PSYC394-01XIAO
PSYC394-01AttitudesandPersuasion
MacalesterCollege,Spring2017
MWF,9:40-10:40am;OLRI300
Professor:Yi(Jenny)Xiao
PersonalGenderPronouns:she/her/hers
Office:OLRI359E
Email:[email protected]
Phone:651-696-6684
Officehours:Mondays10:40-11:40am
Tuesdays1-2pm
OVERVIEW
Whatdeterminesourlikesanddislikes—ourattitudes—aboutpeople,consumerproducts,andideas?Howcan
wemeasurethesepreferences?Howdoourattitudesinfluencebehavior?Isitpossibletoholdattitudesthat
wearenotawareof?Canourattitudeseverbechanged,andwhatmakesastrongpersuasivemessage?Itis
clearthatunderstandingattitudesisfundamentalforunderstandingmanytopicsofinteresttosocial
scientists—impressionformation,groupstereotypes,marketingandconsumerbehavior,jurydecisionmaking,politicalpreferences,andmanyothers.Thiscoursewillprovideanintellectualforumfordiscussing
attitudesandpersuasionfromasocialpsychologicalperspective.Studentswillusematerialsfrombooks,
scholarlyresearcharticles,andvideo/filmclipstoexploretopicssuchasattitudeformationandstructure,selfperception,attitudemeasurement,ambivalentattitude,theattitude-behaviorrelationship,attitudechange,
socialinfluenceandpersuasion,dissonance,implicitattitude,attitudeaboutgroups,andsoon.
Overall,thiscourseisdesignedtoprovideanintellectualforumfordiscussingtheseconceptsinafairly
comprehensivemanner,andwewillrelyonscientificexperimentsandtheoriesonattitudesandpersuasion.
Studentswillbeexpectedtoparticipateactivelyinclassdiscussions,providewrittendiscussionquestions,and
developafinalportfolioforaresearchpaperthattheywillworkonthroughoutthesemester.
PREREQUISITES
Thiscourseisopentostudentswhoarefamiliarwithstatisticsandresearchmethodsinpsychologyorother
equivalent.Thissuggestionisintendedtoensurethatreadingsandassignmentscanbeundertakenwithout
toomuchangst.Ifyouhaveanyquestion,pleasetalktome.
COURSEMATERIALS
Textbook:ThePsychologyofAttitudeandAttitudeChange(2ndedition)
Authors:GregoryMaio&GeoffreyHaddock
ISBN:1446272265
Thetextbookisavailableatthecampusbookstore,oronline(e.g.,Amazon.com).Irecommendgettingthe
papercopybecauseitismuchcheaperandlighter.
Inadditiontotherequiredtextbook,youwillreadadditionalresearcharticlesandchapters.Youareexpected
toprintoutandbringreadingstoclass.Tabletsarefinebutnolaptopuseinclass.Allrequiredreadingsand
assignmentswillbepostedonMoodle,atleast10daysinadvance.
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POLICIES
Weeklyexpectations.Thisclasswillbeconductedasacombinationoflecturesandseminars.Withoccasional
exceptions,ourthreeweeklyclasseswillroughlybreakdownas:Monday(lectures),Wednesday(research
paperdiscussions),andFriday(presentations,discussions,activities).Thisclassisintendedtoprovideaforum
whereyoucanexpressyourthoughtsandanalysesonthematerial.Theonlywaythiscanhappeneffectively
isifyoucompletethereadingthoroughly.Itisnotlikelythatyouwillbeabletoread,digest,andreflectonall
ofitifyoubeginitatthelastminute.Lookattheassignmentsaheadoftimeandplanaccordingly.
Participation&Attendance.Attendanceismandatory.Theclassisfoundedondiscussionamongstudents,
andyoucan’tcontributeifyou’renothere!Participationgradeswillbeloweredforabsences.
Academicintegrity.IexpectallofyoutofollowtheCollege’sguidelinesregardingacademicintegrity,
outlinedintheStudentHandbook
(http://www.macalester.edu/studentaffairs/studenthandbook/academicpolicies/academicintegrity.html).
Anyevidenceofacademicdishonesty(e.g.,plagiarismonpapers)will,inaccordancewithcollegeguidelines,
bereportedtotheDirectorofAcademicProgramsandwillresultinagradeof“0”ontheassignment.Under
certaincircumstances,itmayresultinyourfailingthecourse.Ifyouhavequestionsaboutwhatconstitutes
academicdishonesty,pleaseconsultwithme.
Lateassignments.Lateassignmentswilllose10%oftheirtotalpointvalueeach24hours(including
weekends)theyarelate.Forinstance,ifanassignmentisduebymidnightFridayandyouturnitinthe
followingMonday,thehighestpointitcanreceiveis70%.Ifanassignmentismorethenfivewholedayslate,
itwillreceiveagradeofzero.YouwillsubmitwrittenassignmentsonMoodle.Forassignmentsdueonthe
dayofclass,theymustbesubmittedonMoodlebeforethestartofclasstime.Note:nocreditwillbegivento
latepostingsof“weeklyquestions”.
