Ch 1: Introduction to Social Psychology Lesson Plans

1. What Is Social Psychology? - Definition & Professions in the Field

Social psychology is the study of how people act, think, and feel in the context of society. In this lesson, we will learn more about social psychology, what it has in common with other fields of study, and what types of careers are available in social psychology.

2. Major Perspectives of Social Psychology

There are four major perspectives in social psychology. Let's look at each perspective and how each one might approach a common question in social psychology.

3. The 7 Major Themes of Social Psychology

Social psychology can be divided up into seven main themes, or categories. Under each theme is a whole host of more specific topics. In this lesson, we will look at each of the seven major themes and examples of topics that each theme covers.

4. Forms of Group Membership: Kurt Lewin's Leadership Study

Kurt Lewin is often described as the father of social psychology. His famous study about the three types of leadership helped psychologists and leaders understand how to form and lead effective groups. Let's take a closer look at Kurt Lewin's leadership study and how it impacted the field of psychology.

5. Conformity: Solomon Asch's Study of Informational vs. Normative Conformity

Solomon Asch was a famous social psychologist whose study on conformity showed that people often conform to the group, even when they know the correct answer. In this lesson, we'll learn about his experiment, as well as the different types of conformity.

6. Social Learning: Albert Bandura's Bobo Doll Study

Albert Bandura is a famous social psychologist whose Bobo doll study illustrates the social learning theory of psychology. In this lesson, we'll look at the Bobo doll study, its impact on the field of psychology, and what it can tell us about the effects of watching violent television.

7. Group Prejudice: Jane Elliott's Brown Eyes vs. Blue Eyes Experiment

Jane Elliott is an educator whose famous blue eyes/brown eyes exercise showed social psychologists (and her students) the impact that racism has on education and how social psychology can be applied to real-world situations. In this lesson, we'll learn about the exercise and its impact on social psychology.