The Introduction to Psychology course was developed through the Ohio Department of Higher Education OER Innovation Grant. This work was completed and the course was posted in September 2018. The course is part of the Ohio Transfer Module and is also named OSS015. For more information about credit transfer between Ohio colleges and universities please visit: www.ohiohighered.org/transfer.Team LeadVincent Granito                                    Lorain County Community CollegeContent ContributorsNicole Brandt                                       Columbus State Community CollegeLynne Gabriel                                      Lakeland Community CollegeJackie Sample                                     Central Ohio Technical CollegeLibrarianRachel Dilley                                       Columbus State Community CollegeReview TeamMelissa Beers                                      Ohio State UniversityBryan Gerber                                        Stark State College

 How to Use this GuideThis guide provides information and resources on introducing the topic of Social Psychology. All resources are Open Access and can be downloaded or added to a Course Management System (LMS) via the hyperlinksIntroductionSocial Psychology can be one of the more interesting sections covered in the Introduction to Psychology Class.  In Introduction to Psychology, Social Psychology falls within Pillar 4: Social and Personality, which also includes Social, Personality, Emotion, Multicultural, Gender, and Motivation.  Social and Personality are both required topics under the Ohio TAG, so instructors should plan to cover this along with personality, and other topics in this Pillar if time permits. There are several areas that can be covered in this section so faculty will have to be selective in how are what they cover in the Intro course.  Instructors might note that the full-length Introduction to Social Psychology course is also part of the Ohio TAG Module; looking at the objectives for the full-length course might also help you determine your focus and emphasis in terms of what to cover in this unit.

The nonprofit organization Creative Commons provides the following definition of open educational resources (OER):

“Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public domain or (b) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities.”

In Texas, Senate Bill 810 (SB 810), which was signed into law in June 2017, further defines OER as follows:

“‘Open educational resource’ means a teaching, learning, or research resource that is in the public domain or has been released under an intellectual property license that permits the free use, adaptation, and redistribution of the resource by any person. The term may include full course curricula, course materials, modules, textbooks, media, assessments, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques, whether digital or otherwise, used to support access to knowledge.”

The key distinguishing factor of this type of educational resource is the copyright status of the material. If course content is under a traditional, all-rights-reserved copyright, then it’s not an OER. If it resides in the public domain or has been licensed for adaptation and distribution, then it is an OER.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Define social psychology
Describe situational versus dispositional influences on behavior
Describe the fundamental attribution error