Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Social Psychology
FALL 2005
Dr. Huxtable-Jester PSY 3331.001
I. Course description
This course presents an introduction to the field of social psychology, and will examine theory
and research as well as practical applications to social problems. In addition to learning how
social psychologists do research, we will learn about how we think about the social world, how
we come to understand other people and ourselves, self-justification and the need to maintain
self-esteem, influencing thoughts and feelings, influencing behavior, influence in social groups,
interpersonal attraction, why people help, why people hurt other people, and causes and cures of
prejudice. Special attention will be paid to what social psychology can offer to the solving of
social problems in these areas and in the areas of health-related behavior and beliefs and the law.
This course is appropriate for students interested in psychology, the health professions, law,
political science, business, advertising, human services, education, communications, gender
studies/women's studies, history, public administration, and sociology—essentially, this course
will be interesting to all who are or live among human beings. Course requirements will include
class attendance and participation, exams, and multiple writing assignments (no final exam).
Satisfies the Core Curriculum Social and Behavioral Science requirement (3 credits, call number
12584).
B. Exams
1. Four non-cumulative exams focusing on the assigned readings and lecture material
will be given to assess your mastery of the material in each section of the course. Exam
format will be multiple-choice, based on materials from the readings, lectures, class
discussions and demonstrations, and videos.
2. You must be present for exams. If you might miss an exam, notify me at 972-883-
6434 IMMEDIATELY. I must hear from you before the scheduled time of the exam. If
you wait to talk to me at the next class meeting, you will not be able to make up the
exam. Make-up exams will be given only if: (a) you were seriously ill and have
documentation from a physician, or (b) you were detained the day and time of the exam
(and have appropriate documentation), or (c) you made arrangements prior to the exam
to attend an urgent family affair (e.g., funeral). In any of these cases, you must notify
me in advance of the scheduled time of the exam (call and leave a voice-mail message if
you can do nothing else). Otherwise, you will receive an F (0 points). It is your
responsibility to make sure that an exam is made up within one week of the scheduled
time. Beware, make-up exams are designed to be more difficult to compensate for
having more study time.
3. Exams will be returned during class time once only. If you miss class on the day exams
are returned you must come to my office. Privacy regulations prohibit me from
emailing your grades to you!
4. See me early if you need help preparing for an exam. It is helpful (but not required) to
study first, and then come with a list of specific questions or areas of concern. Also, if
you feel that you worked hard studying for an exam, but received a much lower grade
that you anticipated, come see me so that we can determine where your study strategies
went wrong. Coming to ask me what you can do to improve your grade makes sense if
PSYCH 3331 ? Social Psychology ? Fall 2005 3
you come early in the semester, but is pointless if you come late in the semester—at
that point there is nothing you can do.
5. Preparing for an exam is an important part of the learning process—it takes weeks of
preparation, not days or hours. Learning and understanding the material are the best
preparation for the exams. Keeping up with the readings pays off. Plan to spend at
least 9 hours per week outside of class on reading and writing assignments for this
course.
won’t download them). This is true for all late entries, regardless of the excellence of the
reason why they were late (or early). After all, you only have to do 10 out of 16—that
gives you more than enough opportunities even if you are sick, stuck in traffic,
hospitalized, or in labor. Turn them in IN CLASS, IN PERSON, ON TIME. Note:
Dropping off your paper at the beginning or end of class, but not staying for a full class
period, also will receive zero credit. If you are late on the day that papers are accepted,
your paper cannot be accepted for that day. To receive full credit for this assignment,
you need to arrive for class prepared and on time, with no excuses.
Sample observations and descriptions of how they relate to course concepts may be seen
at: http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu//240/jrnindex.htm.
F. Additional notes:
1. Policy on ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Students who violate University rules on
scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of
failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty
harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on
scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. Written policies may be found on the
UTD website under “Student Life.”
2. All assignments must be handed in by class time on the day they are due. The
evaluative summary will not be accepted after October 19, 2005. Late
assignments will not be accepted.
