26
Oct 23

Defying the Bystander Effect

Hello, I’m that crazy person who stopped on the freeway to chase down a mangy, starving dog I spotted on my way to the grocery store. Some of you may have honked at me, and I’m sorry if I startled you, but I thought it safer for us drivers and the dog if I got him off the road. You see, I have this nasty habit of refusing to “do nothing.” 

Darley and Latané (1970) coined the term “bystander effect” to describe a situation where multiple witnesses to an emergency fail to intervene because they assume someone else will take action. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in densely populated urban areas (Gruman, et al., 2017) which is where I happen to live. This is why I stopped for the dog; I couldn’t assume someone else was going to assist the situation. A frightened animal on the roadway poses a potential fatal risk to motorists and, of course, to themselves. 

Truthfully, the concept of bystander effect came to public attention by the tragic case of Kitty Genovese in 1964 (2017). Despite 37 people witnessing her murder, no one sought to act or seek help as she was stabbed to death (“37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector,”1964). Researchers have identified several factors that contribute to the bystander effect, including diffusion of responsibility, social influence, and a lack of perceived competence (2017). In urban settings, this phenomenon is compounded by the overwhelming sensory input and a sense of anonymity. As cities overflow with people, the diffusion of responsibility occurs, making it less likely that any individual feels personally accountable for taking action. 

Rescuing animals in distress became my way of refusing to let this phenomenon take hold of me. When individuals witness an animal in need, they are often alone in their decision-making process, with no diffusion of responsibility. Choosing to act in these moments when I could just go about my business demonstrates personal responsibility and competence in a situation that demands action. Moreover, it fosters a sense of personal efficacy, transcending the perceived helplessness that sometimes accompanies urban living (2017)(Alleyne et al., 2019). “Doing something” becomes a tangible demonstration of one’s capacity to make a difference, even in a hectic environment. 

I’ve realized that animals are often victims of our urban environment, and they desperately need someone to intervene. For human situations, I do live in a city and it is difficult to screen all the stimuli I encounter, but when someone yells “help” I look up. My defiance of the social psychological tendencies to shut out the world has the potential to help build a compassionate community in the hardest neighborhoods that actively works to counteract the bystander effect on a larger scale. As we navigate our crowded urban landscapes, small deeds, like giving a homeless man a water bottle or leaving food for stray cats, remind us that we can be the change we wish to see in the world.

Citations 

37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector. (1964, March 27). New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20181108183955/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/27/archives/37-who-saw-murder-didnt-call-the-police-apathy-at-stabbing-of.html

Alleyne, E., Sienauskaite, O., & Ford, J. (2019). To report, or not to report, animal abuse: the role of perceived self-efficacy in veterinarians’ decision-making. Veterinary Record, 185(17), 538. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105077

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. SAGE Publications.


03
Feb 22

Is it silly to open your door to a stranger?

“Defensible space represents a way of fighting crime through careful arrangement of the physical aspects of communities, retail buildings, and residences.”–(Schneider et al., 2016, p. 353)

Last December, an incident occurred in my house that really scared me and raised a serious family discussion regarding home security and safety preparedness. We live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you are not familiar with this area, you may check the graph below derived from the FBI’s latest crime report. That could, in part, explain our seeming overreaction towards this encounter.

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer (2020)

One afternoon, a supermarket delivery man wearing black sunglasses came to my front door, pressed the doorbell, and waited. I could see him via our Ring surveillance camera on my phone, so I could tell from the plastic bag he was carrying that he was the delivery person from the store. However, according to my previous experience with the store’s delivery service, which we had been using since the beginning of Covid-19, I knew this sort of waiting was quite unusual. It was supposed to be a no-contact service, and it always was. Thus, under such an ambiguous circumstance, I didn’t feel like I wanted to open the door for this unexpected stranger. I expected him to leave soon, as most people would do when nobody replies to the bell.

However, this person did not leave. He was still at my front porch after 15 minutes. The longer he waited, the more unusual this waiting seemed to me. “We have to do something, he is still here!” I worryingly turned to my husband, who was sitting on the couch watching YouTube. “I don’t think we should do anything. He was not supposed to do that, and we don’t know who he is even if he is wearing the store uniform, right?” My husband is right. I have to admit that I made a mistake at the time when I nudged my husband to open the door for that person. There have been many home robbery cases where the perpetrators wear uniforms to gain people’s trust. So, my husband’s assumption was possible!

Nonetheless, we opened the door. The encounter with this delivery man was feeling uneasily odd. He asked us, “why don’t you leave me a tip?” we soon realized that he must be new to this service and told him that the delivery is an all-included service and it did not even have an option for customers to leave a tip. So, my husband answered his questions and then politely closed the door. During their conversation, I was hiding behind my husband and carefully listened. I could feel that there was something wrong with this person’s communication. Luckily, nothing bad happened. After closing the door, this delivery man left but sat in his car waiting outside my house for another 15 minutes. I watched him through my Ring’s app until he left and finally felt relieved.

Now, let’s get back to the defensible space design. According to the textbook, “defensible space design” is defined as a building design that could encourage or discourage crime in neighborhoods. For example, in my story, if our front porch gate was locked (it is usually unlocked for the convenience of UPS/FedEx delivery), then we would have felt less unease if he had been stopped by the gate. Or, if there was a glass screen door between him and us, then it could have reduced some uneasiness and uncertainty. But as you can see from the above picture, the gate-to-door space could be seen as a defensible space. Compared to other houses without such a gate-to-door space, the risk of my packages being stolen would likely decrease because someone has to walk through the gate to steal my package, which would increase the cost of the criminal act.

To sum, the lesson we learned from this incident was 1) to not open our door to strangers even if they look harmless; call 911 if they don’t leave for a long time, and 2)  when looking for a residence, pay more attention to the original safety-related aspects of the building. My last suggestion is that,  especially for women, we should be vigilant all the time and don’t worry about seeming rude when it comes to our own safety. It costs nothing but may save our lives someday!

 

References:

Uniform crime reporting (UCR) program. (n.d.). [Folder]. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 3 February 2022, from https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (3nd ed). Sage.


09
Nov 21

Adrenalin Fuels Attraction

There are many reasons why we feel attracted to someone. A few listed in this week’s textbook readings were the proximity effect, familiarity, physical attractiveness, and the matching phenomenon. However, one that I find really interesting that wasn’t mentioned is the misattribution of arousal. Normally, when our adrenalin starts pumping, we can identify the cause of the arousal. If a mugger points a gun at you, you know that the adrenalin you’re experiencing is caused by fear. If you’re about to propose to your significant other, the adrenalin you’re experiencing is likely caused by anticipation and nervousness. However, sometimes we can mistake the cause of our arousal and misidentify our emotions.

Misattribution of arousal is when people make mistaken inferences about what is causing them to feel the way they do. In their shaky-bridge experiment, Dutton and Aron (1974) asked an attractive woman to stop young men in a park in British Columbia and ask them if they would complete a questionnaire for her class project. When they had done this, she gave them her name and number and said if they called her later, she would be happy to give them more information about the project. Some of the young men were halfway across a 450-foot-long suspension bridge high above the park when she approached them. The others were on a wide, sturdy wooden bridge just a few feet off the ground. So, the men in the high bridge condition were experiencing something scary that was causing their hearts to pound, their breathing to increase, and their skin to perspire; their adrenalin was pumping. Whereas the men in the control condition on the normal bridge were calm and not experiencing an adrenalin rush.

Dutton and Aron (1974) hypothesized that the men on the high bridge would mistakenly attribute their arousal as a reaction to meeting an attractive woman and so be more inclined to call her later and ask her out on a date. This is what occurred! 50% of the men who completed the questionnaire on the high bridge called her for a date, whereas only 12.5% of the men on the normal bridge did. The men experienced arousal first and then looked around for an explanation for it. They then accidentally attributed their arousal to the young woman. This misattribution has been found in other situations too; White, Fishburn, and Rutsein (1981) found that men who are out of breath with high heart rates after exercising had more intense arousal responses to attractive women on a video than men who were calm. The high arousal magnified their responses. They also found that the type of arousal did not matter; whether the men laughed a lot at a funny movie, were disgusted by a gory movie, or had exercised, their arousal fueled and magnified their attraction to beautiful women (White et al., 1981).

These studies show that who we “feel” attracted to is not just based on our emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. Our bodily responses also inform the decisions we make in these moments; adrenalin fuels attraction! High arousal enhances feelings of attraction towards a potential partner. So, the next time you meet an attractive person at the gym, when you’re out jogging, or even at a good comedy show you might want to stop and think about why you’re aroused before jumping in feet first. It could be the circumstances of the situation rather than real feelings that are arousing you.

 

References:

Dutton, D.G., & Aron, A.P. (1974). Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30, 510-517.

White, G. L., Fishbein, S., & Rutsein, J. (1981). Passionate love and the misattribution of arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41(1), 56-62.


19
Oct 21

Cultivation Theory & Parenting: Are Kids Safe?

Addicted to Screens

In a generation that uses technology more than anyone ever has it’s important to understand how our beliefs and actions may be effected. According to a recent study done in 2020, American adults are spending on average 7+ hours browsing on their phone watching their television (Richter, 2021). This is an amazing amount of time for our minds to be influenced heavily by what we watch.

Cultivation Theory Explains the Consequences

Cultivation Theory seeks to understand the influence of TV specifically on our attitudes & behavior. According to our textbook, “Cultivation theory maintains that TV operates as the primary socializing agent in today’s world” and that “people begin to see the world as dangerous and ‘mean'” (Gruman, et al., p.169). Listening to crime podcasts or watching local news about a criminal who has evaded the police leads us to believe that we are more at risk of danger than we actually are.

We saw this during COVID when Americans were at home consuming more TV media. No matter what your beliefs were during the time – COVID exaggerated them. Some people wore HAZMAT suits or wore masks on a hike outside by themselves – things that the CDC never recommended but Americans did on their own due to fear. We also saw this politically as misinformation caused people to distrust the election process and storm the capital on January 6th, 2021 after they were convinced the government announced the wrong president-elect.

The Cultivation Theory also points to concerns about how we are raising the next generation.

Parenting in a ‘Dangerous’ World

Many of us have heard nostalic stories from our parents about the “good old days” when they would play outside, run around the neighborhood, catch a bus by themselves to run an errand and not having to return home until dark or for dinner. Hearing these stories, one would assume that the America we live in today is much less safe than it was back when they grew up. However, looking at Figure 1 you can see that violent crime has not been as low as it is today since the 1970s! However, parenting in the same way would be considered child neglect in the form of inadequate supervision.

Figure 1 (Below) from https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/americas-faulty-perception-crime-rates

The perception vs. reality of danger outside of our homes has huge impacts for the way we relate to one another and how we raise our children to interact with the world. I was ready to buy the latest video monitor with a sock that monitored everything from baby’s body temp to their heart rate and blood oxygen levels. The amount of technology that is out there allows us to have an illusion of control over the environment in which we raise our kids. However, this world doesn’t come fully customizable like our phones and we need to teach our children how to interact with the world themselves when it is safe to do so. My generation started to spend more time with helicopter parents who kept their kids indoors or kids who stayed inside playing video games. I truly believe that this time spent behind a screen led to the massive amounts of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues we see today.

As parents, we have to understand that one day our children will be adults and be able to make decisions on their own. The only way we can equip them to do this is if we give them age appropriate independence to help them transition into the world outside – even if watching TV leads us to believe the world is dark and dangerous.

 

Works Cited:

Eisen, Lauren-Brooke. “America’s Faulty Perception of Crime Rates.” Brennan Center for Justice, 16 Mar. 2016, www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/americas-faulty-perception-crime-rates.

Gruman, Jamie A., et al. Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, SAGE, 2017.

Lukianoff, Greg, and Jonathan Haidt. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting up a Generation for Failure. Penguin Books, 2019.

Richter, Felix. “Infographic: The Generation Gap in TV Consumption.” Statista Infographics, 20 Nov. 2020, www.statista.com/chart/15224/daily-tv-consumption-by-us-adults/.


18
Oct 21

How Much Does Smartphone Use Affect Relationships?

My teenage son and I were watching a TV show together one evening when I found myself getting frustrated that he kept glancing down at his phone to reply to texts. Did it mean that he wasn’t enjoying our time together? Why couldn’t he focus on the show we were watching? He seemed perfectly happy to split his attention between the TV show and his phone, so why was it bothering me so much? When I brought it up with him, he pointed out that I do it too. From my perspective, the two scenarios are different; I feel that I only do it if I receive an important text or email that I need to reply to urgently whereas he is much more distracted by his phone. But was my perspective correct? It seems that we believe that others’ smartphone use interrupts our time with them and damages our relationships but that our own smartphone use does not!

Although each persons’ actions may be identical, there is a discrepancy in perception – we attribute our own smartphone multitasking behaviors to situations (an external attribution) but attribute other people’s multitasking to behavior patterns and intentionality (an internal attribution) (Amichai-Hamburger & Etgar, 2016). A classic case of the Fundamental Attribution Error! This is the tendency to ignore situational reasons for other people’s behaviors and instead assume that their behavior is a reflection of their personality and internal character. This is because their situational reasons are not as salient to us, for instance, I don’t know if my son is replying to urgent emails or just looking at memes. Whereas, with our own behaviors, we have access to all the information related to the situation and so it is easier to take this into account when judging our own choices.

I know that I am not intentionally phubbing (snubbing someone because one is focused on one’s phone) my son; I want to spend time with him but occasionally might need to quickly look away to attend to something important on my smartphone. However, even though his behaviors are identical to mine, when he appears distracted by his phone, I feel that he is uninterested in our time together and is intentionally phubbing me; an internal reason. This actor/observer difference means that, even if both people spend similar amounts of time distracted by their phones, individuals can perceive the other person’s responsiveness to them as intentionally bad, creating conflict and a poorer quality of relationship (Amichai-Hamburger & Etgar, 2016).

if the multitasking behaviors of the person we are with make us believe they are uninterested in us, it is understandable that this can negatively affect the relationship. It seems this is especially true in more intimate relationships such as romantic relationships, close friendships, and parent-child relationships (Malle, 2006). In fact, studies show that, whilst technology has many benefits, one downside is that there is a cost to our face-to-face relationships and in-person interactions (Sbarra, Briskin, & Slatcher, 2019). Being phubbed is associated with decreased satisfaction in the relationship and increased conflict (Sbarra, Briskin, & Slatcher, 2019). However, it seems that, as aware as we are of how much others’ smartphone multitasking behaviors are negatively affecting the relationship, we are equally unaware of how much our own multitasking smartphone use also affects the relationship.

References:

Amichai-Hamburger, Y., & Etgar, S. (2016). Intimacy and smartphone multitasking—A new oxymoron? Psychological Reports, 119(3), 826-838.

Malle, B. F. (2006). The actor-observer asymmetry in attribution: A (surprising) meta- analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 895–919.

Sbarra, D. A., Briskin, J. L., & Slatcher, R. B. (2019). Smartphones and close relationships: The case for an evolutionary mismatch. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(4), 596-618.

 


06
Oct 21

University Admissions: Affirmative Action or Meritocracy?

When my son was in high school he applied to many top Californian universities to study engineering. Stanford and Cal Tech rejected him but he was accepted into USC amongst others. He checked all the boxes in terms of GPA and achievements but was a white male applying to schools that seemed to be consciously trying to correct their white male bias through affirmative action; recruiting more female and minority students to study engineering even if those individuals had lower GPAs and test scores than the white males who were applying. How did we feel about that? Confused is probably the honest answer.

Coming from England and a system where acceptance to university is (apart from at Oxbridge) solely based on your grades, we had found the whole application process a little bewildering. Why did it matter what extracurriculars he had done? Or what leadership positions he was in? Surely, the criteria to study a certain subject at university level should be based on your intelligence and ability to do well scholastically. Why did it matter what sports you were involved in? Most sports at university level in England amount to a hungover kickaround on a wet football (soccer) pitch on a weekend morning with your mates! So yes, we felt that the way the system worked here was unfair in that we believed that whether or not a university offered you a place should be based on your grades, exam results, and the classes you had taken in high school. We naïvely felt that it would be better if the whole application process could be stripped back so that universities could not see your gender or race in the application, but only your scholastic achievements…something I have since found out is called meritocracy.

Meritocracy is the belief that hard work and perseverance will pay off, and that successful people earned that success through their own hard work and efforts (Gruman, Schneider & Coutts, p.398). I think that this ties in with the concept of the deserving poor – the thought process that everyone is offered equal opportunities but some have chosen not to take advantage of them and so deserve to remain poor (Gruman, Schneider & Coutts, p.399). At high school level, meritocracy amounts to the belief that all students are given the opportunity to do well, and that each student’s effort and perseverance combined with their individual potential will lead to achievement and future success (Generett & Olson, 2018). Generett and Olson (2018) argue that it is this “hyper-individualizing” of merit, emphasizing the efforts and talents of the individual, that causes the structural and systemic barriers in the educational system to become invisible to those of us that they should be visible to.

Success at school isn’t just down to the individual student’s abilities; some students find themselves running an uphill race against others who are running their race on flat ground. Some schools have fewer resources available to their students, some have much a poorer quality of teaching staff. Some students don’t have supportive parents, or they don’t have time to work on assignments outside of the classroom or attend extracurricular activities because they have to look after younger siblings or work to help the family pay the rent. Some students are moved from school to school, district to district, in the middle of every school year because they’re in the welfare system and the new foster family doesn’t want to drive them to their old school. When these students are taught by educators who believe that achievement is solely down to individual effort and determination, they can feel as if their failure to achieve is because they are not clever enough or are not trying hard enough. That they have “failed on their own terms” (Liu, 2011). A very unfair and heavy load to place on already weighed down young shoulders.

So here’s my problem; I grew up in the Middle East surrounded by families who were both much richer than mine and much poorer. My parents worked daily to help refugees fleeing wars in Sudan and famines in Ethiopia. I attended a multi-national school with at least 45 different nationalities represented. As a child, I lived in war zones and saw atrocious things happen to innocent people. As an adult, I work with children in the welfare system and am well aware of all they have to overcome just to have a good attendance record at school, let alone get assignments completed and turned in. All this to say; I don’t believe that I have led a sheltered, white middle-class life and I definitely would never class myself as racist or naïve. My eyes are wide open. So, how did I come to think meritocracy was the answer? Reading this week’s lesson, I was shocked to discover that believing that the system is based on meritocracy is a form of ambivalent racism (Gruman, Schneider & Coutts, p.398). Gosh, that stuck in my throat because, while I may not believe that the current system is based on meritocracy, I believed that a part of it should be.

Could I blame my blindness to the issues on a belief in a fair and just world? Maybe some people could, but I cannot because I am very aware of how unfair and unjust this world can be. Could I blame my lack of insight on my own very strong internal locus of control? Possibly. Often in my life, I have felt a complete lack of control over my circumstances so have worked hard to gain control and achieve things “despite” my circumstances. Could I blame my faulty beliefs on being a foreigner? Perhaps. But I think my belief is a product of what Generett and Olson (2018) write about – that this “hyper-individualizing” of merit tends to cause the structural and systemic barriers in the educational system to become invisible to those of us that they should be visible to. Or, to go one step further, it causes us to discount the structural and systematic barriers that we do see because we believe that each individual student has the ability to “change their stars” if they just work hard and persevere. For some, the ideal may be meritocracy or equal treatment but those things can only be achieved if we all start out on an equal footing and, sadly, that is not the case and probably never will be. Affirmative action may sound to some like it is giving a disproportional advantage to less qualified students whilst negatively affecting others who have achieved higher grades, but it is in fact trying to level the playing field to give a more equal opportunity to those who have been running an uphill race. Who knows how those students running their race on flat ground would have fared in more difficult circumstances.

Halfway through his freshman year at USC, my son very bravely became my amazing daughter and, writing this blog, a thought crossed my mind…would she have been offered a place to study engineering at Stanford or Cal Tech?

 

Works Cited:

Generett, G. G., & Olson, A. M. (2018). The stories we tell: How merit narratives undermine success for urban youth. Urban Education55(3), 394–423. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085918817342

Gruman, J.A.,Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Liu, A. (2011). Unraveling the myth of meritocracy within the context of US higher education. Higher Education62(4), 383–397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9394-7

 


28
Sep 21

Less Competition, More Cooperation for Intergroup Relations

Growing up in the United States, I’ve been exposed to a culture that emphasizes competition. Whether it was in sports, video games, academics, or even band, we are often pressured in some way to be better than everyone else. In my first years of college, I became fascinated with cooperative video and board games. I loved the idea of having everyone work together and, if all goes well, share the feeling of victory. As I learned to play more cooperative games, I began to wonder whether we could use more cooperation in American society. After all, is having a culture so focused on competition good for the relationships between people and groups? The Robber’s Cave experiment by Sherif (1988) seems to suggest otherwise, showing that intergroup relationships suffer in competition but build up in cooperation.

The Robber’s Cave experiment, as summarized by Gaertner et al. (2000), investigated the effects of cooperation and competition on two groups of boys. When the randomly assigned groups engaged in competitive activities against each other, the relationship between their groups became very adversarial. This outcome led to the realistic group conflict theory, which stated that the hostility between the groups resulted from real competition and conflicting goals (Gruman et al., 1988, pg. 407). When groups view each other as obstacles or even enemies in accomplishing a goal, intergroup tensions may increase dramatically and lead to intergroup conflict. It is not difficult to think of social groups in the United States, such as those of political beliefs, that constantly compete and conflict with one another on a national level. Could a national culture of competition be facilitating and possibly even worsening these kinds of intergroup conflicts?

At the same time, the Robber’s Cave experiment also shed light on how to reduce intergroup conflicts: cooperation. When the two groups were instructed to complete tasks that could only be completed through cooperation, intergroup relations improved and both groups had more positive views of one another. One possible reason for this outcome, as discussed by Gaertner et al. (2000), is that the two groups began to view themselves less as two separate groups and more as one larger one. Cooperation helped take down the barriers that previously separated the groups. Members of both groups could now see each other as equals sharing in a common struggle, resulting in positive intergroup bonds. Cooperation between groups of people can create opportunities for them to set aside their differences and build strong intergroup bonds with one another.

There is a lot of emphasis on competition in the United States, with the idea that you should do whatever it takes to get ahead of the others. However, based on previous research on how competition and cooperation affect intergroup relationships, I would argue that society needs less competition and more cooperation. By looking for ways to cooperate rather than compete, we may be able to reduce the hostilities that exist between many groups here today. We may also foster harmonious relationships with one another, opening ourselves to new perspectives and accomplishing greater goals together.

 

References

Gaertner, S. L., Dovidio, J. F., Banker, B. S., Houlette, M., Johnson, K. M., & McGlynn, E. A. (2000). Reducing intergroup conflict: From superordinate goals to decategorization, recategorization, and mutual differentiation. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(1), 98-114. http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1037/1089-2699.4.1.98

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Sherif, M. (1988). The Robbers Cave experiment: Intergroup conflict and cooperation. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.


16
Sep 21

The affects of short-term temptations in the American Culture: Obesity.

Overeating has been a major problem in America, “an estimated 60% of adults in the United States and Britain are currently overweight or obsess and they are becoming so at an earlier age than ever before (Davis 929). Overeating is caused by the human’s temptation towards food, alcohol, smoking, and many more. Overeating is a form of social traps in which they pleasure people in the short-term but affect them in the long term in a negative way instead. The choice of a person relates to their want for immediate pleasure in the short term, like eating junk food, or by waiting for the reward of the long term and staying healthy. What are some factors that cause people to overeat in their daily lives? Some factors that might cause overeating are like stress, body shame, and social media and the internet. While there are many factors that influence obesity, there are ways in which we can solve this problem.

Overeating is a major loss of control over what a person’s body is craving. There are many factors that cause obesity to happen, and recently the percentages of obesity have been increasing at a younger age as well. One factor is stress which causes many to keep eating without even realizing to express their feelings and their emotions through food. When someone is stressed, a way of coping with it is by grabbing anything they can find and eat it. Also, body shame is a way that people who do not like the way that they look try to deal with it either by cutting out all food or by overeating. Someone might be angry about the way that they look and not want to be very skinny anymore, for example, so they start eating more and their body is not used to it. Over time, continuing to eat large amounts of food will cause the person to become obese without even realizing. One large factor in what causes obesity is social media and the use of the internet. Many children, teenagers, and adults use the internet daily 24/7, causing them to eat while they are sitting on a desk or in bed on the internet. Using the internet distracts a person from realizing what they are eating and continues to let a person overeat without noticing and repeating this overtime will cause a person to become obese.

Obesity connects to social traps in which we learned in class. Social traps are the involvement of a person in choosing to have the short-term pleasure or waiting long term for the gain of something, according to the textbook (Gruman 354). This idea might not relate to everyone because some might overeat and not become obese while others will eat normally and still gain weight. This is frustrating to people that gain from the slightest things like eating past ten o’clock at night, while others might eat at twelve o’clock at night and not gain anything. This really depends on a person’s body and how it reacts to food. Not wanting to wait for the long term, many eat as much as they want but causing them to end up with some problem in their body like high blood pressure, high levels of sugar, obesity, acne, and many more. Others that wait for the long term are benefited with staying fit and not having to deal with any problem in their body. I experienced a short-term situation in which I was stuffed full after dinner on a Sunday afternoon, and I couldn’t have dessert, so I saved it for later. Still being full, I realized that I did not eat my dessert, but I ended up eating it at twelve o’clock at night even though I was full.

There are many ways that obesity can be solved and minimized in the American culture. One way of minimizing obesity is by eating more healthy food instead of processed food. The easiest thing to cook is processed food in which it would be ready in ten minutes or less. Especially in college, many students don’t take their time in cooking a healthy meal but instead find processed food. Junk food is a major factor of obesity and getting rid of it with health options will help a person see a positive outcome. Another way to minimize overeating is by having a time frame for the time of meals and knowing when you ate the last meal and not eating too late. These ways might be able to help with obesity.

In conclusion, overeating has been a major factor in the American culture caused by many factors like stress, anxiety, body shame and internet use. It is important to realize the effects that obesity can have on a person whether they are young or adults. Overeating relates to social traps in which most of the time aim for the short term instead of the long term. While some might argue that it is a human normal phase in which people fall into this trap, in my opinion there should be ways in which we solve obesity. To find ways to solve overeating, we should strive to find better replacements that will have an increase in human health and weight.

References: Davis, C., Levitan, R. D., Muglia, P., Bewell, C., & Kennedy, J. L. (2004). Decision-Making Deficits and Overeating: A Risk Model for Obesity. Obesity Research, 12(6), 929–935. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2004.113

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.


15
Sep 21

The Value of Social Design

[Photograph of the stramp at Robson Square] (2018)

Take a look at the above photograph taken at Robson Square. While most architects design ramps to go aroundtheir stairs, the ramp here is integrated into the stairs (a combination known as a “stramp”) so that wheelchair users can go the same way as non-wheelchair users. It’s a nice way to reduce barriers and increase accessibility in an aesthetically pleasing way, right? Unfortunately, there are a few issues when considering how people will actuallyuse the stramp, such as how the steepness of the ramp parts and the lack of handrails make it more difficult for wheelchair users to ascend (Steenhout, 2018). These problems were likely the result of a disconnect between the architect’s vision and the reality on the ground. As discussed by Gruman et al. (2017), these disconnects happen because of role specialization, which often narrows people down to a specific part of a project and decreases their communication with those involved with other parts of the project (pg. 372). How can we address these disconnections? Perhaps we can take an approach known as social design to facilitate communication and improve people’s experiences with those buildings.

