a separate sheet of paper. Mark down any important concepts, examples, and definitions that stand out to you. Try to keep track of major theoretical ideas and research findings that repeatedly come up in different units of the course. You might also try to organize the most important course content according to whether they apply to the self/individual person, relationships (dyads and interpersonal relations), or group processes. These notes will be useful to review as you study for the Final Exam.

Learning Outcomes show close

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

discuss experiments and other empirical research in the field of social psychology;
outline the basic methodology, results, and impact of seminal research studies in social psychology (e.g., Milgram’s study, Asch’s study, Festinger’s study, etc.);
explain how the notion of the “self” contributes to cognitive processes in social interaction;
discuss the main research findings in the area of social persuasion;
define the term “attitude” and identify the mechanisms behind attitude change;
discuss the cognitive and affective theories/components linked to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination;
identify the basic properties of and factors involved in interpersonal attraction and the formation and maintenance of relationships;
discuss the breadth and importance of social psychological research and its impact in the field of psychology;
compare and contrast different types of aggression and discuss research techniques for studying aggressive behaviors;
identify factors that affect a person’s decision to help or not help other people; and
describe how social psychology can be applied to health, law, business, and environmental issues.

Course Requirements show close

In order to take this course, you must:

√    have access to a computer;

√    have continuous broadband Internet access;

√    have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software (e.g. Adobe Reader or Flash);

√    have the ability to download and save files and documents to a computer;

√    have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc, .ppt, .xls, etc.);

√    have competency in the English language;

√    have read the Saylor Student Handbook; and

√    have completed all courses listed in the Core Program of the Psychology Discipline. This requirement only applies to those students who are seeking the equivalency of a Full Psychology Degree. If taking this course as an elective, you must only have completed PSYCH101.

Unit Outline show close

1 Introduction to the Study of Social Psychology
1.1 What Is Social Psychology?
1.1.1 Sociological and Psychological Contributions to Social Psychology
1.1.2 Diverse Topics in Social Psychology
1.2 Researching Empirical Journal Articles
1.2.1 Reading Empirical Articles
1.2.2 Experimental Research in Social Psychology
1.3 Unit 1 Assessment

2 The Self and Person Perception
2.1 Introduction to the Concept of “The Self”
2.1.1 What is the Self?
2.2 Self Knowledge
2.2.1 The History of the Self
2.2.2 Effects of Public and Private Self-Awareness
2.2.3 Self-Regulation
2.2.4 Self-Schemas and Gender Schemas
2.2.5 Cultural Contributions
2.2.6 Self-Esteem, Self-Complexity, and Self-Discrepancy
2.3 Social Cognition
2.3.1 Low-Effort Thinking
2.3.2 Guiding Schemas and Association
2.3.3 Chronic Accessibility of Schemas
2.3.4 Components of Impression Formation
2.3.5 Physical Information and Nonverbal Behavior
2.4 Attributional Processes
2.4.1 Attributions Defined
2.4.2 Automatic versus Controlled Processes
2.4.3 Motivational Influences of Attributions
2.4.4 Short-Term Consequences of Attributions
2.4.5 Long-Term Consequences of Attributions: Clinical Implications
2.5 Unit 2 Assessment

3 Attitude and Attitude Change
3.1 Attitude: An Introduction
3.1.1 Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Processes
3.1.2 Qualities of Attitudes: Accessibility, Ambivalence, and Consistency
3.1.3 Attitude Function
3.1.4 The Attitude-Behavior Relation
3.2 Theories of Cognitive Dissonance
3.2.1 Cognitive Dissonance Defined
3.2.2 Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance Theory
3.2.3 Bem’s Self-Perception Theory
3.2.4 Elliot Aronson’s Self-Concept Theory
3.3 Empirical Research on Cognitive Dissonance
3.3.1 The Original Experiment
3.3.2 New Research on the Origins of Cognitive Dissonance
3.4 Unit 3 Assessment

4 Social Influence
4.1 An Introduction to Social Influence
4.2 Conformity
4.2.1 An Introduction to Conformity
4.2.2 Normative and Informational Influences
4.2.3 Pluralistic Ignorance
4.3 Compliance
4.3.1 Motivations for Compliance
4.3.2 Three Compliance Strategies
4.3.3 Self-Affirmation versus Self-Presentations
4.4 Obedience and the Power of the Situation
4.4.1 The Milgram Experiments
4.4.2 Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment
4.5 Bystander Effect
4.5.1 The Case of Kitty Genovese
4.5.2 Seminal Studies in the Bystander Effect
4.6 Unit 4 Assessment