3. In addition to submitting a hard copy of each written assignment in class, you will
submit your evaluative summary in class AND online at www.turnitin.com. Your
turnitin.com Class ID is 1321844 and the password is SITUATION. Details about
how to set up your account will be discussed in class. Journal entries will not be
submitted to turnitin.com.
4. A word about Sorting Numbers: When we have our 2nd or 3rd class meeting, I will
assign you a number that you should write in the top right corner of the cover page of
every assignment and exam you turn in. We use these numbers to put assignments in
gradebook order more efficiently.
5. Special educational needs: The University of Texas at Dallas proudly supports a very
diverse student body. Among our students are those with learning disabilities or other
special needs. If you have a learning, sensory, or physical reason for special
accommodations in this class, please contact Kerrie Tate at 972-883-2098. Personnel
in Disability Services (SU 1.610) will provide the documentation to pass on to me so
that I can accommodate your needs.
6. University rules stipulate that a grade of "Incomplete" may be given only under
extreme circumstances outside of the student's control, and only after at least 70% of
the course work has already been completed (that’s everything but one exam). All
requests for an incomplete grade must have written approval from the College Master
before I will consider them.
7. Absolutely no individualized extra credit will be available. Students concerned about
their grades are encouraged to contact me as soon as possible.
PSYCH 3331 ? Social Psychology ? Fall 2005 5
8. I am always available to answer questions about grades and assignments. Please come
to see me early to clear up points of confusion rather than waiting, which may simply
add to your frustration and decrease your learning efficiency.
V. Grading. The basis for assigning grades in this course will be as follows:
Points % of final grade
Exams (4 @ 50 pts each) 200 75%
Evaluative summary of research 25 10%
Journal entries (10 @ 4 pts each) 40 15%
TOTAL 265 100%
You are welcome to e-mail me any time, but please do not send assignments via e-mail, even in
the body of the e-mail message. I am happy to look over a hard copy of any writing assignment
on which you would like some extra help, but please remember that to have time for everyone
(and to get it back to you in time to rewrite it a few more times) I need to receive your draft at
least 3 class days or 10 calendar days before it is due (no emailed submissions, please). Also, I
can help you more if you bring me your best effort, not a first (or even second) draft!
The Graduate TA for this class is Kristin Atchison. Her responsibilities are to administer and
score all exams, including makeup exams. If you, tragically, will need to take a makeup exam,
you will first get approval from me and then contact Kristin to arrange a makeup exam at her
convenience. Exams must be made up within one week, so be sure to make these arrangements
right away. Kristin may be reached at katchison@student.utdallas.edu.
PSYCH 3331 ? Social Psychology ? Fall 2005 6
The undergraduate TA for this class is Tracy Li. Her responsibilities are to grade journal entries,
keep records of attendance, lead group study or tutoring sessions, and in general facilitate your
learning success in this class. Tracy may be reached at yxl023000@utdallas.edu.
MONDAY WEDNESDAY
22—AUGUST 24
Course Overview Introduction to social psychology
Read Chapter 1 by today
Journal entry for Ch. 1 accepted today
29 31
How social psychologists do research How we think about the social world
Read Chapter 2 by today Chapter 3
Journal entry for Ch. 2 accepted today Journal entry for Ch. 3 accepted today
Set up your user account at www.turnitin.com.
Class ID 1321844, password SITUATION.
5—SEPTEMBER 7
No Classes Social cognition continued
Chapters 3-4
Journal entry for Ch. 4 accepted today
12 14
How we come to understand other people EXAM 1: Chs. 1-4
Chapter 4
19 21
How we come to understand ourselves Self-understanding continued
Chapter 5 Chapters 5-6
Journal entry for Ch. 5 accepted today Journal entry for Ch. 6 accepted today
26 28
How we justify our actions to preserve our self- Social psychology and health
esteem Social Psych in Action 1: Health & stress (pp.
