ITT Technical Institute
SP3450
Social Psychology
Onsite Course
SYLLABUS
Credit hours: 4.5
Contact/Instructional hours: 45 (45 Theory Hours)
Prerequisite(s) and/or Corequisite(s):
Prerequisites: EN1420 Composition II or equivalent, SS3150 Research Methods or
equivalent
Course Description:
This course is a survey of theories and research concerned with how individuals behave
in social constructs, and how they influence and are influenced by other people.
Social Psychology
Syllabus
Where Does This Course Belong?
Program Scope
General Education courses include courses in the humanities, composition, mathematics, the sciences,
and the social sciences.
Program Goals and Objectives
General Education courses are designed to provide ITT Tech students with a well-rounded education in
the context of their technical programs. Each course emphasizes one or more of ITT Tech’s General
Education Student Learning Outcomes.
1. The student will be able to demonstrate personal responsibility.
2. The student will be able to analyze information.
3. The student will be able to solve complex problems.
4. The student will be able to communicate effectively in oral, written and visual forms.
5. The student will be able to contribute as a member of a team.
6. The student will be able to pursue lifelong learning opportunities.
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Social Psychology
Syllabus
Course Summary
Major Instructional Areas
1. Theoretical roots and research of social psychology
2. Social perception and cognition
3. Personal attitudes and influence
4. Social interaction and relationships
5. Social psychology in a global and technical world
Detailed Topical Outline
1. The Basics of Social Psychology
1.1. Concepts Social Psychology
1.2. Major Theoretical Perspectives
1.3. Research Methods in Social Psychology
2. Perception and Social Cognition
2.1. Formation of Impressions
2.2. Attributions
2.3. Schemas
2.4. Self-fulfilling Prophecy
3. Relation of Self and the Society
3.1. Self-concept
3.2. Self-esteem
3.3. Social Comparison theory
3.4. Self-presentation
4. Attitudes in Relation to Social Responses
4.1. Reinforcement
4.2. Learning processes
4.3. Cognitive dissonance
5. Prejudice and Social Influence
5.1. Prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination
5.2. Theories of prejudice
5.3. Reducing prejudice
5.4. Conformity, compliance, and obedience
6. Social Interaction and Attraction
6.1. Interpersonal attraction
6.2. Interdependence theory
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Social Psychology
Syllabus
6.3. Social exchange theory
6.4. Self-disclosure
7. Structure and Influence of Groups
7.1. Social facilitation
7.2. Social loafing
7.3. Social impact theory
7.4. Groupthink
8. Theories of Gender
8.1. Gender
8.2. Gender identity
8.3. Gender roles
9. Social Behavior Part 1
9.1. Pro-social behavior
9.2. Altruism
9.3. Bystander effect
10. Social Behavior Part 2
10.1. Aggression
10.2. Media violence
10.3. Sexual harassment
Course Objectives
1. Analyze a given scenario on the basis of various social psychology theories.
2. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of correlational and experimental research designs.
3. Evaluate the impact of and interactions between self and society.
4. Apply various cognitive processes to social interactions.
5. Determine the attitude of a person by analyzing his/her response to different situations.
6. Analyze the cognitive bases of prejudice and discrimination.
7. Analyze the ways by which social influence alters or shapes behavior.
8. Analyze the social psychological nature of personal relationships and the dynamics of
interpersonal attraction.
9. Apply various theories of gender to explain social situations.
10. Differentiate between pro-social and anti-social behavior.
11. Within groups prepare oral and visual presentations on selected topics using information from the
ITT Tech Virtual Library.
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Social Psychology
Syllabus
Learning Materials and References
Required Resources
New to this
Textbook Package
Course
Carried over
Required for
from Previous
Subsequent
Course(s)
Course(s)
Taylor, S.E., Peplau, L.A., & Sears, D.O. (2006). Social
psychology (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Publishing.
ITT Tech Virtual Library
Login to the ITT Tech Virtual Library (http://library.itt-tech.edu/)to access online books, journals, and other
reference resources selected to support ITT Tech curricula.
Recommended Resources
The following books are related to this course and are available through the ITT Tech Virtual Library >
Books > Ebrary:

Albarracin, D., Johnson, B.T., & Zanna, M.P. (2005). Handbook of attitudes. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Ashmore, R.D., Jussim, L.J., & Wilder, D. (2001). Social identity, intergroup conflict, and conflict
reduction. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Augoustinos, M. (2001). Understanding prejudice, racism, and social conflict. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage Publications Ltd.

