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Regular version of the site
Master 2019/2020

Theory and Methodology of Modern Psychology

Type: Compulsory course (Applied Social Psychology)
Area of studies: Psychology
Delivered by: School of Psychology
When: 1 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies: offline
Master’s programme: Applied Social Psychology
Language: English
ECTS credits: 6
Contact hours: 56

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Modern Social Psychology is evolving at a very fast pace, however there are fundamental theories, concepts, principles, methods and standards that we need to know in order to conduct up-to-date, evidence-based, relevant research and practical work in this field. This course provides students with knowledge and skills of such fundamentals, and demonstrates the horizons of their application in a modern, evolving context. We will revisit such key topics as social cognition, social self, emotions, attitudes, behavior change, prosocial behavior, aggression, attraction and rejection, as well as group processes and group relations. We will, first, introduce these topics through lectures that will cover the history of their development as well as modern application. Then, during seminars, students will be given cutting-edge research article readings on the same topics, in order to present, discuss and brainstorm ideas in terms of research and application. Based on these materials, students will also design their own intervention projects that they may be able to use later in their professional lives.
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

  • Studying areas of Advanced Social Psychology.
  • Introducing students to the latest developments and data in the field of Social Psychology.
  • Gaining a deeper knowledge of applied areas of Social Psychology.
  • Studying methodological tools of Advanced Social Psychology.
  • Building project activity skills in Applied Social Psychology.
Expected Learning Outcomes

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

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

Assessment Elements

  • non-blocking Course written assignment
  • non-blocking The quiz
  • non-blocking The group task
  • non-blocking Final exam
    The final exam is held in the form of a test. Students are given 20 single choice questions. Each question contains four answer options.
Interim Assessment

Interim Assessment

  • Interim assessment (2 module)
    0.3 * Course written assignment + 0.3 * Final exam + 0.2 * The group task + 0.2 * The quiz
Bibliography

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