00870 - Social Psychology

Course contents

Part 1: prof. Michela Menegatti

- Brief history of social psychology and its underlined epistemological approaches.

- Methods of social psychological research.

- Social cognition: knowing the social world, impression formation, social categorization.

- Social influence: conformity, minority influence, obedience.

Part 2: prof. Agostino Carbone

- Attitudes: formation, transmission.

- Persuasione: main models, message and source of communication.

- Aggressive behaviours: individual and social explanations, influence of media, reduction strategies.

- Pro-social behaviours: motivations, emphaty.

- Intergruoup discrimination: experiments, realistic conflict, social identity.

- Social psychology in the digital era: consequences of digital technology, social relations and social media.

-Enviromental psychology: perception of phisycal environment, sustainable environments)

- Political psychology: political ideology, perception of political leader and political communication.

Readings/Bibliography

Book

Andrighetto, L. e Riva, P. (2020). Psicologia Sociale. Fondamenti teorici ed empirici. Il Mulino.

(Chapeter XIV excluded.

Palmonari, A., Cavazza, N. ( A cura di), (2012). Ricerche e Protagonisti della Psicologia Sociale. Il Mulino.

Chapters 1 and 2 excluded.

Paper in Scientific Journal

Cinicola, A. (2015). Sessismo ostile e sessismo benevolo: due facce della stessa medaglia? Psicologia Sociale, 3, 187-208.

Teaching methods

The course will be taught trough frontal lessons. Videoclips/movies will be used to explain how psychological processes and behaviours happen in daily life, and to illustrate the most important experiments of social psychology in both their original form and modern adaptation. Comments and discussion will be strongly encouraged in order to understand how social-psychological process explain real and daily life phenomena, and facilitate the links with other psychological domains.

The frequency to the lessons will not be measured but it is strongly recommended.

Assessment methods

The exam aims at verifying the acquisition of the knowledge in the four areas described above. The questions, although in close format, do not ask to simply memorize the key concepts, but to deeply understand the contents of social psychology and the ability to make connections among them.

The final exam is in written form. It comprises 31 close-format questions to be answered in 30 minutes. The exam concerns the entire program of the course and it is not divided according to the two modules.

Students who will follow all classes could do a specific exam at the end of the course (middle of December).

Oral exam could be requested in the following cases: difficulties in writing and reading, difficulties linked to the Italian language, several failed attempts to do the exam.

Signing up on AlmaEsami is mandatory. Any problem to sign up should be reported to the office as soon as possible.

Teaching tools

Teaching material will be made available on IOL platform (in accordance with copyright norms).

Office hours

See the website of Michela Menegatti

See the website of Valeria Amata Giannella