5 Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
5.1 Introduction to Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
5.1.1 Linking Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
5.1.2 Categorical Thinking, Assimilation, and Contrast
5.1.3 Ingroup-Outgroup Concept
5.1.4 Self-Esteem and Social Identity
5.1.5 Subtle Forms of Prejudice
5.2 Stereotyping
5.2.1 Explicit and Implicit Bias
5.2.2 Consequences of Stereotyping
5.2.3 Stereotyping in Children and the Media
5.2.4 Stereotypes from Direct Experience
5.2.5 Self-Perpetuating Stereotypes
5.2.6 Reducing Stereotypes
5.3 Discrimination
5.3.1 Considering the Target’s Perspective
5.3.2 Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination
5.3.3 The Contact Hypotheses
5.4 Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and Stereotype Threat
5.4.1 An Introduction
5.4.2 Impact on Academic Performance and Automaticity
5.5 Unit 5 Assessment

6 Interpersonal Relationships and Attraction
6.1 Initial Attraction
6.1.1 Interpersonal Attraction
6.1.2 Reasons for Affiliation
6.1.3 Factors Influencing Affiliation Motivation
6.1.4 Theory of Social Exchange
6.1.5 Proximity and Familiarity
6.1.6 Physical Attractiveness
6.2 Intimacy
6.2.1 Intimacy Defined
6.2.2 Attachment Theory
6.3 Relationship Satisfaction and Stability
6.3.1 Overview of Research in Relationship Satisfaction
6.3.2 The Social Psychological Approach
6.4 Unit 6 Assessment

8 Selected Applications of Social Psychology
8.1 Applications to Health
8.1.1 Stress
8.1.2 Illness
8.1.3 Lifestyle Choices
8.2 Applications to the Law
8.2.1 Jury Processes
8.2.2 Eyewitness Testimony
8.2.3 Perceptions of Justice
8.3 Applications to Businesses
8.4 Applications to The Environment
8.4.1 Weather
8.4.2 Crowding
8.4.3 Architecture
8.5 Course Review
8.6 Unit 8 Assessment

9 PSYCH301 Final Exam

Expand All Resources Collapse All Resources

Unit 1: Introduction to the Study of Social Psychology

Social Psychology has a rich history of experimental research that aims to study persons and their relationships with others, groups, and society as a whole. In this unit, you will be introduced to several diverse areas of research, which encompass this broad field of study. Then, you will learn more about experimentation, the backbone of social psychological research. Finally, you will be provided with a brief tutorial on how to read social psychological research, as a majority of your readings are grounded in peer-reviewed journal articles.

Unit 1 Time Advisory show close

Unit 1 Learning Outcomes show close

1.1 What Is Social Psychology?

1.1.1 Sociological and Psychological Contributions to Social Psychology

Lecture: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 1: Introduction to Social Psychology”
Link: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 1: Introduction to Social Psychology” (YouTube)

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Watch this lecture.

Watching this lecture and pausing to take notes should take you approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 3.0 License. It is attributed to Robb Willer and the University of California, Berkley, and the original version can be found here.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: The Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s “What is Social/Personality Psychology?”
Link: The Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s “What is Social/Personality Psychology?” (HTML)

Instructions: Read this webpage to find out more information about the definition of social/personality psychology, the science of social/personality psychology, and how to become a social or personality psychologist.

Reading this webpage should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.1.2 Diverse Topics in Social Psychology

Reading: San Bernardino Community College: Professor T.L. Brink’s Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach: “Unit 13: Social Psychology”
Link: San Bernardino Community College: Professor T.L. Brink’s Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach: “Unit 13: Social Psychology” (PDF)

Instructions: Read this unit, which provides an overview of important concepts in social psychology. You may remember social psychology from your introduction to psychology course. Feel free to skim this chapter if you recall the content.

Note on the Text: As social psychology covers a diverse set of topics, this chapter will serve as a primer to introduce you to the main topics in social psychology.

Reading this unit should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of T.L. Brink from Crafton Hills College. Note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: The Social Psychology Network’s “Social Psychology Links By Subtopic”
Link: The Social Psychology Network’s “Social Psychology Links By Subtopic” (HTML)

Instructions: Scroll down this page to review the variety of subtopics associated with Social Psychology. Click on any link of particular interest in order to view additional resources, publications, and studies in that area. Note that this website also maintains links to the latest reports of psychology in the news and to the professional profiles of hundreds of social psychologists around the world.

Reading this webpage should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Activity: The Saylor Foundation’s “What Grabs People’s Attention?”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “What Grabs People’s Attention?” (PDF)

Instructions: For this activity, you should first read and reflect on the list of scenarios below. Each scenario describes a situation where an individual behaves in a manner that seems to grab people’s attention. Then, write out your answers to the open-ended questions. There are no correct or incorrect answers for this activity. Rather, the activity is designed to help you start thinking about human social behavior at a deeper level.

