This course surveys the field of contemporary social psychology. Cadets examine the impact of social structure and group membership on social behavior, while focusing on processes such as attribution, cognition, and learning that underlie social behavior. The course is intended to enable cadets to more effectively analyze and explain human behavior in a given situation. Specific topics include the self, attitudes and attitude change, conformity, obedience, compliance, deviance, helping behavior, aggression, attraction and romance, groups and intergroup relations, and collective behavior. The classroom experience is heavily discussion-oriented in order to maximize the applications of social psychological concepts, theories, and perspectives to daily life and military leadership.
