Social Psychology of Opinion and Behavior

Code:

P835

Acronym:

PSOCS

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2011/2012 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIPSI	18	Official Curricular Structure 2007/2008	4	-	6	-

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

At the end of the semester, the students should understand the origin and the functioning of everyday way of thinking. They should have a good knowledge of the theories developed in the research on natural categories, schemata and social representations; they should be able to identify and analyze the processes that take place in social information processing, as well as the factors that influence the way how opinions are formed. The students should also know and be able to use the techniques that permit to gather and analyze the information that makes up the thought systems of the social groups, identify the factors at the origin of the differences in opinions and those likely to modulate the discourses expressed on social objects.

Program

Categorization: basic principles
“Natural” and “social” categories
Schemata: definition, types, functions and effects
Stereotypes: definition and individualist approaches
Stereotypes: social and socio-cultural approaches
Social representations: definition and basic principles
Social representations: dimensional and structural approaches
Social representations: organizing principles
Social representations: research methodology
Social representations and social inequality
Social representations and differences between the sexes

Mandatory literature

Domínguez José Francisco Morales direct.; Estudios de psicología social. ISBN: ISBN 84-362-4855-4
Moscovici Serge; Social representations. ISBN: ISBN 0-8147-5630-1
Lindzey Gardner; The handbook of social psychology. ISBN: ISBN 0-394-35050-9 (v. 1)

Teaching methods and learning activities

2 hours per week: theory
2 hours per week: practice

keywords

Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology > Social psychology
Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology > Applied psychology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Eligibility for exams

Continuous evaluation based on the participation in the research (bibliographical research, planning of the research, information gathering and analysis, redaction and presentation of results). Attendance required.
Individual final report consisting in a research project about a social object, including a bibliographical research on the selected object as well as on the proposed methodology of investigation.

Calculation formula of final grade

Evaluation of practical work : 40% of the final evaluation
Evaluation of final report : 60% of the final evaluation

Examinations or Special Assignments

Practical work on opinions’ research and analysis, including the application of the techniques that are appropriate to the analysis of social knowledge.
Elaboration of an original research project about the way of thinking of different social groups on a social object to be defined by the student.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

None

Classification improvement

Reformulation of the individual research project

Observations

Basic bibliography:
Agoustinos, M. & Walker, I. (1996). Social Cognition: An integrated introduction. Londres: Sage.
Moscovici, S. & Duveen, G. (2000). Social representations. Cambridge: Polity.
Poeschl, G. (2003). Teoría de las representaciones sociales. In J.F. Morales & C. Huici (Eds.), Estudios de Psicología Social (pp. 439-466). Madrid: UNED.
Poeschl, G. (2004). (Org.). Dinâmicas posicionais e dinâmicas representacionais. Psicologia, Vol. 18.