PSYCH301: Social Psychology « The Saylor Foundation

90% Social Psychology

Purpose of Course

This course will introduce you to the concepts and ideas in the area of social psychology. Social Psychology aims at discovering 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. Because 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 important relationships to 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, altruism, and aggression.

Learning Outcomes show close

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

Identify the specific areas of research interest within the field of social psychology.
Read and understand articles pertaining to 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.
Demonstrate an awareness of 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.
Demonstrate an awareness of the breadth and importance of social psychological research and its impact in the field of psychology.

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 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.

Course Overview Expand Resources Collapse Resources

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

2 The Self and Person Perception
2.1 Introduction to the Concept of “The Self”
2.1.1 History of the Self
2.1.2 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

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

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 Four 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

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, Familiarity, and Anxiety
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

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

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1.1 What Is Social Psychology?

1.1.1 Sociological and Psychological Contributions to Social Psychology

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

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Please click on the webpage linked here, click on the clapperboard icon for video lecture 1, and view the entirety of the video entitled “Introduction to Social Psychology.”

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
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Reading: Wikipedia’s “Social Psychology
Link: Wikipedia’s "Social Psychology" (PDF)

Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entirety of this webpage.

Note on the Text: This webpage explains the differences between the sociological study of social psychology and the psychological study of social psychology, an important distinction to understand when studying social psychology.

Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original Wikipedia version of this article here (HTML).
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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: Please click on the link, scroll down, and complete the reading on Unit 13, which provides an overview of important concepts in social psychology. You may remember social psychology from your introduction to psychology course. Please feel free to skim this chapter if you recollect 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.

Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of TL Brink from Crafton Hills College. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.
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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” and Muhlenberg College’s Find, Read, and Cite Psychology Articles: “Reading Articles”
Links: Research Methods Knowledge Base: William M. K. Trochim’s "Key Elements of a Journal Article" (HTML) and Muhlenberg College’s Find, Read, and Cite Psychology Articles: "Reading Articles" (HTML)

Instruction: Please read the entirety of the webpage entitled “Key Elements of a Journal Article.” Then, for the “Reading Articles” text please read the entire section under this header. For an optional review, you may want to look over the first section on finding articles and the last section on citing journals in a research paper on Muhlenberg College’s website linked above.

Note on the Texts: These readings 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.

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1.2.2 Experimental Research in Social Psychology

Reading: University of Waterloo: Professor Christian H. Jordan’s and Professor Mark P. Zanna’s “How to Read a Journal Article in Social Psychology”
Link: University of Waterloo: Professor Christian H. Jordan’s and Professor Mark P. Zanna’s "How to Read a Journal Article in Social Psychology" (HTML)

Instructions: Please click on the link, and read the entirety of this webpage.

Note on the Text: This reading will help you to gain a more in depth perspective in reading social psychological research articles. This article, which provides the anatomy of a research report, was originallypublished in R. F. Baumeister’s (ed.) The Self in Social Psychology (pp. 461-470), published in Philadelphia by Psychology Press, and is now located through the University of Waterloo’s website.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 2: Experiments” Webcast
Link: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 2: Experiments” Webcast

Also available in:
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Instructions: On the webpage linked here, please click on the clapperboard icon to view the video lectureentitled “Experiments.” Please start the video at 6 minutes as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break from 47 minutes until 52 minutes, if you would like to fast-forward through this section.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
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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 and its perceptions may 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 or others. 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”
Links: University of Idaho: Professor Traci Craig’s "Nature of the Self and Introspection" (RealAudio) and "Self-Perception Theory" (RealAudio)

Also available in: (Nature of the Self)

Transcript (HTML) (Nature of the Self)

Transcript (HTML) (Self Perception Theory)

Instructions: Please note these readings will cover subunits 2.1-2.4. Please 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. Please listen to the entirety of these short lectures in conjunction with viewing the PowerPoint slides. Real Player software is required for the audio files.

Note on the Lectures: 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.

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2.1 Introduction to the Concept of “The Self”

Reading: Zain Books’ version of Virtual University of Pakistan’s “The Self”
Link: Zain Books’ version of Virtual University of Pakistan’s "The Self" (PDF)

Instructions: Please note this reading will cover concepts in subunits 2.1-2.4. Please click on the above link, and then click on the hyperlink labeled “Social Psychology” after “Read” or “Download.” Once you have opened the file, type in 40 in the box at the top of the screen next to the blue arrows, which indicates the page number you would like to jump to. Please read the entirety of this chapter (pp. 40-57), and use the blue arrows at the top of the screen to navigate from one page to the next.

Note on the Text: Please read this chapter to learn about the key findings/concepts in the social psychological study of “the self.”

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2.1.1 History of the Self

2.1.2 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

Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Scott T. Allison, A. Neville Uhles, Dr. Arlene G. Asuncion, Dr. James K. Beggan, and Dr. Diane M. Mackee’s (2006) “Self-Serving Outcome-Biases in Trait Judgments about the Self” and Dr. J.W. Lucas’s and Dr. M.J. Lovaglia’s (2005) “Self-Handicapping: Gender, Race, and Status”
Links: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Scott T. Allison, A. Neville Uhles, Dr. Arlene G. Asuncion, Dr. James K. Beggan, and Dr. Diane M., Mackee’s (2006) "Self-Serving Outcome-Biases in Trait Judgments about the Self" (PDF) and Dr. J.W. Lucas’s and Dr. M.J. Lovaglia’s (2005) "Self-Handicapping: Gender, Race, and Status"(HTML)

Instructions: For the first reading, please scroll down to and click on the hyperlink titled “Volume 11, No. 14.” Read this entire empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented in section 1.2. For the second reading, please click on the link above, and read this entire empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented in section 1.2.

Note on the Text: These readings will help highlight the current social psychological research in this area of study. These studies were published in Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed electronic journal that is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Iowa.

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2.3 Social Cognition

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

Transcript (HTML) (Nonverbal Behavior)

Instructions: Please note that this material covers concepts in sections 2.5.1-2.5.5. Please click on the hyperlinks to the audio lectures and power point slides, which are at the bottom of the “To-Do List” box on the right side of the webpage. Please listen to the entirety of these short lectures in conjunction with viewing the PowerPoint slides. Real Player software is required for the audio files.

Note on the Lectures: These lectures are from Professor Traci Craig’s “Social Psychology” course at University of Idaho.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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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

Reading: Iowa State University’s version of Dr. Debora Bell-Dolan’s and Dr. Craig A. Anderson’s “Attributional Processes: An Integration of Social and Clinical Psychology” and University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Jerry I. Shaw’s and Dr. W. Neil Steers’ (2001) “Gathering Information to Form an Impression: Attribution Categories and Information Valence”
Links: Iowa State University’s version of Dr. Debora Bell-Dolan’s and Dr. Craig A. Anderson’s "Attributional Processes: An Integration of Social and Clinical Psychology" (PDF) and University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Jerry I. Shaw’s and Dr. W. Neil Steers’ (2001) “Gathering Information to Form an Impression: Attribution Categories and Information Valence” (HTML)

Instructions: Please note that these readings will cover 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 section 1.2. For the second reading, please click on the above link, and read the empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in section 1.2.

Note on the Text: The first reading was originally published in Dr. R.M. Kowalski’s and Dr. M.R. Leary’s The Social Psychology of Emotional and Behavioral Problems: Interfaces of Social and Clinical Psychology. The second reading is published in Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed electronic journal that is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes (HTML) at the University of Iowa.

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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: Please 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. Please listen to the entirety of this short lecture, while you simultaneously view the PowerPoint slides.

Note on the Lecture: These lectures are from Professor Traci Craig’s “Social Psychology” course at the University of Idaho.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above
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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

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. It is for these reasons, that 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

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3.1 Attitude: An Introduction

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

Instructions: Please note this reading will cover subunits 3.1.1-3.1.4. Please click on the above link, and select the hyperlink of the chapter title, “Attitudes: Foundations, Functions, and Consequences” to download the PDF file. Please read the entirety of this chapter.

Note on the Text: This website "CROW: Course Resources on the Web: Teaching Social Psychology" (HTML) is managed by Dr. Jonathan Mueller, a professor at North Central College in Illinois. This article was originally published in Dr. M. A. Hogg’s and J. Cooper’s (eds.) The Handbook of Social Psychology.

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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: Please note this lecture covers concepts outlined in sections 3.1.1-3.1.4. Please 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. Please listen to the entirety of this short lecture and simultaneously follow along with the PowerPoint slides.

