PSYCH 424 blog

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     Education has a pivotal role in modeling a child and creating a strong foundation to become an important aspect of  creating society. When you are little, the only way you usually learn to work through issues is with siblings, cousins, or daycare or preschool friends. As you get older, education is important in learning life skills in relationships, working together, individuality and social learning which are all important components taught in school. Education is always changing with the media having a lot to do with education in 2014 . The media and technology such as the internet, computers and cell phones now has enabled students to be accessible to immense amounts of information at a moment’s notice. That has changed the entire dynamics of education and allowed for more outside information, both good and bad to come into play.

          Academic self concept is important in education and helps to encourage students to achieve success in school, hopefully positive. ( Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).My niece is a perfect example of this. Her family recently moved her to a private school because she felt that she wasn’t given enough motivation and she is really excelling at her new school. She constantly wants to learn more and actually wants to take tests to see where she is on the scale and that motivates her to want to do better. Her reciprocal relationship with herself and her success in school is why her motivation to keep doing better is the reason why she does so well in school and I believe will inevitably get her to her goal  to become a college math professor like her father ( I only wish I had as much motivation as she has!).

           The experiment from Rosenthal and Jacobson , Pygmalion in the Classroom had astounding results which were a bit upsetting to me. The fact that this teacher actually treated the “above-average” students better by giving them more positive feedback and focus and a chance to answer in class and to get more time is both unfair and shows the impact of stereotyping.  If this were the case, then many teachers may think that certain ethnic groups, such as African Americans were actually a waste of time to teach and therefore aren’t even given a chance to thrive. What if a child is a slow learner and may not “get it as fast” when they are younger. If a teacher decides they aren’t worth the time then that child may never live to their full potential. This, in my opinion, does show where expectations of the teachers may impact their performance, academically. In doing so, the self-fulfilling prophecy occurs because what a teacher expects of a student impacts how much time and effort they put into a student and that student is affected exponentially. The student may feel that they don’t matter or that they can’t do anything and therefore may not try or their self-concept will be lessened. This may be one reason why African American‘s don’t do as well in school.

           A correlation exists between getting rid of poverty by educating our citizens. With education comes the availability to make more money and increase their quality of living. Education gives individuals a choice and en powers them to organize and manage their life and the lives of others. One of my favorite movies is from Dangerous Minds whose main character, Louanne Johnson,  played by Michelle Pfeiffer is a small petit ex-marine who breaks the stereotype of a fragile pretty girl whose ways to encourage students to want to learn to better themselves. These students from a tough inner city school who most teachers considered the “class from Hell” just needed someone to actually care what they were doing with their lives. While some of her techniques might have been over-the-top, these students were tough and needed and extra push because of years of neglect  from many of the other teachers. This teacher taught the students that they must be responsible for themselves even if there are factors which may limit them, there is still an option to overcome obstacles which in this case, were socioeconomic status. There are many issues with education that stand as obstacles such as rooms which are overcrowded, lack of up-to-date textbooks and supplies  so many rigorous rules set in place. If there is nothing on and you are searching for something that is both inspiring and uplifting, take the time to watch it on You Tube.

           The 1968 experiment with Ms. Elliot was both surprising and very interesting            ( Frontline, 1985).  I believe that  this experiment gave light to  how easily discrimination could be lessened or eradicated if we taught our children at a very young age what discrimination and stereotyping really is. I know myself included, I tend to learn a lot more when I participate in something versus when I just hear it. I thought it was interesting how  some fourteen years later, they all met back up and described how this affected their futures, not just then, but when they became adults. One girl was speaking about how the class experiment stuck with her and that she saw black people as people who may look differently, but  are the same. When she said she hugged a black man, she got stares and looks of apprehension, but she didn’t care. One little boy learned that when he did punch his little friend in the stomach because he didn’t wear a collar, he learned that violence is unnecessary because it’s not like he felt better doing it. And when the “shoe was on the other foot” it didn’t feel good to feel like an “outcast.” These children were remarkable in that little 3^rd graders learned in two days a valuable lesson that just because we look different on the outside doesn’t mean we are any different on the inside. When the experiment was over, there were feelings of happiness and laughter from all the children when they decided to come back as one group and throw away the collars. One little boy tore his to shreds, symbolic of tearing down racism and hatred.