What is social design? Social design, as defined by Gruman et al. (2017), “is a process by which any building […] may be designed in collaboration with those who will actually use that building.” (pg. 352) When architects design a building on their own, they often focus more on its aesthetics than its everyday functionality. After all, they’re often not the ones who will actually be using the building. Social design essentially gives the people who will be affected by a project a say in its design. For example, in the stramp example above, one could imagine wheelchair users being quick to point out that the ramp is very steep for them and that without handrails to help pull themselves up, it would be exhausting going up. Involving their perspectives could have likely helped make the stramp more accessible to them and better fulfill the purpose of the design. Social design can help prevent practical problems from coming up after building a project. But it is not just limited to preventing problems. Social design can also improve our lives, such as through our sense of personal control.

Photo of a crowded high school by [LuigiSaysKachow], (2019)

It feels nice to feel like you are in control of your current situation, right? Most people do, and social design can help people feel like they are in control. As stated by Gruman et al. (2017), “good social design will provide building occupants with real options to control their proximate environment.” (pg. 374) Consider the above photo of a crowded high school building by Reddit user LuigiSaysKachow (2019), presumably taken between class periods as students are walking to their next class. With so many students walking in so many directions converging in one location, would you feel like you are in control? Probably not, considering there does not seem to be a way to escape the crowd when walking through this building, which can lead to stress. Gruman et al. (2017) state that “noise, unwanted social contact, congestion, and a lack of places of refuge are examples of primary sources of stress,” (pg. 375) all of which seem to be present in this photo. Unfortunately, when there are a lot of students at a given school, going through crowds like these can be inevitable. What can social design do to help a school with a lot of students feel like they are more in control of their environment?

Screenshots from Sensiba (2014)’s video Centennial High School Aerial Video

I would actually like to nominate my high school as a great example of how good social design can increase one’s sense of personal control. I had to deal with similar amounts of crowding as shown in the picture from the Reddit post, but I maintained a strong sense of personal control walking through those crowds. If you watch the video “Centennial High School Aerial Video” by Jennifer Sensiba (2014), a drone video of my high school, you may notice many tables and seats spread across the campus (also shown in the screenshots). Across the school, students could choose to sit down away from crowds to stop and talk with friends or to take a break from the stress. Additionally, with how the school was designed, there were usually multiple paths one could take to get from one class to another. When one path was too crowded, I would take an alternative path with fewer students walking through. Even though I still had to deal with crowding in my high school, it felt very manageable and less stressful thanks to the options I had to avoid the crowds. Clearly, the architects of the school had kept the perspective of the student in mind when designing it, using social design to give students personal control over some of their daily experiences.

In conclusion, social design is important because it improves the experiences of everyday people. Involving the people in the design process of a project that will affect them can help prevent problems that architects alone may not see, such as those involved in the stramp at Robson Square. But social design is more than just preventing problems. It can help improve the lives of people even if it doesn’t fully solve a problem. The tables and chairs spread across my high school did not solve crowding, but they did reduce the impact and stress crowding has on me and likely many other students over the years. Thus, when designing something that will impact other people, such as a new public space, it is good to take the social design approach and get them involved. Using their perspective can help prevent problems before they happen and, in some cases, improve people’s everyday lives for years to come.

 

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: SAGE.

Sensiba, J. (2014, August 27) Centennial High School Aerial Video [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/SgNiDaDUDK4

[LuigiSaysKachow] (2019, August 22). The absolute crap design of my school. This is the place where every hallway intersects [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://reddit.com/r/CrappyDesign/comments/cu8dho/the_absolute_crap_design_of_my_school_this_is_the/

[Photograph of the stairs and ramp at Robson Square]. (2018). Part of a Whole. https://incl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/robson-square.jpg

Steenhout, N. (2018, 11 May). The Problems With Ramps Blended Into Stairs. Part of a Whole. https://incl.ca/the-problems-with-ramps-blended-into-stairs/

 


01
May 21

The Environment – An Inconvenient Truth

We are all aware of 2006’s “An Inconvenient Truth” – a documentary that brought the concept of global warming (or climate change) to the main stage. Reading through this lesson caused me to think more about global warming and global warming information that gets released. Intuitively, I would take a guess that most people took the issue more seriously after watching that documentary. It stated a lot of facts from scientific research which is very compelling and even skeptics could not ignore it. Former VP Al Gore became the catalyst to launch the issue of global warming into people’s minds as well as politics.

I did a little bit of research into this to see how effectively “An Inconvenient Truth” slipped into America’s psyche. I found a research paper called “An inconvenient truth? Can a film affect psychological mood and our explicit attitudes towards climate change?” By Geoffrey Beattie, Laura Sale, and Laura Mcguire that sought to find an answer to my question.

To do this study, first they played “highly informative (and emotional)” clips from the film to sets of participants and their “social attitudes/social cognitions” were measured on five scales. The scales were: “(message acceptance/motivation to do something about climate change/empowerment/shifting responsibility for climate change/fatalism)” (Beattie, 2011). Their study found that the clips definitely effected emotion and left participants feeling “motivated to do something about climate change” (Beatie, 2011).

I think the key factor is that people need to have a raw emotion about climate change. Someone can be explained the empirical facts of the matter, but one is likely to acknowledge the danger but at the same time not feel highly motivated. I think this is true of anything – motivation is very strong when there is an emotional target on the line.

The researchers actually observed this result as well, stating that emotions are “critical in this context” because feelings “often arise prior to cognition and play a crucial role in subsequent rational thought” (Beattie, 2011). It’s hard to have an emotional response about global warming because the damage takes place very slowly over a long period of time, so we don’t have that one instant spark of emotion since the problem is so big and we have plenty of time to find a solution. This is the challenge that the film was trying to solve, and for the most part it did a great job.

 

Resources

Beattie, Geoffrey & Sale, Laura & Mcguire, Laura. (2011). An inconvenient truth? Can a film really affect psychological mood and our explicit attitudes towards climate change?. Semiotica. 2011. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270480063_An_inconvenient_truth_Can_a_film_really_affect_psychological_mood_and_our_explicit_attitudes_towards_climate_change


30
Apr 21

Health and Clinical – Social Isolation

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a lot about social isolation and what happens when people are quarantined for an extended period of time. From my own experience and talking with friends, it seems everyone is stressed out and overworked. I found some research on the effects of social isolation and stress. In “Making ‘Good’ Choices: Social Isolation in Mice exacerbates the Effects of Chronic Stress on Decision Making,” researchers Arish Rakshasa and Michelle Tong hypothesized that social isolation amplifies stress.

I found this experiment particularly interesting and thought-provoking. To summarize, the researchers split up the mice into two groups – one socially housed, one isolated. Then, both groups of mice were subjected to induced stress by undergoing a “seven-day period of repeated immobilization” (Rakshasa, 2020). The purpose of this is to induce stress equally both groups, and see which group is more affected. Stress was measured in two ways: an open field test and measurement of stress hormones. The open field test is a measure of “anxiety-like behavior that is sensitive to stress,” since mice will tend to stay closer to walls when stressed (Rakshasa, 2020).

They were able to conclude that the housing situation had a significant impact on the measured stress levels. Not surprisingly, the mice that were socially isolated were much more sensitive to the induced stress. This lines up with my experiences and conversations with people. I know some people more prone to stress or depressive behavior, and they seem to be the ones who struggled the most while quarantined. On the other hand, some people are actually making the best of it and liking the situation. They are able to work from home and pursue their hobbies or projects without social obligations or responsibilities. Based on people I talked to, the second group is mostly introverted people.

I found this study to be interesting, especially in the time of the pandemic. People are more socially isolated than normal, so it is interesting to see the effects of this isolation when combined with stress. If I were to design an experiment to do something similar with humans, I would first have all of my participants fill out a questionnaire or take a personality test. This would add another dimension of data to the final results because we would have another layer of data to incorporate. This would be much more complicated mathematically, but I would be curious to see how different personality types respond to being socially isolated.

Mudra Rakshasa, A., & Tong, M. T. (2020). Making “good” choices: Social isolation in mice exacerbates the effects of chronic stress on decision making. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 14, 10. http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00081


29
Apr 21

Social Change – Astroturfing

As we learned, social change research refers to when the researchers are taking active part in changing something in their social situation. One form of this which has a huge impact on our society and politics is activist research. This is a form of research where the researcher is more than just vested in the outcome, they are in fact pushing an agenda. One famous example of this is the advertising campaign the dairy companies ran for milk. Slogans such as “got milk?” and “milk – it does a body good” were based on dairy industry research sponsored by major dairy companies. This could be applied to politics as well in the form of “astroturfing.”

In “Online Astroturfing: A Theoretical Perspective,” Jerry Zhang and his peers define astroturfing as follows: “online astroturfing refers to the coordinated campaigns where messages supporting a specific agenda are distributed via the internet.” The important part is that astroturfing uses deception “to create the appearance of being generated by an independent entity. Basically it is large corporations pushing agendas from what appears to be a grassroots movement. One example of this would be a politician’s communication team making fake Twitter or Facebook accounts that push their political agenda.

I’m not sure if many people know about this practice, but I am just learning about it now from doing my own research. From a psychology standpoint, I think that people’s beliefs can be sttrengthened if they see there are many others who have the same opinion. So we can immediately see the danger of such a practice. It is effectively manipulating the psyche of people to subconsciously manipulate them. I think in the realm of politics, there is a lot of this behavior going on. In the last few elections, everyone saw the power of online chatter and the shift in the public to seek out their own information in addition to consuming news media.

Another form of astroturfing can be done through TV commercials. The commercials will make an organization started by regular people in order to solve a problem or take down a corporation. One example of this is “Americans Against Food Taxes,” which is a front group of the food and beverage industry. After watching the commercial on YouTube, I can immediately see how this also plays into the viewer’s psyche. The commercial predicts a mom unpacking groceries from an SUV – something very “folksy” that is intended to make the viewer thing “she is just like me, so I should have the opinion she wants me to have.” As Zhang states, “the perfect online astroturfing campaign relies on both skillful deceivers and vulnerable receivers” (Zhang, 2013).

I found all of this very interesting, but at the same time it can be dangerous. One disturbing outcome is that “once an astroturfing campaign gains traction, the fraudulent information will likely be redistributed by the manipulated users and become indistinguishable from other user-generated content” (Zhang, 2013). I hope that more people find out about this practice and make sure to have an open mind and do thorough research if anyone is trying hard to convince you of something.

Resources

Applied Social Psychology – Lesson 13 Module (PSYCH 424). Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2110187/modules/items/30953786

Zhang, J. & Carpenter, Darrell & Ko, M.. (2013). Online astroturfing: A theoretical perspective. 19th Americas Conference on Information Systems, AMCIS 2013 – Hyperconnected World: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime. 4. 2559-2565. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286729041_Online_astroturfing_A_theoretical_perspective


29
Apr 21

Media/Communications Blog – Phone Addiction

It is not well-known in society that cell phone addiction is a real thing and is on the rise in younger demographics. I remember first hearing about this years ago and it almost seemed like a joke or sarcasm at the time. But since then, there has been research done on this topic that proves that it is a real addiction. In fact, the addiction mechanism works the same way as that of hard drugs, in that dopamine is released. Once your brain knows what will release dopamine you want more of it, thus leading to an addiction (Deckin, 2018).

Whether or not cell phone addiction is technically classified as an addiction doesn’t matter so much as the problem itself. In Sehar Shoukat’s article “Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in adolescents,” he says that according to a study, “mobile addiction not only has physical effects but also psychological and academic effects at the same time.” In addition, “sleep deficit, anxiety, stress, and depression” are also associated with internet use and phone usage (Shoukat, 2019). His article is very well-researched and citations are provided too, so I take it to be credible.

I also began to wonder if it’s actually phone usage that is causing those things, or is phone addiction just correlated with other characteristics or other habits (such as drug use). Luckily, Shoukat’s article mentions a 2017 study that investigated “whether anxiety and depression independently contributed to smartphone addiction” (Shoukat, 2019). Interestingly, the result was that researchers found that depression and anxiety are predictors of high phone usage (depression being the strongest predictor). This supports my thought that other factors also cause high phone usage while also being the result of it, resulting in a downward spiral just like other addictions. This is also supported in a study, which concludes that “if internet addiction continues, it will undergo the same results as alcohol addiction” (Shoukat, 2019).

I believe that this information is very important for our youth and everyone else to know. For example, parents might not be aware of any of this research and they would think it’s just “kids being kids” when they see their kid on the phone all the time, just like their friends. Most people associate addiction with drugs or alcohol and may not even think it’s possible to be addicted to a phone. Hopefully this information is getting out there to parents so we can help nip this issue in the bud.

Resources

Dekin, Sam. (2018, May 11). Is Smartphone Addiction The Same As Drug Addiction? Mission Harbor Behavioral Health. https://sbtreatment.com/blog/smartphone-same-as-drug-addiction/

Shoukat S. (2019). Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in adolescents. EXCLI journal, 18, 47–50. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6449671/


29
Apr 21

Legal System/Criminal Justice – False Interrogations

I find the psychology behind interrogations and investigations very interesting. I’ve seen many true crime documentaries and they often have video footage of interrogations. I was blown away by how many psychological techniques the detectives use with so much skill. The subtle remarks, body language, and other methods to gain the trust of the potential criminal and make him or her feel understood. A lot of good comes out of this, but there are also some cases where false confessions occur.

This is counterintuitive and confusing – why would someone under any circumstance confess to a crime they are innocent of? I would think the accused would be able to prove an alibi or at least just hire a lawyer and be patient. Professor Saul Kassin’s “The Social Psychology of False Confessions” seeks to explain this question.

One technique he refers to is “minimization.” This is where the interrogator minimizes the magnitude of the crime by blaming the victim, sometimes offering some justification for the crime. The result of this is the accused person feels it is implied that their confession would be met with some leniency (Kassin, 2015). By convincing the accused that it was actually the victim’s fault, they feel more like they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or had some bad luck, instead of feeling like they had full responsibility (and therefore would receive full punishment).

In one particular study, minimizations increased the rate of false confessions from 6% to 18%. While this is obviously desirable, this technique also increased the rate of true confessions from 46% – 81%, which is definitely a good result! This makes the detective’s job much more tricky and require that much more skill.

Kassin also mentions that innocence itself could be a factor in producing a false confession. Research shows that innocent people do not think about “self-presentation” and offer up alibis freely, without considering that the slightest inaccuracies will be seen as suspicious by the detectives. They are also less likely to accept a plea deal and go to trial, because of their belief in the system (Kassin, 2015).

Kassin, Saul. (2015). The Social Psychology of False Confessions. Social Issues and Policy Review, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2015, pp. 25–51


24
Feb 21

Just How WEIRD is the FAE?

Every student of social psychology is at some point introduced to the fundamental attribution error (FAE). The term was coined in 1977 by Lee Ross to explain common misattributions (Ross, 1977). Ross noted that participants tend to attribute motivation to mostly internal factors, ignoring potential external factors. Psychologists have no doubt that both internal and external factors influence our decision making, but attributions tend to favor the internal, creating a correspondence bias. If true, the relevance of the FAE cannot be questioned, as all research should strive to be as unbiased as possible. Yet, is the FAE itself a biased misconception?

We will come back to the question at hand, but first let’s get weird. The term “WEIRD” was originally used by Henrich and Heine, referring to Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic societies. Their findings could radically shift the world of research, as it was found that 80% research participants are WEIRD, while representing only 12% of the human population (Azar, 2010). This finding means that the majority of research is only applicable to around an eighth of the world population. But what does this mean for the FAE?

Studies have shown the FAE is more common in individualist cultures than in collectivist cultures (Mason & Morris, 2010). Western cultures tend to be more individualist, so on this front the FAE is WEIRD. Research using more diverse populations must be completed on the FAE to determine the effects of education, industrialization, wealth, and government structure on the concept. It is quite possible that the FAE is not “fundamental” at all. The concept of making errors in attribution might itself be incorrectly attributed to human nature rather than to WEIRD societies. 

The WEIRD problem necessitates reflection on previously accepted psychological concepts. It brings forth the importance of something often all too ignored in research: diversity. Diversity across genders, races, and cultures is vital for any research study. The FAE becomes much more interesting if it is truly universal. Without universality of concepts, how are we to understand universal human nature?

References

Azar, B. (2010, May). Are your findings ‘WEIRD’? Monitor on Psychology, 41(5). http://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/05/weird

Mason, M. F., & Morris, M. W. (2010). Culture, attribution and automaticity: a social cognitive neuroscience view. Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 5(2-3), 292–306. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsq034

Ross, L. D. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 10, pp. 173-220). New York: Academic Press.


19
Feb 21

A Prescription for Equality

We must acknowledge there are racial differences and biases at play in the diagnosis and treatment of people with psychological disorders. The world of providers for people with psychological disorders cannot be separated from the concept of race. These biases affect evaluation of clients, which in turn affects diagnoses. The effects of racial bias on diagnosis lead to an effect on treatment and client outcomes. All practitioners would benefit from an intervention which would spread awareness of racial disparity and bias, striving for a more equitable action moving forward and improving all steps of the process, from evaluation to treatment. 

Clinicians are affected by group stereotypes, showing a racial bias in diagnosis. In an experiment conducted by Jenkins-Hall and Sacco (1991), mental health professionals assessed depressed clients on an interpersonal rating scale. The professionals in the study rated white clients more favorably than black clients (Gruman, 2017), showing them to be affected by a racial bias or group stereotype. Unfortunately, these biases are influential enough to affect diagnoses of patients, as can be seen in the lower rates of schizophrenia diagnoses in white patients over black patients (Bresnahan et al., 2007).

To take it a step further, racial biases in diagnosis and evaluation of patients lead to biases in treatment, affecting prescription of medication and potentially patient outcomes. Fewer antidepressants and more antipsychotics are prescribed to black patients over white patients (Cerdeña et al., 2021). More research needs to be done on these disparities, but there are many more out there like them. Over and over again we can see racial bias in treatment of mental health. We need to start asking an important question: what is the effect on patient outcome?

An intervention must be enacted to prevent racial biases from negatively affecting the decisions of practitioners in diagnosis and treatment of patients. Applied social psychology serves to use its power to solve problems. Through intervention and the application of psychological theory, black and white patients could achieve equality in treatment. Not only would patients benefit, but researchers would benefit from a world in which race is no longer a variable.

References

Bresnahan M, Begg MD, Brown A, Schaefer C, Sohler N, Insel B, Vella L, Susser E. Race and risk of schizophrenia in a US birth cohort: another example of health disparity? Int J Epidemiol. 2007 Aug;36(4):751-8. doi: 10.1093/ije/dym041. Epub 2007 Apr 17. PMID: 17440031.

Cerdeña, I., Holloway, T., Cerdeña, J. P., Wing, A., Wasser, T., Fortunati, F., . . . Li, L. (2021). Racial and ethnic differences in psychiatry resident prescribing: A quality improvement education intervention to address health equity. Academic Psychiatry, doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1007/s40596-021-01397-z

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.


27
Jul 20

How can we trust each other during this pandemic when most of the news is fake

Over the last few months, we’ve seen so much fake news and media, all with the same purpose, to invoke fear, or invoke riots and chaos among our society. The toxic combination of fake news and low levels of trust among people has resulted in worrying scenes of people gathering on beaches in very large groups, ignoring social distancing precautions set by the government, and you could easily argue, why wouldn’t they? They no longer know what to believe, and you can’t blame them for it. I myself, am finding it very hard to believe that COVID-19 even exists anymore. This is due to the media and its incontinences and false numbers in reports.

However, research found by Edelman in March 2020, found that after health authorities, employers were most trusted to respond effectively to the pandemic. This is very encouraging, especially as employees being to return to their workplace, it’s never been important that people follow the safety measures and trust the advice that their employer is giving them is correct. The consequences of non-compliance could be detrimental to our health and also to the viability of the business we work for. Just one confirmed case of COVID-19 can lead to the whole staff having to self-isolate, which is far from ideal, and can no longer keep going on.

So, as internal communicators, how do we make sure that the message is understood and trusted against the backdrop of fake news and conspiracy theories? We must create a single source of truth. Many internal communication teams have been doing this since the stay at home order began, creating one place that employees know contains up to date and accurate information. We must identify which channels are the most trusted and make sure that as employees return to their workplace, that they have access to this and it is updated on a regular basis. It is also very important to make sure there is alignment. Managers and leaders need to be aware of the key messages and repeat them, being weary as to not contradict or confuse their staff. They also need to be conscious of sharing external sources that have not yet been fact checked, or responding to questions that they are not yet sure of the right answer.

However, a single source of truth will only work during a situation like the one we are currently in, if the employees trust the communications they receive and have access to. Creating a dedicated website, or choosing a spokesperson is a good idea, but if trust was already suffering inside your business, then that will not change in a day. Building and retaining trust should be the key part in the way we communicate always, not just in these times and times of crisis.

We must also have empathy, as employees are more likely to trust that businesses that are fully prepared for their employees return to work if the communication they receive is correct and verifiable. This means that showing empathy while communicating, and remembering that while we have all lived through this pandemic, our individual experiences from it are very different. Business owners and managers must also acknowledge that people may have different feelings about returning to work. Some people may have concerns about their own health and well-being, while others may not, and some people may be grieving from losing someone they love to the pandemic. Others might be excited and eager to return to work, having spent too much time at home in isolation on their own, and in challenging circumstances. Business owners and managers should share their own experiences and what they found challenging about it with their employees, that way they make themselves more relatable and develop a trustworthy and intimate relationship.

It is also very important to remember to share stories from your first experience back to work with others who are just returning,  this will help others begin to visualize what it will be like and trust that the right decisions are being made, and mandatory precautions are in place. Remember to share some of your challenges as well, and what you have learned from going through this process and how you’ve adapted. This will help to ensure that the stories are authentic, and you will be more likely to be trusted among your colleagues. As much as people need to hear from their leaders, they are also more likely to trust the people them know are doing similar roles to theirs, or working in the same environments. In the book “Inside the Nudge Unit” David Halpern talk about the EAST model, which a framework created to help people apply nudge theory. The social element of the model talks about how we are greatly influenced by those around us (Halpern, 2015).

For example, even if we know that wearing a mask is the safer thing to do, if no one else is wearing one, that we are less likely to do it. That is why sharing stories can be a very successful way in encouraging the right behaviors by demonstrating others following good practice. The next few weeks and months to come will be a very important and critical time for businesses as they being to get used to the new reality. Internal communicators have a large role to play in developing and maintaining trust, in order to ensure that employees are not only informed, but are also displaying the right behaviors.

 

References:

Halpern, D. (2018, February 09). Inside the Nudge Unit: How Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference – David Halpern (2015). Retrieved July 28, 2020, from https://www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/books/inside-the-nudge-unit-how-small-changes-can-make-a-big-difference-david-halpern-2015/

Edelman. (2020). Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and the Coronavirus [Pamphlet]. Edelman. Retrieved July 28, 2020, from https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2020-03/2020%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20Brands%20and%20the%20Coronavirus.pdf


27
Jul 20

We Need More Interracial Contact

When we speak about race, you’ll find that most Americans agree that people of all races and ethnicities should be treated equally and with respect. However, personal experiences and news reports show us that race and ethnicity continues to be a problem and it affects how people are treated and how we all interact with each other on a daily basis. Most of us are aware that racial prejudice has a major impact on our lives and on our community. However, prejudice alone does not fully account for all racial dynamics, including occurrences where people of color may experience different treatment from white people. Therefore, we must realize the impact of racial anxiety (the discomfort people feel in anticipation of or during interracial interactions).

Most of us are concerned about how we may be perceived when we are communicating with others who come from different racial groups or ethnicities, and this can make us feel unsure about how to act. In the subject of race, this concern may be particularly severe, as people of color worry that they will fall victim to racial bias and white people worry that their words or actions will be misconstrued or assumed to be racist. This anxiety very often comes from lack of experience in interacting or being around other racial groups, this leads us to develop cultural stereotypes or distorted perceptions about what other groups are like.

Racial anxiety can be interpreted into behaviors that may seem to be bias, for example, the following are all examples of symptoms of racial anxiety:

  • maintaining less eye contact
  • keeping a physical distance
  • smiling less
  • using an aggressive or less friendly verbal tone, or even
  • avoiding all interactions with people from other races altogether

All these behaviors can have major repercussions for perpetuating racial injustices, for example, a white teacher to appear to be engaging less with students color due to awkward body language, or by actually engaging less with students of color. Also, white employers conducting shorter interviews with non-white applicants, or patients of a certain race being less trusting of doctors from a different race. In addition, avoidance and distancing behaviors can also be due to racial prejudice, and people of different race may interpret these behaviors to be coming from racial prejudice, instead of interpreting them as a result of anxiety about interacting with other racial groups.

However, fortunately, racial anxiety is something that can be changed. This would require us to reach beyond our segregated friendship circles or communities, and develop meaningful relationships with people of other races, this has been proven by psychological research (Tropp, 2011). The more we do, the more we can:

  • develop positive attitudes/empathy with people of other races
  • gain confidence about navigating cross race interactions in the future, and
  • alleviate our anxieties about cross race interactions

Positive experiences with people from other races can also help to lower the impact of negative cross racial encounters and help to make people more resilient when they engage in stressful interactions in the future. Most importantly, the advantage of cross race contact may not occur right away, one brief meeting between strangers or acquaintances can induce anxiety, especially for those with a brief history of interracial experiences. People usually become more comfortable with one another through repeated interactions across racial lines that grow closer over time. Even among people that show high levels of racial bias, physiological signs of stress can decrease through repeated interracial interactions, which can in turn cause future interracial experiences to be more positive in nature.

The circumstances in which people from different races come into contact matter. Reduced prejudice and racial anxiety happens most often when people from different races work together as equals towards a common goal, institutional support that endorses this kind of equal status also helps a great deal. Some examples of how these conditions can facilitate familiarity, positive changes and mutual respect in interracial attitudes are integrated sports teams and cooperative learning strategies. However, such favorable conditions can’t always be guaranteed across different situations. We may use these additional strategies to help create a common sense of identity and increase the potential for members from different groups to become friends, we can do this by establishing norms that promote interaction and empathy between groups and encourage respect for group differences.

However, given the fact that most of our communities and social circles remain segregated, it can be difficult to achieve interracial contact. Racial anxiety is usually a byproduct of racially similar environments, which render cross race interaction less likely and increase the changes that it will be less positive if it does occur. In such cases like these, indirect forms of contact, such as observing positive interracial interactions, or knowing that members of your racial group have friends and/or acquaintances in other racial groups, can help to reduce anxiety, promote more positive expectation for future interracial interactions, and create positive shifts in attitude.

The most important thing is to continue to reduce the impact of racial bias and prejudice, and address the structural and institutional conditions that perpetuate our country’s history of racial discrimination. While engaging in these efforts, we must also realize that addressing our racial anxiety is critical if we hope to achieve long-term goals in removing racialized barriers to belonging, opportunity, and inclusion.

We can use intergroup contact techniques to reduce racial anxiety and promote positive interracial relationships as an important complement to other anti-discrimination efforts. We can all benefit from moving past the confines of our group boundaries and into a broader more open circle of friendships, relationships, and colleagues.

References:

Pettigrew, Thomas & Tropp, L.R.. (2012). When groups meet: The dynamics of intergroup contact. When Groups Meet: The Dynamics of Intergroup Contact. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from 1-310. 10.4324/9780203826461.

