PSYC 2120 (R) 3.0 Social Psychology Winter 2008

1. PSYC 2120 (R) 3.0 Social Psychology Winter 2008 Dr. Jennifer Steele Thursdays 2:30-5:30pm ACE 001

2. Ironic Mental Process • Brain scans – am I thinking of a White Bear?

3. Road Map • Course Requirements • Instructor and TA • Class Format and Textbook • Grading Scheme • Social Psychology? • What is social psychology (and what is it not)? • How do we study social psychology?

4. Road Map • Course Requirements • Instructor and TA • Class Format and Textbook • Grading Scheme • Social Psychology? • What is social psychology (and what is it not)? • How do we study social psychology?

5. Course Instructor Dr. Jennifer Steele Email: steeleje@yorku.ca (best way to reach me) Office: 331 BSB Phone: 416-736-2100, ext. 22156 Course Website: http://silver.yorku.ca/2008w-hhpsyc2120r-03 http://www.atkinson.yorku.ca/~jsteele/psyc2120_Winter08.html

6. Teaching Assistant Leah Reisz Email: lreisz@yorku.ca (best way to reach TA) Office: Atkinson 026C Phone: 416-736-2100, ext. 20444

7. Class Format • Three hour lecture (with one break) • 1-2 chapters from the textbook assigned • Tested on both material from lectures and from the textbook • PowerPoint slides posted by Monday after class • Please turn off cell phones

8. Course Textbook Myers, D. G., & Spencer, S. J. (2006). Social Psychology (Third Canadian Edition). Toronto, Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. This textbook is available from the York Bookstore. ISBN: 0070952027

9. Textbook Website http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0070952027/student_view0/ Sample MC questions; but your exams will have 5 options (not 4).

10. Course Administration • Enrolled • Prerequisites • Psyc 1010 6.0, minimum grade of C • Last Date to Drop without receiving a grade: • March 7th, 2008

11. Grading Scheme • Two in-class exams (worth 30% each) • Thursday January 31st and March 6th • 90 multiple choice questions (5 options per question) • Portion of material exclusively from lectures or text • Each followed by a film that is testable on the next exam • One final exam (worth 40%) • Date TBA (during exam period) • 100 multiple choice questions (non-cumulative) & • 4 out of 6 short answer questions (cumulative) • Missed Exams (don’t miss!)

12. Road Map • Course Requirements • Instructor and TA • Class Format and Textbook • Grading Scheme • Social Psychology? • What is social psychology (and what is it not)? • How do we study social psychology?

13. Social Psychology • Psychology: scientific study of behaviour and the mind • Gordon Allport (1935) “The discipline that sets out to understand how thoughts, feelings and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others” • Myers & Spencer (2004) “The scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another”

14. SocialPsychology The scientific study of how individuals think and feel about, relate to, and influence one another based on the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other individuals. Inputs: Actual, imagined, or implied Construal- “way people perceive, comprehend, and interpret the social world” Outputs: Thoughts, feelings, and actions ABCs (Affect, Behaviour, Cognition)

15. Tsunami – Dec 26th, 2004 Would you give to this type of relief effort and why?

16. Social Psychological Factors Self: self-enhancement needs (wanting to feel good about ourselves) Attitude-behaviour consistency: “I believe I am a giving person”, therefore I give Culture / Stereotypes: “Canadians are giving people” Persuasion: Aid organizations may provide persuasive arguments for giving Prosocial Behaviour: theories of why and when we help

17. Social Psychology as Folk Wisdom • Better safe than sorry • Two heads are better than one • Birds of a feather flock together • Strike while the iron is hot • Absence makes the heart grow fonder

18. Social Psychology as Folk Wisdom • Better safe than sorry • Nothing ventured, nothing gained • Two heads are better than one • Too many cooks spoil the broth • Birds of a feather flock together • Opposites attract • Strike while the iron is hot • Look before you leap • Absence makes the heart grow fonder • Out of sight, out of mind

19. Social Psychology as Common Sense • If you give a child a reward for doing something they already enjoy doing, they will subsequently like that activity (a) more, (b) the same, or (c) less? • Repeated exposure to a stimulus, such as a person, a song, or a painting, will make you like it (a) more, (b) the same, or (c) less? • Who do you think would be happiest with their choice of a consumer product, such as an art poster? (a) people who spend several minutes thinking about why they like or dislike each poster; (b) people who choose a poster without analyzing the reasons for their feelings? • Which kind of advertising is most effective? (a) subliminal messages implanted in advertisements, or (b) normal, everyday advertising, such as TV ads for painkillers or laundry detergents? • Which things in their past do people regret the most? (a) actions they performed that they wish they had not, (b) actions they did not perform that they wish they had, or (c) it depends on how long ago the events occurred?

20. “I knew it all along” Hindsight bias The tendency to exaggerate, after learning an outcome, one’s ability to have foreseen how something turned out.

21. Road Map • Course Requirements • Instructor and TA • Class Format and Textbook • Grading Scheme • Social Psychology? • What is social psychology (and what is it not)? • How do we study social psychology?

22. The Process of Research in Social Psychology • Theory: • An integrated set of principles that explain and predict observed events • Hypotheses: • Testable predictions that are generated from theories • Test the hypotheses • Theory refinement

23. Signs of a Good Theory • Effectively summarizes wide range of observations • Makes clear predictions we can use to: • confirm or modify theory • generate new exploration • suggest practical applications “There is nothing so practical as a good theory” Kurt Lewin (1951)

24. How We Test Our Hypothesis • Method • Correlational: • observe natural associations • Experimental: • manipulate factor to see if it affects another

25. Correlational Research • Examine whether the occurrence of A is related to the occurrence of B • Problem: Don’t know whether A B A B A B C

26. Experimental Research • Examine whether A causes B • Manipulate independent variable(s) • Observe effect on dependent variable • Basic principles: • Experimental Control • Random Assignment • Problem: Don’t know whether results are externally valid

27. Types of Research Goals • Basic Research: Studies that are designed to find the best answers for why people behave the way they do. • Applied Research: Studies that aim to solve a particular social problem.

28. Where We Test Our Hypothesis • Laboratory • Controlled environment • Field • Natural or everyday situations

29. Why Use Deception? • Experimental Realism Extent to which participants are genuinely involved and absorbed in study • Mundane Realism Similarity to real world situations • Demand Characteristics Characteristics that are cues that demand certain behaviours

30. Ethical Guidelines • Telling participants enough to ensure informed consent • Using deception only if justified and there is no alternative • Protecting participants from harm and discomfort • Treating information confidentially • Fully explaining experiment afterwards

31. Questions ???

32. Next Week • Chapter 2 • The Self in a Social World • (And remember that this week’s reading was Chapter 1…)