Psychology 3720G-001
The Psychology of Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviour
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
The course will consider the social, situational, and personality factors responsible for the occurrence of antisocial behaviors such as violence and aggression, and of prosocial behaviors such as helping others in disaster or crisis situations.
Prerequisite: Psychology 2820E (or both Psychology 2800E and 2810), (or Psychology 2780E or permission of the Department at Huron).
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
3 lecture/discussion hours; 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Alex Benson
Office and Phone Number: 8408 SSC, 519-661-2111 ext. 85895
Office Hours: Wednesday, 3:00pm-4:00pm
Email: abenson3@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Caroline Mantei
Office: TBD
Office Hours: TBD
Email: cmantei@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Classes: Tuesday, 7:00pm-10:00pm, SSC 3014
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Dovidio, J. F., Piliavin, J. A., Schroeder, D. A., & Penner, L. A. (2006). The Social Psychology of
Prosocial Behavior. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Krahé, B. (2013). The Social Psychology of Aggression (2nd edition). New York, NY: Psychology
Press.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
In this course, we will cover key theories and findings in the scientific study of prosocial and antisocial behaviour. Students will also learn about the methods used to study prosocial and antisocial behaviour. This course is organized around content-focused lectures, weekly assigned chapter readings, in-class activities, and class discussion. Students will generate a research idea and write a research proposal according to APA standards.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
Learning Outcome |
Learning Activities |
Assessment Information |
|
Depth and Breadth of Knowledge
Evaluate and describe contemporary theory, and methods relevant to prosocial and antisocial behaviours |
Weekly lecture Assigned readings Class discussion Working on summary of research proposal and final research paper |
Multiple choice and short-answer exams Summary of research proposal Final research paper |
|
Knowledge of Methodologies
Critically evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to studying prosocial and antisocial behaviours |
Weekly lecture Assigned readings Working on summary of research proposal and final research paper |
Multiple choice and short-answer exams Summary of research proposal Final research paper |
|
Application of Knowledge
Apply concepts and theories to understand when and why prosocial and antisocial behaviours may occur |
Class discussion Working on summary of research proposal and final research paper |
Multiple choice and short-answer exams Summary of research proposal Final research paper |
|
Communication Skills
Conceptualize and summarize findings from the scholarly literature on prosocial and antisocial behaviour. Communicate these orally and in writing. |
Research proposal Class discussion |
Summary of research proposal Final research paper |
5.0 EVALUATION
Course grades will be based on two exams, a two-page research proposal summary, and the full research proposal paper.
First Exam (32.5%): The first exam will focus on prosocial behaviour. Testable content includes all material covered between Weeks 1-5. This includes all of the lesson materials (notes, lecture material, activities, and videos) and assigned textbook chapters. The examination will be 80 minutes in length and will consist of multiple choice questions and short answer questions.
Exam 2 (32.5%): The second exam will focus on antisocial behaviour. Testable content includes all material covered between Weeks 8-13. This includes all of the lesson materials (notes, lecture material, activities, and videos) and assigned textbook chapters. The examination will be 80 minutes in length and will consist of multiple choice questions and short answer questions.
Summary of research proposal (10%) - Students will have the opportunity to apply the course materials by formulating a novel research idea and proposing a study to address it. The research project you propose must address a research question directly related to prosocial and/or antisocial behaviour. For the research proposal summary, you will prepare a concise document outlining the theoretical background and rationale for the proposed research question, the objective(s) and method of the proposed work, and the anticipated findings and implications. There is a strict two-page limit for the proposal summary (double spaced, 1 inch margins on all sides, APA formatting), with a third page allotted for a reference list. The research proposal summary is due on or before February 25th, 2020, before midnight.
Research proposal (25% written component) - Students will have the opportunity to apply the course materials by formulating a research question and proposing a study to answer it. The final paper should [1] provide a brief literature review, [2] outline a hypothesis (or hypotheses) you are interested in testing, [3] specify a method for examining the proposed question, [4] describe your expected results, and [5] discuss implications and plausible alternative accounts of what the research may yield. The final paper must be at least 2500 words, not including references (double-spaced, formatted with 12-point Times New Roman; 1 inch margins on all sides; written in accordance with APA guidelines) and is due on March 31st 2019, before midnight.
