SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
PSY 235, Summer 2013
Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday, 8:00-9:50 am; 120 Psychology Building
INSTRUCTOR
Matthew Yalch
Office Hours: By appointment
Office: 44 Psychology Building
E-mail: yalchmat@msu.edu
II. COURSE OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES
This course provides an overview of research and theories in social psychology. Research in
social psychology uses the scientific method to understand how people’s thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors are influenced by others, as well as how a person influences the situation around them.
Throughout this course we will cover a variety of topics, moving from individual phenomena
(e.g. how you present yourself to others and your personal attitudes) to group level phenomena
(e.g. stereotyping and group conflict). For the topics we cover, we will address the following
questions: 1) what goals motivated the behavior in question? 2) How do features of the person
and the situation influence behavior? 3) What types of methods are used to study the behavior in
question? 4) How does the behavior vary across different cultures? 5) How can we apply what
we have learned to real-world issues and problems?
Research in social psychology has implications for virtually all aspects of life, including:
romantic relationships, economic decision making, child rearing, marketing and advertising,
group identification, political negotiations, etc. You should leave this course with a greater
appreciation and understanding of how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by
others, and be able to apply the principles we discuss to your everyday lives.
III. REQUIRED READING
Material for exams, quizzes, and homework assignments will be taken from the content of my
lectures, supplementary articles, and the required text book below:
Kenrick, Neuberg, & Cialdini (5th Edition). Social Psychology - Goals in Interaction. Pearson.
IV. LECTURES
I have tried to create a set of instructive and engaging lectures. During lecture, I use PowerPoint
slides to display figures, graphs, and summaries of main points. I create slides to facilitate the
lecture and not to present the bulk of the material. These slides should not be considered an
alternative to attending class. Although I have prepared formal presentations for each class, you
should not feel like you’re a spectator. Please ask questions and provide comments. It will make
the class more enjoyable for everyone.
V. EVALUATION
Because this is a summer course, we will cover a lot of material in a short amount of time. We
will therefore have a combination of brief assessments (quizzes) and longer assessments (exams)
to break the material up into smaller chunks and also to give you a good idea of your progress in
the course as soon as possible.
1. QUIZZES. There will be 11 unannounced quizzes throughout the class, at least one
per week. Each quiz will be worth 5 points and consist of 5 multiple-choice questions. Quizzes
are designed to check your understanding of the material and prepare you for the larger midterm
and final exam. The quizzes will be worth 25% of your grade.
What happens if I miss a quiz? The lowest quiz score for each student will be dropped.
If you miss a quiz, you will be given a zero for that quiz. There will be no make-up quizzes.
Thus, each student may miss up to 1 quiz with no penalty. You do not need to contact me if you
will be missing a quiz.
2. ACTIVITIES. There will be 11 activities that would be completed over the course of
the term, each of which is worth 5 points. These activities are intended to provide you an
opportunity to apply the material of the class to your daily life. Activities will be of two types:
a. In class activities: In class activities will include live, hands-on application of
concepts discussed in class.
b. Online activities: Non-in class activities will involve posting and commenting on the
course blog (www.msupsy235.tumblr.com). These assignments are due at the beginning
of class on the due date.
What happens if I miss an activity? The lowest activity score for each student will be
dropped. If you miss an activity, you will be given a zero for that activity. There will be no makeup activities. Thus, each student may miss up to 1 activity with no penalty. You do not need to
contact me if you will be missing an activity.
4. EXAMS. There will be two exams, each worth 25% of your course grade. Exams will
consist of multiple choice and short essay questions. Exams will assess your ability to recall
social psychological principles and information. Exam questions can come from lecture material
or assigned readings. The final exam will not be comprehensive.
What happens if I miss an exam? Make-up exams will be given for emergency
absences ONLY if the appropriate documentation is provided. In the event that you become ill or
injured and are not going to be coming to an exam, please contact me ASAP by e-mail. I reserve
the right to deny you a make-up exam if you do not contact me BEFORE the exam.
Documentation for the missed exam must be provided and missed exams made up no later than 1
week after the missed exam. In the case of the final exam, a make-up exam should be scheduled
as soon as possible to avoid filing an incomplete grade for the course.
