PSYC-282 Social Psychology

Credits 3 / 3 Contact Hours
Pre-requisite: Placement into RDNG-030 (ACSR-030), completion of ELAP-110 with a minimum grade of 2.0, or successful completion of RDNG-016 or ACLT-074 with a minimum grade of 3.0. Pre-requisite: PSYC-281
This course is the study of the individual in group settings. Major areas of study include methodology, decision-making processes, emotions, attitude formation, social perception, attribution theory, aggression, prosocial behavior, interpersonal relationships, stereotyping, and group dynamics.

Course Outcomes

Describe the field of social psychology and the methods used to obtain data and develop theories. Describe the influence of culture in these theories.
Identify elements of both personality and environment that influence behaviors in both individual and group settings.
Analyze behaviors using both the Psychoanalytic and Behavioral approaches.
Discriminate between conscious/controlled processes and automatic processes within the mind. Identify conditions under which each is utilized.
Evaluate how people judge themselves in relation to other people, and the ways in which we are socialized in the family, subculture, and society.
Describe how underlying societal norms influence behaviors.
Describe the main theories of emotion. Generate examples illustrating each.
Identify factors leading to attitude formation and methods used to influence or modify attitudes.
Evaluate personal judgments and the processes that lead to prejudice and stereotyping.
Describe the different types of aggression. Examine internal and external factors that influence aggressive behavior.
Demonstrate knowledge of the various persuasion techniques, predict the efficacy of each, and apply strategies to resist these techniques.
Describe the types of prosocial behavior and the variables affecting each.
Identify main influences on decision making and the underlying psychological factors leading to them.
Apply social psychological information to life events and identify common critical thinking errors and how these errors are used to influence attitudes and behavior.
Describe factors influencing rejection among different age groups and the physiological and psychological ramifications of both rejection and exclusion.