          I believe that an important intervention to discrimination or stereotyping is exposure to different cultures and environments.  The experiment of 1968 clearly showed how impactful discrimination can become when  individuals are separated into groups where one group is “supposed” to be superior to the other. Education is one of the most important components to shaping an individual and therefore there needs to be a constant emphasis on altering and improving education to fit the time. As many of us are familiar with cutbacks in education from eliminating art and music classes and taking away sports and even my nieces and nephews don’t have bus transportation  at their disposal because of the lack of funding for schools. Education is something that I think we all take for granted because many other countries can’t even educate their students or supplies don’t even include simple things that we take for granted like books, papers, pencils, etc. Education  is used every day in some way. Children are our future and education is an important component to their success!

Frontline. (1985). A Class Divided. Retrieved online at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/

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

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bwBScN0l_0

I don’t mean to brag, but fifth grade was my year. I made the honor roll, achieved a special recognition for keeping a 4.0 in social studies throughout, had vastly improved in orchestra (I played the violin), and I had made a few new friends. Don’t be fooled, my fifth grade year didn’t start out as seamlessly as it sounds. After all, in years prior I was the girl who was eliminated from the school spelling bee for confusing the letters Y and W. There was also that one time when I tripped on the way up to the chalkboard when called upon to try a difficult math problem. As embarrassed as I was, there was also a tinge of relief to have avoided the math problem all together. So how did I get on the right track to achieve success and thrive in the fifth grade? Recognizing my potential, an inspired teacher named Mrs. Gibson, crafted an intervention plan that would get me on the right track. She included my parents so that the approach was consistent. She set me up with new contacts (a new friend named Liana), and gave me extra homework. My instructions were to start having fun with my schoolwork, because I was more than capable of doing it.

While this method seems to fall under the category of external regulation (influence from a teacher and parents), I would argue that it also included some self-determination (desire to achieve derived from internal motivation) (Schneider, 2012). The positive, yet stern push from my teacher helped me dust off a tired academic self-concept. My struggles with math seemed so overwhelming at the time; I didn’t think I would ever grasp fractions and percentages! With extra practice and a positive frame of mind, I began to believe that I could keep up with my classmates and pass my math level tests. Pinxten et al., (2014) found that the more positive an individual (grades 3-7) was about their math ability, the more they achieved in the subject. Further, with a positive outlook on math performance they were not as negatively influenced by the hours of study required.

Many times outside encouragement is needed to propel one’s academic self-concept. In turn, self-determination will take over and the individual will experience positive results more frequently. As I approach my final semester (Fall 2014) as a World Campus student, I look back with fondness to power through my most challenging courses of my academic career. I remind myself of the strategies I used to enjoy my coursework as a fifth grader, and consistent with Schneider et al., (2012), these methods seem to work at any age.

References:

Pinxten, M., Marsh, H.W., De Fraine, B., Van Den Noorgate, W., & Van Damme, J. (2014). Enjoying mathematics or feeling competent in mathematics? Reciprocal effects on mathematics achievement and perceived math effort expenditure. British Journal of Education Psychology, 84(1), 152-174

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

Education is among the most politically debated subjects in the United States. There are many facets to the education argument. For instance, the how-to best educate people of varying ages, levels (pre-school to post-graduate), social economic status, and special education needs are part of the education debate. In addition, factors such as teachers, environment and parent teacher cooperation are also considered in the debate. Considering the effects of crime, pregnancy, learning disabilities and drug use and dropout rates are among important variables to the debate as well. An issue that received presidential attention on January 25, 2011 in the State of the Union address to Congress and to the nation was education and the issue of student drop-outs. In the address, President Obama advocated for States to require High School students to remain in school until graduation, or until they reach the age of 18. The President’s point of contention for a mandatory attendance age policy is the belief that students that are not allowed to walk away from their education are more likely to complete school and receive their diploma. President Obama believes that making sure that High School students remain on campus is a determining factor in graduation.

