PSYC 379: Social Psychology Report a Broken Link

Psychology 379: Social Psychology provides an introduction to the field of social psychology, which is the scientific study of how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours influence, and are influenced by, other people in social situations. The course examines basic theories, concepts, and research about individual processes (for example, attitude change), interpersonal processes (for example, aggression), and group processes (for example, intergroup relations).

Note: This page provides only the links for the supplementary online resources. The main readings are from the course textbook.

Unit 1: Introduction


Social Psychology Network
Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
Social and Personality Section, Canadian Psychological Association

Unit 2: Doing Psychological Research


American Psychological Association. (2003, with 2010 and 2016 amendments). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct.
Athabasca University. (2016). Ethical conduct for research involving humans policy.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), & Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). (2018). Tri-council policy statement: Ethical conduct for research involving humans—TCPS 2 (2018).
Canadian Psychological Association. (2017). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists (4th ed.).
Psychological Research on the Net

You can participate in studies in social psychology through this site.

Unit 3: The Social Self


Unit 4: Perceiving Persons


KQED. (2008, May 12). Emotions revealed [Video]. YouTube.

This eleven-minute video describes Dr. Paul Ekman’s study of primary facial expressions in New Guinea.

Unit 5: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination


Peters, W. (Producer). (1985, March 26). A class divided (Season 1985, Episode 9). Frontline. PBS.

Here you can watch a PBS Frontline program that explores, fifteen years later, what the children in The Eye of the Storm experiment learned. The program includes some original footage from the film.

Social Psychology Network. (2022). The jigsaw classroom.

Here you can read about the jigsaw classroom technique first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson.

University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Athabasca University, Grant McEwan College, Keyano College, Canadian University College, Taylor University College, Nazarene University College, Augustana University College, & Worth Publishers. (2008). Frances Aboud. The Great Canadian Psychology Website.

Here you can read Dr. Frances Aboud’s biography, tour her laboratory at McGill University, and participate in a replication of her research on how children learn about race.

Unit 6: Attitudes


Project Implicit. Project implicit social attitudes: Implicit Association Test. Harvard University.

Visit this site to complete tests that measure your implicit attitudes toward age, gender, race, and other constructs.

Unit 7: Social Influence


BBC Radio 4. (2003, December 9). Solomon Asch: Conformity (radio program). Mind changers.

This half-hour program looks at the conformity experiments conducted by Dr. Solomon Asch.

Zimbardo, P. G. (2022). Stanford prison experiment: A simulation study on the psychology of imprisonment (movie trailer). Stanford Prison Experiment.

Here you can view trailer for the documentary The Stanford Prison Experiment, which is about an experiment conducted by Dr. Philip Zimbardo in 1971 that demonstrated the powerful role of social influence on human behaviour. The page also provides information about the experiment.

Zimbardo, P. (2011, January 11). Philip Zimbardo: The Milgram experiment (video). Greater Good Science Centre. YouTube.

In this five-minute video, famous psychologist Dr. Philip Zimbardo describes the destructive obedience experiments conducted by Dr. Stanley Milgram.

Cialdini, R. (2010, April 22). Robert Cialdini: Renowned expert in the psychology of influence (video). Speaker’s Spotlight. YouTube.

In this nine-minute video, Dr. Robert Cialdini talks about several principles of social influence.

Unit 8: Group Processes


WebUpon. (2021) Game theory 101: The prisoner’s dilemma & iterated prisoner’s dilemma game simulation.

Here you can play an interactive version of the prisoner’s dilemma.

Unit 9: Attraction and Close Relationships


Unit 10: Helping Others


Unit 11: Aggression


University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Athabasca University, Grant McEwan College, Keyano College, Canadian University College, Taylor University College, Nazarene University College, Augustana University College, & Worth Publishers. (2008). Dr. Albert Bandura. The Great Canadian Psychology Website.

Here, you can read a biography of Dr. Albert Bandura.

Articles for Option 2 of the Written Assignment


Please read the articles in the order listed below, since some articles are responses to previous articles.
Middlemist, R. D., Knowles, E. S., & Matter, C. P. (1976). Personal space invasions in the lavatory: Suggestive evidence for arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33(5), 541–546. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.33.5.541
Koocher, G. P. (1977). Bathroom behavior and human dignity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(2), 120–121. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.35.2.120
Middlemist, R. D., Knowles, E. S., & Matter, C. P. (1977). What to do and what to report: A reply to Koocher. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(2), 122–124. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.35.2.122
Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67(4), 371–378. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0040525
Baumrind, D. (1964). Some thoughts on ethics of research: After reading Milgram’s “Behavioral study of obedience.” American Psychologist, 19(6), 421–423. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015250
Milgram, S. (1964). Issues in the study of obedience: A reply to Baumrind. American Psychologist, 19(11), 848–852. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0044954
Additional Resources
American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct (2002, amended effective June 1, 2010, and January 1, 2017). http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.html

Please read

Section 3.04 Avoiding Harm
Section 3.10 Informed Consent
Section 4.04 Minimizing Intrusions on Privacy
Sections 8.01 Institutional Approval to Section 8.08 Debriefing

Athabasca University. (2009). Ethical conduct for research involving humans policy.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), & Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). (2018). Tri-council policy statement: Ethical conduct for research involving humans—TCPS 2 (2018).
Canadian Psychological Association. (2017). Canadian code of ethics for psychologists (4th ed.). Canadian Psychological Association.