Note on the Lecture: These lectures are from Professor Traci Craig’s “Social Psychology” course at University of Idaho.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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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

Reading: Wikipedia’s “Cognitive Dissonance”
Link: Wikipedia’s "Cognitive Dissonance" (HTML)

Instructions: Please note this reading will cover subunits 3.2.1-3.2.4. Please click on the link above, and read the entirety of this webpage.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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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: Please note this lecture will cover subunits 3.2 and 3.3. Please 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. Please listen to the entirety of this short lecture as you view the PowerPoint slides.

Note on the Lecture: These lectures are from Professor Traci Craig’s “Social Psychology” course at University of Idaho. This lecture also 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.

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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

Reading: Classics in the History of Psychology’s version of Dr. Leon Festinger’s and Dr. James M. Carlsmith’s (1959) “Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance”
Link: Classics in the History of Psychology’s version of Dr. Leon Festinger’s and Dr. James M. Carlsmith’s (1959) "Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance" (HTML)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of this empirical article as advised by the readings presented in section 1.2.

Note on the Text: This reading was obtained through a website developed by Dr. Christopher D. Green, a Psychology Professor at York University in Toronto, Ontario. This article was first published in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology in 1959.

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3.3.2 New Research on the Origins of Cognitive Dissonance

Reading: Yale University: Dr. Louisa C. Egan, Dr. Laurie R. Santos, and Dr. Paul Bloom’s (2007) “The Origins of Cognitive Dissonance”
Link: Yale University: Dr. Louisa C. Egan, Dr. Laurie R. Santos, and Dr. Paul Bloom’s (2007) "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. Please read this empirical article as advised by the readings presented earlier in section 1.2.

Note on the Text: This reading was obtained through the Yale University Website. 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 developmentally and evolutionarily earlier than previously believed.

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Unit 4: Social Influence

As social beings, we are often strongly impacted 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 behavior 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.

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4.1 An Introduction to Social Influence

Reading: Creighton University’s version of Professor Robert B. Cialdini’s (2004) “The Science of Persuasion”
Link: Creighton University’s version of Professor Robert B. Cialdini’s "The Science of Persuasion" (HTML)

Also available in:

Microsoft Word

Instructions: Please read the entirety of this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in section 1.2.

Note on the Text: This reading 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.

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4.2 Conformity

4.2.1 An Introduction to Conformity

Reading: Wikipedia’s “Conformity”; Wikipedia’s “Asch Conformity Experiments”; Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: “Sherif (1936): Group Norms and Conformity”
Links: Wikipedia’s "Conformity"(HTML); Wikipedia’s "Asch Conformity Experiments"(HTML); and Dr. Russ Dewey’s Psychology: An Introduction: "Sherif (1936): Group Norms and Conformity" (HTML)

Instructions: Please click on each link above, and read the entirety of these webpages.

Note on the Texts: These webpages will provide you with (a) an overview of the research and finding 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 of conformity.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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4.2.2 Normative and Informational Influences

Reading: Google Scholar: Dr. Morton Deutsch’s and Dr. Harold B. Gerard’s “A Study of Normative and Informational Influences upon Individual Judgment” and Panarchy.org's version of Dr. Solomon E. Asch’s (1955)’s “Opinions and Social Pressure”
Links: Dr. Morton Deutsch’s and Dr. Harold B. Gerard’s (1955) "A Study of Normative and Informational Influences upon Individual Judgment" (PDF) and Panarchy.org's version of Dr. Solomon E. Asch’s (1955) "Opinions and Social Pressure” (HTML)

Instructions: For the first reading, please click the link above, and then read this entire article in its entirety. For the second reading, please click on the link above, scroll down to the bottom of the page and then choose the article entitled “Opinions and Social Pressure” under References. Please read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented previously in section 1.2.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
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.
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Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 7: Conformity” Webcast
Link: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 7: Conformity” Webcast

Also available in:
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Instructions: Please click on the link to the webpage above, choose the clapperboard icon for lecture 7, and view the entirety of the “Conformity” webcast. Please 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 50 minutes and 15 seconds until 57 minutes and 30 seconds; you may want to fast-forward through this section.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License
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4.2.3 Pluralistic Ignorance

Reading: Princeton University’s version of Professor Deborah A. Prentice’s and Dale T. Miller’s (1993) “Pluralistic Ignorance and Alcohol Use on Campus: Some Consequences of Misperceiving the Social Norm”
Link: Professor Deborah A. Prentice’s and Dale T. Miller’s (1993) "Pluralistic Ignorance and Alcohol Use on Campus: Some Consequences of Misperceiving the Social Norm" (HTML)

Instructions: Please read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in section 1.2.