On the other hand,

In the January 29, 2012 issue of Chicago Tribune in the News Columns editorial Steve Chapman provides a perspective to President Obama’s State of the Union address on the topic of mandatory attendance age proposal. As Steve Chapman sees it, the proposed mandatory attendance age policy is wrong for all High School students in the United States. Chapman paints a grim picture of children being forced to endure harsh physical and emotional conditions in High School. Chapman argues that if students who typically dropout are required by law to remain, these students will be unlikely to learn and unfairly exhaust the resources of teachers. Furthermore, these disgruntled students become a disturbance to other students who want to be in school and a daily interruption to the learning process. Chapman offers an alternative — make education improvements so that students are more likely to stay in school and more kids will “choose” to stay in school and not opt to dropout. Chapman is convinced that the President’s policy proposal will fail because it does not take into account students who are better off dropping out. Chapman brings into question freedom to choose and poses the question of whether (in some circumstances) students should be allowed to drop out early. Chapman cites that some students are better if they do drop out early. To substantiate his claim Chapman cites a study from John Hopkins University where six states raised the mandatory attendance age: three saw no increase in graduation rates and one saw a decline. Chapman also points to Nobel laureate economist at the University of Chicago who specializes in education and who is skeptical of the proposal. Chapman claims that the highest dropout rates are in the worst schools and those who graduate from these schools graduate barely able to read. Chapman questions how it is that President Obama believes that these students would want to stay in school even longer and moreover “reap a rich harvest of learning.” Perhaps the most controversial argument Chapman makes is that of the consequences to students who do not drop out, but are doing “the right thing.” Chapman boldly states that, “One of the best things you can do for students who want to do the right thing is to remove those who would rather goof off or make trouble.” Chapman does not believe that the majority ought to sacrifice for the minority. In Chapman’s eyes, if a person is headed in the wrong direction, it doesn’t help to keep going in that direction. Furthermore, Chapman notes that most States already allow teens to drop out at age 16 or 17. Chapman is not only advocating against the proposed mandatory requirement, but also questioning the wisdom behind the push. Chapman does not advocate that kids drop out of school. Chapman believes that kids should stay in school for economic and future employment opportunity. For Chapman, the question has to do with questioning whether the kids who otherwise would drop out are better off being forced to finish high school.

Chapman’s alternative to President Obama’s proposed mandatory attendance age policy — to take the money intended for enforcement of the proposed policy and utilize it instead for “education improvements” –seems rather simplistic to me. The what, when, who, and how much is not explored. For instance, should an inner city school receive more money? Should performance be the indicator for distribution of funds? Who decides basic, yet complex questions, such as what is fair? The editorial is compelling, but Chapman’s point of view is narrow and simplistic. I don’t believe that President Obama has the wrong remedy for dropouts nor is Steve Chapman completely wrong; I think that it’s a complex issue with no easy answers or a simplistic solution. Perhaps some sort of hybrid solution based on the specific needs of a community and school district may prove to be better suited to meet the current and future challenges of educating students. I do not believe Chapman goes far enough to argue the complexities involved. There are too many factors not considered. For example, the differences between inner city, suburb, poor, rich, and privileged, and underprivileged students must be considered. Understanding different environments such as inner city student’s needs and suburb student’s needs is important because they each will have a different and unique solution. The effects of crime, pregnancy, learning disabilities and drugs on dropout rates must be thoroughly understood in order to design the appropriate interventions. I don’t believe in a one size fits all model, but rather allowing local autonomy to thrive and chart the course of their own educational destiny. Therein lies the debate: how much and should the Federal government impose policies and regulations on education? How much autonomy should each school have in how they educate? I don’t believe President Obama’s proposal nor Chapman’s alternative are sufficient to satisfy the educational needs of the country. While Obama may offer “no parole,” Chapmen may be offering “too much autonomy.”

Reference:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-oped-0129-chapman-20120129,0,2315527.column

It appeared to be a normal day at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California, but turned out to be a tragic day for many of the community members and peers of Larry King. On the morning of February 12, 2008, the unthinkable happened at the school. Brandon McInerney, 14, shot his classmate, Larry King, 15, in front of the entire class. An HBO documentary titled Valentine Road shined a light on many social issues. Two days later, on Valentine’s Day, Larry had died as a result of the shooting. This is an incident no one should witness, but sadly, this had becomes many people’s reality. And most recently, the tragic shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1-2 percent of all homicides among school-aged child occur on the grounds of the school or on the way to and from school or during an event. Although a vast majority will never experience deadly violence at school, 1-2 percent is still too many. It is difficult to understand and explain these acts of violence, but Schneider et. al provides some understanding on this social issue.