Tropp, L. R., & Mallett, R. K. (Eds.). (2011). Moving beyond prejudice reduction: Pathways to positive intergroup relations. American Psychological Association. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1037/12319-000

 

 

 


27
Jul 20

The Link Between Childhood Trauma and Adult Aggression

Children who experience abuse, family dysfunction, and/or neglect, have a higher risk of developing health problems such as drug addiction, depression, obesity, and heart disease in adulthood. This notion is widely accepted, and has been proven in a series of studies that are funded by the Kaiser Permanente and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Kaiser and CDC project have collected a large database of the life histories and health of middle class residents that live in San Diego, California.

A San Diego psychologist has established that project’s Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) survey to link these negative childhood experiences with adult aggression and criminal activity, including violence, stalking, sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. In fact, the study found that the correlation is additive. The more types of difficulties a person undergoes in childhood, the higher the likelihood of engaging in criminal aggression as an adult.

The men in the study who were referred to outpatient treatment following their convictions for sexual offending, domestic violence, nonsexual child abuse, or stalking, reported about four times as many distressful childhood events compared to men in the general population. The men that were convicted of child abuse and sex offenses were more likely to report being sexually abused as children.

The link between the early damage and the later aggression explains why treatment programs that focus mainly on criminal acts are not as effective as they can be (Reavis, 2013). “To reduce criminal behavior one must go back to the past in treatment, as Freud admonished us nearly 100 years ago,” wrote Reavis in a Spring 2013 issue of The Permanente Journal. “Fortunately, evidence exists in support of both attachment based interventions designed to normalize brain functioning and in the efficacy of psychoanalytic treatment (Reavis, 2013).

So why is there a link between aggression and abuse? The combined experiences of neglect and abuse disrupt the child’s ability to regulate his emotions and to form secure attachments to others (Reavis, 2013). Therefore, men that were abused as children tend to either avoid intimacy completely, or are at risk to become violent in their intimate relationships, this is due to a “bleeding out” of their suppressed inner rage (Reavis, 2013). Not only should treatment for offenders focus on healing their neurobiological wounds, but the research also points to the need for more early childhood interventions in order to stop child abuse before its victims grow up to victimize others.

References:

Reavis, J. A., PsyD, Looman, J., PhD, Franco, K. A., & Rojas, B. (2013, March). Adverse childhood experiences and adult criminality: How long must we live before we possess our own lives? Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662280/


27
Jul 20

For some criminals, Halloween is the MOST DREADED time of the year!

 

For most of us, Halloween is the best time of the year! The trick-or-treating, getting candy, or giving out candy, perhaps even throwing a party. However, for many convicted sex offenders, it is the most dreaded time of the year. Sex offenders require curfews, mandatory “no candy” signs on their doors, group roundups, and even spot checks for compliance are all among the various techniques of control designed to protect the public.

Contrary to the belief that sex offenders should be feared on Halloween, sex offenders are actually not out kidnapping and molesting children on Halloween, and they never have been. In the published study “How Safe Are Trick-or-Treaters?: An Analysis of Child Sex Crime Rates on Halloween”, it proved that there is no Halloween spike in sex crimes against children. “The wide net cast by Halloween laws places some degree of burden on law enforcement officers whose time would otherwise be put to better use in addressing more probable dangerous events” (Levenson, 2009). Levenson’s theory, published in the journal, Sexual Abuse, examined crime trends over a 9 year period.

The researchers used data from the National Incident Base Reporting System to evaluate crime trends in 30 U.S states over a 9 year time frame. They didn’t find any increased rate of sexual abuse during Halloween or during the Halloween season. In fact, the number of reported incidents didn’t rise or fall after the police put in place these current procedures. However, unfortunately, empirical evidence seems to be incapable of bringing common sense to bear. Probation officers continue to put in place these ridiculous roundups and other once a year restrictions on sex offenders, instead of aiming their focus on the real threat to children, which I will cover in a moment.

All over the USA on Halloween, probation and parole officers will continue to require convicted sex offenders to not answer their doors, wear costumes, or decorate their homes on Halloween. They are ordered to post a “NO CANDY HERE” sign on their doors (like the one seen above). Others must attend special Halloween “counseling sessions” or “movie nights” where they are monitored. The restrictions are so widespread and varied, despite at least one federal court ruling that the restrictions were overly broad, and ridicule from late night TV pundits of some of the sillier Halloween restrictions.

The ridiculous crackdowns are a perfect example of what Scott Henson from the Grits for Breakfast Blog calls “security theater”, security theater is hyping and pretending to solve a threat that in reality is very remote, even to the point of diverting resources from policing activities like DUI enforcement that would protect much more people and actually save lives. So why Halloween, you might ask? After all, most sex offenders go after people they know, not after children they see in the street. Also, sex offenses are usually committed by men who have never been caught for a past sex offense. Furthermore, registered sex offenders usually feel branded and excluded so most of them are in hiding or stay on the down low.

The scare feeds into a deeper rooted cultural fear of the “bogeyman stranger”, this fear is memorialized in the Halloween legend of so called “tainted candy” that has endured despite countless attempts at correction. Benjamin Radford, of the Skeptical Enquirer discussed the persistence of the stranger danger myth: “despite email warnings, scary stories, and Ann Landers columns to the contrary, there have been only two confirmed cases of children being killed by poisonous candy on Halloween, and in both cases, the children were killed not in a random act by strangers but intentional murder by one of their parents.” (Radford, 2005).

The sad part about both myths is that children are taught a message of fear: Strangers, or even their own neighbors, might try to poison or molest them. I remember the first time I heard this myth, when I was 9 years old, and was trick-or-treating with my friend from school, and when we got home, naturally, I was eager to start eating my candy, however, my friend told me that she cannot eat the candy because her mother has to check it first. I remember being shocked, and thinking why on earth would anyone poison candy for trick-or-treaters? I didn’t believe it, after all, I had been trick-or-treating for years and I never was poisoned! So I just assumed her mother was crazy, but later on, I came to learn that this is a very common belief among most parents in the USA.

So, what is the real danger that children face on Halloween? It’s the one your mother always warned you about: getting hit by a speeding car while crossing a dark street. Car accidents kill about 8,000 children every year in the USA (Vieru, 2008), and children are more than twice as likely to be killed by a car while walking on Halloween night, then any other time of the year (Children’s National, 2020). So maybe next Halloween, show some compassion toward a publicly identified sex offender (or not, up to you!). BUT PLEASE, children, don’t get too friendly with cars!

References:

Levenson, J., & Chaffin, M. (2009, July 6). How Safe Are Trick-or-Treaters?: An Analysis of Child Sex Crime Rates on Halloween – Mark Chaffin, Jill Levenson, Elizabeth Letourneau, Paul Stern, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1079063209340143

Henson, S. (n.d.). Grits for Breakfast. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/

Radford, B. (2005, October 25). Candy Fears are Mere Halloween Phantoms. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/434-candy-fears-mere-halloween-phantoms.html

Vieru, T. (2008, December 11). WHO Says 830,000 Kids Are Killed Annually by Accident. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://news.softpedia.com/news/WHO-Says-830-000-Kids-Are-Killed-Annually-by-Accident-99829.shtml

(n.d.). Halloween Safety On and Off the Road. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/tools-resources/seasonal-safety/autumn/halloween

(n.d.). Be Safe, Be Seen on Halloween. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://www.safekids.org/be-safe-be-seen-halloween


01
Nov 19

Improving Academic Self–Concept: Opening the Door to a Brighter Future

The mind is a powerful thing…I was never a good student back in high school. No, let me rephrase that—I never thought I had what it took to be a good student, so at some point I just stopped trying, and then I really became not a good student. I never had much academic success, so I developed a pretty bad academic self–concept of myself as a result. Today, I know I could have been a good student if many things had been different—namely, my attitude.
Being a “good student” isn’t simply being intelligent. Being a good student involves a mindset which includes having a positive attitude towards learning, with beliefs that learning is important, that you have the ability to do everything it will take to achieve your academic goals, and that the outcome is worth it and within your control. Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior helps explain how attitudes relate to behavior, which can predict intention, which then predicts behavior (Gruman, Schneider, and Coutts, 2017). This constant loop of a relationship can be a powerfully positive one or a powerfully destructive one.
Academic self–concept has been shown to be strongly correlated with academic success, and is influenced by many factors. Complicating this whole process are many intervening variables as well, which can either work for or against someone’s academic self–concept. Subjective norms can be powerful influences on beliefs, intentions, behavior, and motivation—what others think can matter a great deal. Often, we meet the level of success that others around us expect of us, and a supportive environment can work wonders for behavioral change. Additionally, intention and motivation can be diminished if one perceives that they have a low level of behavioral control over the outcome—in this way, self–fulfilling prophecies about one’s own abilities to achieve success take root.
The process of achieving a positive academic self–concept includes not only attitudes, perceptions, motivation, and behavior, it also includes good experiences that will reinforce one’s evolving overall perceptions, intentions, and behavior. Negative experiences, resulting from actions such as repeatedly failing classes due to one’s behavior, such as cutting school or not studying, can have a strong negative impact on one’s academic self–concept. On the other hand, the skill development affect explains how positive experiences, such as receiving positive feedback from professors or getting a good grade on a midterm you studied hard for, can motivate us even more to continue this positive trajectory of our lives (Gruman et al., 2017, p. 224).
There are great rewards to positive behavioral changes. A positive academic self–concept can come anytime in life, people have it within their grasp to turn it around. For me, it has been developed and positively reinforced over the last four years at Penn State’s World Campus. Every new theory I learned or good grade I got after working hard on a paper was a building block for an improved academic self–concept. In addition, knowing that other students have the same motivation to perform well academically, despite many challenges, and receiving positive support from teachers and administrators, contributes to high positive outcome expectations (e.g. completing a difficult task, graduating) which then predict academic attitudes and academic performance (Gruman et al., 2017). I believe change can happen as soon as you open your mind to change, but it’s not that easy—as Ajzen’s theory explains, it takes a lot of planning as well.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2017). Applied Social Psychology:
Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage. ISBN 9781483369730


14
Oct 19

Looking for a Job?

I’m almost positive without research being done, (which is a big no no in my future field to assume, however, I’m going to anyway) that a majority of working individuals have hated at least one job they’ve had. In my own case, I’ve hated about half of every job I’ve ever had. I have worked with children the majority of my life. I love my first job and I was lucky to be there from teenage years up until adulthood. Of course, there were aspects of it I didn’t like such as waking up at the crack of dawn or rude parents, but I loved the environment and the students.
There were many reasons I didn’t like coming to work at other places of employment I had. The majority had to do with leadership. I’ve had hostile managers, that I felt like loved to berate me. I’ve had supervisors that wouldn’t support the team but will take credit for the accomplishments of the group. I also had supervisors that had no idea what they were doing.
One way to avoid those unfortunate environments is to find something you enjoy. Job satisfaction is an important factor in whether or not you’ll stay at a particular place of employment. Job satisfaction according to Gruman, “can be defined as a person’s attitude toward his or her overall job as well as toward various aspects of the job; it is a predisposition to respond to one’s work environment in a favorable or unfavorable manner.” In other words, it is the ways to determine what causes you to like your job.
When it comes to looking for a job you can gather if the work will be mentally challenging from the ad a company puts out for the position. Equitable rewards are usually noticed after working there and sometimes is labeled in the company’s benefits policy which most find out in great detail after being hired. Supportive working conditions and supportive colleagues is what you can figure out before you accept the position by asking some key questions in the interview. You can also get more information about the work’s challenges in the interview as well. Asking these questions could help with your own person-job fit model. The person-job fit model argues that job satisfaction will be higher when there’s a pretty good matchup between your personal characteristics and the nature of the job (Gruman, 2017). The key is to not be too intrusive. Make these question flow into the interview like conversations as to not put off your future employer.
Asking what the companies’ values or mission statement is very important. This let’s you know what environment you will be entering into. A related question is what is the office culture like? These answers will let you know if this organization is something you want to run away from depending on your personality. An eclectic artist would not want to work in an environment where the culture is very strict in appearance and conversation and the organizational values reflect a cutthroat mentality where individuals steal ideas in order to gain success. It’s important to ask upfront instead of finding out later.
To find out more about supportive working conditions, asking about a learning development program or about training will let you know if they support employees learning more. This could also clue you in about how the company supports growth. If you’re the type of person with high growth need strength which can be explained by your job contributing to your personal growth and development, it’s especially important to ask this question.
One question I have learned to ask an interviewer which gives insight to supportive colleagues is “What do you like best about working for this organization?” This would give information on how colleagues support each other when things go wrong. Social influence at work can affect job satisfaction. The answer to this question derives specifically from their social environment at work. Beware when an interviewer gives vague answers and doesn’t answer with some slight enthusiasm. It probably means you should definitely run for the hills.
These are things I wished someone told me once I got into the workforce full time. I would’ve avoided some very unhealthy environments. Please remember, that you add value to your organization by being there. You do have to accomplish getting their attention with impressing them in order for them to offer you the job, but they need to impress you as well. After all you’ll spend the majority of your days working there.


30
Sep 19

You, Me, We, and Stress

Stress always sounds like a frequently used bad word. If you ask a fellow student, a parent, a family member, or a coworker how they feel, “stressed” is usually one of the common words they might use in description along with sleepy, exhausted, and burnt out.

To get technical, stress results from things that happen in our environment, according to the transactional model of stress. Unfortunately, this model implies almost anything can cause stress, “people, events, and situations” (Gruman, 2017). Those categories mentioned are called stressors and there are many things that fall into those three categories.

In these situations, our brains appraise the situation. Appraisals can happen consciously or subconsciously. When this happens think of fight or flight. Either we can think this situation is threatening to us or it’s something we can conquer or get over. We also have secondary appraisals that evaluate and assess our resources to determine how we handle the stressor.

Appraisals can be different for everybody even if it’s the same situation. For example, if I saw a snake (it could be at PetSmart), I would immediately appraise the situation to be threatening. My secondary appraisal would be my resources, my legs to move away from the aisle or my car keys to escape just in case the snake escaped its cage. My husband on the other hand, would appraise the situation as something he could overcome or may not be stressed by the situation at all. If we were looking at the same snake however, his stress maybe because of my reaction to the snake, not the snake itself. What can stress one person out may not phase another.

Appraisals can also change over time. Another personal example, at one point I used to be terrified of dogs. I had been bitten as a child. If I saw a dog, my subconscious appraisal was that the situation was threatening, and I would cry, scream, and beg to leave whatever place the dog(s) were. About 7 years later my cousin, whom I was very close with, got a dog. His gentle nature and my constant appearance in his home changed my appraisal. I no longer saw the situation as threatening. Later on, I grew to be a dog lover with my own two spoiled puppies.

This is an example of coping. Coping is “thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that people engage in when trying to reduce stress” (Gruman, 2017). In essence this means what do you do to reduce the stress that the event, person, or situation caused.

In my last example, I unknowingly was involved in problem-focused coping which is exactly how it sounds. I faced my problem head on to reduce the power it had to stress me out. Did I consciously think “Hey, you really have got to get over your fear of dogs. It’s ridiculous.” No, I did not, I was 10. But I did think, “I want to be around my older cousin more so if that means dealing with her dog then fine.” Pepper was a gentle lovable dog, he made it easy to start to look forward to his cuddles when I saw him. Pepper himself didn’t make my fear of dogs obsolete, but his nature did help me cope. Eventually he was a point of stress relief and now so are my dogs.

There is another type of coping called emotion-focused coping. It deals with how people try to regulate their own emotions in order to reduce the effects of stress. It’s commonly thought of in terms of things we can not change, however, it’s important to note that this does not mean that we avoid the stress. Avoiding stress can lead down a destructive pathway which could possibly bring on more stress.

I experienced emotion-focused coping when I found out that Pepper died. I do not like to be sad, but I let the emotion come forth and I also thought about all the things Pepper opened me up to. Because of Pepper I have two dogs that I love so much. I learned how to take care of an animal because of him. I also learned how to train a dog and instill obedience. My dogs have a better life because of my own interaction with Pepper.

If you notice my end results in both dog examples was that they lead to a healthy outcome. Using the coping methods appropriately lead to a healthy management of stress. Other coping mechanisms for stress management are relaxation training, expressive writing, and using cognitive behavioral therapy to identify stressors, discuss appraisals, and practice coping strategies (Taylor, 2018). Stress may not cause illness; however, it can greatly exacerbate it. Other factors affect stress like socioeconomic status, negative events. Stress can also impact sleep and the time frame to recover from the physiological effects on stress on the body.

To reduce the likelihood of developing chronic stress or incur any of the negative effects of stress it’s important to also have a support system. Social support according to Taylor is information from others that one is loved and cared for, esteemed and valued, and part of a network of communication and mutual obligations. This means that people are better able to cope and have healthier outcomes with social support.

There are difference types of support such as tangible assistance, which is like a monetary gift or someone physically helping you move. Informational support is getting advice or information on situations we’ve never faced before such as getting marital advice as a newlywed. Emotional support is what we receive from people that love and care about us and our well being. Though this doesn’t list all types of support, these are just a few things to possibly reduce our haste to stress out.

Stress is something that can’t be avoided. Our bodies were made to respond to it for our survival, but it can be managed so that it won’t take over our lives and our health. Let’s make use of all of those strategies to keep up healthy and thriving.

 

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE.

Taylor, S. E. (2018). Health Psychology. New York: McGraw Hill Education.

 


29
Oct 18

The online classroom

Education has definitely changed with the introduction to online classrooms. There are plenty of people who used to think, and some still do, that an online degree is not worth as much as one that you get after studying on campus. I know a few people who still believe that my online degree is not the same degree that students on campus get. They think that the online classes are easier and that’s one reason why it’s not worth as much. The ones who don’t think that way are usually more motivating and encouraging. It has become quite frustrating attempting to explain to others that my online education is just as good as what students get in person on campus. The degree will be the same. I’m not sure why some try to argue this even today, but it is definitely frustrating and annoying.

Online education is just as important, valid, and useful. In my opinion, it requires more discipline when you have a lot of other responsibilites that you need to pay attention to at the same time. Some of us have full-time jobs, families (kids, parents, grandparents) that we are taking care of, while also at the same time going to school full-time. With all of that combined, you can forget about getting your eight or nine hours of sleep every night. Personally, I’m lucky to get six hours of sleep. It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like. All of the things mentioned above can also prevent you from sitting down and really think about what you have read and what you’d like to write for your assignments. Some content requires you to take a moment and think about it or research it even further.

The problem there is that there isn’t much time to do that and really enjoy what you are reading. I wish that there was time for me to enjoy and thoroughly research every single reading assignment (learning more about it, etc.), but there just isn’t much time. I’m sure that there is a lot going on for student’s on campus as well, where they don’t get much sleep either, but while they are on campus they are just responsible for themselves. They might have jobs while studying, too but they don’t have family members to take care of at the same time. This might not apply to all, but I think it applies to the majority.

The stereotype threat is the anxiety that students feel when they are faced with expectations consistent with stereotypes about their group (Schneider, 2012). The fear that they would confirm a stereotype in the eyes of others has been shown to affect someone’s academic motivation, self-concept, and academic performance (Schneider, 2012). I think that the stereotype threat can be applied to online education because of the fact that some people believe that online students are “less-than” and expect them to not be or not count as much as students on campus. Then some online students might be afraid of confirming this stereotype and that fear can get in the way of their academic performance and motivation. My motivation, academic performance, and self-concept have been affected a little bit in the beginning when I was told that my online education wasn’t “real”. It does produce anxiety and you have to fight to get that motivation back in order to break the stereotype threat.

 

References

Schneider, F. W. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Pub.


14
Oct 18

Guilty or not guilty?

Many people are guilty of being biased and can experience generic prejudice, especially when on jury duty. However, you don’t have to be a juror to experience this. There is generic prejudice even when just watching a trial on television, but that depends on what kind of a trial it is. For example, sexual abuse and homicide trials are the ones that seem to get the most attention. Those are especially difficult for jurors and it can be difficult to not be biased. For example, the moment we heard about a woman named Casey Anthony and her dead daughter, most of us said that she must be guilty of murdering her own child. We did this without listening to the facts of the case first. Personally, that is exactly what I thought (and still do). I don’t have children, but I used to work with kids, so I am protective.

Emotions can also be sparked during a homicide or sexual abuse case. We conclude right away that the person on trial must be guilty when it’s something so severe. This can be due to personal experience, or we know someone who went through that, we know a survivor, etc. In most cases, we are right to be biased and think that they must be guilty (which they are most of the time, I think), but there are cases where this would not be the truth. Sometimes there are people on trial who were accused of something so horrible, but end up being innocent. Generic prejudice can put an innocent person behind bars and it can make choosing the right jury a difficult task.

According to an article by Neil Vidmar, “Jurors do not approach the trial as empty receptacles who passively listen to the evidence and decide cases independently of their past experience, knowledge, and awareness of community norms” (Vidmar, 2003). Sexual abuse and homicide cases aren’t the only ones though. Generic prejudice also includes racism, which can affect someone of a different race/culture who is on trial. For example, many people established a negative view of Muslims after September 11th. Although only a particular group of muslims was responsible, an entire faith and people were punished for it. Completely innocent people who had nothing to do with the horrible tragedy that took place in 2001. “Research indicates that events that cause strong negative emotions, or that threaten people’s cultural world view, affect the way that these schemas operate” (Vidmar, 2003).

Basically, people who are racist or have strong views that they can’t put aside, would not make a great addition to a jury. A jury should be open minded and not have any strong views one way or another. If someone absolutely hates muslims, for example, and is supposed to be a juror on a case where an innocent muslim is being charged for a crime, how could they make sure that they give that person a fair trial? The same can be said if someone is accused of murder, and they are guilty, but a juror can’t find them guilty based on various reasons (same ethnicity, background, culture, etc.). It’s no wonder that selecting the right jury can take some time, but this is something to keep in mind if you are called in for jury duty.

 

 

References

Neil Vidmar. When All of Us Are Victims: Juror Prejudice and Terrorist Trials, 78 Chi.-Kent L.Rev.1143 (2003). Available at: https://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cklawreview/vol78/iss3/10

30
Sep 18

The way diversity affects us

“Diversity brings about the opportunity to learn new perspectives and, in so doing, to increase creativity and innovativeness for both individuals and groups” (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2012). While I agree with that statement, I have to point out that diversity can obviously also lead to things such as prejudice, discrimination, and some conflict. We are all different based on how we look, how we behave, our background, gender, and socioeconomic status. Diversity can affect us positively or negatively and that can depend on many different things. One example that I would like to use is my own background and experiences.

I was born in Bosnia and was three years old when my family moved to Germany in order to escape the Yugoslavian war in the early 90s. We spent nearly nine years in Germany and, since I was so young when we moved, I had no memory of Bosnia. Germany and that culture was all that I knew. At that time, there were all sorts of people living in my town who came from a different culture. We all managed to blend in with the Germans, while also maintaining our own traditions. Somehow it all worked, so we experienced little to no discrimination. The negative conflicts that happened came in the late 90s when a few local government officials decided that it was time for a few of the Bosnian families to leave Germany. We were on that list and were given a choice – either go back to Bosnia or move to the United States. We chose the United States because there was nothing left for us in Bosnia and a few family members had already moved to the USA at that time.

We faced negative conflict and discrimination when we moved to the United States and had to yet again learn a new language and learn about the new culture. Although our new home had a diverse group as well, it somehow included more negative conflict. When we moved here, I was finishing the seventh grade and barely spoke English. It gave the other kids a reason to bully me, which affected my self-esteem.  They believed that their group was superior and that I was the ‘lower class’, so to speak. Thinking back on it, it made my social and personal identity stand out. “Social identity theory suggests that it is the context within which individuals find themselves that determines which type of identity – personal or social – will predominate” (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2012). I think that back then, the social identity dominated because the new environment that I found myself in evoked the sense of social identity. Now I would say the personal identity dominates more because I am more aware of myself and focus on that rather than the social group that I find myself in.

“Anywhere humans exist, diversity will exist” (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2012). We need to find ways to minimize discrimination and find resolutions that can maximize positive outcomes because in the end it affects all of us and we all have the common goal of embracing our differences and living in peace.

 

 

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE.


16
Sep 18

Habitat Destruction

The loss of habitats is something that we are all aware of, but maybe don’t discuss as often. I love animals more than humans sometimes because we have changed the planet in so many ways and are responsible for the extinction of many species, which is pretty shameful. Habitat destruction should be discussed even more than it already is and some serious changes need to occur right now before we destroy everything completely. One way to do so is to educate everyone on what is exactly going on and motivate people to participate in making a change.

We have done many things that have been harmful to animals and have caused extinctions. Things such as abusing animals, using them as entertainment instead of letting them live in their natural habitats, and using their skin for fashion. Another terrible thing that has caused extinction is habitat destruction. The world’s forests, swamps, and lakes are disappearing because humans are building more housing, more roads, more pipelines, etc (Evans, 2011). According to EarthTimes, “Human activity is responsible for the loss of around half of the forests that once covered the Earth. Although these can recover and can even be sustainably harvested, their rate of loss is about ten times higher than the rate of regrowth” (Evans, 2011). Loss of these habitats also means the loss of other living species. For example, habitat destruction will be responsible for the extinction of 120 living primate species within the next ten to twenty years (Evans, 2011). The animals that will probably be affected more are the bigger ones such as tigers, mountain gorillas, pandas and lions because they require a bigger area of land for a healthy living and breeding population (Evans, 2011).

“Habitat loss is also a huge problem in the marine environment. Destructive fishing, using deep trawlers and dynamiting coral reefs destroy entire ecosystems. Coastal habitats are destroyed when land is drained for development. Excess nutrients from fertilizers or domestic sewage flow into the sea, causing harmful algae to form, blocking out the sunlight and depleting the water of oxygen” (Evans, 2011). The marine environment is another habitat that needs to be protected more because it’s also a great resource for humans. If the sea isn’t taken care of, then it can’t take care of us as well. For example, fish and water. We need fish because it’s beneficial to our health and we need the water. What happens when all of that is eventually destroyed?

There is also another environmental issue that is contributing to the one discussed here and that’s climate change. Climate change will cause many habitats to become inhospitable. For example, “A study in Nature indicated that within the next 50 years a quarter of the world’s land animals and plants could become extinct. This is around a million species”  (Evans, 2011).

Human intervention is a cause for this habitat destruction and needs to be taken more seriously. Right now the only thing that can be done is educate those around us on how to be more responsible for our environment. We need to be aware of what we can do in order to save more animals from extinction and we can start by taking care of their habitats. When you take care of the habitats, then more species will be saved over time. By destroying everything, we will end up causing the predicted extinctions and then what? Can you imagine a world with destroyed habitats and not seeing specific animals anymore such as lions, tigers, and gorillas? Personally, I can’t imagine a world like that and I don’t want to. We need to take responsibility and educate ourselves on how we can change our destructive ways.

 

References

Evans, M. (2011, May 10). Habitat Loss and Degradation. Retrieved from http://www.earthtimes.org/encyclopaedia/environmental-issues/habitat-loss-degradation/

 


16
Sep 18

Stately Sustainability

 

While I may consider it to be the best atmosphere in the whole country, others fear the cheers and jeers of the over 107,000 white-clad diehards screaming their lungs out on any given football Saturday. And no matter which side one may fall on, there is little doubt that Penn State’s Beaver Stadium provides a raucous and unique environment for college athletics, one that has drawn millions of people to central Pennsylvania over the years.