Considering these scenarios and writing out thoughtful responses to the open-ended questions should take you approximately 30 minutes.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.2 Researching Empirical Journal Articles

1.2.1 Reading Empirical Articles

Reading: Research Methods Knowledge Base: William M. K. Trochim’s “Key Elements of a Journal Article”
Link: Research Methods Knowledge Base: William M. K. Trochim’s “Key Elements of a Journal Article” (HTML)

Instruction: This webpage provides you with an overview of the anatomy of a journal article and provide recommendations for how to read empirical journal articles at an undergraduate level.

Reading this webpage should take you approximately 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: Muhlenberg College’s Find, Read, and Cite Psychology Articles: “Reading Articles”
Link: Muhlenberg College’s Find, Read, and Cite Psychology Articles: “Reading Articles” (HTML)

Instruction: Read the section below the heading Reading Articles. Reading this section will provide you with an overview of the anatomy of a journal article and provide recommendations for how to read empirical journal articles at an undergraduate level.

Reading this section should take you approximately 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

1.2.2 Experimental Research in Social Psychology

Lecture: YouTube: University of California, Berkley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 2: Experiments”
Link: YouTube: University of California, Berkley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 2: Experiments” (YouTube)

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Start the video at the 2-minute mark, as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break from the 43-minute mark to the 48-minute mark that you can fast-forward through.

Watching this video lecture and pausing to take notes should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 3.0 License. It is attributed to Robb Willer and the University of California, Berkley, and the original version can be found here.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Activity: Principles of Social Psychology: “Table 1.1 Is Social Psychology Just Common Sense?”
Link: Principles of Social Psychology: “Table 1.1 Is Social Psychology Just Common Sense?” (PDF)

Instructions: People often think that research in psychology is all just common sense, but sometimes the results are surprising. Find out more about some of the topics that people think are common sense by taking a short true/false assessment and then checking your answers against the answer key. To take the assessment, scroll down to Table 1.1, on page 35. Record your answers to the 8-question true/false quiz. After, scroll down to Table 1.5, on page 59, to go to the Chapter Summary page where you can check how well you scored and read more about the research supporting the correct answers. By doing this exercise, you should gain a better understanding of the importance of conducting scientific research, even if the focus of a study seems to be a simple matter of common sense.

Reading the introduction, completing the quiz, and studying the correct answers should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: This text was adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 1 Assessment

Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 1 Assessment”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 1 Assessment”

Instructions: Complete this assessment to check your understanding of the material covered in this unit. You will see the correct answers after you hit the “Submit” button.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 2: The Self and Person Perception

This unit will focus on two areas of social psychology that may seem somewhat out of place in a class about groups, cultures, and societies: the self and its perception of others. You may be wondering how units on the individual self fit into this course. Well, when we talk about social situations from a psychological point of view, there are two components of any interaction. The first part, which relates to the self, is the way we view ourselves and our beliefs. Our concept of our own being is important to understanding how we act in social situations. The second component of any interaction involves how we perceive and form opinions or ideas about people around us. This may be more obvious in how it relates to our interaction in social situations, as our opinions about people may change the way in which we interact with them. Understanding how we view ourselves and how we view other people is essential in being able to comprehend how humans behave in social situations.

Unit 2 Time Advisory show close

Unit 2 Learning Outcomes show close

Lecture: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Nature of the Self and Introspection” and “Self-Perception Theory”
Link: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Nature of the Self and Introspection” (RealAudio) and “Self-Perception Theory” (RealAudio)

Also available in:
Transcript (HTML) “Nature of the Self and Introspection”
Transcript (HTML) “Self-Perception Theory”

Instructions: Note these lectures will cover subunits 2.1-2.4. Click on the hyperlinks titled Audio and Slides, which are at the bottom of the To-Do List box on the right-hand side of the webpages. Listen to the lectures in conjunction with reading the PowerPoint slides. Real Player software is required for the audio files.

These lectures are from Professor Traci Craig’s Social Psychology course at University of Idaho. Although not all of the lectured material is covered in this unit, the material presented is pertinent to the topic of the self in social psychology.