The importance of understanding factors that can lead to school violence is crucial in developing an intervention strategy to reduce and prevent school violence. First, males are more like than females to be involved in school violence, bullying is a common cause; usage of weapons is more like among high school students rather than elementary school children, and less than 15 percent brought guns to school (Schneider, Gruman, Coutts, 2012). Also, there are many psychological risk factors that can lead to school violence such as lower levels of moral reasoning, associated with aggressive behavior during childhood and adolescents, and family dysfunctions. Many of the psychological risk factors pertained to Brandon. His mother and father were both drug addicts, he was abused by his father, and had to live with his abusive father because his mother was unable to care for him. Most importantly, he had low levels of moral reasoning. As he left the house, Brandon actually forgot the gun and went back in his house to get it. This is a prime example of lack of moral reasoning, but considering his background one would image he was not properly taught and educated on decision making. By his hands, he caused a severe amount of grief, psychological, and emotional damage to many people.

School shootings affect everyone: administration, teachers, students, and anyone in or around the school and community. Those affected need much support to cope and grieve with tragedy and through psychological support, one can properly grieve. Traumatic experiences pose psychological challenges to the recovery process. Individuals may develop post-traumatic stress disorder, become depressed, and develop physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, and change of appetite. Sadly, the students of E.O. Green Junior High did not have the psychological support they needed; it showed they had difficulty in grieving and dealing with the tragedy. The teacher that was in the class later revealed suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and ultimately, resigned from her position. As from psychological support, the American Psychological Association (APA), provides tips about dealing with traumatic school shootings: talk about it, strive for balance, turn it off and take a break, honor your feelings, take care of yourself, help others, be productive, and remember grieving is a long process. Everyone individual is unique and grieve differently, but it takes a societal effort to fully prevent individuals grieving over school shooting.

School violence can be prevented, but it takes much effort. There can be several intervention strategies in reducing school violence. Programs should be created to address the overall school environment, academic performance and expectations, and behavior management techniques (Schnieder, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Also, it’s important to address social context (e.g., bullying) because this tends to be how aggressive behavior occurs. Overall, school violence should be talked about before it occurs. Students should be encouraged to talk about social problems they may have and conflicts with other students. Everyone needs to take a proactive stance on reducing this social problem. Although school shootings do not occur often, they occur. Children should feel safe in schools and we, as society, need to make every school a violent-free environment.

References

American Psychological Association (n.d). Managing your distress in the aftermath of a shooting. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/mass-shooting.aspx
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013) School-associated student homicides—United States, 1992–2006. MMWR 2008, :33–36.

Dubreuil, J. & Martinez-Ramundo, D. (2011). Boy who shot classmate at age 14 will be retried as adult. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/eighth-grade-shooting-larry-king-brandon-mcinerney-boys/story?id=14666577

HBO Documentary: Valentine Road. Retrieved from http://valentineroaddocumentary.com/

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. ISBN 978-1412976381

When exploring college options, an increasing number of students are opting for online educational options.  As college tuition continues to rise and colleges continue to add more and more majors for students to choose from, deciding which college to attend is becoming harder and harder.  But is college education presented online a good option and does it provide the same quality educational environment as its brick and mortar counterpart?  It turns out, the presentation of course material and messaging options may make all the difference.

In one study, students were found to be far more likely to participate regularly with the professor as well as other students in an online environment when the interface made doing so more efficient (Shin and Chan, 2004).  This includes showing on the main page of the students’ login page whether new messages exist.  Student with this type of interface were found to generate far more messages to their teacher and peers than did students who participated in colleges with a less message-friendly interface (2004).  Also important to the educational environment is the presentation of the course material.  As is to be expected, students performed better when audio messages were present from their professor and increased their level of participation (2004).  This is important because students were more likely to be successful in an online college environment the more they participated in the online learning environment (2004).  In addition, students who participate more in their college environment, be it online or in person, are more likely to associate closely with the college attended and to feel pride in the college itself (2004).  When students participate whole-heartedly in a college environment that is designed to increase communication and student participation, a distance learning environment should produce the same quality education as a brick and mortar college.  The choice between attending college on campus or online will likely always come down to lifestyle, not necessarily the educational options or majors available.  For many students, obtaining a degree online may be the only feasible possibility.

Overall, it is likely the case that student preparedness and dedication is the largest deciding factor as far as educational success is concerned.  A student who is not prepared to put in the appropriate amount of time and effort required to succeed will likely not be any more successful in a traditional college environment as they would be in an online learning environment.  However, it is also important that colleges recognize what course format works best for students and design the distance learning environment to provide the best possible chance of success for all students.

