SOCIAL AND MASS COMMUNICATION PSYCHOLOGY
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2016/2017
- Teacher
- FLAVIA ALBARELLO
- Credits
- 12
- Didactic period
- Primo Semestre
- SSD
- M-PSI/05
Training objectives
- The aim of the course is to transmit basic knowledge about the social psychological processes underlying the social knowledge.
Students are required to develop the ability of detecting the systematic, normal, and ordinary biases that characterize social cognition and to use the social cognitive tools that help challenging such systematic tendencies.
The course tackles the social psychological process underlying social knowledge and social interactions at interpersonal and group level.
a) Knowledge in discipline:
• The basic social cognitive process implied in the interaction between the individual and his/her social enviroment.
• The main theoretical contributions on social cognition, attitudes, impression formation, self-concept and identity development, social representation, aggressive and prosocial behaviour, intragroup processes, intergroup relations, soical discrimination, social cognitive devices to reduce prejudice, social influence.
• The methodology employed to study social psychological processes and phenomena;
• The experimental approach to study social psychological phenomena.
b) Know how and capabilities:
•using experimental research methodologies;
• employing correct social psychological terms;
• analysing social psychological phenomena and detecting biases in social cognition;
c) Soft skills:
• develop analitic skills on social phenomena;
• being able to employ experimental methologies to analyse real life fenomena;
• being able to write scientific report on the issues tackled by the discipline.
Prerequisites
- none
Course programme
- The first part of the course deals with some fundamental issues of the discipline. The focus is specifically addressed to the processes implied in the perception and interpretation of social world (social cognition, schema, heuristics, causal attributions) and in aspects of social judgement (attitudes and their changement, persuasion, social perceptions). Then, it deals with the nature of self; the need to safeguard a self positivive image. The course analyses, also, the nature and the features of prosocial behavior (explanatory theories, personal and situational causes, main effects of helping behaviors; the nature and the characteristics of aggressive behavior (biochemical and situational factors, strategies to reduce aggressivity in social life).
The second part concerns the main aspects of intragroup andintergroup relations,and of social influence. Then, communication in interpersonal and intergroup relations will be addressed. Didactic methods
- Lessons supported with projection of slides (the entire lessons will be available on line in streaming on the Formation At Distance (FAD) site; thematic seminars on the main issues and developments in contemporary social psychological research , methodological exercises on tackled issues and replication of pivotal experimental research conducted in social psychology.
Learning assessment procedures
- Written examination consisting of two separate parts:
First: 30 multiple choices questions on the main topics described in the Manual entitled “Psicologia sociale” by Palmonari, Cavazza, and Rubini. (score for correct answer = 1; score for non-correct answer = 0).
Second: students will be asked to answer concisely and sharply to an open question (providing the score of max. 3 more points) on the issues tackled in one of the supplementary texts suggested by the professor. Students attending the lessons can decide to answer alternatively to a question related to the topics that will be tackled in class only. Reference texts
- Handbooks:
Palmonari, A., Cavazza, N., e Rubini, M. (2012). Psicologia sociale (seconda edizione). Bologna: Il Mulino. Chacpters I, II, III, IV, VI
Palmonari, A., e Cavazza, N. (2013). Ricerche e protagonisti della psicologia sociale. Bologna: Il Mulino. Chapters I, IV, V, VI
Moreover, the student has to choose and study one among the following contributions in order to answer to the open question that will contribute to integrate the results on the multiple choise examination (max 3 additional points):
Cavazza, N. (2007). La persuasione. Bologna: Il Mulino.
Mugny, G., e Carugati, F. (1988). L’intelligenza al plurale: Rappresentazioni sociali
dell’intelligenza e il suo sviluppo. Bologna: CLUEB.
Bocchiaro, P. (2009). Psicologia del male. Roma-Bari: Editori Laterza.
Arcuri, L., e Castelli, L. (1996). La trasmissione dei pensieri. Un approccio psicologico alle comunicazioni di massa. Bologna: Zanichelli.
Volpato, C. (2016). Deumanizzazione. Bari: Editori Laterza
