Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 2 2023-24 |
The module has two main aims:
1. Develop students’ knowledge of key findings and debates in social psychology;
2. Support students in exploring how psychology has evolved as a discipline since its inception, and how the definition, practice and application of psychological research has influenced (and been influenced by) the societies in which it has been conducted.
The module will expose students to ideas and evidence from social psychology that will enable them to consider how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals are influenced by their social context. They will also explore theoretical and empirical evidence that will help them to consider the self in relation to others, and to explore how the social make-up of schools and factors such as friendships, bullying, gender, teacher-child relationships, ethnic mix and ability grouping can be associated with both teaching and learning.
Students will be introduced to historical and conceptual issues in psychology, and will be supported in developing a nuanced understanding of the relationship between social and historical context and the development and practice of psychological science. They will also be supported in developing their knowledge and understanding of the ethical issues that must be considered in the conduct and interpretation of social psychology research, and how ethical policies and expectations have developed over time.
Subject content
By the end of this module students will have developed:
· Broad knowledge, and a nuanced understanding, of social psychology and the application of psychological research in a social context.
· Academic skills and subject knowledge that will enable them to consider social cognition and perception in educational contexts.
Academic and graduate skills
Students will have learned how to:
The module content is structured so that it incrementally builds up students’ knowledge of both social psychology, and conceptual and historical issues in psychology, to the extent that they will be in a strong position to consider their relevance to education by the end of the module.
Students will be taught in weekly 2 hour lectures. The following outline is representative of the lectures that will be given but may be subject to small changes.
Introduction to social psychology
The self: Understanding ourselves in a social context
Attitudes and attitude change
Conformity and group processes
Prosocial and anti-social behaviour
The evolution of psychology from philosophy to science
Is psychology a science?
The birth of psychology
The impact of World War II
Early studies
The history of social psychology
The birth of social psychology
Social cognition
The replication crisis in social psychology
Social psychology today and in the future
Social cognition today
Social neuroscience
How to solve the replication crisis
Cross-cultural psychology
Issues of measurement
Cross cultural studies on the self
Cross cultural studies on theory of mind
Cross cultural studies on social influence
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
None
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 100 |
For the first formative assessment (oral presentation) written feedback will be provided by email within one week of the presentation.
For the second formative assessment (essay plan), feedback will be provided within two weeks.
For the summative assessment detailed written feedback will be provided on a standardized assignment report sheet. The feedback is returned to students in line with university policy. Please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.
Face to face feedback on performance in this module will be provided in supervision meetings.
Hogg, M.A. and Vaughan, G.M. (2010) Essentials of social psychology. Essex: Pearson.
Hughes, B. M. (2012). Conceptual and historical issues in psychology. Pearson.
Babad, E. (2009).The social psychology of the classroom. Oxon: Routledge
Pritchard, A., & Woollard, J. (2013). Psychology for the Classroom: The Social Context. Routledge.