Shin, N. and Chan, J. (2004).  Direct and indirect effects of online learning on distance education. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35, 275-288

image: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/opinion/sunday/intelligence-and-the-stereotype-threat.html?_r=0

A stereotype threat is defined as the fear or anxiety that an individual can experience when they’re confronted with confirming a negative stereotype about their group. (Schneider, et al, 2012) When this anxiety is experienced in an academic setting it can cripple a student and prevent the development of a positive self-concept. (Schneider, et al, 2012)  Researchers Steele and Aronson (1995) conducted four studies that tested the correlation of culturally applied negative stereotypes on test performance.

Steele and Aronson postulated that a stereotype threat is a self-evaluative threat. (Steele and Aronson, 1995, p. 797 ) Meaning the very existence of negative labels can elicit certain responses and thus cause for the receiver of this threat a disruption. (Steele and Aronson, 1995, p. 797 ) There are several groups that are often stereotyped. Some of the more common stereotypes are: black and latino groups and individuals from lower socioeconomic statuses are often labeled as underachievers and women are believed to be not as proficient in math.

What can happen in an academic environment is a student who is experiencing a threat may exhibit anxiety that could disrupt their academic performance. If this threat persists a student may even go so far as to redefine their self-concept by detaching their self worth or personal identity from their scholastic achievement. (Steele and Aronson, 1995, p. 797 ) When this behavioral mechanism takes place an individual may lose interest and motivation.  (Steele and Aronson, 1995, p. 797 )  Researcher Steele suggests that prolonged exposure to these negative threats can not only hinder academic ability but cause an internalized “inferiority anxiety.”

There have been several studies conducted that have focused on the role of anxiety in stereotype threats. A study done by  Blascovich et al. (2001) found that when African American students were taking tests their blood pressure rose faster and remained higher than the blood pressure of White students and non-threatened African Americans. (Blascovich, Spencer, Quinn & Steele, 2001) The under threat African American students also reportedly did worse on the Remote Associates Test.

Although stereotype threats seem hard to avoid there have been well documented suggestions that could significantly improve any academic environment.  In 2009 the National Center for Educational Evaluation conducted three studies and found these social psychological strategies that helped improved academic performance:

• Create interventions that encourage students to have a more open-minded approach to learning. Helping them understand that we all learn at different ways and that stumbling is just part of the process.

• Encourage students to have a well rounded school experience and teach them to value other aspects of their personal identity. This will encourage a sense of self worth and a positive self concept.

• Help students and teachers understand stereotype threats and how to address them when they arise in an academic environment. Making students and teachers aware of the existence of stereotype threats has been shown to positively impact student test performance.

Ben-Zeev, T., Fein, S., & Inzlicht, M. (2005). Arousal and stereotype threat.Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41(2), 174-181.

Blascovich, J., Spencer, S. J., Quinn, D., & Steele, C. (2001). African Americans And High Blood Pressure: The Role Of Stereotype Threat. Psychological Science,12(3), 225-229.

Reducing Threat in classrooms: a review of social psychological intervention studies on improving the achievement of black students. (n.d.). Issues & Answers. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED506004.pd

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.

Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype Threat And The Intellectual Test Performance Of African Americans..Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(5), 797-811.

Peer and teacher influence are key components in successfully completing school. It is no wonder then, that discrimination and stereotyping from a teacher or fellow classmate may be detrimental to one’s education. Schneider, Gruman and Coutts (2012) outlined the factors that contribute to student academic performance, highlighting teacher expectations and student interactions. Rosenthal and Jacobsen (1968) proved that teacher expectations can influence student academic outcome by simply suggesting certain students have more or less potential than others. This experiment supported the idea that teachers may fall prey to the self-fulfilling prophecy by believing some students have higher IQs and therefore, higher academic potential. Teachers take this information and subconsciously treat these students with more attention, encouragement, challenging material, feedback and opportunity (Rosenthal & Jacobsen, 1968). In return, the students identified as “bloomers” will achieve more and be more successful therefore, confirming the teacher’s expectations. This becomes a major issue however, when expectations are based on unfair stereotypes.

Cephas (2013) reported that African American students often perform poorer in school due to the stereotypes and labels that surround their race. More specifically, African American students were suspended/expelled more often, received less encouragement/positive expectations and were even more likely to be placed in special education classes (Cephas, 2013). Cephas (2013) was even so bold as to say African Americans are set up to fail in the education system. African American students enter the school system with the same excitement and potential as many of their peers, regardless of race (Cephas, 2013). However stereotyping and discrimination, even at a subconscious level, can cause unequal treatment in racial minority education (Cephas, 2013).

