Sociology

ALESSANDRO TONI

1. Knowledge and understanding: on having passed the exam students will know the main theoretical, conceptual and methodological aspects relevant to that branch of psychology that studies not only the interaction between people, but also the way how the presence of others influences behaviors, attitudes and feelings. In particular, knowledge should regard the main models of social psychology which have recently tried to explain, from a psychological point of view, the main group dynamics and social behaviors, with a specific reference to the influence of social context on cognitive processes, on communication – verbal and not verbal – on behavior and on individual development, the theoretical frameworks of social processes in which individuals are placed at a micro level (family, peer group, school and/or work) and at a macro level (relationships between different ethnic groups) and the individual processes analyzed within the framework of attachment theory.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding: on having passed the exam students should be able to to use social psychology models to interpret and understand different social behaviours and to apply them selectively according to the context of reference.
3. Critical faculties should be developed through constant invitation to participate in classroom discussions about the different topics explained during the course. they should present their ideas critically and should be able to support them on psychological and social grounds.
4. Communications skills. The ability to communicate what was learned should be developed encouraging students to take part in discussions concerning the different themes of social psychology and practicing how to argue, communicate and discuss ideas.
5. Learning skills. The ability to continue studying the topics should be developed providing students with bibliographic references for an in-depth study of the topics dealt with in the lectures, as well as information on websites where to carry out bibliographical research on the most recent studies published within the scientific disciplinary sector. At the end of the course students should be able to use both the knowledge and the methodological tools acquired to plan and carry out autonomously experimental studies in the field of social psychology by the means of theoretical and methodological paradigms. Students should also be able to keep updated on the latest lines of research in social psychology, demonstrating that they have developed the learning skills necessary to pursue their studies independently, as required in the degree course and subsequent ones.

1. knowledge and understanding skills:
• The acquisition of the ability to master the contents of different perspectives and research traditions operating in the field of social psychology and to independently navigate the basic theoretical models of Social Psychology.
2. Applying knowledge and understanding skills:
• Ability to identify the main themes and theoretical models of social psychology, contextualize them in the historical development of the discipline, and consciously relate them to each other and to the empirical research that has demonstrated them.
• Ability to analyze and interpret behavior enacted by individuals, individually or in groups, using a psychosocial perspective.
3. Making judgements:
• Ability to interpret empirical data that emerged from psychosocial research
4. Communication skills:
• Ability to describe the fundamental concepts that distinguish Social Psychology, major theories and related research findings using appropriate terminology.

No specific prerequisites are required.

The course illustrates the following topics: The major theoretical frameworks of social psychology. Methodological issues in social psychology. Biological bases of social behavior and evolutionary social psychology. Perception, social cognition, and social dimensions of the self. Implicit theories of personality and impression formation. Attributional processes. Attitudes: Formation and change. Social development and theories of attachment. Interaction dynamics within groups: leadership and power, social identity, decision making, teamwork, social influence on performance. Intergroup interaction dynamics: in-group and out-group, stereotypes and prejudice, social discrimination. Social influence and communication. Altruism, Aggression, Violence, and Empathy. Major theoretical models of communication dynamics. Nonverbal communication.
In the monographic part, the theory of attachment developed by J. Bowlby is presented, considering the impact of the early mother-child relationship on affective and cognitive development and on the emergence of social and communicative competence. The methodological aspects of attachment research and the main instruments for measuring the quality of normal and pathological attachment are discussed.

1) ATTILI, G. (2011) PSICOLOGIA SOCIALE TRA BASI INNATE E INFLUENZA DEGLI ALTRI, Bologna, Il Mulino
2) ATTILI, G. (2007), ATTACCAMENTO E COSTRUZIONE EVOLUZIONISTICA DELLA MENTE, Milano, Raffaello Cortina Editore (Chapters: 1,2,3,4,7,9,10)
3) TONI, A. (2012), PSICOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE Tra informazione, persuasione e cambiamento, Milano, Led.
4) ATTILI, G. (2022), ATTACCAMENTO E AMORE, Bologna, Il Mulino, (Second edition).

The organization of the teaching activities is based on frontal lessons aimed at teaching the basic content of the discipline. During the lessons, there will also be video projections and discussion sections.
In addition, explanatory cases will be discussed in order to understand how to plan preventive or rehabilitative interventions in the health field to help people who are mentally, physically, economically or socially disadvantaged.

Attending classes is not mandatory, but is recommended for a better learning experience.

The final exam consists of an oral examination.
To pass the oral exam, a grade of at least 18/30 is required, indicating sufficient knowledge of the topics.
To achieve a grade of 30/30 cum laude, the student must demonstrate that he/she has acquired an excellent knowledge of all the topics and is able to analyze them critically.
There will also be a partial exam at the end of the course.

• CATEGORIZATION PROCESSES
• ATTRIBUTION OF CAUSE
• ATTITUDES
• STEREOTYPES AND PREJUDICES
• MENTAL ATTACHMENT MODELS - INTERNAL WORKING MODELS
• NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
• PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION