Laboratory in Social Behavior and Interpersonal Processes:
Psychology 257 Syllabus (Winter 2004)

Olin 111, x4379, e-mail: nlutsky@carleton.edu
Web Home Page: http://www.acad.carleton.edu/curricular/PSYC/lutsky/Lutsky.html

Psychology 257 is intended to introduce you to general issues in research in social psychology and to selected examples of the phenomena social psychologists study, the research questions they pose, and the research methods they employ. Its means is to give you hands-on experience designing, executing, and reporting experimental studies in social psychology. The list of topics and readings below indicates what in social psychology we will be exploring. The requirements for this two-credit course include the following: attendance at laboratory sessions, completion of assigned readings in a timely manner, participation as researchers in the design and execution of course projects, submission of two (short) research reports, and construction of one (informative and engaging) research poster.

• T, 1/6 Research, design, and ethical issues in social psychology; The Asch study.
  
  Fiske, S. (2004). Social beings, 35-77.
  
  
• Th, 1/8 Alternative methods of studying obedience to authority.
  
  Collins, B. E., & Brief, D. E. (1995). Using person-perception vignette methodologies to uncover
  the symbolic meanings of teacher behaviors in the Milgram paradigm. Journal of Social Issues,
  51, 89-106.
  
  
• T, 1/13 Social influence laboratory.
  
  White, G. M. (1975). Contextual determinants of opinion judgments: Field experimental probes of
  judgmental relativity boundary conditions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 1047-1054.
  
  
• Th, 1/15 Social influence laboratory design and preparation of materials.
  
  
• T, 1/20 Social influence project data analysis.
  
  
• Th, 1/22 Writing a research report and constructing a poster.
  
  Aronson et al., Methods of Research in Social Psychology, 326-345.
  
  
• T, 1/27 Physiological research in social psychology: Stress in a social context.
  
  Taylor, S. E., et al. (2000). Biobehavioral responses to stress in females. Psychological Review, 107, 411-429.
  
  
• Th, 1/29 Nonverbal communication assessment.
  
  
• T, 2/3 Interpersonal compliance laboratory.
  
  Burger, J. M., et al. (2004). What a coincidence! The effects of incidental similarity on
  compliance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 35-43.
  
  
• Th, 2/5 Social compliance laboratory design and preparation of materials.
  
  
• T, 2/10 Social compliance laboratory.
  
  
• Th, 2/12 Social compliance laboratory.
  
  
• T, 2/17 Research methods for the study of relationships.
  
  Gottman, J. M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., & Swanson, C. (1998). Predicting marital happiness
  and stability from newlywed interactions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 60, 5-22.
  
  
• Th, 2/19 Attraction laboratory.
  
  Gonzales, M. H., & Meyers, S. A. (1993). Self-presentation in the personals ads of heterosexual
  and homosexual men and women. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19, 131-142.
  
  
• T, 2/24 Attraction laboratory.
  
  
• Th, 2/26 Attraction laboratory
  .
  
• T, 3/2 Research methods for the study of groups: Social loafing.
  
  Latane, B., Williams, K., & Harkins, S. (1979). Many hands make light the work: The causes and
  consequences of social loafing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 822-832.
  
  
• Th, 3/4 Conflict and strategic interaction simulation methods.
  
  
• T, 3/9 Poster presentation rehearsal.
  
  
• W, 3/10, 6:30-8:00, Public presentation of posters, Hulings Atrium Space.