PSYCHOLOGY 3100

Social Psychology
Winter 2022

Instructor: Laura Fallon

Office: SN-3083
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:15pm-4:15pm, or by appointment
Required Text: Gilovich, T., Keltner, D., Chen, S., & Nisbett, R. E. (2018). Social Psychology, 5th Edition

Teaching Assistant: Tianshuang Han ([email protected])

I will normally respond to emails within 24 hours, with the exception of weekends and holidays (e.g., if you
email me on Saturday morning, I will likely respond on Monday morning – instructors have lives too ).

***Remote Learning: As announced by Memorial University on December 22 nd, 2021, we will be

transitioning to a primarily remote learning environment for the Winter 2022 semester until January
31st, 2022. After that, the decision to move back to in-person learning or remain remote will depend on
the current public health guidance. Until January 31st, all class news, lecture slides, videos, and
assignments will be posted on Brightspace weekly (online.mun.ca). After that, Brightspace will still be the
place to go for all course updates and news, but we may be back in the classroom for lectures.

Overview of Course

Welcome to Social Psychology! We are social animals – our behaviours, thoughts, and feelings are often
strongly influenced by our social environments. What are the important factors that explain and predict
people’s behaviours? How is this research conducted? This course will introduce you to the concepts,
theories, and research within the field of social psychology. Some example topics include conformity,
attraction, intimacy, heuristics, bias, the self, attitudes, rationalization, stereotyping, prejudice, well-
being, magical thinking, and other applied topics. For a full outline see the Course Schedule.

To be successful in this course you will need to attend and actively participate in almost all lectures, and
complete all readings. This will involve challenging yourself to thoroughly understand the concepts and
theories covered, as well as how this information can be applied. The lectures and textbook readings are
designed to complement each other. Sometimes the lectures and readings will overlap in content, but
sometimes their focus will differ, The textbook is broad and provides a great overview of classic and
contemporary social psychology. The lectures tend to cover more specific issues, including recent
experimental, theoretical, and applied approaches. Mastering the content of the textbook and lectures
will provide you with an effective understanding of the foundations of social psychology.
Evaluation

Course grades will be determined on the basis of your performance on two midterm exams, a research
proposal and final paper, and participation activities. You may also earn up to 3 bonus percentage points
through participation in the Psychology Research Experience Pool (PREP; see information below). The
evaluation breakdown is as follows:

Midterm 1: 25%*
Midterm 2: 30%*
Research Proposal: 10%
Research Final Paper: 25%
Participation Activities: 10%

NOTE: As there is a major research paper, there is no final exam.

Midterms:
The midterm tests will assess your understanding of the material covered in this course (lectures and
course readings). The first midterm will assess content from lectures 1-8. The second midterm will cover
lectures 10-18. The midterms are not cumulative, and the format will be multiple choice.
If you miss a midterm, a make-up midterm will only be provided if you contact me with an approved
extenuating circumstance (e.g., severe illness, religious holidays), preferably in advance of the midterm,
but at least within 24 hours after the scheduled test. This policy applies to other course components
as well.
*NOTE: You will notice that the two midterms are weighted slightly differently. This is because, at the end
of the semester, I will take your higher midterm mark as the one worth 30%, and the lower one will be
worth 25%.

Research Proposal and Research Final Paper:

The aim of this project is to propose a novel and testable social psychological hypothesis. Specifically, you
will propose an experimental test of your idea. This must involve randomly assigning participants to
different conditions. This experiment is hypothetical, but the write-up will involve many of the
components of a real research paper. Your idea may be based on a social psychological theory (discussed
in class or not), or another source (e.g., observation of a possible causal association in the real world),
however it must relate to social psychology. Your idea can integrate topics covered in other courses you
are taking or have taken (e.g., developmental psychology, health psychology, or forensic psychology), but
must be primarily based in social psychology.

This project has two components: 1) you will first submit a research proposal (10%). It is due after
Lecture 15 (11:59pm). This proposal (600 words max) will allow me to provide feedback for your
research paper. The proposal should include a study rationale and hypothesis. 2) The final research
paper (25%) is due 5 days after the final class. The research paper will more formally introduce your
topic. It will also provide a rationale for your social psychological hypotheses and the specific details (i.e.,
methods) of how you would test your idea. Complete outlines are provided on D2L.

Any written papers (e.g., research proposal, research paper) submitted after the deadline will be marked
down 10% each day, for up to 5 days. Paper submitted more than 5 days late will not be marked (i.e., will
receive 0). I do realize that the end of the semester can be a busy time, so you may request a 2 day
extension for the Final Research Paper (please email me at least one day before the day it is due, no
special comments or explanation is necessary).
Participation Activities:
The success of this course depends on the participation of everyone. You will be expected to play a role in
classroom activity. Course participation will be based on your completion of class-relevant activities both
during class time (e.g., completion of group and class discussions, review activities, demonstrations,
exercises, etc.) and outside of class. There will be many participation activities throughout the term, 10 of
which will be assessed. There will also be an online course survey (due the day before lecture 3, 5pm).
The participation activities are worth 1% each, and the survey is worth 2%, to a maximum of 10%.
Assessments will be pass/fail (i.e., only based on whether an activity was completed or not). If you would
like to check on your participation, please contact the teaching assistant. The TA will keep an active
record of participation activity grades (within 1-2 weeks).

