SYLLABUS

Type of information
Name of the lecturer(s)
Academic degree
Affiliation
Course title
Course type (lecture,
seminar, class); number of
hours; number of ECTS
Brief course description

Full course description

Content
Michal Bilewicz
Ph. D.
University of Warsaw
Social Psychology
Lecture, 30h, 4 ECTS

This is a course in social psychology meaning the study of

individuals cognitions, emotion and behaviour within the
context of society (meaning: other individuals, as well as groups
and other social beings).
The course will introduce the social psychological
understanding of human cognition, affect and behavior. Social
cognition and intergroup relations subfields will be of focal
interest and the social identity framework will be used as a
main interpretative framework to understand human social
behavior. The course will provide students with a background in
classic and modern social psychological theories, as well as
opportunities to interpret the real-life problems within the
theoretical framework of social psychology.

List of topics*
1. Introduction

Key questions of social psychology (Who?When?Why?). Social

psychology and other related disciplines (sociology, cognitive
science, personality psychology, clinical psychology),
applications of social psychology, scientific method in social
psychology, correlational studies vs. experimental studies,
sociological roots of social psychology (Znaniecki, Durkheim,
Marx), European roots of social psychology (Gestalt, Lewin,
Frankfurt School, Tajfel, Heider, Moscovici), contribution of
classical thinkers (Lewin, Festinger, Allport) and their students
(Bandura, Pettigrew, Greenwald).
2. Social cognition

Social psychology and cognitive psychology. Example: Stroop

test in social psychological research. Priming (superluminal vs.
subliminal). Higgins, Bargh. Affect and emotion (Ekman). Goal
proming (Ferguson & Bargh, Kruglanski et al., Rasinski et al.).
Subliminal priming (Murphy & Zajonc). Debate over
subliminal persuasion. Neural basis for subliminal affective
priming (LeDoux). Impression formation (Todorov, Zebrowitz).
Embodied social cognition.
3. Social cognition (II)

Cognitive closure and nave epistemology (Kruglanski).

Heuristics, cognitive schemata. Biases: confirmation bias
(Snyder & Swann), hindsight bias (Fischhoff). Just world

beliefs (Lerner). Self-fulfilling prophecies in economy,

sociology (Thomas, Merton) and psychology. Rosenhan
hospital experiments. Pygmalion effect. Stereotype threat
(Steele, Aronson, current studies).
4. Decisions and attitudes

Decision making Tversky and Kahneman. Trust and mistrust.

Prisoners dilemma. Iterated dilemmas (Axelrod), intergroup
trust games (Yamagishi & Kiyonari). Attitudes: definition
(ABC). Function of attitudes. Measurement issues (Thurstone,
Likert). Bogus pipeline, implicit vs. explicit attitudes.
Physiological methods (EMG, EEG, fMRI), reaction times,
IAT. Cognitive dissonance (Festinger). Post-decision
dissonance. Dissonance and implicit attitudes (Gawronski &
Strack). Different explanations of dissonance (Bem, Fazio).
Affect-behavior link (LaPiere). Theory of planned behavior
(Fishbein & Ajzen).
5. Attributions, influence and helping.

Internal vs. external. Theories of attribution (Jones, Kelley,

Hilton). Conversation-based models. Fundamental attribution
error. Conformity (Asch and contemporary experiments). Social
influence (foot in the door, door in the face and other effects).
Minority influence (Moscovici). Obedience (Milgram).
Aggression (Dollard & Miller). Bystander effect and helping
(Latane, Darley, Nadler).
6. Groups and conflict

Groups and collective. Social facilitation. Deindividuation

(Zimbardo). Groupthing. Group tasks (additive, conjuctive,
disjunctive). Brainstorming: facts and myths. Intergroup
conflict. Ethnic conflicts. Types of conflict (Deutsch).
Intergroup differentiation (Brewer, Tajfel). Conflict theories
(realistic group conflict, relative deprivation, ethnocentrism).
Need-based model of conflict. Cultural mistrust.
7. Theories of social identity

