Psychology

Social psychology is the scientific study of the way individuals think, feel, and behave in social situations. Social psychologists seek to answer many questions that are relevant to our everyday lives. How are we influenced by other people? How do we come to know ourselves? How do we form impressions of the people we meet, and how do we explain other people's behavior? What causes relationships to begin or to fail? Why are people sometimes helpful, but at other times aggressive or even cruel? While these questions aren't new (certainly philosophers have long considered many of these topics, and anyone who likes people-watching has probably wondered about some of them) social psychology is unique in that it applies the scientific method to investigate such topics. Social psychologists not only develop theories of social behavior, but they use empirical research to identify which theories are good and can be put to practical use. In this course, we will learn about these basic social psychological issues, how to interpret and evaluate relevant research findings, and how social psychological principles can be applied to everyday life.

Please note that the textbook for this course is the *7th Edition* of Aronson, Wilson, and Akert's Social Psychology, also available as an ebook here: http://www.coursesmart.com/9780138144579