If you miss a class, you will genuinely be missed, but you do not have to email me with an explanation.
Although participation for each class is expected if possible, active participation will not be assessed
every class, and you are allowed to miss up to 2 participation activities (or the course survey) and still get
full marks. If you need to miss a class, please do so wisely (e.g., job interview). If you miss several classes
because of an extenuating circumstance, please email me.

Course Expectations:

1. Participation and Attendance:

You are expected to come to each lecture if possible and be prepared. You are also encouraged to
be alert to the relevance of course material to current issues. Out of respect to your fellow
students and teaching staff, you are expected to come to each lecture on time and stay for the
entire period.

HOWEVER, there is nothing more important than your mental and physical health. Doctors’ notes
are not required for medical absences in this course. You are encouraged to seek appropriate
medical attention from the Student Wellness and Counselling Centre. I am committed to working
with students with pre-existing medical and mental health needs, as well as new needs that may
arise within the semester. I encourage you to reach out to the Blundon Centre as early as possible
to discuss any adjustments you think may be necessary in this course. Let’s explore the options to
help you succeed, no matter what is going on.

2. Course Content:
You should find the course to be interesting and fun, but doing well will involve a significant effort
on your part. This course will likely involve new material, terminology, and concepts. One mistake
in this course is for a student to think they are familiar with the material, but realize (sometimes
too late) that they do not have a complete grasp of the concepts when it comes to applying the
material (e.g., on midterms). To be successful you will need to attend and actively participate in
lectures and discussions, and complete coursework on schedule. A second mistake is for a student
to not read the textbook well enough. Although it is important to know the lecture content, this
tends to be achieved by actively attending lectures and carefully studying one’s lecture notes. To
excel, you will need to 1) complete the textbook readings on schedule – not just before the
midterm, and 2) understand the content thoroughly enough to comfortably explain research
findings to someone else, and 3) be able to apply the knowledge.

3. Lecture Notes: Students are expected to take notes during the lecture as the lecture slides are
rarely complete. The basic lecture slides will be provided on the course website, typically the
evening before a lecture. However, on occasion, the notes may be provided the morning before a
lecture. The basic lecture slides are not a substitute for coming to class and students are
responsible for any course material covered in lecture and not provided on the uploaded lecture
 slides. If you miss a class, please contact one of your classmates to obtain the notes. If you have
questions, I am happy to meet with you.

4. Academic Integrity:
Exemplary academic conduct is expected of all students; misconduct, including plagiarism,
copying work, and any action that can be construed as improper will be dealt with as per the
University Calendar Section 6.12 http://www.mun.ca/regoff/calendar/sectionNo=REGS-0748.

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will be handled accordingly. When you are reviewing
literature, and using sources (including published works, internet or any other resource), you
must properly cite the material. This holds if you are referencing a quote, paraphrasing material or
presenting thoughts or ideas from other sources. It is also considered plagiarism to present or
rephrase ideas of any other author presenting them as your own. Self-plagiarism is a form of
plagiarism. Submitting your old work (e.g., portions of papers or assignments from other classes)
as new is a form of plagiarism if not properly referenced.

Some important tips: Direct quotes should be used rarely, if at all, but are permissible. In general,
describe other people’s research results, theories, or arguments in your own words, and include a
citation to the original source. For example, do not quote one or two sentences that describe the
results of a study. Instead, if the finding is important to include, provide your understanding of the
study result in your own words and cite the authors of the original ideas. If you must use a direct
quote, be sure to put the text in quotation marks and include a page number in your citation.

To be clear: cite the source of any research finding, theory, or argument, even if you have
rewritten it significantly using your own words. Simply changing wording order or replacing a
couple of words synonyms is not acceptable. Sometimes it may be unclear whether a source is
directly responsible for your own thinking/writing. It is best to double-check your source. When
in doubt, err on the side of caution by citing the source.

5. Collaboration:
Some courses involve collaboration and others involve completely individual work without
collaborating with other students. The vast majority of this course involves the work to be
completed individually. Specifically, the midterms, research proposal, and final paper will be
completed individually. Students may study and review for the midterms with other students if
they wish. Although not necessary, you are also permitted to talk about your ideas for the research
proposal, and edit each other’s work. However, the final submissions must be overwhelmingly the
primary work of the submitting students. If you have any questions or concerns about individual
work or collaboration, do not hesitate to contact me.