Additionally, peer interaction is highly influential on academic performance. The peer role is key in learning to form friendships, work in groups, resolve conflict, etc. (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). Furthermore, Schneider et al. (2012) note the relationship between the social aspect of development and the outcome of academic performance. Difficulties within the social component of education can hinder the academic achievement of students especially in situations of rejection or discrimination (Bullock, 1992; Coolihan, Fantuzzo, Mendez & McDermott, 2000; Schneider et al., 2012; Veronneau & Vitaro, 2007). Stewart et al. (2003) reviewed Jane Elliott’s “blue eyes/brown eyes” exercise in which students of a third grade class were divided according to eye color. These students were taught that one color was superior to the children with the other eye color and eventually, this notion lead students to discriminate against their peers who were different  from them (Peters, 1987). A simple comment by the teacher completely changed the behavior and opinions of the students. What happens then when a parent or influential role model makes stereotypical or discriminatory comments? Although the nation may pride itself on how far society has progressed in regards to racism, many stereotypes still exist. These stereotypes have the potential to make their way through classrooms and contaminate the learning environment.

Junn, Grier and Behrens (2001) propose a simple and effective solution: educate students and increase their understanding of prejudice and stereotyping. Their research revealed that by motivating students to become more aware of their schemas and discuss these schemas in a group setting, negative attitudes, stereotypes and prejudices were decreased (Junn et a., 2001). Awareness and understanding helped students realize these often subconscious attitudes that lead to discriminatory behaviors.  Perhaps a similar method of enhancing awareness should be implemented in teacher training as well to reduce stereotypical attitudes and prevent the self-fulfilling prophecy from occurring through teacher expectations. Together, interventions to overcome stereotyping and prejudice are key in ensuring the success of students from all backgrounds in the academic environment.

References

Bullock, J. (1992). Children without friends: Who are they and how can teachers help? Childhood Education, 69, 92-96. doi:10.1080/00094056.1992.10520898.

Cephas, J. (2013). Six psychological concepts of why African American males under achieve academically. ProQuest Information and Learning, 74(4). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1449320746?accountid=13158.

Coolihan, K., Fantuzzo, J., Mendez, J. & McDermott, P. (2000). Preschool peer interactions and readiness to learn: Relationships between classroom peer play and learning behaviors and conduct. Jounrla of Educational Psychology, 92, 458-465. doi:10.1037/00220663.92.3.458.

Junn, E., Grier, L., & Behrens, D. (2001). Playing “Sherlock Holmes”: Enhancing students’ understanding of prejudice and stereotyping. Teaching of Psychology, 28(2), 121-124. doi:10.1207/S15328023TOP2802_12.

Peters, W. (1987). A class divided: Then and now. New Haven , CT : Yale University Press.

Rosenthal, R. & Jaconbsen, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom: Teacher expectation and pupils’ intellectual development. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

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.

Stewart, T., LaDuka, J., Bracht, C., Sweet, B., & Gamarel, K. (2003). Do the “eyes” have it? A program evaluation of Jane Elliott’s “Blue-Eyes/Brown-Eyes” diversity training exercise. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(9), 1898-1921. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb02086.

Veronneau, M. & Vitaro, F.  (2007). Social experiences with peers and high school graduation: A review of theoretical and empirical research. Educational Psychology, 27, 419-445. doi:10.1080/01443410601104320.

Jonesboro, Littleton, West Paducah, Springfield, and Newtown are just a few of the locations that have fallen victim to the tragedy of school shootings. Less than 1% of youth homicides take place in a school setting (Daniels, Bradley, & Hays, 2007). However, one life lost is one too many. School shootings affect children, teachers, and other school staff members. The effects are numerous and can be long-term.

Witnessing a school shooting can have emotional, psychological, and physical effects. These effects include nightmares, resisting the return to school, headaches, stomach problems, and sleeping problems (Sweet, nd). The American Psychological Association reports other symptoms such as a change in a child’s school performance, changes in relationships with friends and teachers, anxiety, and loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed (APA, 2014). Beland & Kim (2014) found that schools that experience shootings have a decline in grade nine enrollment, and that math and English test rates dropped. Students who have witnessed violent crimes also show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Beland & Kim, 2014).

