Welcome to Section 9!

Many people think that Social Psychology is simply just "common sense" Psychology. You've studied your friends and family; you give them advice that seems to come from years (how old are you?) of experience. The problem is, the power of the social world is largely overlooked in the ways we actually behavior. We would like to think all our choices and actions are within our control, but we are often very bad at predicting.

By virtue of living in a world with other people, you have been influenced by and influence the social world. In this chapter, we will explore Social Psychology and its phenomena. I want you to keep in mind, the studies that we will discuss are about how everyone, on average, tend to behavior. That means YOU. When you hear a fact that about 65% of people will harm someone else simply because a perceived authority told them to, that means 2 out of 3 people (Milgram's Obedience to Authority studies). When we hear that the presence of others limits the immediate help someone in distress receives, we're talking about YOU. You will be less likely to help, being affected by the Bystander Effect (even if that just means you'll be delayed, rather than helping immediately).

This is about you.

Here is your list of action items for this section:

1. Read Chapter 12 about Social Psychology

Chapter 12 - Social Psychology READ HERE
- Introduction
- What is Social Psychology?
- Self-presentation
- Attitudes and Persuasion
- Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience
- Prejudice and Discrimination
- Aggression
- Prosocial Behavior
Watch these videos to help you understand Social Psychology a bit better as well

2. Take the Chapter 12 Quiz.

Ready for the Quiz? Yes, you may use your notes and book, but it's best to be familiar with the information already, since there is a time limit. Click HERE when you are ready.

3. Online Discussion (50 points) -- Implicit Association Task

Your text introduces you to "Prejudice and Discrimination." Be sure to read through that section before joining the discussion. The discussion will ask you to watch about 10 minutes of video, and complete a Psychology experiment. See the discussion description for more details.

Ready to join the discussion? CLICK HERE for the "Implicit Association Task" Discussion.

4. Complete the Random Assignment -- "This is My World"

Do you have questions pertaining to your social world? Do you have an experience of a social phenomenon you can share? Feel free to comment on the discussion board this week. I will try to update it with references to articles, information, and more knowledge. This board is similar to the "Introduce Yourself" assignment, where you are not required (though always encouraged) to reply to your classmates.

You may talk about experiences you might have had that connect with our topics this chapter. If you plan to make a post, try to reference what Social Psychology theory YOU think is related to your experience. More details in the description of the assignment.

Posting on this board (within the parameters in the description) will earn you up to 20 points.

Ready to add to our knowledge of experiences? CLICK HERE for the "This is My World" discussion board.

Congratulations on Completing Section 11!

Ready to get back to work?