Social identity theory, optimal discinctiveness theory, social

dominance theory, self-uncertainty reduction theory, terror
management theory, group-level control restoration theory,
system justification theory. Social identity vs. social
identification. From social categorization to social identity.
How to deal with negative social identities. Depersonalization
(Turner). SDO & RWA and their consequences (Duckitt
model). Nationalism vs. patriotism (Mummendey, Hopkins,
Brewer).
8. Stereotyping and prejudice

Classical approaches (Lippman, Allport). Cognitive

consequences of stereotyping (Hamilton, Snyder, Rothbart).

Measuring stereotype (Katz&Braly, Brigham, Esses&Zanna).
Intergroup attributions (Hewstone, Pettigrew). Language and
stereotyping (linguistic intergroup bias, Semin & Fiedler;
Maass). Outgroup homogeneity effect. Stereotype content
(Fiske & Glick). Prejudice its sources and nature. Theories of
anti-Semitism.
9. Intergroup emotions and dehumanization

Intergroup appraisals (Smith, Alexander). Bias map (Glick &

Fiske) dehumanizing the cold and incompetent. Intergroup
anxiety (Stephan) and social identity threat (Branscombe).
Siege mentality In intergroup relations (Bar-Tal). Hate crimes
and xenophobia. Group-focussed enmity. Dehumanization
(Haslam) and infrahumanization (Leyens). Consequences of
dehumanization.
10. Tolerance

Contact hypothesis. Early studies (Allport, Sheriff).

Cooperative learning and jigsaw classroom. Mediators and
moderators of contact. Computer simulations and real-life
examples. Personalization (Brewer and Miller). Common
ingroup identity model vs. ingroup projection model. Salient
categories model (Hewstone).
11. Social psychology: history and future.

Prerequisites for
students**
Learning outcomes

Perceived collective continuity and its consequences (Sani).

Moral emotions (shame, guilt, regret). Collective guilt.
Attributions of the history. Psychology of reconciliation.
Forgiveness. Collective representations of the past (Liu).
History and the environment (Lewicka). Temporal construal
(Trope, Lieberman). Social psychology and current problems:
New forms of prejudice: modern and symbolic racism; aversive
racism (Dovidio, Devine), climatic issues, human-animal
interactions, Internet and new identities.
No
The students who complete this course will gain competence in
the field of social psychology and will be able to integrate the
material from different sections (social cognition, attitudes,
intra- and intergroup relations, social influence, helping, etc.),
as well as to understand the specificity of regional context
(Poland, Eastern Europe), its transitional changes, the issues of
discrimination, prejudice and tolerance.
Students graduating this course will increase knowledge of
statistical methods and experimental models
(mediation/moderation), will gain knowledge about implicit and
uncounscious emotional and cognitive processes that affect
human behavior and attitudes. They will be able to apply
psychological knowledge to understanding the basic social and

Assessment methods
and criteria***
Learning activities
and teaching methods
Bibliography****

political processes (crucial for expertise, policy-making, etc.).

Written exam (multiple choice questions and one open-ended short essay)
Lecture with some classroom discussion
Social Psychology, Michael Hogg & Graham Vaughan,
Pearson: Prentice Hall

Remarks
* If it applies to your course, please link topics with appropriate readings so that students
know which article or book chapter they need to read for a given class.
** To be filled only if there are courses which are to be taken in advance or special range of
knowledge, skills or other competences should be achieved by a student before taking this
course.
*** Specify requirements for completing the course. If it finishes with an exam, write its form
(written/oral). For written form please specify if it would be a test: multiple choice or open
questions. If you think attendance should be obligatory, please make it clear in the syllabus,
for example: 2 absences are possible, the 3rd absence results in additional work and 4 or more
absences result in failing the course. This is just an example, you can set your own attendance
rules.
**** If the book (or tests or any kind of materials), you need for your course is not in our
library and you would like us to buy it, please write here: studies@psych.uw.edu.pl.