But in speaking about environments, there are many who are also concerned about how fan behavior not only generates an exciting sports scene but can also negatively affect the Earth. Do alumni waste an exorbitant amount of gas making their trips back to Happy Valley during football weekends? Is too much electricity consumed to turn the borough of State College into a bustling city in anticipation for the big game? Can anything be done to balance good times and good practices? A discussion of intervention strategy on individual’s behaviors, along with some current efforts by the Penn State community, may provide perspective in to what actions can be taken to promote future environmental sustainability.

One approach to shaping desired outcomes amongst society is the use of antecedent strategies during interventions. These schemes promote identifying the factors that cause behavioral issues, and then using goals, educational tools, and information to target the negative behavior before it has been committed (Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts, 2012). These devices “prime” the subject to make the necessary changes identified when formulating a solution to a problem, but do not necessarily require that the actual change takes place (Schneider et al., 2012, p. 307). Essentially, a proactive approach to eliminating adverse influences before a problem arises.

Here is an example for my football fans out there. Let us say that a certain football coach may hope to prepare his Nittany Lions to beat the University of Illinois next week but is concerned about his players losing focus as they look a week ahead to the Ohio State matchup. During the time prior to this week’s game, he may take to Twitter and repeatedly use the term “Illinois” to remind his team of where their concentration and goals should lie. Next, he will instruct the coaching staff to review film of only the Illini football team’s games and then also directs them to not use the words “Ohio” or “Buckeyes” all week. The entire team is provided with a scouting report on only Illinois’ strengths and weaknesses from the coaches, and there is no mention of any schools that may be located in a bordering state. In removing some the interfering elements, the team dedicates itself to focus solely on winning at Illinois. Likewise, similar interventional avenues can also be used to persuade others not to commit environmentally-hazardous behaviors.

With an overabundance of trash left after football games, Penn State is leading an effort to determine how to promote less waste by visitors to Beaver Stadium. In conjunction with the university’s Sustainability Institute, Tailgate Ambassadors have descended upon the stadium in recent years with the goal of promoting efficient recycling practices at football games (Tailgate, 2018). To intercept poor habits before they occur, these student volunteers spread out amongst the tailgating lots during the season, interacting with fans and providing educational information about how and where to dispose of waste. Fans are encouraged to presort their recyclable cans and bottles in to blue bags, and other waste is disposed of in similar clear containers. During just one home game against Michigan last season, Tailgate Ambassadors communicated with 80,000 fans, handing out 3,600 bags, and capturing 62,000 pounds of recycling (Tailgate, 2018). In using the antecedent strategies of setting goals and providing education and information before the problem arises, Penn State students are tackling the issue of environmentally-damaging behaviors.

Interventions program can be implemented to address the different factors associated with changing individual’s behaviors, as evident by organized volunteer initiatives at Penn State. Based on their adaptation in a variety of situations, antecedent strategies are currently being invoked by the university’s Sustainability Institute in providing student Tailgate Ambassadors who make a considerable difference in recycling efforts at Beaver Stadium. Prior to the disposal of trash, these volunteers educate fans about the correct methods for managing recyclables and waste, and in doing so, make a positive impact on the environment.

What else can be done to make the Penn State football experience an environmentally-sustainable one. Can all of those used vinyl pom-poms be repurposed into something more beneficial? Are concession stands currently operating at 100% compliance in using recycled foodservice plates and cutlery? Are there options for more energy efficient stadium lights? It remains an important endeavor to continue to seek new ways to make Penn State not only a great football atmosphere, but an environmentally-friendly one as well. Something everyone can cheer about!

References:

Schneider, F.W., Gruman, J.A., & Coutts, L.A. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Tailgate Ambassadors. (2018). Retrieved September 13, 2018, from https://www.pennstatecsl.com/tailgate-ambassadors.html


27
Feb 18

Juvenile Justice System

There is this perception in our society that those under 18 are under some type of legal protection or exemption. I used to think that if a teenager was tried as an adult then they would be susceptible to an unfair trial and that being sentenced as a juvenile was far better. I certainly do not agree with many ways that our U.S. justice system operates. I strongly believe that young people’s age should be a factor in understanding their motivation and capabilities. Therefore, charging a 16-year-old as an adult seems to be incredibly unjust. However still, juveniles are not awarded many of the same rights as adults and therefore may be getting a fairer trial but certainly not a fairer sentence. It is incredibly unreasonable to hold children to adult expectations; therefore, the juvenile justice system needs to be structured in a way that considers their age, allows them a fair trial and sentence. While also providing consistent and rehabilitative discipline that allows them to succeed as an adult.

Juvenile hearings are quite different than adult hearings, the Juvenile Law Center notes that “juvenile court hearings are often closed to members of the public and records are often confidential…however, despite what many people believe, juvenile records in most jurisdictions are not automatically sealed or expunged” (Juvenile Law Center, 2018). A juvenile record may follow an individual around throughout their life, making it difficult to be successful as an adult. Juveniles are not given the same rights as adults, thus having less protection when being accused or convicted and highly susceptible to manipulation. Furthermore, children are sentenced and tried by a judge, not a jury, which makes them highly vulnerable to discrimination. While also being subject to the judge’s personal opinions of the significance of the crime.

Remember the “kids for cash” scandal in Pennsylvania a few years back? This is a prime example of how the juvenile justice system is vulnerable to manipulation. Judges were found guilty of receiving a monetary commission for sentencing minors to juvenile detention centers (NPR, 2014). Judge Ciavarella took advantage of a system that allowed him to benefit from selling kid’s lives to juvenile detention centers for a profit (NPR, 2014). The juvenile system should not have space for Judge’s to have so much influence in one person’s life. Some of the children in the juvenile justice system lose years from their life based from one person’s sentence. This is different than the Adult justice system where adults are tried in front of a jury.

The article, Mandatory Minimums, Maximum Consequences discusses how federal law is reviving the “tough on crime approach” with juveniles (Steiner, 2017). This requires juveniles to be automatically tried as adults for certain crimes, therefore giving them an adult sentence. Therefore many have spent most, if not all their lives in jail for crimes they committed as teenagers. Steiner notes that a situation where Washington teens faced up to 45 years for stealing candy and cell phones while having a firearm on them (Steiner, 2017). Crimes committed by juveniles certainly need to be addressed and some situations may have more severe consequences on society. However, children should not be held to the same expectations as adults, because they are not mentally mature enough to understand the full consequences of their actions.

There are certainly issues with the juvenile justice system that we could discuss endlessly. The adult justice system in America is certainly no model to strive for. Though, suggesting that juveniles be treated to the same extent and with the same expectations as adults is unreasonable. Duplicating the adult justice system with juveniles, while also giving them less rights and protections is also highly problematic. I am simply suggesting that the juvenile justice system enact changes that truly reflect the child’s needs and ensure fair and ethical discipline. Instead of trying to transfer kids to the adult system or disregard their rights to fair trials and appropriate sentencing.

References

Juvenile Law Center (2018). Youth in the Justice System: An Overview. Retrieved from: http://jlc.org/news-room/media-resources/youth-justice-system-overview

NPR Staff (2014). ‘Kids For Cash’ Captures A Juvenile Justice Scandal From Two Sides. NPR. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/2014/03/08/287286626/kids-for-cash-captures-a-juvenile-justice-scandal-from-two-sides

Steiner, Emily (2017). Mandatory Minimums, Maximum Consequences. Juvenile Law Center. Retrieved from: http://jlc.org/blog/mandatory-minimums-maximum-consequences


16
Feb 18

Colleges and Intergroup relations

So, how do colleges address and encourage natural experiences and dialogue? Some colleges are attempting to address discrimination through offering intergroup dialogue classes, sessions, and even entire majors devoted to intergroup relations. Some goals of intergroup relations programs are to foster spaces for students to interact. Intergroup dialogues are intended to be spaces to connect students through broadening their understanding of those who they perceive to fit into some different groups. This strategy is consistent with Allport’s Contact Hypothesis which emphasizes the value of positive contact in decreasing negative stereotypes (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2013).

The University of Michigan offers several intergroup dialogue classes for students to participate in. Once students are approved to participate in a 3-credit class, they are placed into a specific “topic placement such as race, ethnicity, SES, Gender, etc.” (Michigan State, 2018). The dialogues are facilitated by trained students who encourage dialogue and discussion in response to reading materials (Michigan State, 2018). A goal of these dialogues is to encourage and foster a culturally diverse community where students are treated respectfully and equally. This program focuses on rich and meaningful conversations with intentionally diverse groups.

Villanova University offers something a little different to Michigan state, as they offer up to three, 1-credit intergroup relation courses to their students as free electives. Noting that “One credit IGR courses are designed to prepare students to create dialogues in situations where understanding and listening are needed” (Villanova, 2018). A goal of this initiative is to encourage and equip students for authentic and respectful interactions. This program defines intergroup relations as an “educational experience about issues of social justice” (Villanova, 2018). These classes are structured to better understand differences among group members through dialogue, exercises, and readings. Each class focuses on a specific topic such as gender, racial identity, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status and students are encouraged to take more than one course.

Intergroup relations groups encourage participation and thoughtful responses to topics related to various stereotypes and biases. They aim to address issues within society, colleges, and even personally. Colleges are addressing conflict resolution through contact hypothesis by providing spaces for students to find commonalities by interacting with one another (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2013).  Consistent with Allport’s hypothesis, intergroup relations aim to address perceived inequalities and foster a space for understanding where all participants are treated equally (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2013). Through providing opportunities for students to positively interact with one another equally and respectfully, colleges are aiming to encourage a stronger community.

Colleges are taking a variety of approaches to address inequality, discrimination, and diversity. In my opinion, colleges have a responsibility to give their students opportunities to learn from one another. I am not certain what approach is the best to take and I would assume that people have different experiences and perspectives of what approach is most appropriate to encourage a healthy and diverse community. However, it is extremely important that educational settings make connecting people and breaking down barriers a priority. Colleges must address discrimination directly and offer learning opportunities for students while also ensuring a safe and healthy community for all students.

References

Schneider, F. W. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

University of Michigan. (2018). Intergroup Dialogues. Retrieved from The Program of Intergroup Relations: https://igr.umich.edu/article/intergroup-dialogues

Villanova University. (2018). Office of the Provost. Retrieved from Villanova.edu: http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/provost/diversity/igr.html


12
Nov 17

Proximity, Familiarity, and Relationships

Growing up, my best friends were Madison R., Sarah T., Charlotte T., and Lauren W.  My sister ended up dating the boy that sat next to her in history.  My best friend dated a family friend and then the boy in her small college study abroad program.  Another close friend married a man she saw at church each week. Despite the fact that all of these events seem relatively isolated, they actually have some elements in common.  Specifically, each of these relationships seems to have been developed with the help of the proximity effect and the familiarity effect.

Originally proposed by Leon Festinger and his colleagues in 1950, the proximity effect is the idea that physical and/or psychological closeness increases interpersonal liking and attraction (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts., 2012).  Interestingly, this phenomenon has been shown to be powerful in the creation of everything from friendships to life-long partnerships.  Similarly, Schneider et al. (2012) note that increased exposure to someone can increase preexisting opinions about them, but, in the absence of preexisting opinions, increased exposure results in positive feelings due to familiarity and perceived similarity.  Familiarity has been shown to be positive and reassuring for most people, while perceived similarity results in the assumption that people have more in common, facilitating warmer, more comfortable interactions (Schneider et al., 2012), all of which facilitate attraction.

So, let’s take a close look at how the proximity and familiarity effects have impacted the relationships detailed above.  First, we have my best friends growing up: Madison R., Sarah T., Charlotte T., and Lauren W.  With a W last name, myself, I was often seated by these girls in classes.  In fact, my two closest friends from this time, Madison and Sarah, and I shared a locker in first grade (due to alphabetical order), and Madison, who is still my best friend to this day, lives about two minutes from my house.  This is where we can see the proximity effect in action.  Due to our last names, Madison, Sarah, Charlotte, Lauren, and myself were frequently in contact with one another.  This allowed us to talk to one another and learn about one another, leading to comfortable interactions.  Then, because we had so much contact with one another, the familiarity effect came into play.  Positive feelings were enhanced and friendships were solidified.  Interestingly, the closest of these friendships was that of Madison, Sarah, and myself, who, as “locker buddies” for an entire year, had the most contact with one another.

Moving onto my sister’s relationship with the boy she sat next to in class and my friend who dated the boy in her study abroad program, we can again see the effects of the proximity effect.  The example of my sister is extremely similar to the example provided by Schneider et al. (2012) of Chris and Lee.  Like Chris and Lee, my sister and this boy did not really know one another, but ended up sitting together in a history class in college.  Due to this proximity, they began to become more comfortable with one another and learn more about each other, eventually breeding attraction.  Similarly, when my best friend studied in London, she and another boy had schedules that were exactly the same.  They lived in the same building and were in the same classes and groups during this semester.  Like my sister and the boy in her history class, this close proximity led to easy conversation and eventual attraction.

We can also see the familiarity effect at play in my best friend’s relationship with her family friend and my other friend’s marriage to the man from her church.  My best friend’s family friend was at their house very frequently, played on the same hockey team as her brother, so was often at the rink when she was, and went to the same school as her brother, so was often at events there, as well.  While their eventual relationship was definitely helped by his proximity to the family, it seems that the frequent contact between the two is what truly made a difference.  It increased familiarity and, subsequently, their mutual liking of each other.  Similarly, my friend and the man from her church came in contact with one another frequently at church events, in which they were both extremely active.  Again, this increased familiarity, as she became comfortable with him and saw him at a variety of different events.  She also (correctly) assumed that they had a lot in common, another impact of the familiarity effect.

Essentially, it seems that when we really dig into it, many relationships, both romantic and friendly, can be traced back to some type of proximity and/or familiarity effects.  As we saw with my close friends, they all had last names in similar regions of the alphabet, leading to us being grouped together frequently, increasing our proximity and leading to friendships.  When we look at the romantic relationships of my friends and family, we can see similar effects, as well.  My sister dated a boy because he sat near her, my best friend dated a boy because they lived near one another and had similar schedules and another because he was familiar to her, and another friend married the man she was familiar with because of church.  Learning about how proximity and familiarity can impact our relationships is fascinating and definitely makes a person think about their own relationships.  Moving forward, keeping these ideas in mind can definitely impact how we view others and develop relationships.

 

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understand and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

 


30
Oct 17

Online Education and Peer Interaction

As I read the assigned chapters for class this week, one thing that stood out to me was how critical peer interaction is in academic environments.  According to Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts, (2012), kids who have poor peer relationships struggle with developing competency in a variety of different areas of their lives, including academia, while those with positive relationships are more likely to thrive.  In fact, studies have indicated that the act of just playing with other children can increase a child’s self-confidence and, in turn, increase their academic achievement (Schneider et al., 2012).  However, in an increasingly modernized educational environment, more and more academic programs are being offered online.  According to Connections Academy (2015), from 2009 to 2014, there has been an 80% increase in grade school students taking online or blended learning courses and a 58% increase in full-time online public school enrollment.  If students are no longer in classrooms together, however, will this lack of peer interaction be detrimental?

 

As Schneider et al. (2012) note, the academic environment provides individuals with the opportunity to form and maintain friendships, acquire leadership skills, learn about conflict resolution and cooperation, and develop positive self-concepts, in addition to enhancing academic achievement.  All of these lessons are learned through peer interaction.  Early poor social adjustment is shown to lead to academic struggles later on, a negative perception of the school environment, and even eventual academic failure (as cited in Schneider et al., 2012).  This opportunity to develop social skills is even more important for students with disabilities and behavioral difficulties, with positive interactions leading to marked increases in their motivation and performance (Schneider et al., 2012).  If students are participating in online learning, then, they will experience distinctly less peer interaction, potentially leading to poorer academic and social skills.

 

Despite this dire picture, however, studies also show that the academic-social interaction can be reciprocal, with high academic performance leading to more positive social skills.  Specifically, studies have shown that actively working to increase the academic performance of children early in their school careers, through interventions such as math and reading tutoring, can lead to positive social development (Schneider et al., 2012).  This suggests that the lack of peer interaction in online education may not be so detrimental after all.  In fact, if these programs focus on high achievement, social development may just simply follow along.

 

So, where does that leave us?

 

It seems that since online education, especially that aimed at younger children, is still in its infancy, no conclusions have been universally agreed upon.  In an article for Parents.com, Deborah Stipek, a Stanford University education professor, noted that the research for the consequences of online education on social-emotional skills is simply not there (O’Hanlon, 2012).  It is agreed that traditional school provides a unique setting for students to learn and interact, but what happens to the development of social skills once this mold is broken is still unknown.  Since these future implications are still unidentified, I believe it is crucial that online education programs utilize as many strategies as possible to promote effective social skill development.  This includes social skills training programs, where students can learn appropriate behaviors and methods of interacting, an emphasis on small group work to encourage effective collaboration, and free time in a synchronous virtual environment where students can help one another learn.  All of these strategies, as mentioned in Schneider et al. (2012), have been shown to help foster social skills and, in turn, academic achievement in traditional classrooms, so implementing them in online learning environments would, hopefully, result in similar benefits.

Overall, the modernization of education, especially the drastic increase in online education, provides some interesting new challenges for students.  As social skill development has been shown to be important in fostering academic achievement, discovering ways to promote the development of these skills in asynchronous environments will likely be critical to the success of online students.

 

References

Connections Academy. (2015). Growth of K-12 digital learning. Retrieved from https://www.connectionsacademy.com/Portals/4/ca/documents/pdfs/press/2015/CE_Infographic%202015_FINAL(2).pdf

 

O’Hanlon, L. H. (2012). Virtual elementary school: Should you enroll your kids? Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/kids/education/elementary-school/virtual-elementary-school/

 

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understand and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

 


06
Oct 17

Team Dynamics in Survivor

While scrolling through channels on the TV one evening this week, I stumbled across one of my favorite shows, Survivor.  As I settled into watch, I realized how perfectly Survivor illustrates many of the concepts of teams and organizations.  We can see how the producers manipulate the group development process, how the fundamental attribution error influences players, and how group decision-making concepts effect how the game plays out.

I think one of the things that makes Survivor so interesting and drama-filled is the fact that, especially in the beginning, they force the tribes, or teams as I will call them here, to stay in the forming and storming stages of Tuckman’s developmental stages of groups.  According to Pennsylvania State University (2017), these are the stages where the teams get together and get to know one another politely and then begin to attempt to sort out their roles with much intragroup conflict, respectively.  As soon as the teams begin to enter the “norming” stage, where roles are figured out and groups are beginning to operate more efficiently, the producers of the show randomly switch up the groups and force the contestants to start all over.  I think the prevention of moving onward into the performing stage of Tuckman’s stages is part of what makes Survivor so interesting.  As viewers, we never get to see teams work seamlessly together, but we do get to see the repeated formation and conflicts that come with the initial stages of team development.  While not ideal for creating effective teams, this makes for wonderfully drama-filled team dynamics for us as viewers.

We also see a lot of examples of the fundamental attribution error in Survivor.  As the contestants on the show get to know one another and figure out who they want to form alliances with or work against, there are many instances where constants will attribute another person’s actions or attitudes to that person’s personal disposition.  Later, we viewers often see interviews with that person, who will explain their actions or attitudes as responses to a situation.  We often hear comments along the lines of “I’ve never been outside of my city before, so this is really different” or “I just lashed out because I’m so tired/hungry/stressed”.  As Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012) note, the fundamental attribution error involves people attributing another’s behavior or attitudes to their personal demeanor, rather than taking situational factors into account.  As we see in the case of Survivor, these fundamental attribution errors play a major role in how contestants view one another and select alliance members.  If contestants attributed behaviors appropriately, it is possible that alliances could be different and the entire game could proceed in an entirely new way.

Finally, viewers can definitely see both normative and informational influences at play in decision making in Survivor.  For example, alliances are an important part of the game of Survivor, with members of groups banding together to ensure their “survival” in the game.  Often, a majority of a group will decide to work against a certain individual and, even if others disagree, they do not want to go against this majority group and make themselves a future enemy.  This, according to Schneider et al. (2012), is an example of the pressure to conform influencing decision making, or the normative influence.  On the other hand, situations in Survivor often occur where an individual is certain they will vote a certain way but then discover information from other group members that changes their perception of the situation, often leading to a change in their vote.  This is a perfect example of informational influence, where information from others provides a person more information about a social situation (Schneider et al., 2012).  The work of both of these group decision-making factors makes for interesting dynamics in this game, as we watch contestants grapple with both informational and normative pressures.

It is fascinating to me to see how so many aspects of group and organizational social psychology can be seen in something as mindless as a reality TV gameshow.  After realizing this about Survivor, there are so many more identifiable layers to the game.  I thought I enjoyed watching it before, but after having a more complete understanding of social psychology, it makes watching it even more interesting!

 

References

Pennsylvania State University. (2017).  Organizational Life AND Teams. [Online Lecture].  Retrieved from http://cms.psu.edu.

 

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understand and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.


22
Sep 17

Why I Only Engage in Some Health-Protective Behaviors: The Health Belief Model

For as long as I can remember, I have hated going to the doctor.  Sitting in the waiting room, the smell of the antiseptic in the office, feeling the alcohol swab on my arm right before a vaccine…it’s all terrible and it does not help that I am pretty phobic of shots.  Due to this, I tend to attempt to avoid many things that have to do with doctors’ offices and health, like getting yearly flu vaccines and going for yearly physicals, but I do go to the doctor with more serious concerns, such as major dental issues or more severe illness prevention.  After understanding how psychology concepts are applicable the adoption of health behaviors, I think I can explain my actions through the health belief model.  As presented in Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012), the health belief model says that the health-protective behaviors in which people will engage will be influenced by cognitive factors, including general health values, perceived susceptibility to illness, perceived severity of illness, expectation of treatment success, perceived barriers and benefits, and cues to action.

As I said above, one of the health-protective behaviors that I tend to avoid is getting yearly flu vaccines.  While I am invested in maintaining good health, know I am susceptible to the flu, know I could actually get a vaccine if I wanted to, know a flu shot would likely work in preventing the flu, and see many cues to action regarding getting flu vaccines, my perceived severity of the illness and perceived barriers versus benefits stop me from actually getting a flu vaccine.  Generally, I do not consider getting the flu to be a super serious risk to my health.  I know that it can be serious, but as a young and generally healthy person, I tend to believe the flu will be, essentially, a mild inconvenience.  Also, in terms of perceived benefits versus barriers, I see the barriers outweighing the benefits.  I absolutely hate shots and tend to pass out when I get them and the only benefit would be potentially avoiding something I view as a minor inconvenience.  Based on this, getting a yearly flu vaccine just is not worth it to me, leading me to not partake in this health-protective behavior.

On the other hand, there are certain health-protective behaviors in which I do participate.  One situation occurred when I was planning to go on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua.  The CDC recommended two different vaccines for travel to Nicaragua (Hepatitis A, Typhoid), both of which I got.  In this case, my concern about maintaining good health (general health values), perceived susceptibility to illness (working in areas with many mosquitos and potentially contaminated water), perceived severity of illness (both hepatitis A and typhoid can both be serious and even deadly), expectation of treatment success (vaccines tend to be successful in preventing these diseases), self-efficacy (I knew I had the ability to get these vaccines), perceived barriers and benefits (benefits of not contracting a serious illness in a foreign country outweighed the barriers of cost and fear), and cues to action (going on the trip and being notified of recommended vaccines) all led me to go to the doctor and get these vaccines.  Essentially, my cognitions led me to participate in health-protective behaviors.

Based on the health belief model, it seems that the way to get me to change the types of health-protective behaviors in which I engage is to change the way I perceive certain aspects of them.  For example, if I perceived the flu as more severe, I would be more likely to get a yearly flu vaccine.  Also, if the barriers to getting the flu shot were diminished or the benefits were increased, I, again, would be more likely to get one.  If my job offered them for free or provided an incentive for getting a flu vaccine, that increased benefit would increase my desire to get one.  Additionally, if they made the nose spray flu vaccines more available, that would decrease a barrier to getting the vaccination and would likely increase the chances that I would get vaccinated.  Looking at how changing different factors of the situation could change my behaviors is fascinating.  It is really interesting to dissect the way cognitions can affect health behaviors in such extreme ways.

 

References

 

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understand and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

 

 


08
Apr 17

Applied Social Psychology in Our Daily Lives

Social psychologists agree that the research findings in the field can be very helpful when they are applied to our own lives (Nelson A., 2017). Social psychology can be used in different areas of our lives such as, our way of thinking, relationships (personal and professional), physical and mental health etc. At the center of all these, it’s human social cognitive system interacting with everyday situations. What are some ways that we can use applied social psychology to better our everyday lives? I am sure that we all can work on ourselves and improve different areas of our lives. Some of us have relationship issues, whether personal or professional and we can always use findings from applied social psychology research to improve the said relationships. I had mentioned Social cognitive system initially and how it interacts with our everyday real situations which brings me to the question of what is Social Cognition?

Social cognition means the process of thinking about ourselves and other people. According to Allport (1985) social cognition is a major idea in social psychology attempting to understand how our thoughts, personal feelings and behavior of individuals are all influenced by the actual, imagined and or implied presence of others (Nelson A., 2017). Our minds are designed for hot action-oriented cognition rather than cold. What that means is that, it’s better to think less and act quickly in an emergency rather than analyzing the situation and risk the consequences of not responding swiftly. The “hot and “cold” action-oriented cognition is another example of a basic characteristic of human cognition that I personally find very interesting. It has been proven that applied social psychology can be used to better our relationships with others. Some of us have issues with our personal relationships, whether it be with our significant others, siblings or our boss and associates at work.

Given how critical our personal relationships are to our happiness, how we can improve the quality of all our relationships? Based on research evidence five practices can be used to nurture our personal relationship with our significant others. According to research listening to our partner we validate their importance to us and increasing the relationship bond with him or her. Compliment is also very important in our relationships, and it increases the closeness of our relationship with our partner. It is very important to notice our spouse and telling her or him what we have noticed shows our interest and can enhance our relationship bond. One thing that we want to steer clear of is social comparison. Social comparison can be very toxic to our happiness, so when we see someone excelling at work for example, we would want to celebrate and congratulate them on their achievements. Lastly, we need to unplug and spend more time with our partner. According to research we spend average of 53 hours a week plugged in to some sort of device (Holder M., 2017).

According to social psychology jealousy is a major issue in our personal relationships and one thing that causes jealousy is attraction. While we have learned that opposites attract, that is only true in short term relationships. In long term relationships, we tend to look for a partner that is like ourselves. In social psychology that is explained as similar-to-me-effect. An example of this effect can be seen not only in our personal lives but it is evident that it also exists in our workplace as well. The “Similar to Me” effect refers to a well-researched tendency of interviewers and supervisors to favor those individuals who are similar to them. Put simply, people are attracted to candidates with similar senses of humor, similar conversational styles, even similar physical appearances (Cliff H., 2011).

In conclusion, it is safe to say that applied social psychology is used in our everyday lives. According to Social Cognition our thoughts and personal feelings and behavior of individuals are all influenced by the actual, imagined and or implied presence of others. Moreover, we tend to use social psychology to better our personal relationships in our personal and professional lives. For example, the evidence of similar-to-me-effect can be seen almost everywhere from workplaces to our personal individual lives. when people must think about how to communicate with another person it becomes a cognitive drain or overload that makes the relationship more work than it is possibly worth. It is more common than not to see those with knowledge of applied social psychology use what they’ve learned from research and studies to better their personal and professional lives.

References

Allport, A. (1985). The historical background of social psychology. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.). Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 1, 3rd ed., pp. 1-46). New York: Random House.