Chapter 6 504-535)
Journal entry for SPA 1 accepted today
3—OCTOBER 5
Changing people’s thoughts and feelings Attitudes & attitude change continued
Chapter 7 Chapter 7
Journal entry for Ch. 7 accepted today
10 12
EXAM 2: Chs. 5-6, SPA 1, Ch. 7 EVALUATIVE SUMMARY DUE
Changing people’s behavior
Chapter 8
31 2—NOVEMBER
Prejudice continued EXAM 3: Chs. 8-9, SPA 3, Ch. 13
Chapter 13 Evaluative summaries returned
7 9
Why we hurt other people Aggression continued
Chapter 12 Chapter 12
Journal entry for Ch. 12 accepted today
14 16
Social psychology and the environment Forming, maintaining, and dissolving relationships
Social Psych in Action 2: The environment (pp. Chapter 10
536-557) Journal entry for Ch. 10 accepted today
Journal entry for SPA 2 accepted today
21 23
Relationships continued Why do people help (or not)?
Chapter 10 Chapter 11
Journal entry for Ch. 11 accepted today
28
EXAM 4: Ch. 12, SPA 2, Chs. 10-11
Course grades will be available Dec. 7
PSYCH 3331 ? Social Psychology ? Fall 2005 9
Take a moment to answer the questions below, each of which is based on social psychological research.
Though the correct answers may seem obvious in retrospect, many are hard to guess in advance.
1. Suppose an authority figure asks college students to administer near-lethal electric shock to
another student who has not harmed them in any way. What percentage of these students will
agree to do it?
2. If you give children a reward for doing something they already enjoy doing, they will subsequently
like that activity (a) more, (b) the same, or (c) less.
3. Seeing someone you admire do something rather clumsy or stupid, such as spilling a cup of
coffee, will make you like him or her (a) more, (b) the same, or (c) less.
4. Repeated exposure to a stimulus, such as a person, a song or a painting, will make you like it (a)
more, (b) the same, or (d) less.
5. You ask an acquaintance to do you a favor--for example, to lend you $10—and he or she
agrees. As a result of doing you this favor, the person will probably like you (a) more, (b) the
same, or (c) less.
6. True or false: It is most adaptive and beneficial to people's mental health to have a realistic view
of the future, an accurate appraisal of their own abilities and traits, and an accurate view of how
much control they have over their lives.
7. Suppose that a representative of a community organization knocks on people's doors and asks
them to put a small sign in their window promoting auto safety and that most people agree to this
request. A couple of weeks later, a different person from a different organization knocks on their
doors and asks a much larger favor: to erect an unsightly billboard in their front yard, promoting
a clean environment. Do you think that agreeing to the first, smaller request will (a) make people
more likely to agree to the second request, (b) make people less likely to agree to the second
request, or (c) have no effect on people's agreeing to the second request?
8. Suppose that two elementary school children, Mary and Bob, take an IQ test and Mary gets a
higher score than Bob. Which of the following might have contributed to Mary's higher score?
(a) On average, girls are smarter than boys; (b) IQ tests are biased so that girls do better than
boys; (c) the children's teacher thought Mary was smarter than Bob, even though this is not true;
or (d) the children's teacher thought Bob was smarter than Mary, so Mary tried hard to prove her
wrong.
9. In public settings, (a) women touch men more, (b) men touch women more, or (c) there is no
difference—men and women touch each other equally.
10 True or false: The more you pay people to make a speech against their own beliefs, the more
they will change their minds and agree with the speech they made.
PSY 3331 • Social Psychology • Fall 2005 10
This writing assignment is intended to help you to refine your ability to summarize and critically evaluate
reports of original research in social psychology. You also will learn how to cite your sources and list
your references using APA style. Select from the list below the one article that looks most interesting to
you. You must choose one of the four articles listed on this page.
References
Baumeister, R.F., DeWall, C.N., Ciarocco, N.J., & Twenge, J.M. (2005). Social exclusion
Jackson, J.W., & Poulsen, J.R. (2005). Contact experiences mediate the relationship between
five-factor model personality traits and ethnic prejudice. Journal of Applied Social
Loken, B., & Peck, J. (2005). The effects of instructional frame on female adolescents’
evaluations of larger sized female models in print advertising. Journal of Applied Social
Rempala, D.M., & Bernieri, F.J. (2005). The consideration of rape: The effect of target
35(3), 536-550.
