Elizabeth Lozano

Survey of the major topics and theories studied by social psychologists. Students will be introduced to ways in which social psychologists conduct research in the field. One of the major objectives of this course is to stimulate students to think about how social psychological research may provide answers to some of our everyday problems. Students will be required to read and critique original research studies. Some of the topics include research methods in social psychology, the self in a social world, social beliefs, behaviors and attitudes, genes, culture, and gender, conformity, persuasion, group influence, prejudice, aggression, attraction, altruism, conflict and peace making.

A history of cognitive science as a discipline. Topics such as human learning, memory, perception, language, and attention are reviewed. Theories and research on mental processes underlying these behaviors and biological underpinnings and real-life application of these topics are studied.

Fundamentals of research methodology in psychological research including literature review, hypothesis generation, design, measurement, statistical analysis, ethics and APA format writing style. Emphasis on the selected cognate content areas of social and personality psychology.