Accommodation.Iamcommittedtoprovidinganyreasonableaccommodationforstudentswithdisabilities
thatwillassistinmakingthiscourseaccessibleandwillprovideanoptimaleducationalexperiencefor
everyone.YoumustrequestaccommodationsformallythroughAssistantDeanofStudentsRobinHart
Ruthenbeck.Pleasespeaktomeatthebeginningofthesemestersothatwecanmakeaneffectiveplan.See
http://www.macalester.edu/studentaffairs/disabilityservices/foradditionalinformationandassistance.
Correspondence.Iwillbeavailableonafirst-come,first-servedbasisduringmyofficehours(seepage1of
syllabusfortimes).Ifyouemailme,Iwillrespondassoonaspossible,usuallywithin24hours.However,Iam
generallymuchslowertorespondtoemailsintheeveningsoronweekends,sopleasekeepthisinmindifyou
havepressingquestions.
Incompletes.MacalesterCollegestronglydiscouragesassigningincompletegrades.Unlessthemajorityof
assignedworkforthecoursehasalreadybeendone,anincompletecannotbegiven.Ifextenuating
circumstancesarise,IwilldirectyoutotheDeanofStudents,andIwilltakeintoaccounttheDean’sadvice
whenmakingadecisionaboutanincompleterequest.
Disclaimer.Thesyllabusandcourseschedulearesubjecttochange.Ifanupdateismade,itwillbemadein
writing(anupdatedsyllabus),andannouncedinclassandonthecourseMoodlesite.
ASSIGNMENTANDGRADING
ClassAttendance&Participation.Participationfromeveryoneiscrucial.Thebestparticipationisnot
necessarilythemosttalking.Classparticipationconsistsbothofthoughtfulspeaking,carefullistening,and
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PSYC394-01XIAO
respectfulresponding.Ihopethatyouwillfeelfreetodisagreewithoneanother(andwithme!)whiletreating
allideasandpeoplewithrespect.Ifyoutendtobeuncomfortablespeakingupinclasses,pleasetalktome
earlyinthesemestertodiscusswaystohelpyousucceed.5%
WeeklyDiscussionQuestions.StartingFeb1st,forWed/Friclassmeetings,studentswillpost1-2page
discussionquestionstoMoodlebynoonthedaybeforeclassmeeting(noononTueorThur).These
questionswillgiveyouanopportunitytoengagewiththereadingspriortoattendingclass,andprovidea
jumping-offpointforclassdiscussions.Latequestionswillearnyougoodwill,buttheywillnotearnyoucredit.
Eachstudentisrequiredtopostforatotalof10times.Itisuptoyouwhichdaysyouchoosetopostfor.You
canpostanadditionalone(whichwillstillbegradedforquality)for1%extracredit.GuidelinesonMoodle.
Questionswillbegradedona√+/√/√-scale.2%each(20%pointstotal)
MidtermExam.Theexamwillbebasedoncontentfromthetextbookchaptersandlectures.Itwillbea
combinationofmultiple-choicequestionsandsomeshortanswerquestions.Therewillbeanemphasison
questionsthattestyourunderstandingofthematerialandyourabilitytoapplyittonewsituations,rather
thanyourabilitytosimplymemorizefactsandfigures.20%
ResearchPaper(GuidelinesonMoodle)total50%
Initialproposal(4-5pages).10%(notgraded;meetwithJennyindividually–seeclassschedule)
Peerdraft(atleast8pages).5%(notgraded)
Twopeerreviews(2+2pages).5%(graded)
Peerreviewreflection(3pages).5%(graded)
Finalpaper(12pages).25%(graded)
Researcharticlepresentationanddiscussionleading.StartingFeb10th,youwillhave20minutesofaclass
sessiontopresentsupplementalmaterial(indicatedas*readingsonthesyllabus)andtoleadclassdiscussion,
inpairs.Youwillindicateyourpreferencesearlyinthesemester.GuidelinesonMoodle.5%
GRADING
Lettergradeswillbedeterminedbythenumberofpointsyouearn.Acurvewillnotbeusedinthiscourse.
Ifyounoticeanymistakeinmycalculationsorwishtodiscussyouranygrade,youmustdosowithin7daysof
receivingmyfeedback/grades.Afterthistimewindow,nogradecorrection/adjustmentcanbediscussed.
PointsEarned
Grade
PointsEarned
Grade
93-100
A
73-76.99
C
90-92.99
A-
70-72.99
C-
87-89.99
B+
67-69.99
D+
83-86.99
B
60-66.99
D
80-82.99
B-
59andbelow
F
77-79.99
C+
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CLASSSCHEDULE
NOTE:Anychangestotheschedule/readingswillbeannouncedinadvanceinthesecases.
AdditionalarticleswillbepostedonMoodleatleast10daysinadvance.
Class
#
Date
Topic
Assignment
Reading-readbeforeclass
*indicatespresentationarticles
1
F|20-Jan
Overview&Introduction
Noreadings
2
M|23-Jan
Whatareattitudesandwhyare
theyimportant?
Chapter1(untilp.10)
Shwarz(2000)p162-168
3
W|25-Jan
Cont’d
Allport(1935)p798-814
Cesario&Higgins(2008)
4
F|27-Jan
Reading&WritingScientifically
Jordan&Zanna(1999)
QALMRIarticle
5
M|30-Jan
Componentsofattitudes
Chapter2
6
W|1-Feb
Cont’d
Kempf(1999)
7
F|3-Feb
Whyisreplicationimportant?
Carey(2015)NYTimesarticle
VanBavel,Mende-Siedlecki,Brady,&
Reinero(2016)
8
M|6-Feb
Implicitattitudes(&prejudice)
Chapter9
9
W|8-Feb
Implicitconsumers
10
F|10-Feb
Implicitprejudice
11
M|13-Feb
Measuringattitudes
12
W|15-Feb
Cont’d
13
F|17-Feb
Cont’d
14
M|20-Feb
15
W|22-Feb
16
F|24-Feb
Cont’d
17
M|27-Feb
Howdoattitudesinfluence
behaviors?
Chapter4
18
W|1-Mar
Cont’d
Parker,Manstead,Stradling,Reason,&
Baxter(1992)
Howdoattitudesinfluence
informationprocessing?
Whendoattitudesinfluence
behavior?
Dijksterhuis,Smith,vanBaaren,&
Wigboldus(2005)
Maison,Greenwald,&Bruin(2004)
Dunham,Baron,&Banaji(2006)
*Devine,Forscher,Austin,&Cox(2012)
Chapter1(p10-endofchapter)
Lane,Banaji,Nosek&Greenwald(2007)
(p59-66&p82-91)
Greenwald,Sriram,Bar-Anan,&Nosek
(2009)
*Payne(2001)
Chapter3(untilp.77)
Bastardi,Uhlmann,&Ross(2011)
Chapter3(p.77-end)
Luttrell,Petty,Brinol,&Wagner,2016
Smith,Haugtvedt,&Petty(1994)
*Morwitz&Fitzsimons(2004)
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PSYC394-01XIAO
19
F|3-Mar
Cont’d
Aarts,Verplanken,&vanKnippenberg
(1997)
*Honkanen,Verplanken,&Olsen(2006)
20
M|6-Mar
Whatshapesattitudes?
Cognitiveinfluences
Chapter5
21
W|8-Mar
Cont’d
OnMoodle
22
F|10-Mar
Cont’d
Research
Proposaldue
OnMoodle
13,15,17Mar
NOCLASSSPRINGBREAK
23
M|20-Mar
MIDTERMEXAM
24
W|22-Mar
25
Exam
inclass
IndividualmeetingswithJenny
15-minmeetingstodiscussproposal
F|24-Mar
IndividualmeetingswithJenny
15-minmeetingstodiscussproposal
26
M|27-Mar
Whatshapesattitudes?
Affectiveinfluences
Chapters6
27
W|29-Mar
Cont’d
29
F|31-Mar
Cont’d
30
M|3-Apr
Whatshapesattitudes?
Behavioralinfluences
31
W|5-Apr
Cont’d
32
F|7-Apr
Cont’d
33
M|10-Apr
PrinciplesofPersuasion
34
W|13-Apr
35
Duhachek,Agrawal,&Han(2012)
OnMoodle
OnMoodle
*Cryder,Lerner,Gross,&Dahl(2008)
Chapter7
OnMoodle
Levin&Gaeth(1988)
OnMoodle
*Burger&Guadagno(2003)
PeerDraft
due
Chapter8
Cont’d
OnMoodle
F|15-Apr
Cont’d
OnMoodle
*Loersch,Durso,&Petty(2013)
36
M|18-Apr
Groups,Cultures,&Norms
Chapter10
37
W|19-Apr
Cont’d
OnMoodle
38
F|21-Apr
Cont’d
OnMoodle
*Wang,Bristol,Mowen,Chakraborty(2000)
39
M|24-Apr
PeerReviewSession
WrittenPeer
Reviewsdue
PeerReview
Session
Chapter11
40
W|26-Apr
What’sahead?
18
F|28-Apr
Cont’d
42
M|1-May
Individualmeetings
OnMoodle
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PSYC394-01XIAO
SUMMARYOFDUEDATES
ASSIGNMENT
DUEDATE
InitialProposal
March10th
MidtermExam
March20th
ResearchPaperPeerDraft
April10th
ResearchPaperPeerReviews
April21st
ResearchPaperFinalPortfolio
May5th
ClassPresentation
Assignedupearlyinsemester
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