Learning objective: Identify, summarize, and evaluate the main sections of a research report,
and cite your source appropriately
In one double-spaced page, summarize and evaluate the research that was done. Cite the source you are
discussing using APA style (check the APA format website again if you are unsure of how to do this—
using a correct citation and references page is worth 25% of the grade on this assignment—if you omit
them or have errors, you will not earn more than a C for this paper).
Citing your source means that you indicate where your information comes from. You do this as part of
your paper (in the body of the text) instead of using footnotes or endnotes. All APA style in-text
citations must include the authors’ last names and the work’s date of publication. If you were to use a
direct quotation you also would give the page number, but do not use any quotations in this paper. Do
not copy from the article, either—you summarize the research by paraphrasing it. Also, because this
paper is only one double-spaced page in length, and you are only using one source, it will be sufficient
to cite your source one time only, near the beginning of your summary. Examples of the three possible
APA style citation formats (with the matching reference, which would go on a separate page) look like
this:
as compared to children in child-centered programs (Stipek, Feiler, Daniels, & Milburn, 1995).
Stipek, Feiler, Daniels, and Milburn (1995) conducted a correlational study of the
relationship between type of instructional programming (didactic vs. child-centered) and the
In 1995, Stipek, Feiler, Daniels, and Milburn examined the impact of two types of
and kindergarten.
References
Stipek, D., Feiler, R., Daniels, D., & Milburn, S. (1995). Effects of different instructional
209-223.
Use one of the three possible APA style citation formats—don’t name the article or the journal in which
it appears (or the authors’ first names, initials, or affiliation…) in your summary. Also, be sure to
paraphrase your source without using direct quotations. Your organization guidelines will be very
handy, here. Do not write a title on your summary page, and do not use subheadings (you won’t have
PSY 3331 • Social Psychology • Fall 2005 12
room).
The purpose of this exercise is to help you learn how to include discussion of others’ research in
the papers you write (and, ultimately, in the decisions you make!). Very briefly and clearly, you
should be able to explain the purpose of the study, how it was conducted, what was found, and
what it means. When you are writing a critical review of research literature, you need to be able to
discuss the research in terms of examining the question that the investigators asked and how they went
about answering it, rather than simply accepting their results (or worse, their conclusions) as the only
part of the article worth reading.
Listing references
Create a References page for the article that you are evaluating. At the top of the page, write the word
“References,” but without the quotation marks (or bold type, or italics, or underlining, or fancy font).
On the next line, begin your list of references (in this case, only one reference will be listed). Use APA
style, as indicated on page 9 (this is described in detail on the website listed in the syllabus).
For the source information for the article you read for this assignment, list the original primary
source as indicated on the first page of the article (don’t worry about the format for electronic sources,
for example, even if you retrieve the article online). Notice that only authors’ last names and initials are
needed. The author element ends with a period. The year of publication is placed in parentheses, and
this element also ends with a period. Capitalize only the first word of the title of the article and end
the article title element with a period. Use capital letters for the title of the journal, followed by a
comma, the volume number and issue (if the issue number is needed), and the pages on which the article
appears, and end this element with a period. The title of the journal and the volume number both
should be either underlined or italicized, but the issue number (the number in parentheses) is not
italicized. Remember, the references should appear in your list in alphabetical order (when you have
more than one reference—for this assignment you only have one), but don’t change the original order
in which authors appear on each article.
To organize your summary of the research, make note of the following (by paraphrasing):
1. ARTICLE TYPE: For example, is this a correlational study, a descriptive study, a review of the
literature, a survey, an experiment? You don’t need to be sure to mention this in your summary,
but you should be aware of it as you interpret and evaluate the research.
2. PROBLEM: What was the purpose of this investigation? What issue was addressed? You’ll
find this in the introduction.
3. HOW INVESTIGATED: How did they go about answering their question? You’ll find this in
the method section. (Not how did you locate this article.)
4. RESULTS: What did they find out? Look in the results section.
5. INTERPRETATION: What does it mean? What are the implications for practical application to
real-world problems? You’ll find this in the discussion section.
