Psychology 4606: Social Psychological Theories of The Self
Maymester 2013
Prof. Bernadette Park
D365C Muenzinger
492-1569
Office Hours: 12-1 M & W
email: Bernadette.Park@colorado.edu
TA: Katie Wolseifer
E316 Muenzinger
12-1 T TH
Katherine.Wolsiefer@Colorado.edu
Course Overview and Format
How Children Succeed, written by Paul Tough, presents research from social, cognitive, and clinical
psychology arguing that self-regulation is a critical skill that allows us to control our impulses, stay on
task, and generally have happier, more successful lives. Executive function capacity is essential to selfregulation. We will work our way through Tough’s book, reading many of the original empirical pieces on
which his argument is based, along with other classic works on The Self from the social psychology
literature. The class will be conducted as a seminar mixed with a lab.
The primary work of the course will be:
Completing all of the readings
Taking notes on these
Developing three questions/comments/observations for the reading assignment for each day
Class attendance
Class participation
Completing a group research project
An oral presentation with your group members to the class on your findings
An individually written paper using APA style of your research project
Readings: (all readings are required)
Tough, P. (2012). How children succeed: Grit, curiosity, and the hidden power of character. Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt (HMH).
Articles. All of the assigned articles are posted on our course wiki. See below for the specific articles
assigned for each day.
Go to:
http://psych.colorado.edu/wiki/doku.php?id=courses:park:4606:home
username: 4606park
pwd: self
Grades as well as other important information will be posted on the wiki as we go along as well.
Course Expectations and Assignments:
1. Reading notes. To help you process and remember the information in the articles, you will take notes
on each article. These should have enough detail that you can easily reconstruct the argument in the
paper, and if a study is presented, the design and findings from the study. Also, please provide some
reactions to the papers in your notes (e.g., “That makes no sense, what about…”, or, “That reminds me a
the availability heuristic I learned about in my judgment and decision making course,” or, “Well what about
a situation when…”). The goal is to be an active thinker – what is your take on these ideas?
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Your notes will be your ticket to gain admission to class each day – no notes, no ticket. This is because it
is impossible to intelligently discuss that day’s topic without having completed the readings.
Put your notes in our class dropbox on D2L by 8:00 a.m. each morning
Name the file with your Lastname_date.docx or .pdf. For example, for tomorrow my file would be
called Park_14.doc (given our class only takes place in May you just need the day)
Put it in the folder for that day
2. Attendance. You are expected to attend class and this will constitute a portion of your grade. But
there’s a catch – no notes, no ticket, no attendance for the day.
3. Participation. It will be a pretty boring seminar if the same 3 people talk each day. After class each
day I’ll give each person a participation score for that day (0=didn’t say anything; 1=talked once;
2=contributed a few times; 3=contributed multiple times; 4=contributed a lot).
4. Daily Questions: As part of your preparation, please prepare three questions, comments, or
observations for each class meeting. Include these as page 1 of your reading note file for that day. We
will work our way through these as part of class.
6. Group Research Projects. Groups of 3 students will work on an original research project informed
from a list we will provide to you. You will develop the project, the materials, and collect and analyze the
data. As a group you will give a 15-20 min. class presentation using powerpoint on the project. These
presentations will all happen the last day of class as our “Class Final”. We’ll spend part of each class
working on these projects.
7. Research paper. Each person will be responsible for writing up his or her own version of your group
research project using APA style. These papers will be 10-15 pages in length and are due the final day of
class (May 31st).
To Help Our Class Run Smoothly
 No cell phones out during class; Please put phones on silent at the beginning of class. You are
welcome to use your phone during break but if I see them out during class you’ll automatically get
a 0 for participation for that day
 You need to be on time for class and on time after break. If you are late, it will count against
attendance points
 You can bring your computer/ipad/kindle to class to look at your notes and the articles but I’m
asking each of you to make a commitment to only use them for course work except for during the
break
Plan for Class Meetings (roughly, tentatively)
 9-10:45 Seminar discussion of readings for that day
 10:45-11:00 Break
 11:00-12:00 Research Projects (meet in D346; mix of mini lectures and in class work on projects)
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Grading: Grades will be based on the following point breakdown.