Cliff H., Weddedness, (2011, October 7). Similar to Me. Retrieved April 8, 2017, from www.weddedness.com

Holder M., Psychology Today, (2017, February 5). Five Simple Steps to Better Relationships. Retrieved April 8, 2017, from www.psychologytoday.com

Nelson, A. (2017). Lesson 12. Applied social psychology: Relationships / Everyday life. Presented on the PSYCH 424 course content site lecture at the Pennsylvania State University.


26
Feb 17

Attributing Blame By: Kristen Jezek

Attributing Blame
By: Kristen Jezek

I used to think I was a pretty great judge of character. In fact, when I saw someone cut a person off in the middle of the road, I thought I could make a pretty sound judgement on the type of person they were. After all, we all hate it when we’re cut off in traffic, it’s dangerous for goodness sake! Spending time in New York City could make you think it was almost your birthright to put judgments on the people you drove by on the street. However, fundamental attribution error and actor-observer difference suggest that our judgments about ourselves, others and motivations for behavior may not be so accurate after all.
The fundamental attribution error states that when judging other people’s behavior, we will tend to overestimate their behavior caused by their personal qualities or demeanor, and underestimate the influence of external factors on their actions (Schneider et all, 2012). Furthermore, the actor-observer difference explains our personal bias in ranking our own behavior due to external circumstances, rather than a judgement of our personal character (Schneider et all, 2012). These two theories and explanations of human behavior have a humbling effect on the girl who used to think she could judge a book by its cover.

“OH MY GOSH WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!”, I screamed as I slammed on my brakes while moving out of my New York City apartment. Immediately I went on a tirade of how bad New York drivers were and how inconsiderate they could be for drivers like me on the road. Not even five minutes later, as my navigation system chimed “Turn left NOW” did I find myself swerving in a manner so characteristic of the person I just yelled over, I could have been doing a re-enactment of the previous scene. Multiple cars honked at me and I winced as I merged onto the freeway on-ramp, only to sit there in more traffic, surrounded by the very cars I had just cut off. “I can’t believe they’re looking at me like this, the navigation system didn’t even tell me to turn until the last second and I have no idea where I’m going—they should cut me some slack”. There I was, living proof of both the theories I just explained. When the car in front of me first cut me off I was sure it was a testament to his poor driving skills and the lack of consideration of “New Yorkers” (which, by the way, I also was). I made the fundamental attribution error on my fellow-driver and assumed that he knew where he was going and he purposefully cut me off, regardless of circumstance. Not even five minutes later, when I made my own driving snafu, I was quick to attribute my actions to outside circumstances, effectively rendering myself innocent, a la the actor-observer difference. I knew my circumstances were innocent enough, and I did not want to label myself a bad or inconsiderate driver. After all, the roads in New York are often one-way and if you miss your exit, you could be stuck in traffic for another hour trying to get back to it!

What were the implications of this experience? The humility that comes with the knowledge that you are not perfect and that other people may not be either. Life is a complicated series of moving parts and often there is more to it than meets the eye. This experience, the knowledge of the fundamental attribution error, and the actor-observer difference keeps me on my mental toes when anything doesn’t go as planned or people do not behave as I expect them to. This change affects how I treat myself and others on the road, in the doctor’s office, and in basically every human interaction. After all, surprises can happen anywhere.

The fundamental attribution error suggests that perhaps in our finite wisdom, we often place others on a higher standard than we place ourselves and attribute their misgivings to their personal faults rather than their outside environment. However, the actor-observer bias is an effect of us cutting ourselves slack, or perhaps innocently, just seeing more of the picture and attributing mistakes to outside forces beyond our personal integrity. The awareness of these two theories can be a powerful and humbling weapon in underestimating your fellow-man and overestimating your own circumstances. Perhaps if more people understood this, the world could be a kinder, more forgiving place.

Bibliography:
1) Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.


23
Feb 17

Organizational Power and Conflict

Organizational Power and Conflict
Today, clear majority of individuals are on a constant struggle to achieve more, when it comes to work. Social status is usually measured by the individual’s occupation, thus there is always a constant need to achieve a higher and more powerful position within one’s organization. One of the biggest issues in larger organizations, is the need to have more power than the next individual and this can lead to several workplace conflicts. Organizations are virtual minefields when it comes to interpersonal relations. It is often the case that people who do not know each other, are not compatible, or who do not even like each other are thrown together in organizations and expected to work together harmoniously and productively (Nelson A., 2017). I believe that if the need to compete between colleagues was taken out from an organization and replaced with the need to achieve more as a team, the organization would be a lot more successful and the employees would be able to enjoy their job and workplace environment.
However, at the center of these organizations, lies the issue and need for power. What is power? Power is the ability to influence other people to do what you want them to do. One might think having power is good and ideal, however power can be an issue specially when it comes to issues of difficult colleagues (Nelson A., 2017). Power changes people and those who rise to the tops of companies and other organizations tend to prioritize their own goals and desires above those of others. These individuals fail to take other people’s perspectives into account, tend to disregard other people’s feelings and are, less polite. When these individuals position within that company is threatened, they act aggressively to preserve their position of power (Greer L., 2014).
Per McClelland’s need theory, people have three needs in the workplace. First is the need for achievement, second is the need for affiliation and finally the need for power. When it comes to larger organizations, the need for power comes first in the workplace, followed by the need to achieve more and last the need for affiliation. However, in smaller organizations the need to achieve more comes first, since individuals usually tend to work together to achieve the same goal. The need for power comes second within the smaller organizations and finally the need for affiliations comes last (Nelson A., 2017).

Conflict in a workplace and the need for power in an organization almost always go hand in hand. It is always good to avoid conflict in a workplace. With conflict comes other unnecessary issues that can have a negative effect on the quality and efficiency of work itself. We might ask ourselves what are some ways that we can avoid a workplace conflict? While conflict is a normal part of any social and organizational setting, the challenge of conflict lies on how one can deal with it. Concealed, avoided or otherwise ignored, conflict will likely grow into resentment, create withdrawal and cause infighting within the organization. The root of most conflicts is either born out of poor communication or inability to control one’s emotions (Myatt M., 2012). Some of the ways that one can avoid conflict in a workplace is by effective communication. Chances are everyone can do a little bit better to avoid stepping on each other toes if there are no misunderstandings and miscommunications amongst coworkers and the management. Sometimes one cannot avoid conflict at all cost and that’s when it’s better to hit conflict head-on and deal with it rather than avoiding it and causing it to escalate into a bigger issue. One other effective way to resolve conflict is by keeping in mind the other persons point of view and their objective. If we all can achieve what we need to achieve then there should be no need for conflict. In other words, happy colleagues and workplace, means a happier you. However, we cannot always control the actions of others in a workplace, and we can always do our best to the right thing.
In conclusion, our society characterizes individuals social class by what they do for a living. This can cause a major power struggle to achieve a higher position within ones’ organization or workplace. Depending on the type of organization one is working for, the McClelland’s three need theories are prioritized differently for bigger and smaller organizations. In the larger organizations, the need for power comes first followed by the need for achievement and finally the need for affiliations. However, in a smaller organization the need to achieve comes first followed by the need for power and finally the need for affiliation, last. The characterization of McClelland’s need theory determines ones’ priority within his or her workplace. We must understand that with the need for power almost always there is conflict involved. Even though there are ways for colleagues to avoid conflict to their best of ability, there still will be some conflict. The best thing to always remember is, if we all can achieve what we need to achieve, then there should be no need for conflict. Happy colleagues and workplace, means a happier you.
References
Greer, L. (2014). Stanford Graduate School of Business., (2014, January 16). How Power Struggles Escalate. Retrieved February 23, 2017, from www.gsb.stanford.edu
Nelson, A. (2017). Lesson 7. Applied social psychology: Organizational Life and Teams. Presented on the PSYCH 424 course content site lecture at the Pennsylvania State University.
Myatt, M. (2012). Forbes Leadership., (2012, February 22). 5 keys of Dealing with Workplace Conflict. Retrieved February 23, 2017, from www.forbes.com


04
Feb 17

Cause and Effect of Global Warming

As you may have already known, one of the biggest environmental issues that we are facing is global warming. When an individual hears the words global warming, a few things might come to mind. Naturally we think of seas, forests and natural life that inhabits the wilderness. Have you ever asked yourself the question of what is Global Warming? How does Global Warming affect us and almost every living thing on our planet earth? What are some of the causes of Global Warming?

To answer some of the questions we must first understand how does the earth sustains life through energy. Life on earth depends on energy coming from the sun (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2017). Global warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of gases and other pollutants. To further understand the cause(s) of global warming one must understand the science behind it. Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human expansion of the greenhouse effect — warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat radiating from Earth toward space (Nasa, 2017). How does heat gets trapped in the atmosphere? Certain gases such as water vapor (H2O), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Methane (CH4) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) are responsible for blocking heat from escaping.

Now that we know a bit about Global Warming and the causes behind it, we must understand how global warming affects us and our environment. The environment is one of three major influences on humans at large. Bandura (1986) devised a theory called Triadic Reciprocal Determinism (or Causation) that states that the environment that people live in both influences human behavior and personal factors. People are both influenced by the environment but also have a certain level of control over the environment so that both can affect each other (Nelson, A. 2017).

We must take responsibility for our actions, and as we mature and become adults most of us do just that. As the population grows so does our need for more resources. You might ask, how does population and resources play a role in global warming. For example, let’s look at one of the factors behind global warming; CO2. As the population grows in any town U.S.A, so does the need for jobs, housing and transportation. Building housing and operating factories requires fuel. Using personal or public transportation to get to work and back, running your day to day errands, all requires fuel. Burning fuel, creates CO2. One of the causes of global warming per NASA is CO2.

Some of the things that we’ve seen because of global warming are; longer and hotter summer season, earth quicks, tsunamis, melting glaciers which has drastic effects on our planet earth and negative effect on the creatures that inhabit our forests, seas and most importantly, us, humans. Per the Guardian the death toll in India’s heatwave has climbed towards 1,500 as the country sweltered in one of the worst bouts of hot weather for several years (The Guardian, 2015).

In conclusion, we, humans are the superior species that have control over all other living things on our green planet earth. It is up to us to educate ourselves on the environment that we live in and understand how does our needs, habits, actions and will to live and to survive is affecting our environments. We are on the right track towards fighting global warming by creating hybrid cars for example, or using solar panels and or windmills to create energy. However, we still have a long road ahead of us to completely and successfully eliminate global warming. We can only try by educating masses and creating more green technology, all to sustain precious lives on our home, the planet earth.

References

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundation of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Nelson, A. (2017). Lesson 4. Applied social psychology: The Environment. Presented on the PSYCH 424 course content site lecture at the Pennsylvania State University.

Shaftel H., Jackson R., Tenenbaum L., National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)., (2017, January 31). A Blanket Around the Earth. Retrieved February 4, 2017, from www.nasa.gov

The Guardian.,(2015, May 28). India heatwave death toll rises as awareness campaigns launch. Retrieved February 4, 2017, from www.theguardian.com


16
Nov 16

Social Change: Action research

 

quote-no-research-without-action-no-action-without-research-kurt-lewin-136-14-90Not all of us will become professional scientists, but most thinking persons are lay scientists. For example, we all make predictions about the outcomes of various choices at our disposal in our daily life through an informal and largely unconscious process. Similarly, those of us who are personally invested in (any pro-social) career outside of basic research nonetheless conduct informal action research in the pursuit of successful outcomes. By definition, action research occurs when individuals seek to influence the community they are a part of, and therefore have a vested interest in (Lewin, 1946, in Scheider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).

In order to become a better doctor, for example, one must not only stay on the cutting edge of medicine, but must also learn how to achieve greater patient compliance with medical directives. If patients aren’t compliant, a physician might dig deeper to find out why individuals don’t act in accordance with medical advice. He or she might wonder, are patients confused about instructions, unable to afford prescribed medications, or embarrassed to discuss side effects, fears, or other concerns? Could they disagree with or distrust the physician’s goals? These types of questions exhibit more than simple curiosity—they indicate an underlying desire to improve health outcomes more effectively through heightened awareness of patients’ personal and cultural needs.

If we want to systematize this informal process of examination so that our own findings may contribute to broader understanding, participatory action research is an avenue that capitalizes on the insights tharcat can be gained through being on the front lines of a pressing social concern. This iterative cycle of inquiry and reflection (Kolk, n.d.) allows us to—to paraphrase Paulo Friere, author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970/1993)—both educate, and be educated by, the very people we study (Brydon-Miller, 1997). At the core of this approach is the fundamental belief that authentic knowledge cannot be generated without the participation and perspective of the communities investigated.

People in various careers participate in action research, not the least of which is education. Dick Sagor, former high school principal and current Director of the Institute for the Study of Inquiry in Education, encourages teachers to collaborate with each other as action researchers (Kolk, n.d.). By pooling their experiences and results, he says, teachers became more invested and successful, boosting teacher satisfaction as well as school culture. Melinda Kolk, editor of Creative Educator lays out a template for would-be action researchers in the classroom environment to follow if they wish to formalize their informal processes (Kolk, n.d.). By progressing through the action research cycle, they can reap the benefits of promoting effective change in their own classrooms, while potentially benefiting students and teachers in the broader community should their research be published.

I can’t help but think that adopting an action researcher mentality, regardless of one’s career, would provide a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose to daily tasks. A sense of ongoing inquisitiveness, paired with a commitment to the greater good, would particularly enrich those whose career choice puts them into frequent contact with disadvantaged or marginalized groups.

Brydon‐Miller, M. (1997). Participatory action research: Psychology and social change. Journal of Social Issues, 53(4), 657-666. doi:10.1111/0022-4537.00042.

Kolk, M. Embrace action research. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from Creative Educator, http://www.thecreativeeducator.com/v07/articles/Embracing_Action_Research

Kolk, M. K. M. Interview with Dick Sagor. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.thecreativeeducator.com/v07/articles/Interview_Dick_Sagor

Retrieved November 17, 2016, from http://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-no-research-without-action-no-action-without-research-kurt-lewin-136-14-90.jpg

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2012) Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

 

 


12
Oct 16

[Criminal Justice] Yes on 62: Repeal the Death Penalty

yeson62logo

This November, voters in my home state of California will have two ballot measures to consider that will determine whether the state amends or repeals capital punishment. I will be voting “yes” on measure 62, which seeks to eliminate the death penalty. While the emotional desire to enact this ultimate punishment for murder can be strong, statistics demonstrate that it is an antiquated sentence that should be no longer be implemented. Here a just a few of the many reasons that capital punishment should be abolished not only in California, but across the United States.

It is racially-biased

The death penalty is a demonstrably racially-biased sentence. Study after study has shown that this sentence is disproportionally handed down to blacks convicted of murdering whites. In sum, “in 96% of states where there have been reviews of race and the death penalty, there was a pattern of either race-of-victim or race-of-defendant discrimination, or both (Center, 2016). Check out this link to see a number of startling infographics on this bias and other drawbacks to the death penalty: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/FactSheet.pdf .

It increases wrongful convictions

Both cognitive resource theory (Fiedler & Garcia, 1987) and generic prejudice (Vidmar & Schuller, 2001) increase the likelihood of jurors wrongfully convicting defendants in capital murder cases. This happens because the emotionally stressful nature of deliberating about the facts in a murder trial reduces a juror’s capacity to think rationally, because emotionally-charged facts are more salient than empirical facts. This in turn leads to a bias toward conviction based on the charges alone. Compounding this bias is the fact that jurors who are unwilling to impose a death sentence upon a guilty verdict are excused from serving on a capital case, yet “people who are able to give the death sentence as a punishment for a crime are much more likely to convict than the normal public” (PSU, 2016).

It doesn’t work

The possibility of receiving the death penalty seems like it would be an effective deterrent to murder, but this is an area where, again, the statistics reveal its inefficacy. For example, when surveyed, 88% of former and present presidents of the country’s top academic criminological societies rejected the notion that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder. (Radelet & Lacock, 2009, in Center, 2016). Why? As Freakonomics author Steven D. Levitt points out, “no rational criminal should be deterred by the death penalty, since the punishment is too distant and too unlikely to merit much attention” (Levitt, 2007). Incidentally, murder rates are lower in states without capital punishment (Center, 2016). No one wants to appear “soft on crime,” but when polled, even law enforcement officials concur that there are better ways to reduce violent crime (Center, 2016). http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/FactSheet.pdf

 It’s expensive

Since California reenacted capital punishment in 1978, the state has spent approximately 5 billion dollars on death penalty cases and appeals, and has only executed 13 prisoners (“California proposition 62, repeal of the death penalty (2016),” 2016). No need to get out your calculator—that’s an astronomical $384,615,384 per execution. Repealing the death penalty in favor of a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole is expected to save California taxpayers approximately 150 million dollars a year (“California proposition 62, repeal of the death penalty (2016),” 2016).

 

In short, abolishing capital punishment will not only lead to more accurate and equitable sentencing, but it will free up considerable financial resources as well. I can only imagine the reduction in violent crime that could occur if instead of acting on our desire to seek revenge for heinous crimes, we instead followed the recommendations of police chiefs, who believe that being able to hire and properly train more officers, along with greater access to social services, would be a much better use of funds. I hope that this fall California will join the other 30 states in which capital punishment is illegal.

Resources:

California proposition 62, repeal of the death penalty (2016). (2016). Retrieved October 12, 2016, from https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_62,_Repeal_of_the_Death_Penalty_(2016)

Center, D. P. I. (2016). Deterrence: States without the death penalty have had consistently lower murder rates. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/deterrence-states-without-death-penalty-have-had-consistently-lower-murder-rates

Levitt, S. D. (2007, June 11). Does the death penalty really reduce crime? Retrieved October 12, 2016, from Freakonomics Blog, http://freakonomics.com/2007/06/11/does-the-death-penalty-really-reduce-crime/

PSU WC. (2016). Lesson 8:  The Legal System/Criminal Justice [Online lecture]. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1802487/modules/items/21234175

 


27
Sep 16

New POTUS job requirement: “A presidential look”

What, exactly, comprises the “presidential look” that according to Republican candidate Donald Trump, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lacks? Although he demurs when asked for specifics, stating “I’m just talking about general,” (Parker, 2016), it can be concluded based on his former comments about women in general and former female political opponent Carly Fiorina in particular that there are gender politics at play in his remarks (Estepa, 2015). Unfortunately, Trump is not alone in his doubts about whether someone who looks like Clinton (i.e. female) would be able to project the aura of authority the office of the Presidency requires. The uncomfortable truth is that hidden sexism operates in our society, and many of us are uneasy with seeing women in a powerful role.

Penn State psychology professor Terri Vescio explains the gender bias that operates in the political sphere as a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation, in which “the more female politicians are seen as striving for power, the less they’re trusted and the more moral outrage gets directed at them…[because] if you’re perceived as competent, you’re not perceived as warm. But if you’re liked and trusted, you’re not seen as competent” (Bush, 2016). This catch-22 for women in politics (and in business) undermines their support among both men and women, and because much of it is implicit bias, it is often unrecognized. For example, even within the Obama administration female staffers often had to struggle to make their voices heard until they struck upon a strategy of “amplification” whereby they mutually drew attention to each other’s significant contributions in order ensure that the proper party received credit for the idea (Eilperin, 2016). I point this out in order to be clear that sexism is an issue that transcends political party affiliation, and therefore we all stand to lose out if valuable contributions from women are silenced by oppression either blatant or subtle.

Hostile sexism is easier to recognize for what it is, but there is another side to sexism that is more insidious: benevolent sexism. For example, I would describe myself as a feminist, but when I took the “Are You Sexist” quiz offered by PBS.org, my results indicated that I hold a fair degree of subtle gender prejudice:

screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-4-06-57-pmI encourage you to click the link above and see your own results – you might be surprised at what you learn about yourself. Anyone familiar with the Harvard implicit bias tests will recall that we don’t have to hold explicitly negative beliefs about others to be influenced by bias. Our implicit beliefs can lead us to behave in a manner which is discriminatory while we simultaneously think of ourselves as fair and considerate.

When you combine elements of hostile and benevolent sexism you get ambivalent sexism. We can see the interplay of these elements in Donald Trump’s statements about women, both positive and negative. Recently, professor Peter Glick, who along with Susan Fiske proposed the tripartite understanding of sexism stated, “Trump’s views are consistent with conventional ideologies that view women as wonderful…but with a catch” (Glick, 2016).

“Heterosexual men’s intimate interdependence on women (as objects of desire, wives, and mothers), fosters a ‘benevolent’ side to sexism. Benevolent sexism encompasses genuine warmth toward women, but only when they support rather than challenge men’s status, power, and privileges” (Glick, 2016).

Regardless of which candidate we choose to vote for in the upcoming election, I hope that we will all pay closer attention to our own assumptions about gender and competence. Often we hold women to different standards than men without realizing that we are doing so. In light of what I’ve learned in in this course (particularly Swim and Hyer’s (1991) research regarding women’s responses to sexist comments), I will not only strive to resist social pressure to silence myself, but will also do more to support other women as they work to make their voices heard. If enough men and women do the same, perhaps we can arrive at a point sometime in the future when saying that a female political candidate doesn’t look “presidential” will fail to cause some of us to nod in agreement.

Resources:

Allen, J. (2016, July 21). Anti-Hillary Clinton rhetoric has become dangerous and violent. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from American, http://www.rushhourdaily.com/anti-hillary-clinton-rhetoric-become-dangerous-violent/

Bush, D. The hidden sexism that could sway the election. Retrieved September 26, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/features/hidden-sexism/

Eilperin, J. (2016, September 13). White house women want to be in the room where it happens. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/09/13/white-house-women-are-now-in-the-room-where-it-happens/

Estepa, J. (2015, September 10). Donald Trump on Carly Fiorina: “Look at that face!” . Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/09/10/trump-fiorina-look-face/71992454/

Glick, P. (2016). Benevolent sexism and the art of the deal. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-enquiry/201609/benevolent-sexism-and-the-art-the-deal

Parker, A. (2016, September 7). Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton Doesn’t have “a presidential look.” Politics. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/us/politics/donald-trump-says-hillary-clinton-doesnt-have-a-presidential-look.html

Santhanam, L. (2016, August 10). Are you sexist? Take this quiz. . Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/are-you-sexist-take-this-quiz/

 


14
Sep 16

Environment Blog: What’s in Your Latte? Almond milk and resource dilemmas

I’ll never forget how perplexed I was when my now sister-in-law first explained that her family ran an “ah-mond” ranch in Northern California. Silly me, I’d thought they farmed “ahl-monds,” but she insisted that the five generations of her family were ranchers, not farmers, and that the word almond should be pronounced just as salmon— “the ‘l,’” she said, “is silent.” I’ve since learned to avoid calling their rows of carefully cultivated trees an orchard, although I still have visions of cowboys rounding up fleeing packs of wily almonds when I think about her family’s ranch.

In spite of drought conditions in recent years, new large-scale almond groves (I still can’t bring myself to call them ranches) have proliferated in California as the demand for alternatives to dairy milk have grown (Philpott, 2014). Soy milk was once the go-to substitute for milk drinkers concerned about the lactose content or ethical considerations of dairy, but due to health concerns soy milk has declined in popularity (Saner, 2015). Almond milk has now become increasingly popular, not only domestically, but internationally as well, particularly in Asia (Philpott, 2014).

The ecological impact of fulfilling this growing demand has been significant. Almonds require an astonishing amount of water to produce—according to Mother Jones, roughly 1.1 gallons of water are needed in order to produce a single almond (Park and Lurie, 2014).

Image source: Mother Jones

Image source: Mother Jones

Consequently, thousands of new wells have been drilled in California (which produces 80% of the worlds almonds), thereby contributing to draining already taxed aquifers (Philpott, 2014). Almond cultivation alone now accounts for an astounding 10% of California’s total water supply per year (Holthaus, 2014). To illustrate the fragility of these aquifers, consider that US Geological Survey hydrologists have discovered that in California’s San Joaquin valley, ground levels have dropped an average of eleven inches a year due to excessive groundwater removal (Sneed, Brandt, & Solt, 2013).

In short, the drive to capitalize on global demand for almonds comes into conflict with current and future public access to the resource of water. As it stands now, growers are experiencing something “akin to an arms race,” according to one hydrologist, because new, deeper wells tap ground water below the level of existing wells, leaving neighbors to choose between drilling even deeper or running dry (Krieger, 2014). “People don’t know, or don’t care, that they are also pulling water from thousands of feet around them,” [the hydrologist explained], “If their neighbor suffers? Well, it’s a dog-eat-dog world” (Krieger, 2014). Unless measures are taken to fairly manage water consumption, this situation could become a classic case of what William Lloyd referred to as the tragedy of the commons (Schneider, Grubman, & Coutts, 2012).

In addition to placing legislative constrictions on water use, I believe applied social psychology interventions could be implemented to influence consumer demand for water-intensive agricultural products. Taking shorter showers is a nice step to take in order to be more environmentally conscious, but curtailing the purchase of some of our preferred products can, potentially, have a greater ecological impact. For example, while the amount of water used to produce almond milk is startling, it pales in comparison to the amount of water needed to produce animal products such as dairy or beef (Walker, 2015). Regardless of which agricultural product one believes should be vilified, the fact remains that altering our consumer behavior can impact our environment as much as (if not more than) our personal habits.

References:

Holthaus, E. (2014, May 14). 10 percent of California’s water goes to almond farming. That’s nuts. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/05/_10_percent_of_california_s_water_goes_to_almond_farming.html

Krieger, L. M. (2014, March 29). California drought: San Joaquin Valley sinking as farmers race to tap aquifer. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.mercurynews.com/2014/03/29/california-drought-san-joaquin-valley-sinking-as-farmers-race-to-tap-aquifer/

Park, A., & Lurie, J. (2014, February 24). It takes how much water to grow an almond?! Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/02/wheres-californias-water-going

Philpott, T. (2014, July 14). Your almond habit is sucking California dry. Retrieved September 14, 2016, from http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/07/your-almond-habit-sucking-califoirnia-dry

Saner, E. (2015, October 21). Almond milk: Quite good for you – very bad for the planet. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2015/oct/21/almond-milk-quite-good-for-you-very-bad-for-the-planet

Schneider, F. W., Coutts, L. M., & Gruman, J. A. (Eds.). (2011). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.

Sneed, Michelle, Brandt, Justin, and Solt, Mike, 2013, Land subsidence along the Delta-Mendota Canal in the northern part of the San Joaquin Valley, California, 2003–10: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5142, 87 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20135142

Walker, T. (2015, May 5). California drought: Almond growers fight back over reports they are causing chronic water shortages. The Independent – Americas. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/california-drought-almond-growers-fight-back-over-reports-they-are-causing-chronic-water-shortages-10224339.html


06
Feb 16

Changing the Environmental Paradigm

What’s been tried so far isn’t going to work.

It makes a lot of sense, really, when you think about it. Consider it in terms of whatever makes you happy, whether it’s reciprocal determinism, self-fulfilling prophecy, or Pavlov’s dogs. What’s been tried so far simply hasn’t worked, at least not well enough.

Consumption is a tricky problem to tackle. The majority of energy usage in the US currently goes to staples, such as electricity and water. There have been more campaigns in the time that I’ve been alive than I can remember trying to tackle that. On a more personally meaningful level, conservation is a word that is bandied about by the rich like a holy torch in the area of the country in which I live, but no one seems to care about it beyond local legislation to protect land from development, usually because it would spoil that overly wealthy person’s view. No meaningful action is ever really taken.

