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Social Psychology II

Module description

We inhabit a hectic social world. In any one day we can expect to deal with many other people, perhaps as first acquaintances, friends, or prospective employers, in the supermarket, at the pub or work. So, precisely how do we navigate this complex social life? What social information grabs our attention? How do we organise and use it in our interactions with others and our judgements about them? These are some of the questions that interest social psychology researchers. In this module, we investigate how we process social information and navigate complex social relationships. When do we make speedy and automatic ‘gut reaction’ judgements? When instead, do we process social information in a more effortful, deliberate and controlled way? When and how do we invest emotional attachment to social groups and roles? How do we perceive others in and out of our social circles?

Module aims - intentions of the module

The primary aim of this module is to provide you with a thorough grounding in some key areas of social psychology, focusing in particular on processes via which we understand ourselves and others. You will be introduced to a range of social psychology theories and methodologies and will learn how such tools enable us to shed light on these processes. In this module, building up the introductory knowledge you gained in the first-year module, we will discuss classic and contemporary research that examines social phenomena that govern our daily lives. While going through the main principles and theories of social psychology, we will add further depth to your knowledge of how social psychology systematically approaches social phenomena such as social judgements, conformity and obedience, attraction and intimacy, helping, prejudice, intergroup conflict, and crowd behaviours.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Explain some of the main theoretical developments in the social psychological field and of the empirical support for theoretical assumptions in the field
• 2. Evaluate different approaches, discussing the complexity of social phenomena and illustrating the wide variety of methods used to examine them

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Illustrate detailed factual and conceptual knowledge of the subject and identify a variety of ideas, contexts and frameworks
• 4. Review and critically evaluate published work and identify the strengths and weaknesses of this work, and at a well-developed level structure this literature to present logical and coherent arguments
• 5. Solve complex problems systematically, think critically and creatively, and appreciate the complexities of the issues
• 6. Apply essential principles in designing research, and critically evaluate and analyse empirical evidence, and assess the reliability of empirical evidence using a range of defined techniques at a well-developed level
• 7. Discuss the wider ethical issues relating to the subject and its application

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 8. Interact effectively within a learning group, giving and receiving information and ideas and modifying responses where appropriate
• 9. Manage learning using resources for the discipline
• 10. Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses, challenge received opinion and develop your own criteria and judgment, and seek and make use of feedback
• 11. Manage and select information and data from a range of sources and develop appropriate information finding strategies
• 12. Take responsibility for your own learning with minimum direction
• 13. Communicate effectively in the manner appropriate to the discipline and in a variety of formats
• 14. Identify key areas of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a considered manner
• 15. Act with increasing autonomy, with reduced need for supervision and direction, within defined guidelines
• 16. Manage time effectively to meet deadlines

Syllabus plan

Indicative topics include:

• Introduction to social psychology  
• Brief history of social psychology
• Crises in social psychology
• Research methods
• The Self and Self-Concept
• Social Belief and Judgements
• Social Influence, Obedience, and Conformity: Classical and Contemporary Approaches
• Collective Hate and Mass Violence
• Attraction and Intimacy
• Helping: Pro-social behaviours
• Small Group Processes Social Categorisation and Social Identity
• Prejudice and Discrimination
• Intergroup Conflict Crowd Psychology
• Gender, Biology, and Culture in Social Psychology

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Two assessments are required for this module. Where you have been referred/deferred in the examination you will have the opportunity to take a second examination in the August/September re-assessment period. Where you have been referred/deferred in the essay you will be required to resubmit the essay. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%; deferred marks are not capped.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

The core text for this module is:

• Myers, D., Abell, J., & Sani, F. (2021). Social Psychology. McGraw Hill.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=9364 (ELE will provide copies of all lecture slides, all information pertaining to the module, additional readings, etc.)

Key words search

Social psychology, social information processing, categorisation, attribution biases, stereotypes, attitude change, attitude/behaviour link, social influence, group processes and intergroup relations, gender development