Social Psychology

Program Goals

The goals of the social psychology program are to train students to be knowledgeable about the findings and theory of social psychology and to be sophisticated and practiced in its methodology. Emphasis is placed upon training students in the skills of constructing and performing basic research. While students are expected to learn through attendance in courses and individual reading, research techniques are learned largely through apprenticeship with one or more members of the faculty who are actively engaged in research. The program is structured to allow students to be actively engaged in independent or collaborative research, beyond the Masters thesis and Doctoral dissertation, on a regular basis.

Faculty

The social psychology staff include: Arie Kruglanski, Judson Mills, Harold Sigall, and Charles Stangor.

Arie Kruglanski (Distinguished University Professor) received his Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of California at Los Angeles. He taught previously at Tel Aviv University, University of North Carolina, Vanderbilt University, University of Waterloo, University of Connecticut, and University of Wisconsin. His research is focused on social goals, psychological stability and change, accuracy and bias in social perception, minority influence, and decision-making under pressure.

Judson Mills (Professor) received his Ph.D. in 1958 from Stanford University. Prior to joining the Maryland faculty in 1971, he taught at Syracuse University, the University of Missouri, The London School of Economics, and the University of Texas. His research is focused on the topics of attitude change and communal relationships.

Harold Sigall (Professor and Director of Graduate Studies) received his Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Texas at Austin. He taught at the University of Rochester prior to coming to the University of Maryland in 1972. His primary interests are in selfpresentation, interpersonal relations, and wishful thinking.

Charles Stangor (Professor) received his Ph.D. in 1986 from New York University. His research interests include stereotype development, change and use, and the impact of stereotyping and prejudice upon individuals.

Program Requirements

In addition to departmental requirements for all graduate students, social students are required to complete five social area core courses prior to taking the comprehensive exam (unless all five are not offered during that time period). The five social area core courses are: PSYC604 (Fundamentals of Social Psychology), PSYC740 (Social Psychology Research Methods), PSYC741 (Attitude Change), PSYC742 (Group Behavior), and PSYC743 (Social Cognition). To prepare new graduate students for their Research Competence project which is to be completed by the end of the second year (and is also usually their M.A. thesis), beginning graduate students are required to take research credits with a social faculty member in the Fall semester of the first year.

Social students beyond the first year are expected to take PSYC748 (Seminar in Social Psychology) whenever it is offered during their first four years in the program (up to the maximum 15 credits allowed). In the second year of the program it may be impossible to fit PSYC748 into the student's schedule. However, during the third and fourth years, such conflicts should be minimal. Students in their third and fourth years must obtain written permission if they do not take offered sections of PSYC748.

During their first four years, social students are required to enroll in PSYC 749 (Current Research in Social Psychology) every semester, normally for one credit. Students beyond the fourth year are expected to attend PSYC749, although they are not required to register for it. PSYC749 (attended by all resident social faculty and graduate students and known informally as the Monday Meeting) is an integral part of the graduate training program in social psychology. During the Monday Meeting, students, faculty, or social psychologists from other institutions present research and/or social psychological ideas in a relatively informal setting.

It is useful for students to regularly present their research and research ideas and for the other members of the program to learn about this research. Therefore, all social area students are strongly encouraged to present their research and/or research ideas to the social area group (normally at a Monday meeting) during the fall semester of their second year in the program (normally to discuss their research competence project) and during the fall semester of their fourth year in the program (normally to discuss their dissertation research).

Each academic year, students should select a research advisor. They should feel free to change to a different advisor or to continue with the same advisor. Students are advised to work with as many of the faculty as possible during the course of their graduate work. All committees (M.A. Thesis, Research Competence, Doctoral Dissertation) must include a minimum of two regular members of the social psychology faculty.

The comprehensive exam in social psychology is given at the beginning of the spring semester of the third year. It consists of two (half) days of written exams, and a take home exam extending over a two day period of time. All of the resident members of the social faculty participate in the formulation and scoring of the comprehensive exam.

Model Schedule

Students should normally complete their program of study for the Ph.D. in four years. The following is a model schedule:

Year 1

Year 2

Research Competence (M.A.Thesis) completed, end of Spring Term

Year 3

Comprehensive Exam completed, beginning of Spring Term

Year 4