James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2011

PY3102 - Social Psychology

Credit points: 03
Year: 2011
Student Contribution Band: Band 1
Administered by: School of Arts & Social Sciences

Social psychology is concerned with the broader social contexts of behaviour and how interactions with others influence constructions and understandings of self, others and social reality. While the level of analysis is often the individual, theories and research take into account ongoing transactions with social and environmental settings and contexts and individual and collective sense making and representations. The subject attempts to provide a historical and contemporary overview of social psychology and to examine more closely a number of recurrent theoretical, methodological and ethical issues which social psychologists have addressed. Time is spent on classic social psychological theory and research in the areas of attitudinal change, social influence, person perception and group dynamics, as well as on applications of social psychology with respect to the psychology of difference (prejudice, cultural difference, gender difference) and behaviour change in the domains of politics, health, marketing and the environment. Social psychology has a particular interest in the way other people influence thoughts, feelings and actions and the nature and importance of the social environment in information processing. Hence the subject considers and contextualises past and current ways of framing attitudes, beliefs and values and attribution and social inference, in the context of current models of social cognition and social representations. Finally, social psychology has made a substantial investment in the development of measures and methodologies for researching attitudes, group processes, social cognition and intervention effectiveness; an ongoing critical discussion of these methods is an integral part of the subject.

Learning Outcomes

Assumed
Knowledge:
To undertake this subject, students must have successfully completed 12 credit points (four subjects) of level 1 study at tertiary level
Prerequisites:PY1101 OR PY1102
Inadmissible
Subject
Combinations:
PY3095

Availabilities

Townsville, Internal, Study Period 1
Census Date 24-Mar-2011
Coordinator: Ms Kerry McBain
Contact hours:
  • 26 hours lectures
  • 24 hours tutorials
    Assessment:end of semester exam (25%); quizzes or tests (25% - 50%); practical work (25% - 50%).

    Cairns, Internal, Study Period 1
    Census Date 24-Mar-2011
    Coord/Lect: Dr Nerina Caltabiano.
    Contact hours:
    • 26 hours lectures
    • 24 hours tutorials
      Assessment:end of semester exam (40%); quizzes or tests (20%); practical work (40%).

      JCU Singapore, Internal, Study Period 52
      Census Date 21-Jul-2011
      Coordinator: Dr Nerina Caltabiano
      Lecturer: Ms Senthu Jeyaraj.
      Contact hours:
      • 26 hours lectures
      • 24 hours tutorials
        Assessment:end of semester exam (25%); quizzes or tests (25% - 50%); practical work (25% - 50%).

        Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.