No, the problem lies with the paradigm itself. Nothing is done because not enough people really want to take upon themselves the burden of enacting and living with the kind of change that needs to happen, and for several good reasons. Installing solar panels on your house costs over $50,000 in some areas. Purchasing more efficient vehicles is obviously a financial burden for many. Refitting the plumbing in one’s household for more modern, efficient water usage usually entails not only enormous expense (relatively speaking), but the added inconvenience of a major remodel. The paradigm for environmental change isn’t going to be truly changed until it becomes economically feasible to do so.

The course commentary in PSYCH 424’s Week 4 Lesson serves a bit of juxtaposition with this issue. When considering how small a percentage of people have the means to “live green,” consider the sheer number of people contributing. “At the heart of all resource use problems is the size of the human population. Biologists have long recognized that ecosystems have limited “carrying capacities,” meaning that the number of organisms that can be supported by the resources available in an ecosystem is finite” (PSU, 2016). When considering this, it bears noting how large a change must truly occur within the consumption paradigm for there to be a significant improvement.

The problem with most applied social psychology theories is that they are too limited in scope; perhaps the most useful tool in the social psychologist’s handbook is matching; finding a way to make the “occupants” of earth see that their “…needs are met by the setting” (Schneider et al, 2012) is crucial to making any real change happen. Given the economic arguments and the finite nature of the system, Henry Murray’s press system provides a useful basis for an intervention framework, if not a plan itself. As described in Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts’ pages, the alpha press, or actuality, is the fact that we live in a world with finite resources, and that those resources that appear nearly infinite are part of a fragile system that has fallen precariously close to the proverbial tipping point. Conversely, the beta press, or perceived actuality, is that the work of bringing about environmental change is for those unfettered by the chains of the lower and middle economic classes, and that things aren’t nearly as bad as the silly scientists claim (Schneider et al, 2012).

This being the case, it becomes a question of how to help the majority of the world, living in the beta press spectrum, to travel over to the side of the alpha press. Seeing a harsh reality clearly is not easy at the best of times; in circumstances as dire as those surrounding the future of the environment, it seems rather more difficult to grasp. It is my hope that we can find a way to find congruence, and then develop a plan.

But before the plan can be developed to intervene, it must be collectively acknowledged that there is a problem at all.

Schneider, F, Gruman, J, Coutts, L (2012). “Applied Social Psychology.” Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.

Penn State University (2016). PSYCH 424: Lesson 4: The Environment. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych424/001/content/05_lesson/02_page.html


20
Nov 15

Social Change

I decided to type in social change into a google search to see what I got. I stumbled across a plethora of TED talks. TED talks offer a large amount of information from specialist all over the world on different issues. There were about 100 different videos on different social change issues. The one that caught my eye was Zeynep Tufekci’s talk on online social change movements. In our commentary it explains about social change research and whether or not this particular research could be taken as good or bad. Tufekci talks about how social change is not spread and organized online and how it was implemented before the technology age.

I thought this video was interesting because it goes back to our communication through email paper and communication in general in applied social psychology. Tufekci talks about the civil rights movement back in the 1950’s and how quickly work spread of a protest and there was no social media available. When Rosa Parks was arrested word spread within two days of the arrest by pamphlets that were handed out by different civil rights groups. Pamphlets used to be the main form of social communication when the internet wasn’t around. Pamphlets helped spread ideals of the rebels before and during the American Revolution. Now we can use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram ect. . . Tufekci then goes on to explain how protests can start within a matter of hours due to today’s social media. She uses Turkey as her primary example on multiple occasions.

So which one is more effective? Today’s social change or pre-internet era social change? I would argue that they have strengths and weaknesses. Modern social media can provide speed while old school pamphlets can facilitate organization. With modern social media thousands of people get information in a matter of seconds and along the way information can change just as quick. With pamphlets and paper there is no room for miscommunication since there is only one shot at organizing something.

An important part of social research is how it is spread. In different countries news outlets are completely controlled by the government hence why social media has become so important with social change because the governments cannot control what is posted on Facebook and the others now they can block these sites and or block internet access. Again, this goes back to how important communication is and how we communicate is also important.

 


02
Nov 15

Communities and Vaccines

Community Health and Immunizations

            The idea of vaccination has been around for thousands of years. There are records of the ancient Chinese people inoculating themselves against the smallpox virus4. Vaccination has helped communities around the globe become healthier and stronger. Thousands of outbreaks occur each year along with epidemics, most of which could be eliminated with vaccination. If a vaccination is available and is within means to be gotten then it should be received. It should be obtained not only to keep the individual healthy, but their families, and their communities. There are already many interventions in place to keep children and all other age groups vaccinated against common diseases.

In 2015 a large news story was the Measles outbreak, 189 confirmed cases were reported which were linked to an amusement park in California. Most of the cases that were reported the infected individual was not vaccinated2. Most vaccinations are covered somewhat under health insurances which now a lot more Americans have health insurance. The measles outbreak was only considered an outbreak because of its rapid increase in a generally close geographical area; epidemics are usually spread throughout areas3. A pandemic is when a disease has spread through several countries and infection is through a large amount of people3.

Community health can be improved by increasing the amount of individual vaccinations against basic diseases such as the flu, measles, polio, and diphtheria (there are many more). When a community is physically healthy it allows the community to strengthen its relationship, and quality of life. More events are able to take place, and people are able to come together in a safer environment. Schools have a chance to improve education because their students aren’t getting ill, and companies have a change of increasing their productivity because their employees are healthier.

Most interventions are considered preventative because when a disease becomes a pandemic it is almost impossible to save as many people as a preventative plan can. Schools, stores/pharmacy’s hold vaccination clinics, education is also being spread through social media. Learning about health and vaccination can help an individual help them selves, which will lead to the community being helped. Small steps to any plan can lead to large, beneficial results.

 

Works Cited:

 

Community Immunity. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from Vaccines.gov website:

http://www.vaccines.gov/basics/protection/

Measles. (2015, February 23). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from Centers for Disease Control and      Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html Principles of Epidemiology. (2012, May 18). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from Centers for Disease      Control and Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/ophss/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/      section11.html The History of Vaccines. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.historyofvaccines.org/      content/timelines/all


01
Nov 15

Stereotype Threat

A stereotype threat is the fear that one’s own actions will confirm the beliefs that are held in regards to a certain stereotype against them. I think it is safe to assume that we have all experienced this at one time or another throughout our lives. For example, I feel that at times I overcompensate to prove my ability as a woman, because of all of the stereotypes that women are challenged with. Sometimes, when I am trying too hard to disprove a stereotype, I spend so much energy in the mental stress over it, I wind up falling short of the task at hand. Like driving in a car with a judgmental male driver (aka my older brother) who is critical of my driving. Perhaps it is just an older brother thing. I know I am a good driver, my driving record shows that I am an excellent driver, as does my auto insurance rate. However, when I am driving him in the car with me, I tend to not drive as well. It is so frustrating, it makes me more anxious, and my driving gets worse by the minute. At the end of the day, it may be another year before we actually drive together, so the affects of the stereotype threat are not detrimental to me, but that is not always the case with stereotype threats.

When students are faced with a stereotype threat, it negatively affects their academic motivation, self-concept, and academic performance (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). This can create a great deal of anxiety for a student. Just from the fear of discrimination (stereotype) itself, the student’s academic self-concept can be reduced. As a result self-handicapping can occur and this only perpetuates the stereotypical belief on behalf for the party that is discriminating, as well as the student that this is being discriminated against.

There is a reciprocal relationship that exists between academic self-concept and academic self-achievement, and this tends to be the reason why a student begins to self-handicap their own performance. Inevitably, the student becomes disengaged. Research has shown that students in academically stigmatized groups are affected negatively by being underestimated and will confirm these underestimations in their performance because of it (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Sometimes a “stereotype threat can produce the opposite effects, actually increasing quality of performance, in some circumstances” (Reducing Stereotype Threat.org, N.D.). However, in most other cases students tend to internalize the failure. Some students may disengage as a coping mechanism to a stereotype threat, even from the stereotypical group they were affiliated with and activities they may have once enjoyed.

According to the American Psychological Association (2006) it’s become clear that negative stereotypes raise inhibiting doubts and anxieties in a test-taker’s mind, resulting in the phenomenon of “stereotype threat.” This challenges previous beliefs that genetic and cultural differences were to blame. This research is indicative of how race and gender stigmas can have negative implications for a student, even after they are done with school. One long term affect is that the stereotyped students’ professional identities can be altered and actually redirect their aspirations and career paths (Reducing Stereotype Threat.org, N.D.).

Research has determined that positive student and teacher interactions are pertinent and that labels should be avoided. All students should be treated equally, with the expectation that they all have the capability to succeed (Vogt, N.D.). It has also been recommended that teacher’s be aware of their biases in how they teach and advise students. Furthermore, one cannot help but believe that educating students early on about stereotypes and discrimination, as part of the curriculum, would be an intervention worth investing in, considering the negative implications.

 

References

American Psychological Association. (2006, July 15). Stereotype Threat Widens Achievement Gap. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/research/action/stereotype.aspx

Channel News Asia. (2014, June 2). Threat of Stereotypes | Social Experiments Illustrated | Channel NewsAsia Connect. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTYMSulvnyw

Reducing Stereotype Threat.org. (N.D.). What are the Consequences of Sterotype Threat. Retrieved from Reducing Stereotype Threat.org: http://www.reducingstereotypethreat.org/consequences.html

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psycholgy: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). California: Sage Publicationss.

Vogt, D. C. (N.D.). CHANGE: STEREOTYPE THREAT: CAUSES, EFFECTS, AND REMEDIES. Retrieved from Engineering Equity Extension Service: https://www.nae.edu/File.aspx?id=14325

 

 


26
Oct 15

Real Beauty

dove

Our generation has an unprecedented ability to communicate with each other no matter where we live. As a woman in her early twenties, I have seen and felt first hand the effects of sexualization and skinny-ization by mass media and social networks. I have felt the anxiety of teenage body issues, despite being an active athlete who was in shape. I have seen the struggle of my friends dealing with their constant body issues. Growing up in the media and advertisement driven environment has been a first time experiment being conducted all around the world. Ad critic Jean Kilbourne estimates that the average American encounters 3,000 advertisements a day. She also estimates that 50% of THREE to SIX year olds have issues with their weight. When children’s only concern is supposed to be when they can go outside to play with their friends and when they can take a nap, they are instead concerned with how they look. Not only are women sexualized for almost every single product out there, including food and school supplies, women are then told to hide their bodies. There are so many different messages that our society feeds young girls and women.

The Dove Brand has started a campaign (2004) targeted at increasing body acceptance. The brand has released ads both print and commercial, to promote healthy real bodies. Its goals are to start a conversation about the need “for a wider definition of beauty” and by using women of all shapes and sizes in their ads. A study done by The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report found that only 2% of women considered themselves as beautiful. In 2011, seven years after the original study, women now consider themselves beautiful. A small increase, but it was still an increase. I think that more campaigns like the one done by Dove need to be started. Body confidence translates into self-confidence, and causes less anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. I love being able to look at a billboard and being able to relate to the women for once.

 

 

 

Sources:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/advertisings-toxic-effect-on-eating-and-body-image/

 

http://www.dove.us/social-mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx


21
Oct 15

Media and Health

The Media and its effects on body image

            In the United States, and in most western cultures the media’s effects on body image have been studied regularly. It has determined that there is a reliable correlation between negative body image and the media’s influence.1 With these studies came the term objectified body consciousness (OBC) where an individual objectifies their body to the sociocultural influence of the media to cause distorted body image, which has the possibility to lead to eating disturbances and disorders.1 Jackson et al., 2015 have reviewed large studies done in Eastern cultures to help fill to void of diversity in body image and media studies. With knowledge of how many young people (young adults 18-21 years old) that are affected by the media interventions can be written and set to prevent such mental pain.

The studies conducted over seas in china showed that both males and females had larger amounts of body dissatisfaction when they compared themselves to the standard presented within the media. The media has many influences of people of all ages, but in particular the younger generation. Images are constantly portrayed of perfection that in the real world cannot be achieved. This perfection of the human body has the potential to harm not only the self-esteem of children and young adults, but could potentially be harmful to both mental and physical health. Poor body image, and confidence have been shown many times to contribute to disorders such and anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. There is also another category of eating disorders classified under the DSM-V called binge eating disorder.

The media, which consists of news channels, newspapers, magazines, TV shows, flyers, billboards and much more. Reasonably there is no real way to eliminate all negative images from society, but there are steps that can be taken to lessen the effects. Educational campaigns can be put in place in order to show how human perfection is fake. There have been very effective movements to show this, but none have been worldwide. Since this issue of body image due to the medias influence is worldwide it is time to bring this issue worldwide. Trying the prevent issues will save much more time and money in the long run and the sooner a large campaign is started the more effects it will have.

The media and growing technology has its great advantages such as education for more people, but the negative affects are almost over shadowing all of the positive effects.2 Different beauty blogs, clothing campaigns, TV shows and more highlight models, actresses, and their perfection, which is done with an airbrush. This issue is not only in the US but has been shown to be global and small steps taken to fix these issues can lead to a large change.

 

Citations:

 

  1. Jackson, T., & Chen, H. (2015). Features of objectified body consciousness and sociocultural perspectives as risk factors for disordered eating among late-adolescent women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 741-752.

 

2. Lesson 9 Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from               https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/psych424/001/content/10_lesson/04_page.html


19
Oct 15

Criminal Injustice

There are many ways in which our criminal justice system actually promotes criminal in-justice. Researchers have been exploring the ways in which practices in the criminal justice system have promoted bias on multiple levels and how they might be changed. Some scholars suggest that our current legal system “promotes false notions of human behavior” and are concerned with just how damaging this can be (Benforado, 2015). Considering that eyewitness testimony has been suggested to be unreliable and that mis-identifications played a role in over 70% of the now more than 300 DNA exonerations of wrongfully convicted men and women, (Wixted et al., 2015) one is inclined to believe that change is indeed necessary.

In considering the legal process, starting with identifying a witness, the risk of bias can occur in the existence of the cross race effect (cross race bias). Studies have supported how this effect leads to inaccurate identifications and therefore leads to false prosecutions. Research has shown that when identifying a suspect within one’s own race there is a 60% accuracy rate, whereas in an attempt to identify a subject that is different than one’s own race the rate of accuracy substantially decreases to 45% (Eysenck & Keane, 2013). Additionally, ones perception is based off of their cultural cognition and that alone has a major influence in the role they play in any part of the justice system.

Bias can also occur in the interview process and misinformation can be inserted by those handling the interview, whether it be done consciously or unconsciously. Therefore, newer cognitive interviewing techniques focus more on the extraction and collection of data, as opposed to the preexisting methods of pressuring the witness so intensely and for so long, that it leads some of them to admit guilt, even when they are not guilty. It has been suggested that witness testimony and interviewing should be dealt with as delicately as any other evidence at a crime scene, and one cannot help but to agree with this perspective.

False confessions weigh heavily with juries, even in the absence of proof. Unfortunately, with enough pressure during interrogation, a suspect might give a false confession, in an attempts to alleviate the stress of the situation. The suspect will do so, with the assumption the truth will eventually be revealed once explored further. However, once the witnessed is bullied into a confession law enforcement typically stops looking for the truth elsewhere. This behavior can be assimilated with the cognitive resource theory, which indicates that stress can reduce rational decision making. Once a confession of guilt is received, even when evidence does not support it, it has been known to be difficult to appeal such a plea. And since videotaping is now a common occurrence in the interviewing process, it too can be misleading and promote “perspective bias” depending on which angle is viewed (interrogator versus suspect).

For those who hold the destiny of the suspect’s outcome in their hands, bias can be present as well. Just the fact that those that play the most important roles in the judicial system are white highly educated, wealthy men can create an environment of bias and demonstrates the need for diversity (Benforado, 2015). This belief is based on the research that supports that there is a tendency for people to believe people of their own race, more than others and that physical features can interfere with fairness as well. Also, one must consider that law enforcement is human and fallible and therefore checks and balances must be in place. While one may think they have no biases or that they are capable of even being cognizant of them, the sad truth is that biases are not introspective. It has been suggested that the intervention to this would be to bring biases to the forefront of our society’s awareness (Benforado, 2015). Furthermore, Benforado (2015) suggested that disrupting implicit racist biases with opposing perspectives (inserting different information) may be the way to counteract stereotypes that alter the opportunity for justice given to suspects.

 

References

Benforado, A. (2015, July 06). The New Science Behind Our ‘Unfair’ Criminal Justice System. (D. DAVIES, Interviewer) Retrieved October 18, 2015, from npr books: http://www.npr.org/2015/07/06/418585084/the-new-science-behind-our-unfair-criminal-justice-system

Eysenck, M., & Keane, M. T. (2013, September 11). Cognitive Psychology: Everyday Memory. Retrieved from Googlebooks.com: https://books.google.com/books?id=U-IF8PAa_jIC&pg=PA309&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false

False Confessions or Admissions. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2015, from Innocence Project: http://www.innocenceproject.org/causes-wrongful-conviction/false-confessions-or-admissions

Wixted, J. T., Mickes, L. 2., Clark, S. E., Gronlund, S. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2015, September). Initial eyewitness confidence reliably predicts eyewitness identification accuracy. American Psychologist, 515-526. Retrieved October 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/psycarticles/docview/1710253465/abstract/6A74E6714F294D33PQ/2?accountid=13158

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


07
Oct 15

Stress and health

Stress comes in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes stress can save our lives and sometimes stress can inhibit our body’s basic functions causing damage to multiple systems. Short-term stress is usually not cause for concern since most everyone will experience a stressful situation one time or another. Chronic stress is the type of stress that is cause for concern. Chronic stress can lead to many negative effects with in the body such as a suppressed immune system, over active HPA axis, which can cause internal tissue damage, and eventually lead to mental illness. Some studies have shown sex has a large part in who develops stress related illnesses.

 

Girls and women have been shown to have higher rates of stress-induced mental illnesses (Anderson, 2009). Women are also more likely to have social anxiety disorders than men (Anderson, 2009). This has been said to be due to women experiencing more traumatic events such as rape, or domestic violence (Anderson, 2009). This does not mean men do no get anxiety disorders, but they are less likely.

 

Stress can also make a work environment very hard to work in. When there is stress in the work place, a group setting, then productivity will go down. I remember when I bartended I had a regular who would be paid to go into a work place and help increase productivity by solving what ever social problems the employees had. His largest project was in Portland, OR. He described most of the tension being due to poor communication between administration and the workers, and when something would go wrong the administration would have harsh penalties. The problem was the administration wasn’t giving their employees good direction. It wasn’t until I started taking this call that I realized he followed the step of intervention almost perfectly.

 

It is extremely important to maintain stress levels not just for health reasons but also for social and mental reasons. Lower stress levels keep the immune system happy, helps keep the mind happy, and helps with relationships. Social psychology has the potential to relieve stress from everyday lives if used correctly especially in the work place.

 

Works Cited

 

Anderson, & McLean. (2009). Brave men and timid women? Clinical Psychology Review.


04
Oct 15

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

“One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong” is a song from Sesame Street that has stuck in my head for many years. Although, one might assume it to be harmless, it is a lesson that teaches children to focus on the differences, rather than the similarities. This form of cognitive training teaches us to see people that may be different than ourselves in the same manner, which is that they don’t belong. In all honesty, I have sung this as a joke, when I have been the minority in a certain situation (example: only girl in the room or oldest student in class). From early on, we are socialized to process information this way. Unfortunately, this is a major aspect of how our society works in general. This manner of thinking has caused conflict among diverse groups.

More often than not, rather than seeking and identifying a common ground with others, what is observed are the differences that exist in race, gender, sex, ethnicity, religion, social status, education, tax bracket, and even age. When these aspects differ than our own personal and social identity traits we consider the other party a member of the “out group,” without fully processing aspects that could assimilate them to one’s in-group. According to the social dominance theory, if the individual has negative social value this categorizing or separation is done in an attempt to protect the in-group to which we belong and to protect the status and power in the hierarchy along with resources. Identifying and protecting one’s place in all of this seems to be how one is able to identify best with one’s self. Therefore, if an individual has determined that a person is indeed a member of the out-group and considers them a threat, then as social identity theory predicts, the in-group individual will protect their group under these conditions and there is potential for conflict.

From early on, we are socialized to also look for those who most resemble ourselves, as we are repeatedly taught to find someone who we have something in common with, as a worthy friend or partner. Why wouldn’t we be encouraged and encourage others to seek out people who are different and that could enrich our lives with more knowledge, open mindedness, more tolerance, and more understanding? This type of motivating factor for choosing our in-group occurs socially and occupationally. Often one’s differences can be an obstacle in opportunities and promotions, particularly if they are not a part of the in-group that those in power belong to.

Diversity is present wherever one may turn, in everyday living. Whether it be interactions in school, work, business, finance, in the services we receive, and even at the grocery store. It is only logical that we attempt to find ways to improve inter-group relations. Diversity can present positive and negative opportunities, it appears that the outcome is based on whether stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination communication and or respect are present. One intervention that has supported that the potential exists to improve inter-group relationships is “contact”, where equal, but diverse groups are able to better acquaint and understand each other, through contact and by finding a similar goal to work on (Bikmen, 2011). This intervention can improve bias or discrimination that may have existed. Diversity management in the workplace or helping children de-categorize in school can also improve inter-group relationships, correct biases and stereotypes (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).

Geert Hofdtede so eloquently explained cultural diversity as the differences in the “software” in each individual’s mind, (which includes experiences, culture, race, gender, values, socialization) but that we all have the same basic hardware, which is the biological brain (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). With this thought in mind, it should be less of a challenge to consider similarities and attempt to find ways to respect and be considerate of other people’s culture.  It has been suggested that cultural responsiveness is a way to exist within and among diversity and differences. This concept is based on exploring and honoring the differences of others, instead of attempting to change them and “requires openness to the viewpoints, thoughts, and experiences of others” (Williams, 2012). Perhaps, if we can modify our belief system about “otherness” as a negative thing, from the messages we have been taught so early on, about things that are different not belonging (Sesame Street – One Of These Things, 2007) then less conflict would occur.

References

Bikmen, N. (2011). Asymmetrical Effects of Contav=ct Between Minority Groups: Asian and Black Students in a Small College. American Psychological Association, 186-194. Retrieved September 28, 2015, from http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/868623879?accountid=13158

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psycholgy: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). California: Sage Publicationss.

Sesame Street – One Of These Things. (2007, July 1). Retrieved October 2, 2015, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etuPF1yJRzg

Sesame Street – One of These Things. (2015, Masy 18). Retrieved October 2, 2015, from You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZci3eOafK0

Williams, L. Q. (2012, December 30). How to Accept and Respect other Cultures. Retrieved October 3, 2015, from HUB Pages:Sociology and Anthropology: http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Accept-and-Respect-other-Cultures

 


27
Sep 15

Talk Among Yourselves…

Talk therapy had never been something that interested me. I certainly assigned the stigma of “only crazy people go to therapy” to the concept. But when the wheels came off the proverbial bus, I knew I had to do something to save myself and to save my marriage. Therapy saved me in many ways. It also introduced me to the version of myself I had been missing for a very long time.

Getting good grades came very easily to me all the way through high school. I was active in school activities and teachers appreciated my enthusiasm for school and my willingness to participate and engage in active discussion. I made it seem effortless. Unfortunately, I was successfully painting myself into a corner without realizing it. Assignments were completed, grades were given and everyone (including myself) thought that I would be a great college student. Unfortunately, the effortlessness of high school didn’t prepare me for the Socratic method preferred by most college instructors in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s. College became a place of great anxiety for me. I was constantly trying to figure out how to please everyone and to figure out where I fit in. I struggled with a pervasive fear that the curtain would be pulled back and Dorothy (my college) would find out that the Great and Powerful Oz (me) was just a sham. In hindsight, I can clearly see the markings of a form of social anxiety disorder.

 

(Fleming, 1939)

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has described social anxiety disorder as a fear of embarrassment and/or fear of looking poorly in front of others (Social Anxiety Institute, 2015).  Here’s where I was a blend – getting up in front of people to speak in terms of a presentation, or getting up in front of the college marching band of 300 people didn’t faze me. But when I got into a smaller classroom where I felt unprepared or where I was concerned I would look stupid, I became a nervous wreck. I couldn’t speak up for myself. I couldn’t ask for help. I was paralyzed into inaction.  As a result, things got out of hand and I was asked by the college to please not return (translation: I failed out of school).

Fast-forward 15 years and I was a woman without a direction. I was married but I was in a constant state of insecurity. I was overweight, but didn’t do anything about it, and then complained when I felt like I was being ostracized for it. Leary and Kowalski (1995) developed a self-presentation theory with regard to social anxiety. The researchers concluded that individuals want to control public perceptions, because that will determine how others treat the individuals (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  Bingo! Not only was I afraid that people would judge or criticize me, but I felt out of control if I could not somehow manage the environment or the perceptions. It created a great amount of self-doubt. On the outside, many people didn’t know I was struggling with this. I was able to socialize and in fact, I over-compensated and wouldn’t say no to any type of outing or event. Burying my fears and anxieties turned out to be the worst treatment. My husband became tired of my constant second-guessing of his feelings for me and it became clear that if I didn’t get help, I would be alone.

My therapist is a kind man and a listener that doesn’t seem to forget anything. He never told me his diagnosis of me. He would just encourage me to come back week after week. He would listen thoughtfully. Oftentimes, he wouldn’t say much at all during our appointments. When he did? Oh boy! He would ask me a pointed question or just say, “It must feel awful worrying about everyone else all the time”.  And each time he said it, I would drop back in my chair and breathe. Managing everyone else was not my job. I had to learn to listen to myself, figure out what I wanted and who I wanted to be. It was in that chair, staring at his diplomas from Bryn Mawr and The University of Pennsylvania that I realized that I wanted to finish my degree. It was in that chair that I realized that I could be happy with myself and not concern myself with the opinions of others to the point of inaction. It was in that chair that I found a love for myself and an inner peace – the kind of which I had never known. You don’t have to be crazy to begin therapy. In fact, I kind of think you’re crazy NOT to try it.

 

Fleming, V. (Director). (1939). The Wizard of Oz [Motion Picture].

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (Second ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Social Anxiety Institute. (2015). DSM-5 Definition of Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from Social Anxiety Institute: https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/dsm-definition-social-anxiety-disorder


27
Sep 15

What a shame

I’ve had a front-row view of depression the last few years as I’ve watched several people’s lives change and decline as they struggled with the condition.  One person in particular, who I will call Bob here, suffers from major clinical depression.  He is out of work and his life consists of sleeping and playing video games.  To make matters worse, he has the opportunity to file a wrongful termination suit that was estimated to result in a six-figure settlement, yet hasn’t been able to summons the motivation to call the lawyer who was located and prescreened for him.  Bob is a wonderful person with a generous soul who has a genius level IQ and is college educated, and accordingly, he has broken the heart of all those who love him and feel helpless to change his demise.  Freud famously described depression as “aggression turned inward” and I believe that to be true (as cited in Sapolsky, 2004, p. 299).  Bob is caught in a matrix of paralysis that prevents him from trying to improve his situation, and that non-action is a self-sabotaging behavior that perpetually causes self-loathing, which then translates into further inertia.