Note on the Text: This reading will highlight conformity as it applies to a relevant topic on college campuses.

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

Also available in:
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Instructions: Please click on the webpage, scroll down, and view the video entitled “Conformity and Norms II.” Click on the clapperboard icon to access the webcast. Please start the video at 7 minutes and 40 seconds as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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4.3 Compliance

Reading: Wikipedia’s “Compliance (Psychology)” and Amy Kaplan’s and Dr. Joachim Krueger’s (1999) “Compliance after Threat: Self-Affirmations or Self-Presentation?”
Links: Wikipedia’s "Compliance (Psychology)" (HTML) and Amy Kaplan’s and Dr. Joachim Krueger’s (1999) "Compliance after Threat: Self-Affirmation or Self-Presentation?" (HTML)

Instructions: Please note these readings will cover subunits 4.3.1-4.3.3. For the first reading, please review the entirety of the Wikipedia webpage. Also, please read more about the four compliance strategies located at the bottom of the webpage by clicking on the hyperlink for each titled “Foot-in-the-door technique,” “Door-in-the-face technique,” “Low-ball,” and “Ingratiation.” For the second reading, please click on the link above, and read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in section 1.2 of this course.

Note on the Texts: The first reading will serve as a brief overview on the main research and findings regarding compliance, featuring Robert Cialdini’s research, which is based in marketing and persuasion. This provides a good example of how social psychological principles can be applied to real life settings. The second reading will provide a specific example of empirical research in this area. This reading is published in Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed electronic journal sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Iowa.

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4.3.1 Motivations for Compliance

4.3.2 Four Compliance Strategies

4.3.3 Self-Affirmation versus Self-Presentations

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”; Experiment-Resources.com’s “Milgram Experiment Ethics”; and Wikipedia’s “Stanford Prison Experiment”
Links: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Gregorio Billikopf Encina’s "Milgram's Experiment on Obedience to Authority"(HTML); Experiment-Resources.com’s "Milgram Experiment Ethics" (HTML); and Wikipedia’s "Stanford Prison Experiment" (HTML)

Instructions: Please note these readings will cover subunits 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. Please read the entirety of each webpage linked here.

Note on the Texts: 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.

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Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 12: Obedience I” and “Lecture 13: Obedience II” Webcasts
Link: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 12: Obedience I” and “Lecture 13: Obedience II” Webcasts

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

Instructions: Please note that these lectures will cover subunits 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. Please click on the first link above, scroll down, and click on the clapperboard icon for the “Obedience I” lecture. For this first lecture, please 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 62 minutes until 67 minutes, 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 II” webcast. Please 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 54 minutes and 45 seconds until 65 minutes and 15 seconds. If you would like, you may skip over this section.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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4.4.1 The Milgram Experiments

4.4.2 Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

4.5 Bystander Effect

Reading: Wikipedia’s “Bystander Effect” and Google Scholar’s version of Dr. John M. Darley’s and Dr. Bibb Latané’s (1968) “Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility”
Links: Wikipedia’s "Bystander Effect" (HTML) and Google Scholar’s version of Dr. John M. Darley’s and Dr. Bibb Latané’s (1968) "Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility" (PDF)

Instructions: Please note that these readings will cover sections 4.5.1 and 4.5.2. For the first reading, please read the entirety of the Wikipedia webpage. For the second reading, please click on the link above, scroll down, and then click on the PDF version of the article entitled “Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility.” Please read this article in its entirety.

Note on the Text: The second reading, “Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility,” was originally published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Author Dr. Darley is affiliated with New York University, and author Dr. Latané is affiliated with Columbia University.

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Lecture: Optional Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 10: Conformity and Norms and Review for First Exam” Webcast
Link: Optional Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 10: Conformity and Norms and Review for First Exam” Webcast

Also available in:
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Instructions: Please note this lecture is optional and covers materials in subunits 4.5.1 and 4.5.2. Please click on the link, scroll down, then click on the clapperboard icon for the “Conformity and Norms and Review for First Exam” webcast. You are only required to listen to minutes 5 – 37 as the later portion of the lecture is a review for the University of California, Berkeley course exam.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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4.5.1 The Case of Kitty Genovese

4.5.2 Seminal Studies in the Bystander Effect

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 prejudice comes about and why we tend to exhibit it. However, it is also important to understand the steps one can take to reduce his or her prejudices. In summary, this unit will explore the ways in which social influence and prejudice relate to one another, while explaining why each has developed and how we use them.