Bell, D. (2001). Introduction to cybercultures. New York, NY: Routledge.

Correia, M.C., & Bannon, I. (2006). Other half of gender: Men's issues in development.
Washington DC: World Bank.

Fishbein, H.D. (2002). Peer prejudice and discrimination: The origins of prejudice. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Graner Ray, S. (2002). Gender inclusive game design. Hingham, MA: Charles River Media.

Greenwood, J. (2003). Disappearance of the social in American social psychology. New York,
NY: Cambridge University Press.

Jean Piaget Society, Meeting Staff, Lightfoot, C., & LaLonde, C.A. (2004). Changing conceptions
of psychological life. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
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Social Psychology

Syllabus
Kasulis, T.P. (2002). Intimacy or integrity: Philosophy & cultural difference. Honolulu, HI:
University of Hawaii Press.

Lang, F.R., Fingerman, K.L., Fitzpatrick, M.A. (2003). Growing together: Personal relationships
across the life span. NY: Cambridge University Press.

McAdams, D.P. (2005). Redemptive self: Stories Americans live by. Oxford, UK: Oxford
University Press.

Riding, R.J., & Rayner, S.G. (2001). Self perception. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing
Group.

Weisel, D.L. (2002). Contemporary gangs: An organizational analysis. New York, NY: LFB
Scholarly Publishing.

Wyer, R.S., Bodenhauseb, G.V., Lambert, A.J. (2003). Foundations of social cognition. Mahwah,
NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Zahavi, D., & Grunbaum, T. (2004). Structure and development of self-consciousness:
interdisciplinary perspectives. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Zimmerman, B.J., & Schunk, D.H. (2001). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement:
Theoretical perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
The following journals are related to this course and are available through the ITT Tech Virtual
Library>Periodicals>EbscoHost Academic Search Elite

Annual Review of Psychology

Annual Review of Sociology

Journal of Social Psychology
NOTE: All links are subject to change without prior notice.
Information Search


Research methodology

Social cognition

Social perception

Social interaction

The Self

Attitudes

Prejudice

Interpersonal relationships

Gender
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Social Psychology

Aggression

Prosocial behavior
Syllabus
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Social Psychology
Syllabus
Course Plan
Suggested Learning Approach
In this course, you will be studying individually and within a group of your peers. As you work on the
course deliverables, you are encouraged to share ideas with your peers and instructor, work
collaboratively on projects and team assignments, raise critical questions, and provide constructive
feedback.
Use the following advice to receive maximum learning benefits from your participation in this course:
DO
DON’T
 Do take a proactive learning approach.
 Don’t assume there is only one correct
 Do share your thoughts on critical issues
answer to a question.
and potential problem solutions.
 Don’t be afraid to share your perspective on
 Do plan your course work in advance.
the issues analyzed in the course.
 Do explore a variety of learning resources in
 Don’t be negative about the points of view that
addition to the textbook.
are different from yours.
 Do offer relevant examples from your
 Don’t underestimate the impact of
experience.
collaboration on your learning.
 Do make an effort to understand different
 Don’t limit your course experience to reading
points of view.
the textbook.
 Do connect concepts explored in this
 Don’t postpone your work on the course
course to real-life professional situations
deliverables – work on small assignment
and your own experiences.
components every day.
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Social Psychology
Syllabus
Course Outline
Unit 1: THE BASICS OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:

work:
Define social psychology and distinguish it from related fields that study human
9 hours
social behavior.

Discuss the theoretical and historical roots of social psychology.

Explain how experimenter and subject biases can distort research findings, and
discuss solutions to these problems.

Explain the informed consent, debriefing, and minimal risk guidelines for ethical
research.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Chapter 1
Unit 1 Assignment 1: Ethical Issues and
1%
Potential Sources of Bias in Research
Design
Unit 1 Assignment 2: Comparing and
1%
Contrasting the Theoretical Perspectives
of Social Psychology
Unit 2: PERCEPTION AND SOCIAL COGNITION
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:

Describe the kinds of information and processes that are important in forming
work:
9 hours
impressions of other people.

Describe the fundamental attribution error, the actor-observer effect, the false
consensus effect, and the self-serving attributional bias, and explain why they
occur.

