Master 2020/2021

Theory and Methodology of Modern Psychology

Type: Compulsory course (Applied Social Psychology)

Area of studies: Psychology

Delivered by: School of Psychology

Where: Faculty of Social Sciences

When: 1 year, 1, 2 module

Mode of studies: offline

Instructors: Marina Kotova, Germogen Rodionov

Master’s programme: Applied Social Psychology

Language: English

ECTS credits: 6

Contact hours: 56

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The course is designed for first year master students. This course is based on the previously learned courses on psychology and social psychology during the bachelor education or as a part of preparation to master’s education. The course is aimed to introduce to students basic findings and new directions in the area of modern social psychology that is usually named as “Advanced Social Psychology”. Specific topics addressed are: 1) Social Cognition; 2) The Self; 3) Social Psychology of Emotion; 4) Attitude Structure and Change; 5) Prosocial Behavior; 6) Aggression and Attraction; 7) Group Processes. Classroom activities follow several rules: • Combination of lecture sessions (which are aimed to provide theoretical and methodological basics) with discussions, analysis of video fragments, and group work (which develop students’ abilities to analyze and compare different approaches, justify their ideas, and participate in the scientific discussion) makes the course diverse and interesting for students. • Tasks that increase student’s responsibility for the education process. For instance, students prepare questions on home reading before the class, participate in class discussions and provide their own view on contemporary issues in social psychology. • Tasks that are aimed to set a connection between course materials and students’ research projects. This gives students an opportunity to see an alternative to their research plan, compare and evaluate its strength and weaknesses. Working language of the course is English (teaching and all communications). Duration of the course is 2 modules, from September till December, 228 academic hours (6 credits) in total, including: 56 hours in class and 172 hours for self-studying. Assessment methods includes: tasks for home reading analysis (20% in total grade), discussions in class (20%), writing assignment (30%) and final test (30%).

Learning Objectives

• To acquaint students with basic theories and investigations in the area of social psychology research
• To develop students’ abilities to analyze and compare different research approaches; to identify social psychological mechanisms that underlie individual and group behavior
• To develop students' abilities to present their ideas, analyze research design and results, and to organize the scientific discussion
• To develop students’ abilities to apply social psychological knowledge to solving social issues

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Be capable of defining theoretical and applied aspects of advanced social psychology
• Know and be able to apply the main theoretical approaches, main categories, fundamental research questions and concepts of advanced social psychology
• Know and be able to apply modern international research standards in the field of social psychology
• Be capable of defining, selecting and using the appropriate methods of psychosocial research
• Know and be able to apply modern international standards of presenting results of psychosocial research in English (in written and in oral)
• Be able to apply psychosocial theories to solve modern problems

Course Contents

• Introduction to Social Psychology
  Social Psychology as a scientific field: social relevance, basic concepts. Brief history of Social Psychology – before and after World War II. Main concepts of the “person” in the Social Psychology: consistency seeker, self-esteem maximizer, information seeker, information processor, foolish mistake maker, situational responder.
• Social Cognition
  Concept of social cognition. Categorization process and schemes in social cognition. Content of social cognition. Social representations. Basic approaches to an individual as a subject of social cognition: rationalizing person, naive scientist, practicing data processing individual, cognitive miser, motivated tactician. Processes of social information processing: main stages and its characteristics. Error sources that occur in processing of social information.
• The Social Self
  Structure of the “Self”, components of the «Self»: self-knowledge (selfconcept); the interpersonal self, or public self; the agent self, or executive function. Functions of the self. Self-awareness, self-esteem, negative aspects of highest self-esteem. Self-deception. Self-efficacy, cross-cultural aspects of selfefficacy. Interdependent of self-concept, self-construal. Self-presentation and its functions. Self-Monitoring.
• Social Psychology of emotion
  Emotions phenomenology. Social functions of emotions. Emotion as a sociopsychological construct. The influence of emotions on social cognition. Emotions’ emergence. The theory of two factors by Schachter. Theory of assessments. Emotions and culture. The influence of social environment on the expression of emotions in different cultures.
• Attitudes and their measurement
  The structure of attitudes. Three-dimensional model of attitudes. The ratio of social attitudes and social behavior. The reasons for the mismatch between social attitudes and social behavior. Methods for measuring social attitudes: unipolar dimension measure, semantic differential, scaling technology, scale of social distance.
• Attitudes and Behaviour
  Studying relationships between attitudes and behavior. Theory of reasoned action by M. Fishbein and I. Aizen. Theory of planned behavior by I. Aizen (TPB). Model of planned behavior: attitudes towards behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control. Beliefs underlying 3 components of planned behavior. Studying relationships between intention and actual behavior according to the TPB. The concept of actual behavioral control, its function. Factors influencing beliefs about behavior, norms, and control. Studies conducted with the use of the TPB. Ways of changing behavior according to the TPB. Questionnaire constructing technique according to TPB for studying behavior. Context effect on attitudes. Stability of attitudes over time. The formation of social attitudes: classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning. Belief as a way of shaping and changing attitude. Attitude change with the help of using stimuli.
• Prosocial behavior
  The concept of prosocial behavior. Motives of prosocial behavior. Studies on prosocial behavior. Social support. Personal and situational factors influencing social behavior.
• Aggression, attraction and rejection
  Definition of aggression. Theories explaining the origin of aggression. Instinct theory of aggression (S. Freud, K. Lorenz). Frustration theory of aggression (J. Dollard, N. Miller et al.), social learning theory (A. Bandura), theory of excitation transfer (D. Zillmann). Cognitive models of aggressive behavior (L. Berkowitz). Need for social contact, concept of affiliation. Situations impeding and promoting affiliation. Affiliation motives. Concept of attraction. Liking and disliking. Factors influencing expression of sympathy and antipathy. Attractive personality characteristics. Distinction between attraction and sympathy. Friendship and close relations. Factors affecting the development of friendship and close relations. Social exclusion and its causes. The psychological consequences of the ostracism. Somatic reactions to rejection. Loneliness and psychological methods of coping with it.
• Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
  Differences between interpersonal and intergroup behavior. Sources of prejudice. Theories explaining the sources of prejudice and discrimination in intergroup relations. Discrimination as a product of personal characteristics. Discrimination and prejudice as a result of conflict of interest in intergroup relations. Minimal group paradigm. Group affiliation and social identity. Social comparison. Opportunities of leaving the group. Contact hypothesis.

Assessment Elements

• Course written assignment
• Home reading analysis
• Discussions in class
• Final exam
  The final exam is held in the form of a test. Students are given 40 single choice questions. Each question contains three or four answer options or the request to fill out the gaps.

Interim Assessment

• Interim assessment (2 module)
  0.3 * Course written assignment + 0.2 * Discussions in class + 0.3 * Final exam + 0.2 * Home reading analysis

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Advanced social psychology. The state of the science. (2010).Ed. by R. F. Baumeister, E. J. Finkel, Oxford University Press, Inc. NY.
• Ajzen, I. (2005) Attitudes, personality, and behavior (2nd. Edition). Milton-Keynes, England: Open University Press / McGraw- Hill.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Baumeister, R. F. (2005). The cultural animal: Human nature, meaning, and social life. New York: Oxford University Press