Overview
Throughout the semester, groups of 3 students will give short, 15-18 minute presentations that trace the life and work of a famous social psychologist. There are several purposes of this assignment. First, reading hot-off-the-press research in social psychology should not only help you to master the current literature but may also spur your interest in new topics and perhaps give you ideas for future research. Second, it is crucial to become familiar with the top names in the field. These researchers are the current pioneers in social psychology: they are the people you will read about all semester, listen to and meet at conferences, and potentially work with in graduate school. Finally, tracing the progress of their academic careers will give you insights into how research changes and progresses over time, how people get interested in social psychology, and where ideas come from.
Guidelines:
Each presentation should last approximately 15-18 minutes, and should include the following:
(a) a picture (and/or videoclip) of the person
(b) biographical or background information (including, for example, when they were born, how they got interested in social psychology, where they went to graduate school and who they worked with, and any other personal or interesting information you can obtain)
(c) a brief summary of their most interesting work. In order to do a good job here, you must read several (at least 7-10) different articles or pieces of their work. In addition to briefly summarizing studies you find most interesting, your goal is to trace the development of their ideas and their research program. That is, you should identify the major themes in their research and tie it together for the class. Be careful not to get bogged down in any one particularly study or theory; aim for giving students a taste of this person's research program.
(d) a brief evaluation of their contributions to the field. Critique their work: In your opinion (and in the opinions of others, if you can find them), how much impact has this person's work had? Is it controversial? Is it well-respected?
Above all, your presentation should be creative, interesting, and engaging. This is purposely structured to be informal rather than formal, so a boring presentation will not only put your classmates to sleep but will also receive a low grade (hint: Do not, under any circumstances, "read" your talk word for word). Make effective use of visual aids, props, or any tools you can think of to make the person or their work "come alive" and be memorable to students.
Grading
The group presentation (which is worth 50 points) will be based on the following components (see the attached grading guide for more details):
(a) a proposal to be submitted no later than one week prior to the presentation - it should include a complete bibliography (i.e., all references) of the person's work (with a star by the main references to be used), a fairly detailed outline of what your presentation will cover, and a list of props or visual aids (pictures, videos, slides) to be used.
(b) a one-page handout/outline distributed to students on the day of the presentation (well-organized and including a few suggested references)
(c) a group presentation grade (based on how organized, comprehensive, creative, and engaging the presentation is overall)
(d) an individual presentation grade (based on the clarity and delivery of the individual presentation as well as effort/contribution to the total project) [hint: do not divide up the work so that one group member only presents personal information]
Note: Signups will be placed outside my door on this Wednesday at noon (first come, first served). All students not signed up by next Monday in class will be randomly assigned to a group.
Paul Rozin, University of Pennsylvania
- cross-cultural psychology, including acquisition of likes and dislikes for foods, the magical belief in contagion, cultural evolution of disgust, why people love the burn of chili peppers, and the social and moral aspects of eating
Presentation Date: Mon, February 14
Dan Gilbert, Harvard University
- ordinary personology (how people make inferences about the internal states and traits of others); human credulity (why people tend to believe what they should not); affective forecasting (how and how well people predict their emotional reactions to future events).
Presentation Date: Wed, Feb. 16
Jennifer Crocker, University of Michigan
- social stigma and the self-concept; how being a target of prejudice (e.g., because of race, gender, weight, lack of attractiveness) affects self-esteem
Presentation Date: Wed, Feb. 16
Thomas Gilovich, Cornell University
- everyday reasoning and judgment, including the "hot hand" myth in basketball, referees' bias against black team uniforms, how decision makers are influenced by irrelevant analogies, etc.
Presentation Date: Wed, Feb. 16
Janet Swim, Penn State University
- stereotyping and prejudice, including racism, sexism, reactions to sexist remarks, White guilt, Black identity, gender ratios; applications of gender issues to law
Presentation Date: Mon, February 28
Robert Cialdini, Arizona State University
- persuasion and compliance (e.g., the foot-in-the-door technique, the door-in-the-face technique); altruism, the tactics of favorable self-presentation
Presentation Date: Mon, March 27
Diane Berry, Southern Methodist University
- verbal and nonverbal communication in social interaction; sex differences in perceptions of deception and betrayal in romatic relationships; personality and physical appearance as predictors of mate selection; the development of regional stereotypes
Presentation Date: Wed, April 26
Saul Kassin, Williams College
- applications of psychology to jury decision making, eyewitness testimony, confesion evidence, and other aspects of the law; attribution and the development of social perception
Presentation Date: Wed, April 26
Student Name: ______________________________________
Social Psychologist Presented: ______________________________________
Proposal (5) ________
clear, complete bibliography of all work
well-organized, comprehensive outline
list of props and visual aids
Student Handout (5) ________
clearly organized
comprehensive
good selection of references
overall usefulness
Group Presentation (30) ________
overall organization (overview)
link with class/text material
interesting biographical/background information
representative coverage of person's work (breadth and depth)
clarity of explanations (use of examples, clear descriptions)
trace development of research program; common themes
evaluation of contribution of person's work
good, creative use of visual aids
was it interesting and engaging?
was it timed properly?
overall comprehensiveness of research effort
Individual Presentation (10) ________
organization of ideas
enthusiasm for research
clarity of explanations, ideas
overall presentation style (eye contact, timing, pace, delivery)
Total Points Earned (out of 50) ________
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