PL2S137 - Social Psychology 01 Sep 2019 - 31 Aug 2025 | Version 3

Associated Module Information

Module Code: PL2S137
Module Title: Social Psychology
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Psychology
Faculty Sub Group: Youth and Community
Module Leader: Shakiela Davies
Module Team: Leigh Webber, Dawn Latham, N Michael, Amy Lewis, Charlotte Reynolds, Melanie Veness
First Intended Intake: SEP 2018 Final Year of Intake: 2023
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 5
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100497 - psychology
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 3
Valid From 01 Sep 2019
Valid To 31 Aug 2025

Module Aims

To provide students with a critical understanding of how behaviour can be influenced by situational factors.

Content Summary

This module will enable students to understand behaviour in a social context. Students will consider discrimination and impression formation. They will be taught why in-group biases exist and they will be introduced to some of the most influential research in social psychology, such as Taijfel’s “Minimal Group Studies”,Sherif’s “Robbers Caves”, Jane Elliot’s “A Class Divided” and Milgram’s “Obedience Studies”.

Students will also demonstrate how these social psychological theories could apply in a range of workplace settings (e.g. impression formation for recruitment and selection or in court; prejudice and discrimination in classroom settings and conformity/attitude change in healthcare).  The inclusion of active/simulation based sessions such as role plays and work simulations will therefore form a crucial part of this module.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 24
Seminar 14
Independent Study 87
Directed Study 60
Formative Assessment - Independent 5
Active/Simulation Based 10
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically discuss social psychological theory and research.
LO2 Apply social psychological theory and research to a range of workplace settings.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Case study 1 Analysis of a case study with reference to theory, research and application of social psychology to workplace settings 0 3000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Case study 1

Reading List

Crisp, R (2014) Essential Social Psychology, 3rd edition, Sage, London.

Plus Journals relevant to Social Psychology including:

British Journal of Social Psychology

European Journal of Social Psychology

Journal of Applied Social Psychology

Social Cognition

Social Development