Listening to these lectures and reading the slides should take you approximately 2 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1 Introduction to the Concept of “The Self”

Lecture: Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare: Professor Jeremy Wolfe’s Introduction to Psychology: “Lecture 16: Who Are You? The Psychology of the Self”
Link: Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare: Professor Jeremy Wolfe’s Introduction to Psychology: “Lecture 16: Who Are You? The Psychology of the Self” (Flash)

Instructions: Listen to this audio lecture. There is a break in the lecture from the 55-minute mark to the 61-minute mark; you can skip over this portion. Make sure to click on the Related Resourcestab, and select the PDF link to download the accompanying lecture notes. These lecture notes provide an overview of the audio lecture content. It presents some of the key findings/concepts in the psychological study of the self, including aspects of personal identity, the neuropsychology of the self, and the self-related psychopathologies. This material covers the topics outlined in subunits 2.1.1 and 2.1.2.

Listening to this lecture and reading the associated lecture notes should take you approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.1.1 What is the Self?

Note: This topic is covered by the lecture assigned below subunit 2.1.

2.2 Self Knowledge

2.2.1 The History of the Self

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below the unit introduction and subunit 2.1.

2.2.2 Effects of Public and Private Self-Awareness

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below the unit introduction and subunit 2.1.

2.2.3 Self-Regulation

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below the unit introduction and subunit 2.1.

2.2.4 Self-Schemas and Gender Schemas

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below the unit introduction and subunit 2.1.

2.2.5 Cultural Contributions

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below the unit introduction and subunit 2.1.

2.2.6 Self-Esteem, Self-Complexity, and Self-Discrepancy

Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Scott T. Allison, et al.’s “Self-Serving Outcome-Biases in Trait Judgments about the Self”
Link: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Scott T. Allison, et al.’s “Self-Serving Outcome-Biases in Trait Judgments about the Self” (PDF)

Instructions: Scroll down and click on the hyperlink titled Volume 11, No. 14. Read this empirical journal article as advised by the texts presented in subunit 1.2.

Reading this article should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. J.W. Lucas’s and Dr. M.J. Lovaglia’s “Self-Handicapping: Gender, Race, and Status”
Link: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. J.W. Lucas’s and Dr. M.J. Lovaglia’s “Self-Handicapping: Gender, Race, and Status” (HTML)

Instructions: Read this empirical journal article as advised by the texts presented in subunit 1.2. This article will help highlight the current social psychological research in this area of study.

Reading this article should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.3 Social Cognition

Lecture: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Low-Effort Thinking: Understanding Schemas” and “Nonverbal Behavior”
Link: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Low-Effort Thinking: Understanding Schemas” (RealAudio) and “Nonverbal Behavior” (RealAudio)

Also available in:
Transcript (HTML) “Low-Effort Thinking: Understanding Schemas”
Transcript (HTML) “Nonverbal Behavior”

Instructions: Note that this material covers concepts outlined in subunits 2.3.1-2.3.5. Click on the hyperlinks titled Audio and Slides, which are at the bottom of the To-Do List box on the right-hand side of the webpages. Listen to the lecture in conjunction with reading the PowerPoint slides. Real Player software is required for the audio files.

Listening to these lecture and reading the slides should take you approximately 2 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.3.1 Low-Effort Thinking

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below subunit 2.3.

2.3.2 Guiding Schemas and Association

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below subunit 2.3.

2.3.3 Chronic Accessibility of Schemas

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below subunit 2.3.

2.3.4 Components of Impression Formation

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below subunit 2.3.

2.3.5 Physical Information and Nonverbal Behavior

Note: This topic is covered by the lectures assigned below subunit 2.3.

2.4 Attributional Processes

Reading: Iowa State University: Dr. Debora Bell-Dolan and Dr. Craig A. Anderson’s “Attributional Processes: An Integration of Social and Clinical Psychology”
Link: Iowa State University: Dr. Debora Bell-Dolan and Dr. Craig A. Anderson’s “Attributional Processes: An Integration of Social and Clinical Psychology” (PDF)

Instructions: Note that this reading will cover the topics outlined in subunits 2.6.1-2.6.5. For the first reading, scroll down and click on the file titled 99B-DA.pdf. Read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented previously in subunit 1.2.

Reading this article should take you approximately 2 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: University of Iowa: Dr. Jerry I. Shaw and Dr. W. Neil Steers’s Current Research in Social Psychology: “Gathering Information to Form an Impression: Attribution Categories and Information Valence”
Link: University of Iowa: Dr. Jerry I. Shaw and Dr. W. Neil Steers’s Current Research in Social Psychology: “Gathering Information to Form an Impression: Attribution Categories and Information Valence” (HTML)

Instructions: Note that this reading will cover the topics outlined in subunits 2.6.1-2.6.5. For this second reading, click on the above link, and read the empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in subunit 1.2.