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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: Please note this reading will cover material in subunits 5.1-5.3. Please read the entirety of this article. Use the green arrow at the bottom of the text to navigate from one page to the next.

Note on the Text: This reading will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the concepts and research related to prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination. This reading is housed on the website entitled understandingprejudice.org, which is intended to supplement a McGraw-Hill anthology (2003) entitled Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination, edited by Scott Plous, PhD. Editor Scott Plous is also a Professor of Psychology at Wesleyan University.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
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5.1.1 Liking 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

Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Michaël Dambrun, Dr. Serge Guimond, and Sandra Duarte’s (2002) “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, Dr. Serge Guimond, and Sandra Duarte’s (2002) "The Impact of Hierarchy-Enhancing vs. Attenuating Academic Major on Stereotyping: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Norm"(HTML)

Instructions: Please note this reading will cover subunits 5.2 and 5.3. Please read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented previously in section 1.2 of this course.

Note on the Text: This article speaks to the impact of social context, including social norms, on stereotyping. Please 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, please do not use these results to form a “stereotype” of different majors. This reading is published in the Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed electronic journal sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes at the University of Iowa.

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Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 24: Stereotypes I” Webcast
Link: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 24: Stereotypes I” Webcast

Instructions: Please note this lecture will cover subunits 5.2.1-5.2.6. Please click on the link above, scroll down, and choose the clapperboard icon for the webcast entitled “Stereotypes I.” Please start the video at 8 minutes and 40 seconds as the first part of the video lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break from 41 minutes and 45 seconds till 50 minutes, if you would like to fast-forward through this section.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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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 Stereotype Threat

5.4.1 An Introduction

Reading: Wikipedia’s “Stereotype Threat” and Stanford University News: Adam Gorlick’s “Stereotype Threat Harms Female, Minority Performance”
Links: Wikipedia’s "Stereotype Threat” (HTML); and Stanford University News: Adam Gorlick’s "Stereotype Threat Harms Female, Minority Performance" (HTML)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of both webpages linked here to gain an understanding of the definition and impact of stereotype threat.

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5.4.2 Impact on Academic Performance and Automaticity

Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Matthew T. Jameson, Robert Diehl, and Dr. Henry Danso’s (2007) “Stereotype Threat Impacts College Athletes’ Academic Performance”
Link: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Matthew T. Jameson, Robert Diehl, and Dr. Henry Danso’s (2007) "Stereotype Threat Impacts College Athletes' Academic Performance" (PDF)

Instructions: Please scroll down the website linked above and click on the hyperlink for Volume 12, No. 5 entitled “Stereotype Threat Impacts College Athletes’ Academic Performance.” Please read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented in section 1.2 of this course.

Note on the Text: This article will help you gain a better understanding of how stereotypes can detrimentally affect individual performance. This reading is published in Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed electronic journal sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes (HTML) at the University of Iowa.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
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Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 25: Stereotypes II” Webcast
Link: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 25: Stereotypes II” Webcast

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Please click on the webpage, scroll down, and view the video lecture entitled “Stereotypes II.” Please start the video at 2 minutes as the first part of the lecture deals with administrative details of the class. There is also a class break from 34 minutes until 41 minutes; if you prefer, you may fast-forward through this section.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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Unit 6: Interpersonal Relationships and Attraction

In this unit, we will focus on the psychology of individuals in terms of how they are attracted to one another and how they form relationships. While the relationships we will discuss are typically romantic in nature, many of the same concepts can be applied to friendships and family relationships as well. We will be primarily concerned with how relationships differ and why some relationships are sought out more strongly and last longer than others. These issues become quite complex when you consider the diversity of the human relationships that exist. Accordingly, psychologists have developed a number of different theories that attempt to explain different aspects of different relationships. This unit will also look at physical attraction, identifying different types of attraction (i.e. physical and aesthetic) and why attraction is an important part of human survival.