The hopelessness theory of depression helps explain Bob’s depression when his psychological vulnerability and challenging environmental circumstances collided.  He’s struggled with depression for decades but it wasn’t until he was first injured and then laid off recently that he descended to this level of incapacitation.  He was neurologically at risk after a car accident in adolescence which put him in a coma and resulted in some brain damage, but even before that he was inclined towards a depressogenic explanatory style.  My mom swears he was born that way.  So when he lost his job, I think he looked at things like he was being unjustly punished, yet subconsciously felt like he deserved it.  He took the one incidence of wrongful termination and overgeneralized it to his entire world.  He used  global and stable attributions to explain that one negative event: “I lost my job which was beneath me to begin with and now I’m even more of a loser with no money and no career who plays video games all day long” (global), and “Things will never change; my life is doomed” (stable).  With such all-encompassing negative perceptions, it’s no wonder he doesn’t feel any motivation to try different coping mechanisms.  Instead, he fell prey to learned helplessness when his best efforts to succeed in life failed, which lead him to give up hope (Siero, Bakker, Dekker, & van den Burg, 1996).

In the discussion of how stress and depression are related, Sapolsky (2004)  explains that for depressed people everything about life feels overwhelming, this activates the stress response and elevates glucocorticoids like cortisol, which in turn tells the brain to produce more cortisol since it is clearly needed, and these increased glucocorticoid levels create more depression symptoms, and so on.  It’s a vicious mind-body hormonal feedback loop that is self-perpetuating.  Sapolsky (2004) also talks about how intense guilt plays a large role in depression.  He says that most people suffering from depression are aware of how their state has affected their lives and how it has pained their family, and that they feel incredibly guilty about it.  They feel guilty for being depressed, and this is depressing so it prevents attempts at healthy coping mechanisms, but then this triggers more guilt and down they descend into another merciless feedback loop (Sapolsky, 2004).  This absolutely mimics Bob’s habitual pattern of being withdrawn from family and friends, and then beating himself up over it which consists of alternating long bouts of angry silence and crying fits lamenting over how he doesn’t want to be that way but can’t help it and hates himself for it.

The deeper layer of guilt is shame, and Dr. Brené Brown shot out of the cannon a few years ago researching this deeply embedded, yet rarely discussed, human phenomenon.  She’s a research professor and writer out of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, and gained international attention with her 2010 TED talk entitled “The Power of Vulnerability”: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en.  It’s only twenty minutes and I highly recommend watching it during a study break or even just listening to it while folding laundry.  I discovered her work earlier this year when I saw Oprah interview her on Super Soul Sunday and have since read a couple of her books.  She defines shame as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging” and links it to mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, and addiction (Brown, 2010, p. 39).  She’s been studying shame and vulnerability through qualitative research for the last fifteen years and has conducted over 10,000 interviews.  She acknowledges the new-agey association with the concept of “owning your story” and yet she insists that this is a crucial foundation of mental and emotional wellbeing in combating the universal feelings of shame that we all experience.  Regardless of where people fall on the anxiety/depression/addictive behavior spectrum, her explanation of shame is something that everyone can relate to:

Shame keeps worthiness away by convincing us that owning our stories will lead to people thinking less of us. Shame is all about fear. We’re afraid that people won’t like us if they know the truth about who we are, where we come from, what we believe, how much we’re struggling, or, believe it or not, how wonderful we are when soaring (sometimes it’s just as hard to own our strengths as our struggles). (Brown, 2010, p. 39)

Again, this resonates deeply when I think of Bob.  I think he feels like if we knew exactly how deep and gnawing his emotional pain was that we’d lose respect for him, lock him up in the loony bin, or both. But that’s the insidious irony of shame: it blooms in the dark and withers in the light.  The more that depressed people can learn to expose their vulnerabilities by talking about their feeling and fears without judgment, the more they make space for new healthier thought patterns to emerge.  While I wish I could make Bob read Dr. Brown’s research and get him to see an excellent therapist to help him work through his shame, he’s too depressed to take any productive action; therein lies the ongoing problem which is a debilitating construct for many people suffering with depression.  It keeps you on a sad, dim island, spinning in circles while standing in place.  Depression is marked by the incredible ambivalence of wanting things to be better and perceiving that notion to be impossible.  In addition to standard treatment like the hopefulness approach, educating patients about shame and vulnerability as part of cognitive-behavioral therapy seems like an important piece for long-term healing.  Learning how to feel comfortable understanding and expressing the authentic self (in the company of safe, trusting people) bridges the isolation and shame that feeds upon itself and keeps people locked away inside their silent prisons (Brown, 2010).  Dr. Brown acknowledges that there are no easy answers or quick fixes, and instead explains the daily grind and commitment to yourself by quoting E.E. Cummings: “To be nobody-but-yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody but yourself—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight—and never stop fighting” (as cited in Brown, 2010, p. 51).  I hope her research on shame and vulnerability will continue to gain traction and attention from mental health professionals and laymen alike, as it can enlighten and empower us all.

References

Brown, C. B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are. Center City, Minn: Hazelden.

Sapolsky, R. (2004). Why zebras don’t get ulcers: The acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

TED. (2010, June). Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability?language=en


20
Sep 15

Consuming Our Planet

The uncertainty of the long term effects that our decisions and actions have on the environment make it easy at times to rationalize behaviors that one knows could and probably will be detrimental in the long run. Personal gratification is often chosen over the consideration of whether this action or behavior will have long term effects, over the environment and sustainability. This tale of two choices is what is known as a social dilemma (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). When discussing interventions that could aid in conservation of certain resources in our environment, it is often been discussed at a micro level, however one cannot help but consider the bigger picture of the resource dilemma.  Society as a whole seems to fall into the social trap of indulging in short term pleasures, often without considering the long term effect it has on the environment and the future sustainability of our planet.

Recycling is a great way to help the environment, as opposed to not recycling. Yet, does one ever stop to question why do we have so much recycling? Consumerism has a huge effect on many aspects of our environment and the degradation of it. With society’s insatiable appetite for the latest restaurant, toy, video game, technology, cars, and cell phones, there is not enough room for all the things that we eventually throw by the waste side. It has been said that American’s consumption is higher than anywhere else in the world (Mount Holyoke College, 2015). Not to mention the mass amounts of resources that are necessary to produce and process these goods: land, water, trees, and fuel. Environmentally, to create these products there is a great deal of pollution and byproducts that are involved with manufacturing. Forests are being destroyed, the ozone is diminishing, water supplies are being depleted and polluted, global warming is occurring, the lands are eroding and we are running out of land in general.

Consumption patterns must be changed, but that would be a major undertaking. This is not a topic that is heard of as often as the other areas of environmental concern. Perhaps, this is for a few reasons. First, our economy is heavily dependent on our consumerism. One must remember that economic growth is measured by the gross national product (GNP), which is “the sum total of goods and services produced by a given society in a given year” (Shah, 2005). It is a vicious cycle. One must consider that the system seems stacked against the change of these consumer habits. For instance, technology is made with planned obsolescence, to ensure one needs the latest and greatest or we are automatically at a disadvantage or disconnected. Second, our consumerism is indicative of our social status. If one has the original iPhone, they may be asked if a quarter is necessary to use it. There is shame associated with anti-consumerism. This indeed is a sign our perspective about the need for things may be skewed, as the need for them might just be our planet’s demise.

This tragedy of the commons will eventually lead to a very unpleasant circumstance if change does not occur in the immediate future.  While efforts on recycling and conservation are certainly commendable, the challenge is to address the bigger social picture and the bigger system that is reaping rewards while wreaking havoc on the planet. Perhaps the best form of intervention would be knowledge. For example, mandating environmental science in the curriculum at the secondary level of school would be a start. Although, the easiest thing to do is to rationalize that everyone is a consumer, that it’s necessary for the economy, and that one person won’t make that big of a difference, this resource dilemma must be thought through by each individual if change is ever to occur. This change must be of a social nature and possibly with some better government regulation.

To see one’s environmental footprint in everyday decisions National Geographic has an excellent educational interactive site up. It is definitely worth checking out!

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/media/human-footprint-interactive/

There is a great video out on the whole process behind consumerism that presents the real picture one cannot ignore after watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eWBg8ojno4

References
Mount Holyoke College. (2015, September 20). American Consumerism and the Global Environment. Retrieved from mtholyoke.edu: http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~kelle20m/classweb/wp/page6.html
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psycholgy: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). California: Sage Publicationss.
Shah, A. (2005, August 10). Effects of Consumerism. Retrieved September 2015, from Global Issues.Org: http://www.globalissues.org/article/238/effects-of-consumerism

 


20
Sep 15

Why Our Environment Does Not Change

In my family group, we attempt to leave as small of a carbon footprint as possible. Teaching lessons in conservation and protecting our resources is rather important.  With this said, I found myself in quite a dilemma the other day while driving to the store with my seven-year-old son.

The conversation went like this:

Son: Mommy, what is the black stuff coming from that truck?
Me: Well, it depends on the truck as if it is a diesel truck, it is the “normal” exhaust. If it is a gasoline truck, it could be an issue within the engine.
Son: Is it bad?
Me: Yes, it is bad for our air.  It is called pollution.  Remember?  We have talked about pollution and you learned in class.
Son: I remember. Why can’t we tell the person they are wrong and to stop?
Me *can not form words*

How does a parent explain to their child that you cannot simply walk up to another and inform them they are polluting the air we all have to breathe?  Life does not work in that manner nowadays.  However, when you think about it the way my son did, someone should in fact make a comment to the individual.  Too many individuals today are so nonchalant when it comes to the limited resources we have on Earth.  I am not sure if it is simply for the reasons they do not care or if they are not informed.  It reminds me of trying to persuade an individual to be energy conscious or to recycle.  One cannot be forced, they must understand the benefits and have desire to make a change.

The social dilemma here is too many individuals are not venturing to make a change.  Many times an electric car limits the individual to short driving, i.e. staying in the town they reside as there are not areas for them to charge.  When it comes to recycling, all too often smaller towns do not have a recycling program (such as the town we reside) therefore if an individual desires to recycle, they must drive a few towns away.  Whether it is simply for the reason that electric cars are not feasible or implementing a community/city wide recycling plan is too costly, the problem will not change until someone or group begins the process.

Many groups have come forward over the years to inform the public of the many issues we can face down the road if change does not happen soon.  At times, individuals hear what is being said and decide this is something they want to do, although they are unsure how much time, effort, or even money it will take to contribute to the campaign.  If they do make the decision, they may begin the campaign, stick with it for some time, but then stop as they are becoming overwhelmed with the extra effort they are giving when they do not see others doing the same.

Our environment has given the individuals of this world so much bounty; however, this bounty will not last forever.  It is time to stand up and make a change.  It is election time in many local communities, therefore, make the issue known and see that change is made.


20
Sep 15

Environmental Practices Around Town

Applying social psychology to environmental issues is a unique and interesting twist on altering problematic behaviors.  Although I saw the value in changing perception in other ways, I never really thought about it in this context.  Since this week’s lesson focused on different strategies used for recycling, energy conservation, and reduction of water usage, I wondered how this applied in my everyday life.  In what ways are utility companies, businesses, and even my employer effective in discouraging wasteful behaviors?  To learn of the answer, I decided to become environmentally aware of practices in my home, of local businesses frequented, and my work environment to find out.

Purchasing a fully electric home, I anticipated my electric use to be a bit on the higher end.  After all, attending school online uses energy, as well as cooking, using hot water, air conditioning, heating, etc.  So it came as no surprise to see my monthly usage for the square footage of my home.  What was shocking and made me take notice, was after receiving a home energy report that showed astronomical usage compared to other homes in the area.  This detailed report showed the times of peak usage, an average day of the previous month, usage of similar homes, homes that are both similar and efficient, and my home in comparison.  If you are found to have a good rating, one “smiley” face is received and for great, two.  My first report showed that I was well behind similar homes in the area, but this changed after a few months when the rating of good was received and later great.  While I did not think such awareness would have this type of impact, I am pleased to say that it did and I am more cognizant of my usage. Schultz et al. (as cited in Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts, 2012) saw similar effects in their study of home energy conservation.  The researchers found when a report of energy consumption was given that provided a comparison of usage and a smile or a frowned face as the “…injunctive norm of approval or disapproval,” households responded by using less energy (Schneider et al., 2012, pp. 309-310).

Besides energy consumption, waste is yet another area that garnered little attention – until I noticed the “face-lift” many trash receptacles received. During lunch time in downtown D.C., I frequently gather with co-workers or friends to grab a salad, chicken roti, or whatever may seem tasty for the day.  Usually when our meals have been completed, the fast food establishment offered large trash receptacles to discard of all remaining items. However, this is no longer the same. Over the past few months, I have noticed that the trash cans are not just one large bin anymore.  Restaurants now have containers that divide the different type of waste for recycling purposes.  Since everything cannot fit into certain squares or holes, the consumer must be mindful of how to discard the trash.  Although I am not certain how the trash is handled from there, this method of sorting has rolled over into my home life.  By being mindful of the way trash is discarded in restaurants, I am aware of the same processes at home and have set up separate areas for different items (plastic, paper, etc.).  I have also started to reuse plastic bags, bottles, or anything that can be used on more than one occasion.  This helps me to participate in the recycling efforts in my community and make a small step towards helping the environment.

Since so much time is spent in the office, it was pretty interesting to look at behaviors encouraged by building management and my employer.  Upon entering the building, visitors/workers are introduced to the stance building management has taken with respect to sustainability. Logos of Energy Star and the U.S. Green Building Council are affixed to the entrance and are very visible.  This relays the message (at minimum) that the building is energy efficient, conserves water, and participates in recycling efforts.  In testing this assumption, I stayed attentive to ways the bathrooms were designed, trash practices, and energy efficiency products.  Within my office, there are various containers for paper, plastic, and general trash, then others for paperwork that requires shredding.  While my employer has provided all energy efficient laptops/computers and equipment within the office, the building has also taken steps to ensure compliance is met.  For example, if an office is unoccupied for a certain amount of time, the light automatically turns off.  This helps to reduce usage when others forget or fail to turn their lights off when departing for the day.  When looking at the restroom, I noticed low-flush, manual toilets and hand towels made from recycled paper to dry our hands after washing.  Our rooftop terrace, which provides amazing views of the city, boasts of greenery that provides some comforts of a park setting and allows tenants to gather for lunch, social functions, or just a moment enjoy the view.  Trash practices are prominent here also, where much like my office, there are containers for plastic, glass, etc. that is separated for recycling.

All in all, applied social psychology is all around us and with respect to the environment, there are practices being used every day.  Although we may not be aware of its effects, the trash separation at fast food restaurants and my office carry over into my home and it helps with community efforts.  Likewise, my utility company implemented a program that has proven successful in studies and now in several homes within the area.  While we may not always be mindful of such behaviors, it is a pleasant thought to see how it has helped curb some of my bad habits.  Have you noticed the same in your environment?  Try taking an observational tour to find out.  You will be surprised at what you discover.

 

Reference:

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (Eds.). (2012). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.


16
Nov 14

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

It can happen so quickly; boy meets girl and along comes baby and perhaps another. Sometimes things work out. Other times, the boy and girl are not ready to raise a child. Maybe they are still adolescents or emerging adults not ready to handle the responsibility. Perhaps they are adults but struggling with substance abuse or other behavioral health issues. Our current United States culture believes children are best raised by birth parents when possible and so these not yet capable caregivers usually attempt to parent the children. When things go wrong, it is then that Grandma and Grandpa often step in and attempt to raise the grandchildren.

Credit: Alan Rogers | Star-Tribune

In doing so, grandparents typically have their work cut out for them. Children often end up in grandparents’ care only after birth parents have tried unsuccessfully. Sometimes the children are abandoned. Other times, the courts play a part or the grandparents simply step in and request custody. In any case, the children involved typically suffer from insecure attachment styles from the early days with their birth parents (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012, p. 360). These attachments set them up for difficulty in forming healthy relationships throughout the lifespan. Additionally, these children probably have faced other adverse events, such as substance abuse, that led them to the different custody situation. It is not surprising then that children raised by custodial grandparents are prone to behavioral problems (Kelley, Whitley & Campos, 2011).

Credit: UCLA Center for Health

Sometimes elderly, grandparents have passed the age of child rearing. Their social networks consist of others, like themselves, who are retired and done raising children. Their incomes are typically limited by retirement and social security payments. Additionally, as they age, these elderly folks are prone to their own health problems. This time in life is a far cry from the younger days of raising children.

When grandparents become caregivers of grandchildren, social isolation tends to set in. Their social networks are no longer available because they no longer share the same interests (Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005). This social isolation has been cited as a major stressor for custodial grandparents (Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005). Additionally, these retired folks have fixed incomes and typically do not have the financial resources necessary to raise children in the world today. If one or both suffers age related health issues, along with the financial stress, lack of support, and troubled relationships with the grandchildren, the grandparents are likely to struggle immensely.

Credit: doingdrugs-darta.blogspot.com

What then should society do for these vulnerable families? Luckily, the answer is not entirely bleak. While more studies are necessary, increasing social support, financial resources, and offering (grand)parenting education could mediate some of the poorer outcomes that are exacerbated by issues the families face (Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005). We should continue to look toward social supports for these alternative family models as it appears that the trend of grandparents raising grandchildren when the parents cannot, will continue.


Hayslip, B., Jr., & Kaminski, P. L. (2005). Grandparents raising their grandchildren: A review of the literature and suggestions for practice. The Gerontologist, 45(2), 262-269. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/45.2.262

Kelley, S. J., Whitley, D. M., & Campos, P. E. (2011). Behavior problems in children raised by grandmothers: The role of caregiver distress, family resources, and the home environment. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(11), 2138-2145. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.06.021

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.


03
Nov 14

It’s Not You, It’s Me

I amMark_Rosen a volleyball coach for high school and club teams. As such, I have always prided myself on being able to pick out a good player. Even before I have seen them in action, I have said to myself, “that girl can play.” After reading up on the subject of education in our textbook, I realize that this might not be because I am a smart volleyball super-genius. Unfortunately, I think I may be guilty of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A self-fulfilling prophecy is when one’s expectations of another influence the perceptions and behaviors toward them. These perceptions and behaviors then, in turn, cause the other person to act in a way that confirms these expectations (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 204).

Lets take an example to better show you what I mean. Two girls walk into the gym, player A and player B. I tell myself player A is going to be good. I also tell myself, player B is never going to amount to anything. As a result, I spend a lot of time working with player A. Giving her good feedback, push her to constantly give 100% effort, and I spend extra time explaining things to her. Also, because of my thoughts on player B’s lack of skill, I spend very little time with her, I don’t push her as hard, and I don’t give her as much feedback. Over the course of a season, player A gets much better, much faster than player B. I then tell myself, “What a great eye for talent you have coach.”

When in reality, my expectations about each player (player A will be much better than player B) have influenced my behavior toward them (I spend more quality time with player A). This behavior then causes player A to get much better than player B, or in other words, they confirm my expectations. When my expectations are confirmed, I tell myself what a great coach I am. When you put it in these terms, I think there could be the self-fulfilling prophecy in action.

Since this is applied social psychology, my attention naturally turns to implementing an intervention. Step 1 has already been explained; the problem is I may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. So what are the precipitating and perpetuating factors? A precipitating factor has to be my inner dialogue. Telling myself who can play before I see them play. The perpetuating factor would then be spending more high quality time with players I have told myself will be good.

With these factors identified, I can now begin to design the program activities. First, I must reserve judgment. Next, I must try to keep track of the amount of timkarch coachinge spent with each player and ensure that the time is roughly equivalent and of equal quality. Third, I must hold every player to the same standard of effort. So in order to implement this intervention, I will need a sheet of paper with the player’s names and the ability to mark when I gave them feedback. Next I will need rules that are equally enforced amongst all players. For example, hustle after every ball, call every ball, and cheer for your teammates.

To evaluate myself, I would go through the sheet and make sure I had roughly the same amount of feedback for each player. I would also have to videotape practice and make sure every girl was punished, every time she broke one of the rules. I would also quantify the quality of the feedback with this tape. For example, “good job” would be considered bad feedback because of lack of specificity, whereas “excellent footwork on your approach” would be considered good feedback.

Basically I need to make sure that the differences in their improvement over a season is due to their ability and hard work, not to my selective coaching. I feel like I owe it to the girls to give each one of them a fair chance to get better. Hopefully this intervention will better allow that to happen.

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


02
Nov 14

Motivated Learners

by Amy Caraballo

It is easy to believe that students are more motivated to learn when they are interested in an academic subject or school activity. Most people can easily recall examples of favorite subjects from their past in which they excelled. Many can also recall subjects not as interesting that required a lot more purposeful effort in order to get through the work. Having to muddle through work that is tedious is not only cumbersome but can also be stressful, particularly if the task is difficult. It can be even more stressful if there are stereotypes about student capabilities. In ninth grade, my difficult subject was algebra one.

Credit: http://cheezburger.com/2948232704

According to self-determination theory, behaviors that are intrinsically motivated by something from within a student, such as interest in the subject matter, are self-determined (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012, pp. 198-199). These are the subjects in which we excel and enjoy. I can say with much certainty that my motivation to learn algebra was not self-determined. In fact, my motivation was what self-determination theory considers external regulation – knowing there are extrinsic rewards or consequences based on compliance (Schneider, et al, 2012, p. 199). This extrinsic motivation consists of doing the work for the simple reason of trying to accomplish a goal or avoid a consequence of not accomplishing the goal (Schneider, et al, 2012, p. 199). In other words, as a college-bound student, algebra was required coursework; either I took the course and eventually passed it or I could not go to college. This was not a good way to get me excited about learning.

Credit: http://www.sandraandwoo.com/

Arithmetic had always been a difficult subject for me. Add to this the stereotype of females not being good at math and the stage was set for me to struggle. Stereotype threat, the fear of not being able to perform because of an expectation about a student’s group, has been shown to adversely affect student performance (Schneider, et al, 2012, p. 205). From the first day of algebra one, not only was I intrinsically unmotivated, I was convinced that no one believed I would never be able to understand this math. My grades reflected these phenomena.

Credit: http://rockpele.com/intrinsic-motivation-examples/

Studies have found that students are more engaged – actively involved, when there are opportunities for autonomy, competence and feeling connected with significant others (Park, Holloway, Arendtsz, Bempechat & Li, 2012). Self-determination theory posits that this self-determined intrinsic motivation provides better outcomes for student learning. Yet as was the case in my algebra one experience, many times students are given little opportunity for autonomy let alone competence, especially in the primary and secondary education years. Our public education and higher education systems would do well to take notice. Students who are provided opportunities for autonomy are more actively engaged and thus likely to be more competent learners, potentially more emotionally connected to others, and less stressed (Park et al., 2012). Perhaps if we engaged all learners, the phenomenon of stereotype threat would cease to exist. Until then, I am holding out on that last math credit while I anxiously await for Penn State to add a course called College Algebra for Dummies.


 

Park, S., Holloway, S. D., Arendtsz, A., Bempechat, J., & Li, J. (2012). What makes students engaged in learning? A time-use study of within- and between-individual predictors of emotional engagement in low-performing high schools. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(3), 390-401. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9738-3
Schneider, F., Gruman, J., Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

27
Oct 14

It’s All Fun and Games

My nephew Jasen is 12 years old and is in 7th grade. He loves (some would say is obsessed with) video games. He lives with his grandparents and they monitor his “electronic time” very closely for precisely this reason. Recently, they caught him playing “Assassin’s Creed.” Since this video game had not been assassins-creed-deathblowpre approved by them, he was “grounded.” His response to the punishment was, “that’s not fair, it’s only a game.” Is that true? Do they have a reason to be worried? Who is right? Applied social psychology may help provide an answer.

It is proven that violent media increases aggressive behavior (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 140). How likely is it that Assassin’s Creed will help my nephew learn to be violent? I will use Bandura’s social cognitive theory as a measuring stick. According to Bandura’s theory there are four processes that need to happen before this can occur: attention, representation, behavioral production, and motivation (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 142). The more “Assassin’s Creed” helps to facilitate these processes, the more likely it is to teach my nephew Jasen to be violent. We will begin by taking a closer look at each process and then I will see how this video game impacts each before I render a final judgment.

So, the first process that must occur for vicarious learning is attention. Mostly, this has to do with how salient and attractive the behavior is (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 142). The second process is the representational process. This involves mentally rehearsing the behavior. The third process is behavioral production. This is learning how to take the observed behavior and apply it to related but novel behaviors. The last process that must occur is a motivational process. How bad does a person want to imitate the behavior? This is influenced by whether the behavior is punished or rewarded. Rewarded behaviors are more likely to be imitated. It is also motivating if the behavior is seen as justified. Yet another factor that motivates one to imitate violence is whether it is realistic. The last thing I will mention is whether or not the perpetrator of the violence is liked.

Now that we have a better idea of how this theory works, how does Assassin’s Creed stack up? Lets look at the first process, attention. Being that Jasen is playing the game, in other words he needs to be an active participant; it is clearly very salient to him. It is not in the background while he is doing something else. Also, it is a very exciting and action packed game. Thus, it is easy to attract and keep his attention. So the game scores high on the first process needed to facilitate imitation.

The second process, if you recall, is a representational process. I know for a fact he remembers the game because I asked him about it after he got into trouble. He emphatically recounted the “mission” he had to complete. To go along with the story, he acted out several of the solutions he had figured out along the way. He would tiptoe around the living room and jump onto the couch while he stabbed the air to show me how he snuck up and killed a guard. He was clearly mentally rehearsing what he had seen. Overall the game scores high for the second process as well.

We then move on to the third process of behavioral production. This involves taking the observed behavior and applying it to novel situations. I actually did not think much of it at the time (this incident took place before he got in trouble) but there was something that could apply to this process. I was in another room when I heard Jasen yell boo and then I heard his grandpa give a fright. Jasen then walked out into the room I occupied and told me with a big grin how he had scared his grandpa half to death. He had hidden behind the door and waited for his grandfather to pass. As his grandpa did this, Jasen leapt from his hiding spot and screamed at his bewildered grandpa. This sneaking around and pouncing is eerily familiar to the tactics used in the game. Now I am not sure how long Jasen had been playinAssassins-Creed-Fightg the game. I am also not sure if this episode was a result of having watched the game. It would not surprise me in the least if both were true however. So overall the evidence for the third process is not as strong as I would have liked but it is possible.

The last process we will examine is motivational. In the game the player is rewarded for successful assassinations by receiving new weapons and points. The next question is whether or not the violence is justified. In the game, the main character Desmond Miles is trying to stop an organization called Abstergo (who also kidnapped Desmond) from taking over the world. So clearly, Desmond is supposed to be justified in his actions. The violence is also extremely realistic as you can see from the screen shots above and at the top of the page. I would also say that Jasen definitely liked and identified with Desmond the assassin. He “is” Desmond when he plays the game. Also Desmond is a shadowy, rugged individual that seems to be an ideal in our culture.

Putting this all together, Jasen’s grandparents are wise to not let him play such a game. There is strong evidence that he would try to imitate this behavior. There is strong evidence for almost every part in Bandura’s theory. I would be especially worried because of his burgeoning cognitive abilities. A few years ago, he was not able to think in abstract terms and now he is. I feel like these new abilities make him very impressionable. Playing a game like that, at the age he is, does not seem like a good idea. Applied social psychology and the chapter on media can help explain why.