Define social cognition.

Define schemas and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of schematic
processing.

Define heuristics and describe how the heuristic strategies of representativeness,
availability, simulation, and anchoring and adjustment are used for making
judgments.
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Date: 8/20/2012
Social Psychology
Syllabus
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
1%
Prophecy
pp. 33–42 and pp. 53–59

Unit 2 Assignment 1: Self-Fulfilling
Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
pp. 64–78 and pp. 82–90
Unit 3: RELATION OF THE SELF AND SOCIETY
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:
work:

Define the self and distinguish between the self-concept and self-esteem.

Describe how beliefs about our current and hoped-for selves are represented in
9 hours
memory, and discuss the emotional consequences of self-discrepancies.

Describe social comparison theory, and indicate when people would engage in
upward or in downward comparisons.

Give examples of effective and ineffective strategies of self-presentation.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Unit 3 Assignment 1: Social
1%
Comparisons
Chapter 4
Unit 3 Assignment 2: Assimilation
1%
Unit 3 Assignment 3: The Self
1%
Unit 3 Assignment 4: Persuasive
1%
Advertising
Quiz
Unit 3 Quiz 1
5%
Unit 4: ATTITUDES IN RELATION TO SOCIAL RESPONSES
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:

Define attitude, and describe its components.

Discuss how basic learning processes, including association, reinforcement, and
work:
9 hours
imitation, can determine a person’s attitudes towards an object.
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Social Psychology

Syllabus
Define cognitive dissonance, and indicate the conditions under which dissonance
after a decision is the greatest.

Explain the difference between systematic and heuristic processing, and indicate
the conditions under which a person is likely to use each.

Discuss how the communicator, the communication, the target of communication,
and aspects of the situation, such as forewarning and distraction can influence a
person’s response to a persuasive message.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Chapter 5
Unit 4 Assignment 1: Change My Mind
1%
Unit 4 Assignment 2: Attitudes
1%
Unit 4 Assignment 3: Sweet Talking the
1%
Kids
Project
Project Part 1: Project Plan
5%
(PORTFOLIO)
Unit 5: PREJUDICE AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:
work:

Define and distinguish between stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.

Describe the consequences of prejudice for its victims, including the effects of
9 hours
stereotype threat and attributional ambiguity.

Explain and describe various theories of prejudice, including social learning, the
psychodynamic approach, and intergroup competition, as well as the cognitive
bases of prejudice.

Describe various approaches to reducing prejudice, including socialization,
intergroup contact, and recategorization approaches, and indicate the conditions
under which these are most likely to be effective.

Define and contrast the concepts of conformity, compliance, and obedience.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Unit 5 Assignment 1: Blue and Brown
10
1%
Date: 8/20/2012
Social Psychology
Syllabus
Chapters 6-7
Eyes Revisited
Unit 5 Assignment 2: Intergroup Conflict
1%
Unit 5 Assignment 3: The Milgram
1%
Experiment
Unit 6: SOCIAL INTERACTION AND ATTRACTION
Out-of-
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:
class work:

Describe the social needs satisfied by interpersonal relationships.

Explain the Interdependence Theory and explain the various levels it contains.

Explain the basic presumptions of Social Exchange Theory and discuss the
9 hours
limitations of the economic approach to social relations.

Describe the characteristics and hazards of self-disclosure and the important role
self-disclosure plays in relationships.

Explain four possible responses to dissatisfaction in a relationship.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
Allocation
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
(% of all
graded
work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Chapters 8-9
Unit 6 Assignment 1: The Pairing Game
1%
Unit 6 Assignment 2: What Would You
1%
Do?
Unit 6 Assignment 3: If You Like Pina
1%
Coladas
Quiz
Unit 6 Quiz 2
11
5%
Date: 8/20/2012
Social Psychology
Syllabus
Unit 7: STRUCTURE AND INFLUENCE OF GROUPS
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:

work:
Define social facilitation, social inhibition, social loafing, and social compensation,
9 hours
and indicate the conditions in which each is likely to occur.

Describe the basic principles of social impact theory.

Discuss the impact of group polarization and groupthink on decision making.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Unit 7 Assignment 1: Case Study --
1%
Rush Presentation
Chapter 10
Unit 7 Assignment 2: Lost on the Moon
1%
Unit 7 Assignment 3: Gender Role
1%
Stereotypes in Everyday Life
Unit 8: THEORIES OF GENDER
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:
work:

Define gender typing, gender stereotype, and gender roles.