Accommodations for testing. Please let me know if accommodations are required as
soon as possible. I will do my best to make the appropriate arrangements. If you will be taking
your exams with the RCPD office, the Alternative Testing Authorization Site form is available
on ANGEL (under Lessons). This form has the majority of the needed information already filled
out for you. It is your responsibility to call RCPD (353-9642) to schedule your testing, download
this form, fill it out, and bring it to me. RCPD requires that you bring the form to their office AT
LEAST ONE WEEK PRIOR to the exam.
5. ATTENDANCE. Attendance will not count directly toward your final grade.
However, it is clear that the more lectures you attend, the better grade you will get. If you miss a
lecture, FIRST borrow one of your classmate’s notes and THEN meet with me to go over missed
material. My responsibility is to help you understand those aspects of the lecture that you do not
understand, after you have already made an attempt to understand the lecture with a classmate.
Your responsibility is to come to see me prepared with questions or specific areas of content that
you did not understand so that we can work together to aid in your understanding.
6. EXTRA CREDIT. Up to 10 points are available in extra credit that can be obtained by
participating in psychological research studies via the Human Participation in Research (HPR)
system (see https://psychology.msu.edu/HPRSystem/). You will receive 1 point for each HPR
credit earned (1 credit = ½ hour HPR session). Details about the HPR system are available on
ANGEL. Alternatively, you may write a 5-page review and critique of a social psychological
research article to receive up to 10 extra percentage points. If you opt to participate in the
alternative written assignment instead of the HPR assignment, you must notify the instructor by
e-mail no later than 8:00am, Tuesday, July 9, 2013. All extra credit should be completed by
8:00am, Thursday, August 15, 2013.
VII. GRADING SCALE
Grade
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0
Percent
> 90%
85-90%
80-84%
75-79%
70-74%
65-69%
60-64%
< 60%
Points
>180
170-179
160-169
150-196
140-149
130-139
120
< 120
Assignment
Exams (2)
Quizzes (10)
Assignments (10)
Total
Extra Credit
Points
100
50
50
200
Up to 10
% of Total
50%
25%
25%
100%
Up to 5%
VIII. ACADEMIC HONESTY
You must adhere to the academic honesty statement from the Office of the Ombudsman:
Article 2.3.3 of the Academic Freedom Report states that "The student shares
with the faculty the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of scholarship,
grades, and professional standards." In addition, the Psychology department
adheres to the policies on academic honesty as specified in General Student
Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades; the all-University Policy
on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades; and Ordinance 17.00, Examinations.
(See Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide and/or the MSU Web
site: www.msu.edu.)
Therefore, unless authorized by your instructor, you are expected to complete all
course assignments, including homework, quizzes, tests and exams, without
assistance from any source. You are expected to develop original work for this
course; therefore, you may not submit course work you completed for another
course to satisfy the requirements for this course. Also, you are not authorized to
use the www.allmsu.com Web site to complete any course work in PSY 235.
Students who violate MSU rules may receive a penalty grade, including--but not
limited to--a failing grade on the assignment or in the course. Contact your
instructor if you are unsure about the appropriateness of your course work. (See
also http://www.msu.edu/unit/ombud/honestylinks.html)
X. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Week
Date
7/2
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
7/3
7/4
7/9
7/10
7/11
7/16
7/17
7/18
7/23
7/24
7/25
7/30
Week 5
7/31
8/1
8/6
Week 6
Week 7
8/7
8/8
8/13
8/14
8/15
Topic
Theoretical Perspectives, Research Methods,
Person/Situation Debate
Activity
Readings
Activity #1 (in class)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
No Class - Holiday
Social Cognition
Social perception
Cognitive Dissonance
Attitudes and Attitude Change
The Self
Stereotyping & Prejudice
Activity #2
Activity #3
Guest lecture
Guest lecture
Review Session
Midterm Exam
Conformity
Group Dynamics
Social Networks and Power
Gender and Attraction
Prosocial Behavior
Aggression
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 5
Chapter 13
Chapter 8
Activities #4 & 5
Chapter 9
Activity #6 (in class)
Neal & Neal (2011)
Activities #7 & 8
Bem (1996)
Activity #9 (in class)
Activities #10 & 11
Review Session
Final Exam
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12