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Social Psychology: Pro and Anti-social Behaviour

PSY504

Course CodePSY504
ECTS

Course Description

This aim of this unit is to equip learners with the knowledge and understanding of social psychology and how it seeks to understand how people think, feel and act in relation to others and the world around them. As such, the topics of interest to social psychologist cover almost everything humans do, from personal choices to conflict and violence in society. Because social psychology is applicable to so many domains, it is also directly relevant to everyday life by learning about social psychology.

Course Objectives

This aim of this unit is to equip learners with the knowledge and understanding of social psychology and how it seeks to understand how people think, feel and act in relation to others and the world around them. As such, the topics of interest to social psychologist cover almost everything humans do, from personal choices to conflict and violence in society. Because social psychology is applicable to so many domains, it is also directly relevant to everyday life by learning about social psychology.

Key Topics

  1. LO1: Understand aggression and antisocial behaviour.
  2. LO2: Understand media influences on antisocial behaviour.
  3. LO3: Understand research studies relating to social psychological theories of aggression.
  4. LO4: Understand human altruism and bystander behaviour.

Course Outline

WeekTopics
1Defining aggression and antisocial behaviour; the importance of intention
2Theories of aggression: Lorenz’s ethological approach, evolutionary explanations, Freud, the frustration-aggression hypothesis
3Social psychological links: social learning theory (Bandura and Walters), attributional perspective, aggressive cue theory
4Media and antisocial behaviour: examples, social learning and media violence, how violence is perceived
5How media exerts its effects: Dubow’s organisational framework, deindividuation, terrorism and the internet
6Key studies: Bandura’s Bobo doll, Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison experiment, Mann’s baiting crowd
7Evaluating aggression research: demand characteristics and environmental stressors
MidtermMidterm evaluation
9Defining altruism and bystander behaviour
10Bystander behaviour: Latané and Darley’s decision model, Piliavin’s arousal: cost-reward model
11Cultural, gender and urban–rural differences in helping
12Assessment workshop: drafting against the assessment criteria, one-to-one tutorials, formative feedback on drafts
13Supervised completion and submission
14Assignment workshop: drafting, feedback and improvement
15Review and coursework completion
FinalFinal assessment and submission

Learning Outcomes

  1. LO1 Understand aggression and antisocial behaviour.
  2. 1.1 Define: aggression; antisocial behaviour.
  3. 1.2 Explain theories relating to aggression and antisocial behaviour.
  4. 1.3 Analyse the links between social psychology and aggression and antisocial behaviour.
  5. LO2 Understand media influences on antisocial behaviour.
  6. 2.1 Identify examples where the media has influenced antisocial behaviour.
  7. 2.2 Analyse the impacts of media on anti-social behaviour.
  8. LO3 Understand research studies relating to social psychological theories of aggression.
  9. 3.1 Identify research studies focussing on social psychological theories of aggression.
  10. 3.2 Evaluate research studies on aggressive behaviours.
  11. LO4 Understand human altruism and bystander behaviour.
  12. 4.1 Define: human altruism; bystander behaviour.
  13. 4.2 Analyse the reasons behind ‘helping behaviours.’
  14. 4.3 Analyse explanations of how people behave completely differently from the expected.
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