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Social perception and attitudes

Study level: Undergraduate study programme in psychology
Lecturers: Željka Kamenov, Ph.D., Aleksandra Huić, Ph.D.
ECTS: 6
Language: Croatian
Semester: 4th (summer)
Status: mandatory
Form of instruction with class hours: 30 hours of lectures, 15 hours of seminars, 15 hours of practical work
Prerequisites: none
Student evaluation: Student grades will be based on in-class activity assessments (individual and group assignments) and final exam comprising written and oral part.

Course description

The definition and history of social psychology. Methodology in social psychological research. Self-concept. Sources of self-knowledge. Social comparison. Self-awareness and self-consciousness. Selfesteem. Self-presentation. Social perception. Non-verbal behavior. Impression formation. Implicit
personality theories. Concluding about reasons for someone’s  actions. Attitudes – definitions, structure. Forming and changing attitudes. Methods and techniques for measuring attitudes. Consistency theories - balance theory, congruency theory, theory of cognitive dissonance, theory of affective-cognitive consistency. Persuasion and attitude strength. Theory of p sychological reactance. Interaction of attitudes and behavior.

Course objectives

Students will be able to define the domain of social psychology and to distinguish it from other areas of psychology and other social sciences. They will know the basic social psychological concepts necessary for understanding the social behavior of individuals and groups. They will notice the importance of understanding someone's own interpretations of social world; they will understand how people make impressions of others and why those impressions are sometimes biased. Students will become familiar with the most important theories and empirical findings that explain the importance of attitudes. They will be able to choose and apply relevant measuring techniques.

Required readings

Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D. i Akert, R. M. (2005). Socijalna psihologija. Zagreb: Mate.
Hewstone, M. i Stroebe, W. (2002). Uvod u socijalnu psihologiju. Jastrebarsko: Naklada Slap.
Pennington, D.C. (1997). Osnove socijalne psihologije. Jastrebarsko: Naklada Slap.

Recommended readings
Deaux, K., Dane, F.C. i Wrightsman, L. S. (1993). Social Psychology in the 90's. Pacific Grove, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Myers, D. G. (1993). Social Psychology. New York: McGraw Hill.

Radovi iz tekuće znanstvene i stručne periodike:
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
European Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Advances in Experimental Social Psychology
European Review of Social Pscychology