2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

PSYC3544 Applied Social Psychology

15 creditsClass Size: 80

Module manager: Prof Mark Conner
Email: m.t.conner@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Pre-requisite qualifications

Successful completion of all pass for progression modules in Level 2 of: BSc Psychology or MPsyc, BSc Advanced Psychology, BA Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Thought (and its International and Industrial variants) or BSc Psychology with Education (and its International and Industrial variants)

Pre-requisites

PSYC2504

Advanced Social Psychology

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module considers applied social psychological approaches to understanding, predicting and changing behaviour in a range of domains such as health, environment, politics, consumer, education, safety, transport, occupational and legal. The lectures provide state of the art coverage of current understanding of key influences on a range of different behaviours. Each lecture is given by an expert who is a researcher active in that area and provides both an overview and detailed coverage of recent cutting edge research.Additional details of individual lectures below:1. Attitudes and behaviour. Direct, mediated and moderated effects of attitudes on behaviour will be covered including a focus on instrumental versus affective attitudes, the attitude-intention-behaviour link and moderators such as attitudinal ambivalence. Both correlational and experimental research will be considered with the latter focusing on the impacts of changing attitudes on changing intentions and behaviour.2. Norms and behaviour. Injunctive, descriptive and moral norms will be distinguished and their direct, mediated and moderated effects on behaviour will be considered. The social norms approach to using norms to change behaviour will be considered. The mediating effects of intentions and interactions with attitudes (the contingent-consistency hypothesis) will also be covered.3. Affect and behaviour. A distinction between affective attitudes, anticipated affect and other forms of affect will be made. Direct, mediated and moderated effects of affect on behaviour will be covered. Both correlational and experimental research will be considered with the latter focusing on the impacts of changing affect on changing intentions and behaviour.4. Intentions and behaviour. Determinants of intentions as set out in the Reasoned Action Approach will be considered. Direct, mediated and moderated effects of intentions on behaviour will be covered including a focus on goal versus implementation intentions and key moderators of the intention-behaviour link (e.g., intention stability; goal priority; degree of intention formation; motivational coherence). Use of implementation intentions to change behaviour will be reviewed.5. Socio-Economic Status and behaviour. Direct, mediated and moderated effects of Socio-Economic Status (SES) on behaviour will be covered including a focus on different measures of SES, the SES-cognitions-behaviour link and the extent to which SES moderates the impact of intentions, attitudes and other cognitions on behaviour.6. Automatic influences on behaviour. Measures of automatic influences such as the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) will be considered. Direct, mediated and moderated effects of automatic influences on behaviour will be covered. Both correlational and experimental research will be considered with the latter focusing on the impacts of changing automatic influences on changing behaviour.7. Stereotype threat and behaviour. The stereotype threat effect is defined as task performance reduction following exposure to a negative stereotype (Steele, 1997). Models of stereotype threat, the application of stereotype threat to applied settings (e.g., education), and methods to overcome it will be explored. 8. Feedback and behaviour. Feedback is inherent in the routine experience of daily life and is a fundamental determinant of behaviour and behaviour change across many applied settings, such as in the workplace and in education. In this session, historical research into the variable effects of feedback on behaviour will be critically reviewed and the role of feedback will be examined from multiple theoretical perspectives, including motivational and learning processes (e.g. Goal Setting Theory and Control Theory). The case will then be made for an integrated Feedback Intervention Theory and more recent applications of feedback theory in applied domains such as audit and feedback in healthcare services and implementation science will be described, with practical examples.9. Self-efficacy and behaviour. Direct, mediated and moderated effects of self-efficacy on behaviour will be covered including a focus on self-efficacy versus perceived control, the self-efficacy -intention-behaviour link and moderators such as intentions. Both correlational and experimental research will be considered with the latter focusing on the impacts of changing self-efficacy on changing intentions and behaviour.10. Revision.

Objectives

This module aims to provide in depth coverage of empirical, conceptual and theoretical issues relating to 'Applied Social Psychology'. The module will be taught by experts in the subject focusing on their own area of expertise.
Students will continue to develop their knowledge in this area of the discipline with particular emphasis on relevant research.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:

1) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of applied social psychology theories and models that can be applied to understanding, predicting and changing behaviour across a range of domains with real-world implications.
2) Critically discuss psychological aspects of applied social psychology.
3) Critically evaluate the extent to which individual differences in applied social psychological constructs can explain broad variations in behaviour across different domains.

Skills outcomes
- Knowledge of applied social psychology theories and models that can be applied to real-world issues of understanding, predicting and changing behaviour across a range of domains including health, environment, politics, consumer, education, safety, transport, occupational and legal.
- Literature reviewing and presentation skills
- Peer group teaching.

Syllabus

- Attitudes and behaviour
- Norms and behaviour
- Affect and behaviour
- Intentions and behaviour
- Socio-economic status and behaviour
- Automatic influences on behaviour
- Stereotype threat and behaviour
- Feedback and behaviour
- Self-efficacy and behaviour

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Drop-in Session	9	1.00	9.00
Lectures	9	1.50	13.50
seminars	1	2.00	2.00
Independent online learning hours			12.50
Private study hours			113.00
Total Contact hours			24.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

- 63 hours: 7 hours per lecture
- 6 hours: Seminar/Peer Group Teaching Exercise
- 44 hours: Exam Revision

Independent online learning
- 12.5 hours: contribution to discussion boards/VLE after each lecture.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students will be asked to present either:
1) a mini review of empirical literature, or
2) to develop behaviour change poster based upon applied social psychological theory in week 5, as part of a peer group teaching exercise.

Formative feedback will provided for this coursework .

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Group Project	Peer group teaching exercise	0.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		0.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Online Time-Limited assessment	2 hr 00 mins	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 29/04/2024 16:19:53

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