Children are not the only ones affected by school shootings. School personnel can develop psychological problems. After the Dawson College shooting, results from a study that included students, faculty and staff showed that college support staff members were overlooked and their psychological damage was underestimated (Medical News Today, 2009). Teachers who have witnessed a school shooting suffer from effects including post-traumatic stress disorder, divorce, and burnout (Daniels, Bradley, & Hays, 2007). Post-traumatic stress disorder can result in teachers becoming withdrawn and emotionally unstable, and teacher absenteeism can increase (CNN.com, 2013). Teachers do not feel safe at school and they feel they lack support from the educational system (Daniels, Bradley, & Hays, 2007).

There are individuals who think arming teachers and other school staff is the answer. Some people prefer hiring armed guards with a background in law enforcement. There is no easy solution, but parents can steps to help keep their children safe.  In order to prepare a child for a school shooting, parents can talk to them about what to do. Discussing the actions to take in case of a school shooting might give the child a better sense of security. Teaching a child how to stay safe by hiding under a desk, calling 911, and locking the door to the classroom are all things that a child can do to lower the chance of being hurt. Schools can help by having safety drills and asking law enforcement officers to talk to students about ways to remain safe. According to CNN.com (2009), some states now require schools to have lockdown drills. However, it is a fine line between preparing a child for possible violence, and frightening the child. Having a child psychologist available at school might help with any anxiety caused by discussions of a possible school shooting. Children, as well as adults, should not have to deal with such a horrible issue, but being prepared could mean the difference between being a survivor and being a statistic.

References:

After school violence, traumatized teachers need help. (2013). Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/23/opinion/mooney-teacher-shooting/index.html.

Columbine massacre changed school security. (2009). Retrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/04/20/columbine.school.safety/index.html.

Daniels, J. A., Bradley, M. C., & Hays, M. (2007). The impact of school violence on school personnel: Implications for psychologists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(6), 652-659. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.38.6.652

Beland, L. & Kim, D. (2014). The effect of high school shootings o schools and student performance. Retrieved from: http://www.econ.illinois.edu/~dongwookim/LPB_DK_shootings_Dec2013.pdf.

Study on psychological impact of mass shootings. (2009, June 30). Medical News Today. Retrieved from: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/155824.php.

Sweet, K. (nd). Psychological effects of a school shooting. Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.co.uk/info_8132098_psychological-effects-school-shooting.html.

Talking to your children about the recent spate of school shootings. (2014). American Psychological Association. Retrieved from: http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/school-shooting.aspx.

What we are seeing since the inception of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program is that now the children that are being ‘left behind’ are those who are deemed over-achievers. The NCLB program was implemented by President Bush back in 2002 to “Improve the academic achievement of the disadvantaged” (ED, 2004). Stated in the purpose of this program explicitly conveys that the focus is on under-achieving students. I will quote directly because I feel that the weight of the statements may be lessened if I were to paraphrase. From the U.S. Department of Education (ED) website for the NCLB program Section 001: Statement of Purpose says, “meeting the educational needs of low-achieving children in our Nation’s highest-poverty schools, limited English proficient children, migratory children, children with disabilities, Indian children, neglected or delinquent children, and young children in need of reading assistance; closing the achievement gap between high- and low-performing children, especially the achievement gaps between minority and nonminority students, and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers”(ED, 2004). While this program has great implications, a well-intentioned goal, and encompasses the very thing that our school system should strive to achieve, it is less than unfair that our gifted children have been pushed to the sidelines to incorporate such a program. And that is exactly what is happening.

Since the focus has shifted to ensuring that all students receive a similar education, thus emphasizing that the children in the bottom 10% of classrooms are being instructed properly – they are actually the ones who receive the majority of the attention. While this isn’t what the NCLB program intended, it is how it has been interpreted by the states and schools. What this means is that those children who are above average intelligence are left to their own devices because they are smart enough to figure it out on their own or they grasp the concepts easily and therefore do not need lengthy instruction. In my state, the requirement to be deemed gifted and to gain acceptance into the Gifted and Talented program the student must pass an IQ test with a score of 130 or higher, score within the 97 percentile range on standardized tests, and “pass” a series of aptitude tests. What is happening is that these gifted children are left for extended periods of time in class without attention and instruction; they become bored, unchallenged, and neglected.  Sure, there are Gifted and Talented (GT) classes available for those deemed high-achieving, but these classes typically only meet for an hour a day, and many times not even all five days of the school week which leave at least thirty hours of instruction a week where these children are left in waiting.  According to Kristen Stephens and Jan Riggsbee, both of which are gifted education specialists at Duke University, these gifted children are left sitting idle in classrooms awaiting instruction that nurtures their capabilities, challenges their intellect, and engages them in coursework that is relevant to their level of comprehension (Stephens & Riggsbee, 2007). As a result, these children not only become bored, but they lose passion in their coursework, they become frustrated and unmotivated from the lack of commitment and challenges, and they become lost in the shuffle; and their talent many times is left underdeveloped (Stephens & Riggsbee, 2007).

