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Over ons Faculteit Gedrags- en Maatschappijwetenschappen Onderwijs GMW Minor

Minor Psychology in Society

ECTS:
Code: MIPS15/30

Description

Have you ever wondered about the influence of culture on psychological processes such as thinking and decision making? Would you like to learn more about the influence people have on each other and how behavioural change can be brought about? Would you like to understand why people err and what we can do about that? And when are we no longer fit to drive a car? In the minor Psychology in Society you learn the theory underlying individual and interpersonal behaviour in a culturally diverse setting with instructors who have first-hand experience translating theory into policy and practice.

In this minor you will:

  • Gain knowledge and insight in the most important areas of psychology and learn to critically evaluate psychological claims in the press.
  • Learn about the processes and environmental factors that influence the functioning of individuals and groups in organisations.
  • Learn about the most important psychological theories, the influence of culture on interpersonal behaviour, and how this knowledge can be applied to societal problems.


Students may opt for a minor of 15 ECTS or 30 ECTS. In both minors two courses are compulsory, Introduction to Psychological Theories and Research Methods critically considered. For the 15 EC minor one additional course from the list of 6 optional courses is required. Students who opt for the 30 ECTS minor have to choose 4 optional courses.

Student capacity

250

Questions?

There will be a minor market in the Academie gebouw on Thursday May 23, 2024 (11:30-13:30) where you can get information and ask questions about the different minors. The Psychology minor stand will be manned by the minor coordinator. You can also contact him for questions.

Please note, there will be no waiting list in case the minor is full. All you can do is check regularly and hope that someone unenrolls, but actually the chance that people will unenrol is not large.

Download the Minor in Psychology in Society leaflet

Deadlines

First enrol for the minor, then, later, you can enrol for courses.

  • May 24 (12:00 CEST) - July 5 (23:59 CEST) 2024: enrol for the minor, either MIPS15 (15 EC) or MIPS30 (30 EC)
  • July 11 - July 23 2024: enrol for the individual courses of your choice

FROM July 25th 2024  - early September courses with a PSMIN code are open for personal minors/ as elective course as long as capacity is not reached.

In case you enrolled for this minor last year but did not pass one or max two courses, then do not enrol in the minor this year but contact the Student Service Desk by email (owbalie.gmw@rug.nl) and mention the course(s) you need to follow again.

Should you decide not to follow the minor then please unenroll, as capacity is limited!

Sign-up


Enrolment for the minor is possible from May 24 up to July 5. Enrolment for courses start July 11, you will receive an email.

Studieschema

Course

(Progress) code

ECTS

Compulsory
/Elective

Period

Research instruments critically considered

PSMIN02

5

R

semester I a

Introduction to Psychological Theories

PSMIN11

5

R

semester I a

Traffic Psychology & Sustained Mobility

PSMIN10

5

E

semester I a

Diversity in teams and organisations

PSMIN21

5

E

semester I a

Human error

PSMIN05

5

E

semester I b

Social influence

PSMIN07

5

E

semester I b

Consumer and economic psychology

PSMIN08

5

E

semester I b

Research instruments critically considered

ECTS: 5

This required course provides an introduction to statistical and measurement problems through case studies. Students learn how to critically interpret research claims in terms of sampling problems, validity of measures and reliability of instruments. Special attention is paid to the use of instruments in cross-cultural research.

Introduction to Psychological Theories

ECTS: 5

This course provides an introduction to a wide range of psychological research including; behavioural, neurological, cognitive, clinical, cultural, developmental, evolutionary, and social psychology. The aim of introducing the multiple disciplines of psychology is to demonstrate that human behaviour needs to be understood and examined from many perspectives. The course is designed with non-psychology students in mind and also gives insight into how psychological research is carried out and applied. As such, understanding how psychological knowledge is generated helps students to critically assess popular beliefs about human emotions, thoughts, and behaviours.

Traffic Psychology & Sustained Mobility

ECTS: 5

This course has two central themes: 1. Behaviour in traffic and the effects of this behaviour on safety, and 2. Retention of mobility. Traffic psychology is rather broad in the sense that it covers issues such as drink driving, the influence of infrastructural measures on behaviour, and the risks of using electronic devices in traffic. Theories common in experimental, social, and neuropsychology are used to explain and predict this behaviour.
Examples of topics that will be dealt with are the role of mental workload in dealing with increased demands in and outside the vehicle, and the effectiveness of police enforcement, campaigns, and driver education. With regard to mobility, the importance of mobility for health is central. There are several factors that may interfere with the ability of being mobile in general and driving a car in particular. For example, intrinsic factors, such as arousal, fatigue, or visual perceptual skills, differ within and between individuals and have a substantial impact on multiple aspects of mobility. Moreover, severe medical conditions, including psychiatric illness (e.g. phobia) and neurological disorders (e.g. dementia) are associated with cognitive and emotional problems, and may reduce mobility and participation in traffic. In addition to intrinsic factors associated with the individual, there are also external factors that affect mobility and safety more temporarily, such as the use of legal and illegal drugs.
In this course students will acquire basic knowledge about traffic psychology and learn about the importance of mobility and factors influencing it.

Diversity in teams and organisations

ECTS: 5

[text will follow]

Human error

ECTS: 5

All too often the human is considered a hazard – a system component whose unsafe acts are crucial in the majority of catastrophes. However, this is a limited view on the matter, as people act within a system and most people do not wish to make errors or cause disasters. Moreover, there is another perspective that should be studied in its own right – the human as hero, whose adaptations and compensations bring troubled systems back from the brink of disaster. The basic premise of this course is that even when an accident can be traced to the erroneous act of an individual, the actions of the individual need to be understood within the context of environmental, societal, and organisational factors. This course provides an introduction to basic topics in work and cognitive psychology central to minimising human error. Topics such as designing work to maximise performance and health, work-related mental stress, and selection and training are accompanied by an introduction to techniques used to investigate and classify human error. Emphasis is given to institutional safeguards against error situations.

Social influence

ECTS: 5

Why do we always spend too much during sales? Why is “playing hard to get” such a great strategy to pick up a partner? Why do you sell ice-cream with a man in a speedo and insurances with a man in a business suit? How can you reduce rule transgressions by wearing gothic clothing? In this course you get an answer to these and many other questions. In this course you’ll learn how people’s beliefs, and actions are influenced by others. You will be introduced to various theories, principles and studies that give insight to how you can use people’s need for affiliation, accuracy and a positive self-concept to persuade them. This interactive Social and Environmental psychology course is focused at both theory development and practical application.

Consumer and economic psychology

ECTS: 5

This module examines the psychological processes underlying economic and consumer behaviour and discusses individual, social and cultural factors that influence these processes. We discuss effects of information and experiences with products and services on affect (emotions), cognitions (beliefs and judgements) and behaviour (purchase decisions and consumption-related practices). You will learn when and why economic theories are often not accurate to explain everyday behaviour, and why individuals often do not make rational decisions. Among others, you will learn how consumer behaviour contributes to societal challenges such as overconsumption and environmental problems, and reflect on psychological theories and mechanisms that could be useful in addressing these problems.

We use a diversity of innovative teaching methods in this course aimed at making the lectures more interactive.

Laatst gewijzigd:14 maart 2024 15:37
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