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Reading: Zain Books’ version of Virtual University of Pakistan’s “Interpersonal Attraction and Intimate Relationships”
Link: Zain Books’ version of Virtual University of Pakistan’s "Interpersonal Attraction and Intimate Relationships" (PDF)

Instructions: Please note this reading covers concepts from subunits 6.1-6.3. Please click on the above link, and then click on the hyperlink labeled “Social Psychology” that comes after “Read” or “Download.” Once you have opened the file, type in 111 at the top of the screen in the box next to the blue arrows, which indicates the page number you would like to jump to. Please read the entirety of this chapter (pp. 111-126) up until the “Evaluating Persons and Relationships” section. Use the blue arrows at the top of the screen to navigate from one page to the next.

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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.
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Lecture: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 30: Relationships” Webcast
Link: University of California, Berkeley: Professor Robb Willer’s “Lecture 30: Relationships” Webcast

Also available in:
iTunes U

Instructions: Please click on the link above, scroll down, and click on the clapperboard icon for the video lecture entitled “Relationships.” Please start the video at 24 minutes as the first part of the lecture is not relevant to the topic of relationships. Please note this webcast covers concepts from subunits 6.1-6.3.

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

Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley’s Webcast.Berkeley. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
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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, Familiarity, and Anxiety

6.1.6 Physical Attractiveness

6.2 Intimacy

6.2.1 Intimacy Defined

6.2.2 Attachment Theory

Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Norm O’Rourke’s and Dr. Philippe Cappeliez’s (2003) "Intra-Couple Variability in Marital Aggrandizement: Idealization and Satisfaction within Enduring Relationships"
Link: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Norm O’Rourke’s and Dr. Philippe Cappeliez’s (2003) "Intra-Couple Variability in Marital Aggrandizement: Idealization and Satisfaction within Enduring Relationships" (HTML)

Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented in section 1.2 of this course.

Note on the Text: This reading is published in the Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed electronic journal sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes (HTML) at the University of Iowa.

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6.3 Relationship Satisfaction and Stability

Reading: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version Dr. W. B. Swann, Dr. J. G. Hixon, and Dr. C. De La Ronde’s (1992) "Embracing the Bitter Truth: Negative Self-Concepts and Marital Commitment"
Link: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version of Dr. W. B. Swann, Dr. J. G. Hixon, and Dr. C. De La Ronde’s (1992) "Embracing the Bitter Truth: Negative Self-Concepts and Marital Commitment" (PDF)

Instructions: For the first reading, scroll down to 1992 and click on the link to read “Embracing the Bitter Truth.” Please note this reading covers concepts outlined in sections 6.3.1 and 6.3.2. Read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in section 1.2 of this course.

Note on the Text: This link is housed in "Course Resources on the Web: Teaching Social Psychology," a website managed by Dr. Jonathan Mueller, a professor at North Central College in Illinois.

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6.3.1 Overview of Research in Relationship Satisfaction

6.3.2 The Social Psychological Approach

Unit 7: Altruism and Aggression

Our final unit in this course will examine the contrasting acts of altruism and aggression. For the purposes of this unit, we will define altruism as the act of helping someone without a true expectation for something in return. We will look at situations in which people are more or less likely to help others, the reasoning behind helping, and the individual difference variables that affect the act of helping. These findings may not hold true across all situations and may change based on certain variables, but they will give us an outline of why we tend to help versus not help. In addition, we will explore the findings/research related to these questions in regard to aggression.

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Reading: Zain Books’ version of Virtual University of Pakistan’s "Aggression and Prosocial Behavior"
Link: Zain Books’ version of Virtual University of Pakistan’s "Aggression and Prosocial Behavior" (PDF)

Instructions: Please note this reading will cover concepts in subunits 7.1-7.4. Please click on the above link, and then click on the hyperlink labeled “Social Psychology.” Once you have opened the file, type in139 at the top of the screen in the box next to the blue arrows, which indicates the page number you would like to jump to. Please read the entirety of the chapters “Aggression” and “Prosocial Behavior” (pp. 139-163) until the section titled “Group Behavior Lesson 39.” Use the blue arrows at the top of the screen to navigate from one page to the next.