Reading this article should take you approximately 2 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Lecture: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Causal Attributions”
Link: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Causal Attributions” (RealAudio)

Also available in:
Transcript (HTML)

Instructions: Click on the hyperlinks to the audio lecture and PowerPoint slides, which are located at the bottom of the To-Do List box on the right side of the webpage. Listen to this short lecture, while you simultaneously view the PowerPoint slides.

Listening to the lecture and reading the slides should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

2.4.1 Attributions Defined

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 2.4.

2.4.2 Automatic versus Controlled Processes

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 2.4.

2.4.3 Motivational Influences of Attributions

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 2.4.

2.4.4 Short-Term Consequences of Attributions

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 2.4.

2.4.5 Long-Term Consequences of Attributions: Clinical Implications

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 2.4.

Unit 2 Assessment

Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 2 Assessment”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 2 Assessment”

Instructions: Complete this assessment to check your understanding of the material covered in this unit. You will see the correct answers after you hit the “Submit” button.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 3: Attitude and Attitude Change

Attitudes are an essential component of our psychological world. We evaluate items every day in terms of good and bad or like and dislike, and it is through these evaluations that we make sense of our world. Importantly, attitudes are not fixed and are subject to change with experience. For these reasons, attitudes have occupied a central place in the field of social psychology. In this unit, you will learn about what attitudes are and the important concept of cognitive dissonance, which is associated with attitude change.

Unit 3 Time Advisory show close

Unit 3 Learning Outcomes show close

3.1 Attitude: An Introduction

Reading: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project: Dr. R. H. Fazio and Dr. M.A. Olson’s “Attitudes: Foundations, Functions, and Consequences”
Link: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project: Dr. R. H. Fazio and Dr. M.A. Olson’s “Attitudes: Foundations, Functions, and Consequences” (PDF)

Instructions: Note this chapter will cover the topics outlined in subunits 3.1.1-3.1.4. Select the hyperlink Attitudes: Foundations, Functions, and Consequences to download the PDF file. Read this chapter.

Reading this chapter should take you approximately 2 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Lecture: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “What Is an Attitude and from Where Did It Come?”
Link: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “What Is an Attitude and from Where Did It Come?” (RealAudio)

Also available in:
Transcript (HTML)

Instructions: Note this lecture covers concepts outlined in subunits 3.1.1-3.1.4. Click on the hyperlink to the audio lecture and PowerPoint slides, which are located at the bottom of the To-Do List box on the right hand side of the webpage. Listen to this short lecture and simultaneously follow along with the PowerPoint slides.

Listening to this lecture and reading the slides should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.1.1 Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Processes

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.1.

3.1.2 Qualities of Attitudes: Accessibility, Ambivalence, and Consistency

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.1.

3.1.3 Attitude Function

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.1.

3.1.4 The Attitude-Behavior Relation

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.1.

3.2 Theories of Cognitive Dissonance

Reading: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Festinger’s Theory of Cognitive Dissonance”
Link: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Festinger’s Theory of Cognitive Dissonance” (HTML)

Instructions: Read this webpage. Note this webpage will cover the topics outlined in subunits 3.2.1 and 3.2.2.

Reading this webpage should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Cognitive Dissonance”
Link: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Cognitive Dissonance” (HTML)

Instructions: Read this webpage. Note this webpage will cover the topics outlined in subunits 3.2.1 and 3.2.2.

Reading this webpage should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Attitude-Discrepant Behavior”
Link: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Attitude-Discrepant Behavior” (HTML)

Instructions: Read this webpage. Note this webpage will cover the topics outlined in subunits 3.2.1 and 3.2.2.

Reading this webpage should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Lecture: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Justifying Decisions and Effort”
Link: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s “Justifying Decisions and Effort” (RealAudio)

Also available in:
Transcript (HTML)

Instructions: Note this lecture will cover subunits 3.2 and 3.3. Click on the hyperlinks to the audio lecture and PowerPoint slides, which are located at the bottom of the To-Do List box on the right side of the webpage. Listen to this lecture as you view the PowerPoint slides.

This lecture contains topics relevant to the social psychological study of the self and social influence, which is covered in Unit 4. Therefore, this lecture provides a good example of how topics in psychology are often not mutually exclusive.

Listening to this lecture and reading the slides should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.2.1 Cognitive Dissonance Defined

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.2.

3.2.2 Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.2.

3.2.3 Bem’s Self-Perception Theory

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.2.

3.2.4 Elliot Aronson’s Self-Concept Theory

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 3.2.