There will be a 10% per day penalty for late submissions. As a general guide, the literature review and the description of the hypothesis/hypotheses should be 4-6 pages in length, the method should be 1-3 pages in length, the expected results should be 1-3 pages in length, and the implications/alternative accounts should be 2-4 pages.
Because this is an essay course, as per Senate Regulations, you must pass the essay component to pass the course. That is, the average mark for your written assignments must be at least 50%.
This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least three full days before the date of the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
** Please note that I do not make grade adjustments (e.g., applying a bell curve to the distribution of marks on a test or paper). Also, I cannot adjust marks on the basis of need (e.g., because a certain mark is needed to get into a particular academic program).
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Summary of research proposal due date: Feb. 25th
Final research paper: March. 31st
In the event that a self-reported absence or other short-term accommodation interferes with your ability to submit either the summary of research proposal or the final research paper on time, you must contact the instructor (Dr. Benson, abenson3@uwo.ca) within 24 hours of the expiration of your accommodation to obtain an appropriate extension in OWL. If you fail to arrange for an extension, you will receive a mark of 0 on the relevant course component, in accord with University policy.
First Exam: February 11th (in-class)
In the event that a short-term accommodation interferes with your ability to take the first exam, you may sit the make-up first exam. The make-up first exam is scheduled for Friday, March 13, 2020, from 2:00pm to 3:20pm. Please be aware that the make-up exam will not be the same as the original exam other students have taken. Instead, it will be equivalent in difficulty and format but will contain new multiple choice and short answer questions.
Second Exam: During final exam period April 6-26 (i.e., date, time, and location to be announced).
In the event that a short-term accommodation interferes with your ability to take the final exam, you may sit the make-up second exam. The make-up second exam is scheduled for Monday, April 27, 2020, from 2:00pm to 3:20pm (location to be determined). Please be aware that the make-up exam will not be the same as the original exam other students have taken. Instead, it will be equivalent in difficulty and format but will contain new multiple choice and short answer questions.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
Readings
|
|
Part 1: Prosocial Behaviour |
|||
|
1 |
Jan. 7th |
Introduction to Prosocial Behaviour |
Dovidio, Ch. 1 |
|
2 |
Jan. 14th |
The Origin of Prosocial Behaviour |
Dovidio, Ch. 2 |
|
3 |
Jan. 21th |
When will People Help? |
Dovidio, Ch. 3 |
|
4 |
Jan. 28th |
Why do People Help? |
Dovidio, Ch. 4 |
|
5 |
Feb. 4th |
Prosocial Behaviour in Collectives: Cooperation Within and Between Groups |
Dovidio, Ch. 8 |
|
6 |
Feb 11th |
Exam 1 (in-class examination) |
|
|
7 |
Feb 18th |
No class: Reading week |
|
|
8 |
Feb. 25th |
Defining and Measuring Aggression [2-page summary of research proposal due] |
Krahe, Ch. 1 |
|
9 |
Mar. 3rd |
Theories of Aggression |
Krahe, Ch. 2 |
|
10 |
Mar. 10th |
Development of Aggression |
Krahe, Ch. 3 |
|
11 |
Mar. 17th |
Situational elicitation of Aggression |
Krahe, Ch. 4 |
|
12 |
Mar. 24th |
Media violence and Aggression |
Krahe, Ch. 5 |
|
13 |
Mar. 31st |
Aggression as Part of Everyday Life [Final paper due] |
Krahe, Ch. 6 |
|
14 |
April 6 – 26 |
Exam 2 (during the final exam period) |
|
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
To facilitate discussion and participation, we will be using iClicker. This involves the use of a personal response system (PRS). This is a free app (Western has purchased a university subscription) that can be access through https://owl.uwo.ca/portal, navigating to the course site, and clicking on the iClicker tab on the left-hand toolbar.
Please refer to https://presswestern.uwo.ca/students_and_audience/getting_started.html for additional information on how to set-up your free account. You may download the app to any of your smart devices or laptop.
No marks will be attached to the use of iClicker, although the questions will cover testable materials. The main purpose of iClicker is to optimize student engagement and connect abstract theoretical ideas to concrete examples and/or issues in the workplace. The data will not be used for research or evaluation purposes. Data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2019-2020 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