6. Accessibility:
If you require any accommodations, please contact me as early in the term as possible. You do not
need to tell me why you need accommodations, but rather just that you have a need for an
accommodation. I wish to make this course accessible to every student. The Glenn Roy Blundon
Centre is an excellent resource for students who require accommodations. They can be reached by
telephone: (709) 864-2156, or in room UC4007.

Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge that the lands on which Memorial University’s campuses are
situated are in the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous groups, and we acknowledge with respect
the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit of this province.
COVID-19 Policies: All information pertaining to Memorial University’s response to the COVID-19
pandemic can be found here: https://www.mun.ca/covid19/

Course Schedule

Date Class In-Class Topic Readings and Due

Dates
Jan 11th (T) 1 Intro: Central Course Themes and Outline Text Ch. 1
Jan 13th (R) 2 Methods: How to Conduct Research in Social Text Ch. 2
Psychology
Jan 18th (T) 3 Bounded Rationality I Text Ch. 4 (p. 122-
134); Kahneman
Jan 20th (R) 4 Bounded Rationality II Social Psych &
Finance; Kahneman
Jan 25th (T) 5 Social Cognition Text Ch. 4 (p. 99-122)
Jan 27th (R) 6 The Social Self Text Ch. 3
Feb 1st (T) 7 Social Attribution Text Ch. 5
Feb 3rd (R) 8 Social Influence Text Ch. 9
Feb 8th (T) Midterm I
Feb 10th (R) 9 Emotion and Morality Text Ch. 6 (only 173-
176, 189-194)
Feb 15th (T) 10 Well-Being and Prosocial Behaviour Text Ch. 6 (p. 195-
201)
Text Ch. 14 (p. 481-
497)
Text Mod 1 (p. 522-
524)
Feb 17th (R) 11 Attitudes Text Ch. 7
Feb 22nd/24th MIDTERM BREAK – NO CLASS
Mar 1st (T) 12 Attraction and Intimacy I Text Ch. 10
Mar 3rd (R) 13 Attraction and Intimacy II
Mar 8th (T) 14 Persuasion and the Marketplace of Ideas Text Ch. 8
Mar 10th (R) 15 Stereotyping and Prejudice I Text Ch. 11
Research Proposal
Due 5pm
Mar 15th (T) 16 Stereotyping and Prejudice II
Mar 17th (R) 17 Magical Thinking
Mar 22nd (T) Midterm 2
Mar 24th (R) 18 Design (Nudges)
Mar 29th (T) 19 Willpower
Mar 31st (R) 20 Application and Conclusion
Apr 5th (T) Flex Class 1
Apr 7th (R) Flex Class 2
Apr 12th (T) Final Paper Due
11:59pm
Apr 14th (R) Final Extension for
Research Paper

*Please note that either the schedule or the readings may be adjusted as the term progresses. If changes
are made, an announcement will be made and an updated schedule will be posted on the course website.
Non-Textbook Reading List:

Kahnemen, D. (2010). Thinking fast and slow, pgs. 1-7 (Lecture 3); pgs. 278-299 (Lecture 4).

Psychology Research Experience Pool (PREP) Information for Students

As a student in the Psychology Research Experience Pool (PREP), you may choose to participate in
psychology experiments for bonus credit points. You may earn up to 3% bonus marks via PREP. You may
view a list of available research experiences at http://mun.sona-systems.com. You will see a link to create
a new account. You must use your @mun.ca email address for your PREP account. When you login to the
system the first time, you will be provided with some background information on your rights and
responsibilities as a student in PREP. Please make sure you read this information (it is available to review
at any time in the FAQ section of the website).

It is your choice whether or not to participate in any study. If you do not wish to participate in any
studies, then you have the option of completing an alternative written assignment to earn the bonus
credit points. Each assignment is worth one credit point, and you may choose to do as many assignments
as you wish, up to the maximum credit point value for your course. You may also choose to earn your
bonus credit points with a combination of study participation and alternative written assignment(s) – the
choice is yours. Please contact the PREP administrator ([email protected]) for more information on the
alternative assignment – do not ask your course instructor.

For the Winter 2021 semester, please know that only remote research experiences will be available. This
will mostly consist of online studies (i.e., tasks that are completed in a web browser and can be completed
at any time of your choosing, up until the specified deadline). However, other remote studies may be
available, including those conducted via secure webcam sessions at specific times, or those that require
you to download and run a program on your own computer (and may have specific computer
requirements). Sometimes, studies may have multiple parts that must be done at specific times. Please be
sure to read the study details before you sign up, and always feel free to ask the researcher(s) for more
information.

Finally, you should know that your course instructor has very limited access to PREP records. The only
information your course instructor will be able to access is the total number of credit points earned by
students in his or her course. Instructors do not have access to which studies students have participated
in, and will not be able to tell whether you have earned credit points from Research Participation,
Research Observation, or from completing the alternative assignment.

If you have any questions about PREP, please email [email protected].