3.3 Empirical Research on Cognitive Dissonance

3.3.1 The Original Experiment

Reading: Classics in the History of Psychology: Dr. Leon Festinger and Dr. James M. Carlsmith’s “Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance”
Link: Classics in the History of Psychology: Dr. Leon Festinger and Dr. James M. Carlsmith’s “Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance” (HTML)

Instructions: Read this empirical article as advised by the readings presented in subunit 1.2. This classic study prompted more than fifty years of research and hundreds of additional experiments by psychologists around the world, making the theory of cognitive dissonance one of the most influential theories in the history of psychology.

Reading this article should take you approximately 2 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

3.3.2 New Research on the Origins of Cognitive Dissonance

Reading: Yale University: Dr. Louisa C. Egan, et al.’s “The Origins of Cognitive Dissonance”
Link: Yale University: Dr. Louisa C. Egan, et al.’s “The Origins of Cognitive Dissonance” (PDF)

Instructions: Under Selected Journal Articles, scroll down to The Origins of Cognitive Dissonance and select the link to open in PDF format. Read this article as advised by the readings presented earlier in subunit 1.2. This article describes a research study of cognitive dissonance, using children and primates as the subjects to show decision rationalization, which resulted in the acknowledgement that dissonance may have developed earlier than previously believed.

Reading this article should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 3 Assessment

Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 3 Assessment”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 3 Assessment”

Instructions: Complete this assessment to check your understanding of the material covered in this unit. You will see the correct answers after you hit the “Submit” button.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 4: Social Influence

As social beings, we are often strongly affected by the presence of those around us. One main focus of social psychological research has centered on social influence. Social influence refers to a situation in which a person or group changes or influences the attitudes or behaviors of others in a particular direction. There are many different aspects of social influence that one can experience at any given time. However, in this unit, we will focus on four types of influences that humans experience when in social situations: conformity, compliance, obedience, and the bystander effect.

Unit 4 Time Advisory show close

Unit 4 Learning Outcomes show close

4.1 An Introduction to Social Influence

Reading: Creighton University: Professor Robert B. Cialdini’s “The Science of Persuasion”
Link: Creighton University: Professor Robert B. Cialdini’s “The Science of Persuasion” (HTML)

Also available in:
Microsoft Word

Instructions: Read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in subunit 1.2. This article will introduce you to the six basic tendencies in human behavior, which help make social influence possible. Robert B. Cialdini is Regents’ Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University.

Reading this article should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.2 Conformity

4.2.1 An Introduction to Conformity

Reading: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Sherif (1936): Group Norms and Conformity” (HTML) and “Asch (1951): Conformity”
Link: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Sherif (1936): Group Norms and Conformity” (HTML) and “Asch (1951): Conformity” (HTML)

Instructions: Read these articles. The webpages from Dr. Dewey’s text will provide you with (a) an overview of the research and findings related to conformity, and (b) two seminal experiments (Asch’s conformity experiments and Sherif’s autokinetic experiment) regarding conformity to help introduce you to the topic.

Reading these articles should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Web Media: Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare: Professor John Gabrieli’s Introduction to Psychology: “Lecture 22: Social Psychology I”
Link: Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare: Professor John Gabrieli’s Introduction to Psychology: “Lecture 22: Social Psychology I” (JW Player)

Instructions: Scroll down the page and click on the link for the lecture segment on Social Influence: Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience. This lecture segment provides an overview of conformity, or going along with the crowd, and of compliance, which involves giving in to someone’s request. Note that this material covers topics outlined in subunits 4.2.1 and 4.3.

Watching this lecture should take you approximately 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is release under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 license.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.2.2 Normative and Informational Influences

Reading: Principles of Social Psychology: “Chapter 7, Section 1: The Many Varieties of Conformity”
Link: Principles of Social Psychology: “Chapter 7, Section 1: The Many Varieties of Conformity” (PDF)

Instructions: Read Section 7.1, pages 346-368, paying particular attention to the distinction between normative and informational influence and conformity.

Reading this section should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: This text was adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 7: Conformity“
Link: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 7: Conformity“ (YouTube)

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Start the video at 13 minutes as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break from the 50-minute mark through the 57-minute mark; you may want to fast-forward through this section.

Watching this lecture and pausing to take notes should take you approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 3.0 License. It is attributed to Robb Willer and the University of California, Berkley, and the original version can be found here.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.2.3 Pluralistic Ignorance

Lecture: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 9: Conformity and Norms II”
Link: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 9: Conformity and Norms II” (YouTube)

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Start the video at the 7-minute mark as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class.

