List of topics/classes
1. Introduction
Key questions of social psychology (Who?When?Why?). Social psychology
and other related disciplines (sociology, cognitive science, personality
psychology, clinical psychology), applications of social psychology,
scientific method in social psychology, correlational studies vs.
experimental studies, sociological roots of social psychology (Znaniecki,
Durkheim, Marx), European roots of social psychology (“Gestalt”, Lewin,
Frankfurt School, Tajfel, Heider, Moscovici), contribution of classical
thinkers (Lewin, Festinger, Allport) and their students (Bandura,
Pettigrew, Greenwald).
2. Social cognition
Social psychology and cognitive psychology. Example: Stroop test in social
psychological research. Priming (superluminal vs. subliminal). Higgins,
Bargh. Affect and emotion (Ekman). Goal proming (Ferguson & Bargh,
Kruglanski et al., Rasinski et al.). Subliminal priming (Murphy & Zajonc).
Debate over subliminal persuasion. Neural basis for subliminal affective
priming (LeDoux). Impression formation (Todorov, Zebrowitz). Embodied
social cognition.
3. Social cognition (II)
Cognitive closure and naïve epistemology (Kruglanski). Heuristics,
cognitive schemata. Biases: confirmation bias (Snyder & Swann), hindsight
bias (Fischhoff). Just world beliefs (Lerner). Self-fulfilling prophecies in
economy, sociology (Thomas, Merton) and psychology. Rosenhan hospital
experiments. Pygmalion effect. Stereotype threat (Steele, Aronson,
current studies).
4. Decisions and attitudes
Decision making – Tversky and Kahneman. Trust and mistrust. Prisoners
dilemma. Iterated dilemmas (Axelrod), intergroup trust games (Yamagishi
& Kiyonari). Attitudes: definition (ABC). Function of attitudes.
Measurement issues (Thurstone, Likert). Bogus pipeline, implicit vs.
explicit attitudes. Physiological methods (EMG, EEG, fMRI), reaction
times, IAT. Cognitive dissonance (Festinger). Post-decision dissonance.
Dissonance and implicit attitudes (Gawronski & Strack). Different
explanations of dissonance (Bem, Fazio). Affect-behavior link (LaPiere).
Theory of planned behavior (Fishbein & Ajzen).
5. Attributions, influence and helping.
Internal vs. external. Theories of attribution (Jones, Kelley, Hilton).
Conversation-based models. Fundamental attribution error. Conformity
(Asch and contemporary experiments). Social influence (foot in the door,
door in the face and other effects). Minority influence (Moscovici).
Obedience (Milgram). Aggression (Dollard & Miller). Bystander effect and
helping (Latane, Darley, Nadler).
6. Groups and conflict
Groups and collective. Social facilitation. Deindividuation (Zimbardo).
Groupthing. Group tasks (additive, conjuctive, disjunctive). Brainstorming:
facts and myths. Intergroup conflict. Ethnic conflicts. Types of conflict
(Deutsch). Intergroup differentiation (Brewer, Tajfel). Conflict theories
(realistic group conflict, relative deprivation, ethnocentrism). Need-based
model of conflict. Cultural mistrust.
7. Theories of social identity
Social identity theory, optimal discinctiveness theory, social dominance
theory, self-uncertainty reduction theory, terror management theory,
group-level control restoration theory, system justification theory. Social
identity vs. social identification. From social categorization to social
identity. How to deal with negative social identities. Depersonalization
(Turner). SDO & RWA and their consequences (Duckitt model).
Nationalism vs. patriotism (Mummendey, Hopkins, Brewer).
8. Stereotyping and prejudice
Classical approaches (Lippman, Allport). Cognitive consequences of
stereotyping (Hamilton, Snyder, Rothbart). Measuring stereotype
(Katz&Braly, Brigham, Esses&Zanna). Intergroup attributions (Hewstone,
Pettigrew). Language and stereotyping (linguistic intergroup bias, Semin &
Fiedler; Maass). Outgroup homogeneity effect. Stereotype content (Fiske
& Glick). Prejudice – it’s sources and nature. Theories of anti-Semitism.
9. Intergroup emotions and dehumanization
Intergroup appraisals (Smith, Alexander). Bias map (Glick & Fiske) –
dehumanizing the cold and incompetent. Intergroup anxiety (Stephan)
and social identity threat (Branscombe). Siege mentality In intergroup
relations (Bar-Tal). Hate crimes and xenophobia. Group-focussed enmity.
Dehumanization (Haslam) and infrahumanization (Leyens). Consequences
of dehumanization.
10. Tolerance
Contact hypothesis. Early studies (Allport, Sheriff). Cooperative learning
and jigsaw classroom. Mediators and moderators of contact. Computer
simulations and real-life examples. Personalization (Brewer and Miller).
Common ingroup identity model vs. ingroup projection model. Salient
categories model (Hewstone).
11. Social psychology: history and future.
Perceived collective continuity and its consequences (Sani). Moral
emotions (shame, guilt, regret). Collective guilt. Attributions of the
history. Psychology of reconciliation. Forgiveness. Collective
representations of the past (Liu). History and the environment (Lewicka).
Temporal construal (Trope, Lieberman). Social psychology and current
problems: New forms of prejudice: modern and symbolic racism; aversive
racism (Dovidio, Devine), climatic issues, human-animal interactions,
Internet and new identities.