6. CRITICISM: What are the limitations of this study? What do the authors say should have been
done differently, for example? What do you think about this study? Are the authors’
PSY 3331 • Social Psychology • Fall 2005 13
conclusions warranted?
7. DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: What should be done either to try again to answer
the initial question posed here, or what questions were raised by these findings that should be
answered next?
For your References page, be sure to make a note of the following information:
1. AUTHOR(S): Who wrote this article that you are reviewing? Be sure to list the authors in the
original order in which they appear.
2. YEAR: In what year was this article published?
3. ARTICLE TITLE: What is the complete title of the article?
4. JOURNAL TITLE: In which journal did you find this article?
5. VOLUME: In which volume of the journal did this article appear?
6. ISSUE: Is a particular issue within that volume indicated? Or is it possible to use page numbers
alone to locate that article?
7. PAGES: On which pages is the article to be found? (Not how many pages long is the article.)
NOTE: Two sample evaluative summaries are on reserve in the library, call number 12626.
I strongly suggest that you take a look at them.
Please notice in particular that the quality of your writing DOES COUNT. Please use correct grammar
and punctuation, and a clear, coherent writing style. More details about grading criteria will be discussed
in class. The following rubric serves as a useful guideline:
Thesis Handling the question Evidence Meaning & Errors of fact or
analysis grammar
Grade A Clear and concise, Nuanced and complete Fulsome and relevant at Insightful and Free of errors;
well developed all points creative gracefully written
Grade B Clear and Understands the terms Clearly organized; fully Good logical flow, No major errors of
complete and significance of the supported thesis persuasive fact; clearly
question written
Grade C Comprehensible Superficial understanding Weak evidence for a Weak logical flow No major blunders,
of the question part of thesis or interpretation comprehensible
Grade D Non-existent or Lacks basic Lacks evidence for Shallow or illogical Blunders or
or F incomprehensible understanding of the major parts of the incoherence
question thesis
How to find articles in the library when you already know what you want:
1. Go to www.utdallas.edu
2. Click on LIBRARY near the top of the page (the 3rd choice under the green bar)
3. Click on Do we own it? under Catalog.
4. Type in the name of the journal you are looking for and click on Search
Example: journal of personality and social psychology
5. Select journal you need, if necessary, then scroll down and click the link under ejournal available
full text (it likely will indicate a range of volume numbers)
Example:
Location: eJournal: From off campus use
http://libproxy.utdallas.edu
Available Full Text: vol. 55- (July 1988-)
6. Type in key words for the specific article you are looking for
Example: self-handicapping
7. Scroll through the results and select the article you need, or enter more search terms to limit
your results
PSY 3331 • Social Psychology • Fall 2005 14
Syllabus Addendum
Each student in this course is expected to exercise independent scholarly thought,
expression and aptitude. This addendum to the course syllabus is provided to assist
you in developing and maintaining academic integrity while seeking scholastic
success.
General Comments:
• All academic exercises (including assignments, essays, laboratory experiments and reports, examinations,
etc.) require individual, independent work. Any exception(s) will be clearly identified.
• Be sure your name or identifying number is on your paper.
• Complete and turn in academic exercises on time and in the required format (hardcopy, electronic, etc.).
• Retain confirmation of document delivery if submitted electronically.
• Retain all research notes and drafts until the project or assignment has been graded.
• Obtain written authorization from your instructor prior to submitting a portion of academic work previously
submitted for any academic exercise. (This includes an individual or group project submitted for another
course or at another school.)
Examinations:
Be prepared
• To leave all personal belonging at the front of the room or other designated location (this includes cell phones,
turned off of course, and beverage containers)
• To present your UTD Comet Card
• To remove your cap or hat
• To remove the batteries from any electronic device (e.g. calculator)
• To exchange blue books or bring them early as required
• To change seating
• To sign out when exiting the testing room
• To be escorted for lavatory use
Please tell me about yourself. Tear off this sheet and return it to me at the end of class today.
Name:
____________________________________________________________________________
Email address:
______________________________________________________________________
Academic major/minor:
_______________________________________________________________
How long have you been at UTD? _______________________ When will you graduate?
___________