Master
2022/2023
Theory and Methodology of Modern Psychology
Category 'Best Course for Career Development'
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
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
Open to:
students of one campus
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
- Students reproduce a history of research in a particular research area; know what research problems were stated and what results and ideas are considered as most promising
- Students analyze scientific literature, compare different studies, and propose a set of corrections for validity increasing
- Students select correctly and apply social psychological theories, approaches, models to solve modern social problems (personality development, intergroup relationships, etc.)
- Students define and select appropriate methods of psychological research
- Students use modern international standards of presenting results of psychosocial research in English (in written and in oral modes)
- Students analyze and compare core theoretical approaches, main categories, fundamental research questions and concepts of advanced social psychology
- Students reproduce and apply modern international research standards in the field of social psychology
Course Contents
- Introduction to Social Psychology
- Social Cognition
- The Social Self
- Social Psychology of emotion
- Attitudes and their measurement
- Attitudes and Behaviour
- Prosocial behavior
- Aggression, attraction and rejection
- Group Processes and Intergroup Relations
Interim Assessment
- 2022/2023 2nd module0.1 * Discussions in class + 0.3 * Course written assignment + 0.3 * Final test + 0.1 * 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
- Barbalet, J. M. (1998). Emotion, Social Theory, and Social Structure : A Macrosociological Approach. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=55629
- Dovidio, J. F., Piliavin, J. A., Schroeder, D. A., & Penner, L. A. (2012). The Social Psychology of Prosocial Behavior: Vol. First edition. Psychology Press.
- Greco, M., & Stenner, P. (2013). Emotions : A Social Science Reader. Hoboken: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=658311
- Hazel Rose Markus, & Shinobu Kitayama. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.F4474DDB
- Kavanagh, C., & Yuki, M. (2017). Culture and Group Processes. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.9C8A4171
- Martin Fishbein, & Icek Ajzen. (2010). Predicting and Changing Behavior : The Reasoned Action Approach. Psychology Press.
- Mayer, J. D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. R. (2004). Emotional Intelligence: Theory, Findings, and Implications. Psychological Inquiry, 15(3), 197–215. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1503_02
- Nezlek, J. B., Wesselmann, E. D., Wheeler, L., & Williams, K. D. (2015). Ostracism in Everyday Life: The Effects of Ostracism on Those Who Ostracize. Journal of Social Psychology, 155(5), 432–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2015.1062351
- Protect, correct, and eject: Ostracism as a social influence tool. (2017). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199859870.013.26
- Steele, T. (2016). Prosocial Behavior : Perspectives, Influences and Current Research. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1385366
- Stefan Stürmer, & Mark Snyder. (2009). The Psychology of Prosocial Behavior : Group Processes, Intergroup Relations, and Helping. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Takahiko Masuda, Phoebe C. Ellsworth, Batja Mesquita, Janxin Leu, Shigehito Tanida, & Ellen Van De Veerdonk. (n.d.). ATTITUDES AND SOCIAL COGNITION Placing the Face in Context: Cultural Differences in the Perception of Facial Emotion. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.B80AC061
- Teper, R., Zhong, C., & Inzlicht, M. (2015). How Emotions Shape Moral Behavior: Some Answers (and Questions) for the Field of Moral Psychology. Social & Personality Psychology Compass, 9(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12154
- Thomas F. Pettigrew. (n.d.). INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND GROUP PROCESSES A Meta-Analytic Test of Intergroup Contact Theory. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.E5FCBB03
- Wohl, M. J. A. ( 1 ), Branscombe, N. R. ( 2 ), & Klar, Y. ( 3 ). (n.d.). Collective guilt: Emotional reactions when one’s group has done wrong or been wronged. European Review of Social Psychology, 17(1), 1–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463280600574815