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


04
Oct 14

Benevolent Sexism Is Not Benign

By Amy Caraballo

Benevolent sexism, discriminatory attitudes in the form of caring, complimentary, or pseudo-respectful statements, is likely one of the most surreptitious forms of sexism in our world, today. Studies have found that it is an important perpetuating factor that helps maintain gender inequality (Hammond, et al., 2014). Even more troubling is that victims sometimes pass on and encourage these attitudes believing them to be compliments or signs of respect (Hammond, et al., 2014). One only has to visit the Internet meme world to find hundreds of benevolent sexist examples, many of which are circulated by the most common victims, women and girls. It is difficult to understand how victims could spread harmful stereotypes about themselves. When one looks closer, however, the issue becomes clear; the effects of benevolent sexism are so pervasive and invisible, its victims are often completely unaware they have been wronged. Instead, it seems they sometimes believe they are empowered.

When the Powerful Dominate the Powerless

Sexist Message: A woman's purpose is to serve a man's every need.

Sexist Message: A woman’s purpose is to serve a man’s every need. Credit: lovethispic.com

Social Dominance Theory suggests that groups, including societies, are built upon group-based hierarchies with a few dominant groups controlling all the resources and power. The rest are all subordinate groups, or low-level groups that have few resources and little power. These groups are typically at the mercy of the dominant groups (Pratto, et al., 2006). In the case of gender in our society, classic males are dominant while classic females are subordinate. It is not just brute force and power that keeps the subordinates in their place, either. Helping maintain these hierarchies are more subtle tools such as legitimizing myths, otherwise known as culturally held beliefs (Pratto, et al., 2006). Much like folklore, legitimizing myths are beliefs and stereotypes about the way things are in a given culture or society. It is from these legitimizing myths benevolent sexist ideas were born and continue to be maintained. Statements like “women are caregivers” while “men are providers” and “girls are dainty and sensitive” while “boys are strong and thick-skinned” are examples of legitimizing myths about genders. These ideals are conditioned at the moment of birth by the type of words children hear at home, the influences of endless media exposure, and the influence of peers (Witt, 2000). Later, when these myths are woven into compliments and caring statements, it is harder to see the malicious intent which ultimately is to keep the genders unequal.

But It Was Meant as a Compliment

“Women are too emotionally unstable to be leaders.”

It is pretty clear, to most people, that this remark is sexist. But what about this comment?

“Women are better caregivers because they are nurturing.”

Sexist Message: A woman needs to be protected by a man and should be kept in her place.

Sexist Message: A woman needs to be protected by a man and should be kept in her place. Credit: all-greatquotes.com

It sounds a bit like a compliment to women. When we look closer, however, a sexist message is noticed; women should raise children. There is also a sexist message toward men; men are not supposed to be nurturing. If your thoughts turn toward examples of people who fit these stereotypes, thank legitimizing myths for shaping how society views and pigeonholes gender roles.

Compliments Do Not Hurt Anyone

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Sexist Message: Girls are too emotional. Credit: theteenagerquotes.tumblr.com

It may be true that a real compliment is honoring. Benevolent sexist remarks, however, are not true compliments. Benevolent sexist remarks help spread the stereotype of the weak, frail, and emotionally unstable female (Tannenbaum, 2013). Additionally, studies have shown that women exposed to benevolent sexist attitudes were more likely to give in to those stereotypes thus maintaining their own gender inequality (Tannenbaum, 2013).

Where Do We Go From Here?

In order to stop the legitimacy of these cultural myths we have to do better at educating the public. We need awareness about what benevolent sexism is and how prevalent it has become. We can only fight back against such sexism once we understand what it is and how to recognize when its used. We must speak up when we hear it or see it and not condone its use by remaining silent. We must teach children to recognize this form of sexism and how to respond to its wrongful messages.

We must remove the invisibility cloak of this form of sexism and see it for what it is. Only then can we begin to aspire for gender equality. Benevolent sexism is not empowering. It is not benign. And certainly it is harmful to a society that strives for equal opportunity.


Hammond, M. D., Sibley, C. G., & Overall, N. C. (2014). The allure of sexism: Psychological entitlement fosters women’s endorsement of benevolent sexism over time. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 5(4), 422-429. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1948550613506124

Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., & Levin, S. (2006). Social dominance theory and the dynamics of intergroup relations: Taking stock and looking forward. European Review of Social Psychology, 17, 271-320.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J., Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

Tannenbaum, M. (2013). The Problem When Sexism Just Sounds So Darn Friendly… PsySociety, Scientific American Blog Network. Scientific American Global. Retrieved October 4, 2014, at: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/psysociety/2013/04/02/benevolent-sexism/

Witt, S. D. (2000). The influence of peers on children’s socialization to gender roles. Early Child Development and Care, 162, 1-7. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0300443001620101


29
Sep 14

Oz The Great and Powerful

DrOZ

I was on my computer and ran across a news article that features Dr. Oz on my home page. He is a cardiothoracic surgeon and a television personality made famous by Oprah. In the article, he was asked to speak before the Senate for potentially deceptive advertising for weight loss supplements (Firger, 2014). I was curious about this so I watched the video that accompanies the article. I won’t comment on whether he did or did not use deceptive advertising but something caught my attention. In the video, Sen. Claire McCaskill tells Dr. Mehmet Oz, “with great power, comes great responsibility” (Firger, 2014). I asked myself, where does this power come from? Lots of people try to sell weight loss supplements and the Senate does not see them as a threat. What makes him so special? I think the principles of applied social psychology can help explain why.
In my opinion, Dr. Oz exerts a large amount of social influence. Social influence being defined as the interactions with others that leads to changes in our attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 171). So in other words, when Dr. Oz interacts with others, it can lead to changes in their attitudes, beliefs, values, and behavior. When he is trying to interact in this way through his television show, it is called persuasion (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, 171). So the question became, what makes him so persuasive.
First, we need to understand the kind of message he is giving. I would define it as an informational message. An informational message provides facts and arguments for why people should be engaging in certain health behaviors (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, 171). Now, the Senate has called into question whether his advice is actually healthy (meaning they might not be facts) but that is not my question. His persuasive technique is built around an informational message and that is what matters. With this as my assumption, there are certain criteria that applied social psychology can use to predict how persuasive this informational message will be. Using these criteria as measurements of his persuasiveness, I intend to show why Dr. Oz is so powerful.
So lets begin with the criteria that make an informational message persuade. In order for an informational message to be effective, it should come from a credible source. Dr. Oz is a heart surgeon, which gives him substantial credibility. Also, the person should be attractive and similar to the audience (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 171) because attractive faces tend to be thought of as more sociable, extroverted, and popular (Aronson, Wilson, &Akert, pg 275). Furthermore, people tend to prefer faces similar to their own and it may come from a feeling of “familiar is safe” and “unfamiliar is potentially dangerous” (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, pg 274). Dr. Oz can be thought of as “good looking” and is like the target audience. Even though attractiveness seemingly has nothing to do with anything, there seems to be an “attractive is good” stereotype (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, pg 275). So these qualities combine to make him trustworthy and thus help him be persuasive.
Another important aspect of an informational message is whether people take the message to heart (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 171). Dr. Oz does a great job of this by grabbing attention with “fear appeals” (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012, pg 171). Using headlines and phrases like, “Dangers of walk-in medical procedures” and “Could a common fibroid procedure cause cancer?” (www.doctoroz.com). He also combines this fear appeal with specific recommendations (to lose weight, use this pill for example), which increases effectiveness of the fear appeal (pg 172). This seems to be because you cannot just scare someone, you have to give him or her a way to ease his or her fears in order for the message to be effective and Dr. Oz appears to be a master at this.
With all this in mind lets review and see how Dr. Oz measures up on the criteria shown to increase his persuasive ability. Dr. Oz is credible, attractive, and familiar. He uses fear appeals to grab attention so people attend to his informational message. He then follows these fear appeals with specific instructions on how to reduce the fear. Dr. Oz scores extremely high on all of these criteria and applied social psychology principles would predict that he would be persuasive. This is inline with Sen. McCaskill’s comments. Applied social psychology therefore, provides a good theory (based on research and not opinion) as to why Dr. Oz is such a powerful influence on the substantial number of people who watch his show and the Senate has good reason to be watchful of him.

References

Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M. (2013). Social Psychology (8th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Firger, J. (2014, June 17) Dr. Oz Defends Weight Loss Advice at Senate Hearing on Diet Scams. CBSNews. Retrieved from:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dr-oz-defends-weight-loss-advice-at-senate-hearing-on-diet-scams/

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.


21
Sep 14

Challenging Energy Companies to Compete

by Amy Caraballo

Since the dawn of time, humans have thrived on competition. Today, countries continue to compete for dominance in both the financial markets and for total power. Competition isn’t limited to national governments, however. In the United States, entire weekends are devoted to televised sporting events and children, as young as toddlers, compete in sports (Sports Connection, n.d.). Even the performing arts have become televised competitions. It seems only natural then to look at the power of competition to change our energy consuming ways. What about our options, though? Few companies offer much renewable energy. Even those that do offer only a small fraction of the energy produced through renewable resources (American Physical Society, n.d.). How can consumers meaningfully change our consumption when the options are so severely limited? But, what if we used this naturally competitive streak of our human nature on the actual energy companies, themselves?

What Do We Need?

Nearly 40% of the world’s electricity is produced by burning coal (Nijhuis, 2014). The burning of coal is one of the main contributors of greenhouse gases, specifically CO2 (Nijhuis, 2014). And coal isn’t the only problem. All fossil fuels, including natural gas, capjerimum_Greenhouse_Effectpropane, gasoline, even butane give off CO2 as a byproduct of their use (EIA, n.d.). In fact, 84% of all the world’s power is created through fossil fuels. (American Physical Society, n.d.). These resources are also severely limited and we are destined to run out (Riddel, Ronson, Counts, & Spenser, n.d.). It is obvious that we need to find renewable and ecologically safe alternatives and we need to do this soon. But with such changes come costs and there has been little financial incentive for energy companies to change their ways. After all, consumers still need energy regardless of where it comes from.

What Do We Know?

In 1996, Siero et al. studied how a phenomenon called comparative feedback influenced industrial employees to conserve energy while at work. Basically, the scientists found that when a group of workers saw how their own conservation efforts stacked up against another group’s efforts, they worked harder at conserving energy (Siero et al, 1996). This comparative feedback idea has also been used successfully in getting individuals to reduce energy consumption at home (Midden, Meter, Weenig & Zieverink, 1983). Knowing that competition also drives much of our capitalistic economy, it would seem that using comparative feedback to stir up competition might also work on the energy companies, themselves.

How Do We Do It?

From a financial standpoint, there is very little reason for an energy company to scrap current technology and know-how to convert resources to renewable energy. Conversion is costly in both time and resources. Though we can make many moral and environmental arguments for switching, the bottom line is usually about money. In order for energy companies to change, there has to be financial incentive. One way we might incentivize the industry is to create government sponsored competition. Though thispowerplants idea might incur public costs, these costs could be minimal if in the form of advertisement. Using the idea of comparative feedback, the government could create public advertising campaigns that gave statistics about how well each energy company was doing in terms of changing to renewable sources. This advertising could serve as a financial incentive for companies who were working harder at switching to renewable energy. Consumers would be able to know which energy companies were more dedicated to saving the planet and thus these companies could outsell their competition.

What Does This Look Like?

Much like other United States Government sponsored campaigns (think The Ad Council), there could be multimedia campaigns that ensured that people knew which companies were changing over to renewable resources. This could be updated on a monthly or semi-monthly basis and be part of the national news, for instance. In order for it to work, this information would have to be consistently sent out and updated. People would need to know when to expect the information and where to get it. As long as the information was flowing, consumers would have choices and the energy companies would have to work hard at keeping the consumers happy.

But Will It Work?

A program is only as good as its evaluation process. There would have to be a way to measure how much positive change was happening in the form of continually more available renewable energy and less available fossil fuel sources after this comparative advertising campaign took flight. We would have to measure how much renewable energy was available in the short-term of the program and then how much was available in more of a long-term time frame. Because this intervention also presumes that consumers want renewable energy, more studies should be done to gauge the public’s knowledge about the dire circumstances of our continued reliance on fossil fuels. The knowledge or lack thereof could affect how much or little change happens in terms of energy production from the industry. In other words, they might build it, but will we buy it?

For those who are aware of the dire circumstances of global climate change and the limited supply of fossil fuels, switching to renewable energy is, well, a no-brainer. If we want the Earth to support life a little while longer we must find a way to reduce our usage. For those who are hard to convince, however, we might need some incentives. Competition is as old as we humans, ourselves. Perhaps we can use that competitive quality to push everyone, even energy companies, to save our species.


American Physical Society. (n.d.). Fossil Energy. Retrieved from http://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/energy/fossil.cfm

Midden, C., Meter, J., Weenig, M., & Zieverink, H. (1983). Using feedback, reinforcement and information to reduce energy consumption in households: A field-experiment. Economic Psychology, 3.1, 65-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(83)90058-2

Nijhuis, M. (2014). Can Coal Ever Be Clean? Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/04/coal/nijhuis-text

Riddell, A., Ronson, S., Counts, G., & Spenser, K. (n.d.). Towards Sustainable Energy: The Current Fossil Fuel Problem and the Prospects of Geothermal and Nuclear Power. Retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/trade_environment/energy/hfossil.html

Sports Connection LLC. (n.d.). Lil’ Kickers Soccer. Retrieved from http://www.sportsconnectionnc.com/details.php?Lil-Kickers-Soccer-40

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (n.d.). Energy – Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients. Retrieved from http://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.cfm


29
Jun 14

Stimulus Poverty In Deed

”Are We Living in Sensory Overload or Sensory Poverty?,” by Diane Ackerman

Milgram’s concept of stimulus overload is quite intriguing. As was cited by Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012), stimulus overload is the idea that our society today is much too much for our hunter-gatherer nervous systems. We weren’t ancestrally prepared to deal with booming cities, overly crowded schools and the bombardment of the world at our swiftly moving thumb tips. So what did we do? Did we adapt and overcome? Of course we didn’t! We developed apps for that. We have cell phones, I pods, I pads, mp3 players, wireless headphones, and Google glass. There is no need to feel overloaded because we have found ways to take the world in at moderations that we (at times) can control. However, Diane Ackerman wrote to the New York Times proposing a very fair question. Are we today still facing stimulus overload or are we subjecting ourselves to stimulus poverty? If you have taken a psychology course, you may be familiar with concepts such as conditioning, and if you have taken any courses in anthropology, you may be familiar with concepts about evolution along with learned behavioral traits. Basically, we see, we learn, we pass it on. Do it often enough and it becomes second nature. So why did we as a species not adapt to the growth of stimuli in our surroundings? Was it growing faster than we could to evolve in order to handle it? Darwin could argue that technology has allowed for the survival of the weak. Perhaps the generations of watching our elders swoon in fascination over fast past technologies has led us to be the monkeys that saw and now do. I often catch my son happily sitting next to me, Mario game in hand while I myself am playing a game. But are we hurting ourselves by using stimulus overload as an excuse to continue living socially withdrawn? Is this what we are going to use for the answer to, why don’t we talk anymore? Maybe if we looked up at the world with our hands devoid of any devices and our ears free from plugs, we would find by the end of the day that the world isn’t all that overwhelming after all. We just might like it.

References

Ackerman, D. (2012, June 10). Are we living in sensory overload or sensory poverty?. New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2014, from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/are-we-living-in-sensory-overload-or-sensory-poverty/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.


23
Jun 14

“Booth or table? Smartphone section or other?”

Study 1, article 1

So here are two links to a quick little article and its study I found online about cell phone users and our perceived concepts of privacy. In a lesson given by Professor Yarwood of Penn State’s World Campus Psych424 Applied Social Psychology class, the point that cell phone use in public has compromised the level of privacy for others was made. It is true that “privacy in public” can be in the eye of the beholder, or the eye of the smartphone-holder. According to a study done by Tel Aviv University, a fair majority of smartphone users will say that their devices provide them with plenty of privacy. But most of us know this is not true. Just the other day I was picking up a pizza order and the women behind me was on her cell phone. I can tell you this about her and her life.

  • She got caught lying about where she just was, then again lying about whose house she was staying at.
  • Her brother doesn’t feed his children.
  • If it wasn’t for her courageous, covert trip to the pizza shop, her nieces and nephews would starve.

There I was, waiting for pizza, and my ears were being forcefully violated with someone else’s business. That woman and many other smartphone users seem to be oblivious to the reality of their so called public privacy. I’m not sure she would have had that same conversation with complete strangers. So why did she have that conversation where complete strangers can hear her? Should I have to forfeit the rights of my ears in public because smartphone users can’t confine their own privacy to themselves? Do these smartphone users really expect others to respect their privacy when it isn’t being handled in a private way at all? Well at the end of the first link I provided, the author suggests an idea, which was also brought up in the original study that could lend my ears some relief. Imagine walking into a restaurant and being asked, “Booth or a table?” Now imagine the hostess’ next question being, “smartphone or other?” Well the researchers from the university anticipate the possibly of the public being redesigned around communications technology, the way it was years ago for smokers and non-smokers. One problem with this though. I am a smartphone user. Yikes. Will I have to be categorized before I make myself more aware of the reality of my own privacy in public? I hope not. I already worry about bad seating options in restaurants and airplanes just for having a child!

Communications technologies appear to be changing our social behaviors and the way we interact (or don’t interact) with others (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). We interact with each other differently and avoid each other in new ways. We let voicemail and auto responses like, “I’m driving” reject others, instead of just taking incoming calls. We are letting entire lobbies full of strangers know, you want pizza for dinner, and that you’ll be late because you have to pick up that cream from the pharmacy for that thing you got. Well as interesting as all that sounds, some of us would rather fresh, crisp silence than have clouds of pesky, private conversations be blown into our ears. Perhaps further research, like those being done at Tel Aviv University surrounding the behavioral habits of communications technology users will bring the public to a more communication-conscious state of public awareness.

 

References

American friends of tel aviv university; smart phones are changing real world privacy settings. (2012). Telecommunications Weekly, 1038. Retrieved from         http://search.proquest.com/docview/1015615980?accountid=13158

Perry, D. (2012, May 14). Smartphone Users Less Aware of Lack of Privacy in Public. Retrieved June 21, 2014, from http://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-privacy-study-smartphone-users-public,news-15182.html

PSU 424. (2014). Applied Social Psychology. Lesson 9: Media/ communications     Technology. Retrieved June 20, 1014, from       https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su14/psych424/001/content/10_lesson/02            _page.html

 


15
Jun 14

A Common Problem

Tragedy of the commons refers to a concept about the exploitation of resources that are perceived as limitless. According to Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012), this concept derives from areas known as commons. My hometown, Lynn, MA, still has a portion of its once vast commons preserved. The commons was a public field for animal owners to bring their livestock to graze. Because there were no set rules, the grazing fields were in essence, limitless. As more livestock provided more food source for a larger population, and larger populations owned more livestock, more of the commons were being used, and the commons were found to be very limited. Eventually, resources were diminished, fewer livestock could be provided for, and less food source resulted in a decrease in population.

As resources appear to be limitless, they are exploited. This exploitation causes a ripple effect that does more harm than good. We are still seeing this problem today. Although each household no longer needs its own cow and sheep, each person does need his own living space. Land is a limited resource. Yet it appears by the way it is being used, that we are not all fully aware of this resource’s limits. As more and more people are born, more space is needed for living, agriculture, business expansions, etc. We see people of wealth building bigger and better homes with more rooms than they have members of their families and grand, pointless, entryways of wasted ecosystems (which is another problem entirely). As habitable land becomes scares, we witness wars, famine, and migrations. Our history is full of examples of the struggle between living space and populations (the potato famine, immigrants coming through Ellis Island, NY, etc.).

Over populated regions cannot sustain the numbers of people that multiply continuously. People die from overcrowded living conditions, and lack of nourishment. We can begin to see these effects in places like New York, where land is so scares that we look to a new “limitless” space to live in; the sky. Projects, skyscraping condos and office buildings are riddled across the overpopulated parts of our country. Although Pruitt-Igoe (as cited by Schneider et al., 2012) was unsuccessful in addressing the tragedy of the commons dilemma in St. Louis back in the 50s, architects, along with the whole growing population, should be mindful of our limited spaces, and should continue to seek solutions to making the best of the space we have.

Perhaps regulations should be put into place, where there are restrictions against excessive land ownership in regards to purpose (conservation, warranted use, status symbol, etc.). If we are not careful, we may be witnessing the turn of events that will lead us to the rebirth of new commons sooner than later, and this does not involve the continued birth of our species.

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.


01
Jun 14

Environment ASP

Having a thriving environment is essential in maintaining the lives of humans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, our resources are being depleted at an alarming rate. There are several problems with our environment caused by land and air pollution. This is not just an environmental problem, however, it’s a huge social problem as well.

In today’s society, humans are all about convenience. Unfortunately, this comes at a major cost to the environment. Transportation such as cars and planes for instance, emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases poke holes in the ozone layer, trapping heat in the atmosphere (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). In 2012, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation contributed around 28% of the total U.S greenhouse gas emissions, making transportation the 2nd largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). Sadly, greenhouse gases cause global warming. Some of the effects of global warming include: an increase or decrease in rainfall, negative effects on human health, changes in forestry and ecosystems, and potential impacts on our energy supply (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.).  Electricity is the number one contributor of U.S. gas emissions. Unfortunately, U.S greenhouse gas emissions from electricity have increased 11% since 1990 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). Homes and commercial buildings use large amounts of energy for heating, cooling, lighting, and other functions. We face tremendous resource dilemmas because people tend to think selfishly instead of for the greater good. This is exactly how we deplete resources and continue to do so. We are consuming resources faster than we can replace them. As a society, we should use more energy generated from wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal sources instead of nonrenewable resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas which also further harm the environment (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.).

Land pollution is another major problem posing a threat to our environment. In 2012, Americans generated about 251 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste (trash) (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). It’s important for consumers to reduce, reuse, and recycle if we want any shot at keeping our environment stable. One way we can do this is source reduction. This can be done by designing products to reduce the amount of waste that will later need to be thrown away (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). An example of this is water bottles being made out of less plastic. Many companies that bottle water, now do so using less plastic than before, therefore leading to less plastic being used and potentially thrown away in landfills. Another way we can cut down on land pollution is by recycling. Instead of throwing out items that can be reused (such as the plastic water bottles mentioned), it’s important for our society to recycle them so we can reuse them later and prevent the depletion of valuable resources (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.).

At my campus, there are several attempts being made to combat our school’s contribution to these environmental problems. For instance, in most buildings the lights are motion-activated. If someone forgets to turn off a light, the lights will turn off automatically instead of wasting electricity when it’s not being used. The gymnasium at my school does not have motion-activated lights, however, there are signs above light switches asking people to turn the lights off when not in use. Despite being a small request, students and faculty take responsibility and turn the lights off in rooms when no one is in them. My school also provides several sidewalks and public transportation to students. Although, it’s not a perfect solution, public transportation is better than people driving separately, which would add more greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Finally, not only are students and faculty encouraged to recycle paper and plastics (bins for paper and plastics are provided next to all trash cans on campus), students are only allotted a certain amount of paper per semester that may be printed. This forces students to think wisely about what they need to print and reduces paper consumption on campus overall. Protecting the environment is directly linked to applied social psychology because we influence the environment tremendously. Humans hold the power to change the environment- by protecting it or depleting it. Can you think of any other ways campuses can “go green”? Are there any ways that we can encourage people to be more conscious about the depletion of resources?

Resources

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (n.d). Muncipal Solid Waste. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (n.d). Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/electricity.html


26
Feb 14

Organization + Intergroup Relations | For better or worse.

Organizations can range from a little as two people to millions as seen in the Department of Defense however, regardless of size there are key components any successful organization must have (The Economist, 2011). Marriage, for example, is a simple organization of two individuals that engage in many of the same behaviors that a major organization engages in such as communication and group decision making (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). Just as communication is key to the success of a large organization so too is communication’s role in marriage. Schneider, Gruman and Coutts (2012) define communication as a social behavior of at least two people interacting and providing one another with information (p. 233). Furthermore, Schneider, Gruman and Coutts (2012) go on to discuss the actual model of communication which includes conveying a message by means of a medium (“channel”) that must be encoded, decoded and received by another individual (p. 233). Within a marriage, the same process takes place. For instance, take the simple chore of washing dishes – a wife (or husband) may verbally or nonverbally convey to their significant other that they would like help washing the dishes. In order to do this, the wife must form her thoughts into a message to communicate to her husband. Typically this message, once formed, is likely to be conveyed through a face-to-face medium. Once the wife has transmitted her message the husband then receives and decodes the message (and hopefully agrees to help do the dishes!). This process can go back and forth and can be very clear or can result in a disagreement due to lack of clarity.

Penley, Alexander, Jernigan and Henwood (1991) uncovered that managers of corporations with effective communication skills outperform others and this is also the case for effective communicators within a marriage. In order for managers to be effective and efficient communicators they must be able to provide clear objectives and accurate feedback (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). In order for a married couple to communicate efficiently they too must be clear and accurate in their requests, concerns, desires etc. Now this does not always occur within organizations nor does it always occur within a marriage and when it does not follow this communication model, problems may arise whether it be the wrong person getting laid off or a big argument over who left the toilet seat up.

Krone, Jablin and Putnam (1987) described that within the psychological perspective a major influencing factor of how something is received or communicated is an individual’s “conceptual filter” (p. 234). A conceptual filter incorporates an individual’s cognitions, attitudes and perceptions (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). Therefore, it is essential to take into consideration in an organization when communicating with another individual as they will have a different conceptual filter. This is the same in a marriage, just because two people fall in love and have many of the same attitudes and opinions does not mean that their conceptual filter is the same. In order to be an effective communicator in both an organization and a marriage, one must consider how their message may be influenced by another’s conceptual filter.

Modern organizations have begun to place more emphasis on teams in order to divide up and assign specific tasks to specialized individuals (Pennsylvania State University, 2014). A team, or group, can be defined as “two or more persons who are interacting with one another in such a manner that each person influences and is influenced by each other person” (Pennsylvania State University, 2014; Shaw, 1981). A marriage then, can also be seen as a team of two individuals who influence and are influenced by one another. Additionally, teams are divided up based on specialization and within a marriage this can be seen by having the husband and wife both take on different roles. Perhaps the husband takes on the “team role” of investing in the stock market and mowing the lawn while the wife assumes the role of providing a nice dinner and paying the bills. Whatever the roles may be, it often takes a team effort to achieve and maintain a functioning household.

References
House, R.J., Shuler, R.S., & Levaroni, E. (1983). Role conflict and ambiguity scales: Reality or artifact? Journal of Applied Psychology, 68. 334-337. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.68.2.334
Jamal, M. (1984). Job stress and job performance controversy: An empirical assessment. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 33(1).  1-21. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(84)90009-6.
Krone, K., Jablin, F., Putnam, L. (1987). Handbook of organizational communication: An interdisciplinary perspective. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Penley, L., Alexander, E., Jernigan, I., & Henwood, C. (1991). Communication abilities of managers: The relationship to performance. Journal of Management, 17(1), 57-76. doi: 10.1177/014920639101700105.
Pennsylvania State University. (2014). Organizational Life and Teams. [Online Lecture]. Retrieved from http://cms.psu.edu.
Rizzo, J.R., House, R.J., & Lirtzman, S.I. (1970). Role conflict and ambiguity in complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 15. 150-163. doi: 10.2307/2391486.
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Semin, G. (2007). Grounding communication. In A.W. Kruglanski & E.T. Higgins (Eds). Social Psychology Handbook of basic principles (2nd ed). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Shaw, M. (1981). Group Dynamics: The Psychology of Small Group Dynamics. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
The Economist. (2011). Who are the world’s biggest employers? Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/09/employment?fsrc=scn/tw/te/dc/defending.


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