Psych Courses: Psy 3201

Fall 2007

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Psychology 3201: Intro to Social Psychology

Instructor: Anita Kim

Section Leader: Michal Reifen

Scrapbook Assignment Information (PDF version to print)

First two entries: Due October 25th

Last three entries: Due November 29th

Social psychology is everywhere in our world. Your assignment is to find an example of social psychology in the media (advertisements, news or magazine articles, legitimate website content) and to explain, in writing, how the example you have chosen reflects a social psychological principle as related in lecture, the textbook, or a section-assigned reading. If you have any questions about whether an example is appropriate, ask your section leader.

For each entry, write a description of the example and how it relates to course content. Your description of the item should only include relevant detail; please do not write flowery, descriptive paragraphs about how the advertisement uses calm shades of cerulean and sans serif fonts if you are using the advertisement as an example of aversive racism. Do, however, use these descriptors if you are using the advertisement as an example of how people may engage in heuristic processing to associate the product with feeling peaceful. In other words, describe the relevant aspects of the item as it relates to the social psychological principle you are demonstrating. If possible, please include the item itself as an appendix (e.g., print out the advertisement).

Your written description should be one single-spaced page long and generally address what the item is (e.g., an article in the New York Times about Hillary Rodham Clinton), what the social psychological principle is (e.g., ambivalent sexism), and why you think the item is an exemplar of the social psychological principle (e.g., polling information shows the public is divided regarding Ms. Clinton – people either love her or hate her). Depending on what the item is, it may serve you well to reflect and note what you think the creator’s goal was (e.g., to persuade consumers to buy more product, to persuade smokers to quit, to provide an unbiased account of Ms. Clinton’s life).

Only four of the general topics can be covered by the five entries (i.e., all of your items cannot relate to conformity). This is not supposed to be an “artsy” project. You will be best served by thinking deeply about how the material you have selected employs or embodies the concepts we have discussed in class. Please, no ribbons, no bows, no markers, no glitter. Additionally, points will be awarded for cogent, articulate writing. If you need writing assistance, please refer to the list of student writing resources provided in the syllabus. And, finally, all assignments must be typed and handed in in-person.

Points Breakdown

Maximum Points Possible	General Criteria	Points will be subtracted if:
5	A relevant example has been provided.	An example is not provided.
5	Description of social psychological principle is correct.	Description lacks detail, is vague, or incorrect. (e.g., describing heuristic processing as slow and deliberate).
7	Written description of why the example fits the social psychological principle is persuasive.	Description lacks detail, is vague, or missing.
3	Paragraphs are cohesive, have sentences that are logically organized to support the topic. Sentence structure is complete and varied. Punctuation and spelling errors are minimal or non-existent.	Writing does not flow, words are used repetitively, sentences are grammatically incorrect, punctuation and spelling errors interfere with meaning.

Additionally:

2 points will be taken if you repeat a social psychological principle too often throughout the scrapbook
5 points will be taken if the assignment is not typed
2% points will be docked for each day late, up to 24%.