Source
Total Points
Notes on Readings
125 points
10 pts for each of 12 days
5 pts for in class exercise 1st day
Percent of Grade
25%
Attendance
10 pts for each of 12 days
5 pts on the last day
125 points
25%
Participation
4 pts for each of 12 days
2 pts on the last day
50 points
10%
Daily Questions
4 pts for each of 12 days
2 pts on first day
50 points
10%
Group Research Project
25 pts Project Plan & Implementation
25 pts Data Collection & Analysis
25 pts Class presentation
75 points
15%
Individual Write up of Group Research Project
75 points
15%
500 points
100%
TOTAL
Assigned Articles
May 13th Introduction
This American Life: Back to School; Episode #474; Aired September 16, 2012
Tough, P. (2010). How children succeed (pp. xi to xxiv)
New York Times: Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control
by Paul Tough
New York Times: Fast-Tracking to Kindergarten by Kate Zernike
May 14th How children succeed Part 1
Tough, P. (2010). How children succeed (pp. 1-27).
New York Times: Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart? By Bronson &
Merryman
Evans, G. W., & Schamberg, M. A. (2009). Childhood poverty, chronic stress, and adult working memory.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(16), 6545-6549.
Steinberg, L. (2010). A behavioral scientist looks at the science of adolescent brain development. Brain
and Cognition, 72(1), 160-164. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2009.11.003
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control”
System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function. Working paper.
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May 15th Stereotype-Threat and Self-Affirmation
Baumeister, R. F. (1998). The self. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social
psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 680-740). Boston, MA: Mcgraw-Hill. pp. 680-707
Steele, C. M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance.
American Psychologist, 52(6), 613-629. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.52.6.613
Sherman, D. K., & Cohen, G. L. (2006). The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory. In M. P.
Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 38, pp. 183-242). San Diego, CA,
US: Elsevier Academic Press.
May 16th Self-Regulation
Baumeister, R. F. (1998). The self. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social
psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 680-740). Boston, MA: Mcgraw-Hill. pp. 707-740
Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Muraven, M., and Tice, D. M. (1998). Ego depletion: Is the active self a
limited resource? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1252-1265.
Higgins, E. T. (1998). Promotion and prevention: Regulatory focus as a motivational principle. Advances
in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol 30, 30, 1-46.
National Public Radio: East meets West
May 17th How children succeed Part 2
Tough, P. (2010). How children succeed (pp. 27-52).
New York Times: Seeking to Clone Schools of Success for Poor by Jodi Wilgoren
Blair, C., Granger, D. A., Kivlighan, K. T., Mills-Koonce, R., Willoughby, M., Greenberg, M. T., Hibell, L.C.,
& Fortunato, C. K. (2008). Maternal and child contributions to cortisol response to emotional arousal
in young children from low-income, rural communities. Developmental Psychology, 44(4), 10951109. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.44.4.1095
Bernard, K., Dozier, M., Bick, J., Lewis‐ Morrarty, E., Lindhiem, O., & Carlson, E. (2012). Enhancing
attachment organization among maltreated children: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Child
development, 83(2), 623-636.
Raver, C. C., Jones, S. M., Li‐ Grining, C., Zhai, F., Bub, K., & Pressler, E. (2011). CSRP’s Impact on
Low‐ Income Preschoolers’ Preacademic Skills: Self‐ Regulation as a Mediating Mechanism. Child
Development, 82(1), 362-378.
May 20th How children succeed Part 3
Tough, P. (2010). How children succeed (pp. 52-74).
This American Life: Harper High School Part 1; Episode #487; Aired February 17, 2013
Duckworth, A. L., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Self-discipline outdoes IQ in predicting academic
performance of adolescents. Psychological Science, 16(12), 939-944.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01641.x
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Mischel, W., Shoda, Y., & Rodriguez, M. L. (1989). Delay of gratification in children. Science, 244(4907),
933-933.
Moffitt, T. E., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D., Dickson, N., Hancox, R. J., Harrington, H., . . . Caspi, A. (2011).
A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety. PNAS Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(7), 2693-2698.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1010076108
Time Magazine: Pay for Grades- Should Parents Bribe Kids in School? By Amanda Ripley
New York Times: Teaching Johnny To Be Good by Roger Rosenblatt
The New Yorker: The secret of self-control by Jonah Lehrer
May 21st Self-Esteem and Well-Being
Cialdini, R.B., Borden, R.J., Thorne, A., Walker, M.R., Freeman, S., & Sloan, L.R. (1976). Basking in
reflected glory: three (football) field studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 366–
375.
Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on
mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 193–210.
Baumeister, R. (2005). Rethinking self-esteem: why nonprofits should stop pushing self-esteem and start
endorsing self-control. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 34-41.
New York Times: The Trouble With Self-Esteem, Lauren Slater
May 22nd How children succeed Part 4
Tough, P. (2010). How children succeed (pp. 74-101).
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion
for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087
Luthar, S. S., & Latendresse, S. J. (2005). Children of the affluent: Challenges to well-being. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 14(1), 49-53. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.09637214.2005.00333.x
Aronson, J., Fried, C. B., & Good, C. (2002). Reducing the effects of stereotype threat on African
American college students by shaping theories of intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social
Psychology, 38(2), 113-125. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jesp.2001.1491
The New York Times: Social Class and Education in the United States of America by David Leonhardt
The New York Times: U.S. Colleges Are Failing in Getting Students to Graduate by David Leonhardt
The New York Times: Once a Leader, U.S. Lags in College Degrees by Tamar Lewin
May 23rd Self-Esteem and Well-Being
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Crocker, J., & Wolfe, C. T. (2001). Contingencies of self-worth. Psychological Review, 108(3), 593-623.
doi:10.1037/0033-295X.108.3.593
Tesser, A. (1988). Toward a self-evaluation maintenance model of social behavior. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.),
Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 181-227). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., Pyszczynski, T., Rosenblatt, A., Burling, J., Lyon, D., Simon, L., Pinel, E.
(1992). Why do people need self-esteem? Converging evidence that self-esteem serves an anxietybuffering function. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63(6), 913-922. doi: 10.1037/00223514.63.6.913
May 24th How children succeed Part 5
Tough, P. (2010). How children succeed (pp. 101-148).
Diamond, A. (2012). Activities and Programs That Improve Children’s Executive Functions. Current
Directions in Psychological Science, 21(5), 335-341.
Kieras, J. E., Tobin, R. M., Graziano, W. G., & Rothbart, M. K. (2005). You can't always get what you
want effortful control and children's responses to undesirable gifts. Psychological Science, 16(5),
391-396.
Posner, M. I., & Rothbart, M. K. (1998). Attention, self–regulation and consciousness. Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 353(1377), 1915-1927.
May 27th
Memorial Day: No Class
May 28th Interpersonal Aspects of Selfhood
This American Life: Harper High School Part 2; Episode #488; Aired February 24, 2013
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a
fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529. doi:10.1037/00332909.117.3.497
Leary, M. R., Tambor, E. S., Terdal, S. K., & Downs, D. L. (1995). Self-esteem as an interpersonal
monitor: The sociometer hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 518–530.
Leary, M. R. (2003): Commentary on Self-Esteem as an Interpersonal Monitor: The Sociometer
Hypothesis (1995), Psychological Inquiry: An International Journal for the Advancement of
Psychological Theory, 14:3-4, 270-274
Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review of
consequences and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40, 218-227. doi: 10.1007/s12160010-9210-8
May 29th How children succeed Part 6
Tough, P. (2010). How children succeed (pp. 148-201).
Duckworth, A. L., Quinn, P. D., & Tsukayama, E. (2012). What no child left behind leaves behind: The
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roles of IQ and self-control in predicting standardized achievement test scores and report card
grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(2), 439-451.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0026280
Heckman, J. J., Moon, S. H., Pinto, R., Savelyev, P. A., & Yavitz, A. (2010). The rate of return to the
HighScope Perry Preschool Program. Journal of Public Economics, 94(1), 114-128.
The New York Times: Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Show by Sabrina
Tavernise
The New York Times: What if the Secret to Success Is Failure by Paul Tough
Chicago Tribune: Of 100 Chicago Public School Freshmen by Cohen & Little
May 30th Self-Representation
Markus, H. R., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41, 954–969.
Linville, P. W. (1987). Self-complexity as a cognitive buffer against stress-related illness and depression.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(4), 663-676. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.4.663
Donahue, E. M., Robins, R. W., Roberts, B. W., & John, O. P. (1993). The divided self: Concurrent and
longitudinal effects of psychological adjustment and social roles on self-concept differentiation.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(5), 834-846. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.64.5.834
May 31st Research Conference
Class presentations of group research projects
Final Individual Write-up of Research Project Due
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