Watching this lecture and pausing to take notes should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 3.0 License. It is attributed to Robb Willer and the University of California, Berkley, and the original version can be found here.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: Princeton University: Professor Deborah A. Prentice and Dale T. Miller’s “Pluralistic Ignorance and Alcohol Use on Campus: Some Consequences of Misperceiving the Social Norm”
Link: Princeton University: Professor Deborah A. Prentice and Dale T. Miller’s “Pluralistic Ignorance and Alcohol Use on Campus: Some Consequences of Misperceiving the Social Norm” (HTML)

Instructions: Read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in 1.2. This reading will highlight conformity as it applies to a relevant topic on college campuses.

Reading this article should take you approximately 3 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.3 Compliance

Reading: Principles of Social Psychology: “Chapter 5, Section 3: Changing Attitudes by Changing Behavior”
Link: Principles of Social Psychology: “Chapter 5, Section 3: Changing Attitudes by Changing Behavior” (HTML)

Instructions: Note this chapter will cover the topics outlined in subunits 4.3.1-4.3.3. For this reading, scroll down the web page until you reach the text box labeled “Social Psychology in the Public Interest: How Salespeople Use Principles of Persuasion” on page 225. This first reading will serve as a brief overview of how research and findings regarding compliance techniques are often used in marketing and persuasion. This provides a good example of how social psychological principles can be applied to real life settings.

Reading this chapter should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: This text was adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee.
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
Submit Materials
Reading: University of Iowa: Amy Kaplan and Dr. Joachim Krueger’s “Compliance after Threat: Self-Affirmation or Self-Presentation?”
Link: University of Iowa: Amy Kaplan and Dr. Joachim Krueger’s “Compliance after Threat: Self-Affirmation or Self-Presentation?” (HTML)

Instructions: Note this article will cover the topics outlined in subunits 4.3.1-4.3.3. For this second reading, read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in subunit 1.2 of this course. This reading will provide a specific example of empirical research in this area.

Reading this article should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.3.1 Motivations for Compliance

Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned below subunit 4.3.

4.3.2 Three Compliance Strategies

Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned below subunit 4.3.

4.3.3 Self-Affirmation versus Self-Presentations

Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned below subunit 4.3.

4.4 Obedience and the Power of the Situation

Reading: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Gregorio Billikopf Encina’s “Milgram’s Experiment on Obedience to Authority”
Link: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Gregorio Billikopf Encina’s “Milgram’s Experiment on Obedience to Authority” (HTML)

Instructions: Note this article will cover subunits 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. Milgram’s experiment and Zimbardo’s experiment represent two of the most famous and, arguably, infamous experiments conducted in social psychology. These experiments were not only important to the topic of obedience but also important in impacting the creation and enforcement of ethical guidelines in scientific research. The overall themes to this research are that (a) situational factors have a powerful effect on behavior, and (b) ethical consideration in research is necessary and important.

Reading this article should take you approximately 45 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Was Milgram’s Research Ethical?” and “Zimbardo’s Prison Study”
Link: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Was Milgram’s Research Ethical?” (HTML) and “Zimbardo’s Prison Study” (HTML)

Instructions: Note these articles will cover subunits 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. Milgram’s experiment and Zimbardo’s experiment represent two of the most famous and, arguably, infamous experiments conducted in social psychology. These experiments were not only important to the topic of obedience but also important in impacting the creation and enforcement of ethical guidelines in scientific research. The overall themes to this research are that (a) situational factors have a powerful effect on behavior, and (b) ethical consideration in research is necessary and important.

Reading these articles should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Lecture: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 12: Obedience I” and “Lecture 13: Obedience II”
Link: YouTube: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 12: Obedience I” and “Lecture 13: Obedience II” (YouTube)

Also available in:
iTunes U (Lecture 12)
iTunes U (Lecture 13)

Instructions: Note that these lectures will cover subunits 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. Scroll down, and click on the clapperboard icon for the Obedience Ilecture. For this first lecture, start the video at 4 minutes and 45 seconds as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break from the 62-minute mark until the 67-minute mark, if you would like to fast-forward through this section. For the second lecture, click on the link above, scroll down, and click on the clapperboard icon for the Obedience IIwebcast. Start the video at 11 minutes as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break/extra material from the 54-minute mark until 65-minute mark. If you would like, you may skip over this section.

Note on the Lecture: These lectures are from Professor Robb Willer’s “Social Psychology: Self and Society” course at the University of California, Berkeley.

Watching the lectures and pausing to take notes should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 3.0 License. It is attributed to Robb Willer and the University of California, Berkley, and the original version can be found here.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.4.1 The Milgram Experiments

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 4.4.

4.4.2 Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 4.4.