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7.1 An Introduction to Aggression

Reading: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version of Dr. C.A. Anderson’s “Violence and Aggression”; Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version of Dr. CA. Anderson, Dr. K.A. Anderson, and W.E. Deuser’s (1996) “Examining an Affective Aggression Framework: Weapon and Temperature Effects on Aggressive Thoughts, Affect, and Attitudes”
Links: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version of Dr. C.A. Anderson’s "Violence and Aggression" (PDF); Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version of Dr. C.A. Anderson, Dr. K.A. Anderson, and W.E. Deuser’s (1996) "Examining an Affective Aggression Framework: Weapon and Temperature Effects on Thoughts, Affect, and Attitudes" (PDF)

Instructions: For each article, select the PDF link below the abstract. Please note these readings will cover subunits 7.1.1-7.1.4. For the first reading, read the entirety of this chapter. For the second reading, please read this empirical journal article as advised by the readings presented earlier in section 1.2 of this course.

Note on the Texts: This first reading was originally published in Dr. A.E. Kadzin’s Encyclopedia of Psychology. This chapter will provide you with an overview of the study of aggression, while the empirical journal article (second reading) will highlight the methodology used in social psychological research on aggression. These articles are housed in "Course Resources on the Web: Teaching Social Psychology," a website managed by Dr. Jonathan Mueller, a professor at North Central College in Illinois.

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7.1.1 Instrument versus Hostile Aggression

7.1.2 Gender Differences in Aggression

7.1.3 Anger, Catharsis, and Neo-Association Theory

7.1.4 Social Learning Theory of Aggression

7.1.5 Reducing Aggression

7.2 Methodology in the Study of Aggression

Reading: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version of Dr. B.J. Buschman’s and Dr. C.A. Anderson’s “Methodology in the Study of Aggression: Integrating Experimental and Nonexperimental Findings”
Link: Course Resources on the Web (CROW) Project’s version of Dr. B.J. Bushman’s and Dr. C.A. Anderson’s "Methodology in the Study of Aggression: Integrating Experimental and Nonexperimental Findings" (PDF)

Instructions: Please note this reading will cover subunits 7.2.1-7.2.5. Please click on the hyperlink titled “For a PDF version of the chapter, click here” to download the PDF file for this article. Then, read the article in its entirety.

Note on the Text: This reading was originally published in Dr. Russell G. Green’s and Edward Donnerstein’s (eds.) Human Aggression: Theories, Research, and Implications for Policy. This chapter will provide you with an overview of the study of aggression. This article is housed in "Course Resources on the Web: Teaching Social Psychology," (HTML) a website managed by Dr. Jonathan Mueller, a professor at North Central College in Illinois. Authors of this chapter, Dr. Bushman and Dr. Anderson are affiliated with Iowa State University and University of Missouri, respectively.

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7.2.1 Types of Measurement

7.2.2 Convergence of Laboratory Aggression Measures

7.2.3 Similarity of Real World and Laboratory Aggression

7.2.4 Generalization from the Laboratory to the Real World

7.2.5 Meta-Analytic Results on Findings

7.3 An Introduction to Altruism

Reading: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Mark Burgess, Dr. Michael S. Gordon, Dr. Mark Shevlin, and Dr. Keith Morgan’s (2004) "Would You Save an Uncaring Relative from a Burning Building? Considerations of Relatedness and Previous Care in Predictions of Altruism”
Link: University of Iowa’s Current Research in Social Psychology: Dr. Mark Burgess, Dr. Michael S. Gordon, Dr. Mark Shevlin, and Dr. Keith Morgan’s (2004) "Would You Save an Uncaring Relative from a Burning Building? Considerations of Relatedness and Previous Care in Predictions of Altruism” (HTML)

Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this empirical journal article as advised by the reading presented previously in section 1.2 of this course. Please note this article will address content outlined in the sections under subunit 7.3.

Note on the Text: This reading is published in Current Research in Social Psychology, a peer-reviewed electronic journal sponsored by the Center for the Study of Group Processes (HTML) at the University of Iowa.

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7.3.1 Kin Selection

7.3.2 Socio-Cultural Perspective

7.3.3 A Learning Perspective

7.4 When Do People Help?

7.4.1 The Audience-Inhibition Effect

7.4.2 Diffusion of Responsibility

7.4.3 Effect of Mood

PSYCH301 Final Exam

Final Exam: The Saylor Foundation's "PSYCH301 Final Exam"
Link: The Saylor Foundation's "PSYCH301 Final Exam"

Instructions: You must be logged into your Saylor Foundation School account in order to access this exam. If you do not yet have an account, you will be able to create one, free of charge, after clicking the link.
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