Define gender identity and describe some of the milestones in its development.

Describe classic and modern conceptualizations of masculinity, femininity, and
9 hours
androgyny, and indicate consequences of these personal beliefs about the self for
physical and mental health.

Describe four theoretical perspectives on the causes of sex differences.

Describe how gender roles have changed over time and what differences still exist
in our society.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
pp. 334–347, pp.
Assignment
Unit 8 Assignment 1: Gender Bias in the
1%
Workplace
352–356, pp. 358, pp.
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Date: 8/20/2012
Social Psychology
Syllabus
Unit 8 Assignment 2: Gender Roles in
363–369
1%
Marriage
Project
Project Part 2: Literature Review
5%
(PORTFOLIO)
Unit 9: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR-PART I
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:
work:

Distinguish between altruism and prosocial behavior.

Explain how the evolutionary perspective, the sociocultural perspective, and the
9 hours
learning perspective explain helping behavior.

Describe the steps in Latane and Darley’s decision-making model of helping, and
indicate what can prevent helping from occurring at each step.

Describe how attribution theory, as well as mood, empathy, personal distress,
personality characteristics, and gender influence helping.

Define the bystander effect and explain why it occurs.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
Allocation
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Unit 9 Assignment 1: The Boating
Scenario
1%
Unit 9 Assignment 2: Case Study: The
Death of Princess Diana
1%
Unit 9 Assignment 3: Bystander
Intervention
1%
Project
Project Part 3: White Paper Draft
(PORTFOLIO)
4%
Quiz
Unit 9 Quiz 3
5%
pp. 374–389 and pp.
391–395
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Date: 8/20/2012
Social Psychology
Syllabus
Unit 10: SOCIAL BEHAVIOR—PART II
Out-of-class
Upon completion of this unit, the students are expected to:

work:
9 hours
Define aggression and distinguish between subtypes of aggression and between
aggression and anger.

Describe the learning perspective on aggression.

Discuss the effect of social norms, fear of punishment or retaliation, learned
inhibition of aggression, displacement, and catharsis on aggressive behavior.

Summarize the results of laboratory studies, correlational studies, and field
experiments on the effects of media violence on aggression.

Describe the prevalence and determinants of various forms of intimate violence
such as spousal abuse, child abuse, rape, and sexual harassment, and discuss sex
differences in perceptions of these crimes.
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Allocation
Activity/Deliverable Title
(% of all
graded work)

Taylor, Peplau, & Sears,
Assignment
Unit 10 Assignment 1: Defining
1%
Aggression
Chapter 13
Unit 10 Assignment 2: Aggression and
1%
Social Norms
Unit 11: COURSE REVIEW, FINAL EXAM, AND PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Out-of-class work:
7 hours
GRADED ACTIVITIES / DELIVERABLES
Grade Allocation
READING ASSIGNMENT
Grading Category
Activity/Deliverable Title
(% of all graded
work)

No readings assigned
Exam
Final Exam
15%
Project
Project Part 4: Final White Paper
(PORTFOLIO)
15%
Presentation
Project Part 5: Student
Presentations
15%
Note: Your instructor may add a few learning activities that will change the grade allocation for each
assignment in a category. The overall category percentages will not change.
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Date: 8/20/2012
Social Psychology
Syllabus
Evaluation and Grading
Evaluation Criteria
The graded assignments will be evaluated using the following weighted categories:
Category
Weight
Assignment
26%
Project
29%
Presentation
15%
Quiz
15%
Exam
15%
TOTAL
100%
Grade Conversion
The final grades will be calculated from the percentages earned in the course, as follows:
Grade
Percentage
Credit
A
90–100%
4.0
B+
85–89%
3.5
B
80–84%
3.0
C+
75–79%
2.5
C
70–74%
2.0
D+
65–69%
1.5
D
60–64%
1.0
F
<60%
0.0
Academic Integrity
All students must comply with the policies that regulate all forms of academic dishonesty, or academic
misconduct, including plagiarism, self-plagiarism, fabrication, deception, cheating, and sabotage. For
more information on the academic honesty policies, refer to the Student Handbook and the Course
Catalog.
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Social Psychology
Syllabus
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