4.5 Bystander Effect

Lecture: Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare: Professor John Gabrieli’s Introduction to Psychology: “Lecture 22: Social Psychology I”
Link: Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare: Professor John Gabrieli’s Introduction to Psychology: “Lecture 22: Social Psychology I” (JW Player)

Instructions: Scroll down the page, and click on the link for the lecture segment on Bystanders and Helping: The Bystander Effect.This lecture segment provides an overview of conformity, or going along with the crowd, and of compliance, which involves giving in to someone’s request. Note that this material covers topics outlined in subunits 4.5.1 and 4.5.2.

Watching this lecture should take you approximately 30 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is release under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 license.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Bystander Apathy” and “Diffusion of Responsibility”
Link: IntroPsych: Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Bystander Apathy” and “Diffusion of Responsibility” (HTML)

Instructions: Read these articles. This material further explains the bystander effect and why sometimes people do not help others even when they realize there is a need. Moreover, it explains why sometimes the more witnesses there are during an emergency, the less likely it is that any one person will lend assistance due to a phenomenon called diffusion of responsibility. Note that this material covers topics outlined in subunits 4.5.1 and 4.5.2.

Reading these articles should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Lecture: YouTube: University of California, Berkley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 10: Conformity and Norms and Review for First Exam”
Link: YouTube: University of California, Berkley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 10: Conformity and Norms and Review for First Exam” (YouTube)

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Note this lecture is optional and covers materials in subunits 4.5.1 and 4.5.2. You are only required to listen between the 5-minute mark and the 37-minute mark as the later portion of the lecture is a review for the University of California, Berkley course exam.

Watching this lecture and pausing to take notes should take you approximately 45 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 3.0 License. It is attributed to Robb Willer and the University of California, Berkley, and the original version can be found here.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

4.5.1 The Case of Kitty Genovese

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 4.5.

4.5.2 Seminal Studies in the Bystander Effect

Note: This topic is covered by the resources assigned below subunit 4.5.

Unit 4 Assessment

Assessment: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 4 Assessment”
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Unit 4 Assessment”

Instructions: Complete this assessment to check your understanding of the material covered in this unit. You will see the correct answers after you hit the “Submit” button.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

Unit 5: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

One of the negative effects of social influence is prejudice, which is an adverse prejudgment or bias of an individual or group seen in almost every society and within most people, at one time or another. Accordingly, it is important to know how prejudiced attitudes develop and why we tend to exhibit them. It is also important to understand the steps one can take to reduce prejudice. This unit will explore the ways in which stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination relate to one another, while explaining their theoretical origins and utility.

Unit 5 Time Advisory show close

Unit 5 Learning Outcomes show close

5.1 Introduction to Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Reading: Understanding Prejudice: Scott Plous’s (ed.) “The Psychology of Prejudice: An Overview”
Link: Understanding Prejudice: Scott Plous’s (ed.) “The Psychology of Prejudice: An Overview” (HTML)

Instructions: Note this article will cover material in subunits 5.1-5.3. Read this article. Use the green arrow at the bottom of the text to navigate from one page to the next. This reading will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the concepts and research related to prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination.

Reading this article should take you approximately 2 hours.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

5.1.1 Linking Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 5.1.

5.1.2 Categorical Thinking, Assimilation, and Contrast

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 5.1.

5.1.3 Ingroup-Outgroup Concept

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 5.1.

5.1.4 Self-Esteem and Social Identity

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 5.1.

5.1.5 Subtle Forms of Prejudice

Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 5.1.

5.2 Stereotyping

Lecture: YouTube: University of California, Berkley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 24: Stereotypes 1”
Link: YouTube: University of California, Berkley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 24: Stereotypes 1” (YouTube)

Instructions: Note this lecture will cover the topics outlined in subunits 5.2.1-5.2.6. Start the video at the 8-minute mark as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break from the 41-minute mark until the 50-minute mark, if you would like to fast-forward through this section.

Watching this video and pausing to take notes should take you approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Terms of Use: This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative 3.0 License. It is attributed to Robb Willer and the University of California, Berkley, and the original version can be found here.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Michaël Dambrun, et al.’s “The Impact of Hierarchy-Enhancing vs. Attenuating Academic Major on Stereotyping: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Norm”
Link: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Michaël Dambrun, et al.’s “The Impact of Hierarchy-Enhancing vs. Attenuating Academic Major on Stereotyping: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Norm” (HTML)

Instructions: Note this article will cover subunits 5.2 and 5.3. Read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented previously in subunit 1.2 of this course. This article speaks to the impact of social context, including social norms, on stereotyping. Be careful not to generalize these results without appreciating that there are more within group differences (which represent differences between individuals within a single group) than between group differences (which represent differences between groups). In other words, do not use these results to form a stereotype of different majors.

Reading this article should take you approximately 1 hour.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!

5.2.1 Explicit and Implicit Bias