We have all been introduced to Rosenthal’s Pygmalion in the Classroom experiment multiple times as psychology majors, and we have all come to learn what a great example it is of a self-fulfilling prophecy within the education system. But what if we were to put a spin on it. A perhaps unorthodox correlation to applied social psychology in regards to the gifted student can be seen through the self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy refers to a set of expectations about another person that directly influences the way you perceive that person and in turn behave toward that person. Your perception > expectation > and then behavior towards that person in turn influences the way in which that person behaves in response to you. Now that they have responded in a way that is congruent with your expectations, your initial beliefs have now been confirmed and solidified (Schneider, et al, 2012). Back to the gifted student. Say you are a teacher and you have a gifted young lady named Alyssa in your class. Alyssa performs better on class assignments, standardized tests, and because of her abilities finishes her assignments much quicker than her classmates. As her teacher, you can give Alyssa an assignment and ask her if she needs instruction to which she declines and she completes her assignment quickly with no (or minimal) mistakes. You then realize that she does not need detailed instruction and that you can focus your attention on other students in class. You continue to give her assignments without instruction and she continues to turn them in without mistakes. While this type of self-fulfilling prophecy does not sound bad, the lack of instruction that occurs, coupled with the obvious distinction between Alyssa and her classmates, can cause negative side effects.

A teacher’s subjective expectations/assumptions about a student’s demonstrated academic ability can often become an objective reality as other teachers may adopt the same treatment towards the student. By treating the gifted student in this way, the teacher has strictly defined her expectations of both the gifted and non-gifted students by the way she differentiates the amount of teaching time per student, to whom she shares praise or exerts control, and the practice of autonomy within her classroom (Marsh, et al, 1995) – all of these actions performed by the teacher then turns her expectations into reality. This differential treatment between the gifted and non-gifted students, and the labelling of the gifted student (whether explicit or implicit) shows the gifted student that she has traits that distinguish her from her peers. Having a student that is treated differently from her classmates may seem like a privilege, but over time this student will start to form the idea that since she is treated differently, than she must be different. As gifted students mature, and as they become more aware that they are distinguished from their classmates for a specific reason, their self-concept can decline and become more negative in nature (Marsh, et al, 1995).

What should be happening is that children should be tested on their abilities and placed according to learning styles, academic motivation and capabilities, and intelligence levels within their school. Classrooms should be set up in a way that focuses on the needs of the students, not what is easiest for the school itself. In each classroom in a typical middle school, you may have 1-4 children who have tested in the 97 percentile range or higher and thus have been deemed over-achieving. That roughly equates to 12-36 children per grade that fit into this category. That is enough children to make up an entire classroom. If we provide children with learning challenges a class structure that is adopted to meet their individual needs (Special Education classes) then why can we not provide the same individualized learning environment for high achieving students that are not having their educational needs met? A classroom designed specifically for gifted students taught by properly trained teachers that use appropriate curriculum to meet the needs of the gifted children would be an easy step to take that would pay off immensely in the future. One could argue that money is needed to fund these programs and in response I would say that these children are already being taught in these schools. By gathering them together and putting them in one classroom, which would free up a teacher to teach them, and thus, would require a very minimal (if any) amount of extra funding. For example, the public school that my daughter attended before we pulled her out spends $6,966 per student with a school population of 839 for both 5th and 6th grade; with only 3% of that money allotted for the gifted and talented program (“District Spending,” 2012). And this is an award winning school, deemed amongst the best in the state that has a much larger budget than most schools in the state, but they told us that our daughter was “beyond their curriculum” and “would be better off skipping a few grades or attending a virtual academy that could offer her a challenging environment.” This is of course what we did, but we should not have to. Public schools should incorporate ways in which they can cater to the needs of the advanced while still meeting the needs of the deficient.

Regardless of the approach that is taken to combat this problem, at the very least there should be more research done on the effects of schooling on the gifted child. There is countless journal articles about research conducted on ways in which we can raise the bar for average or under achieving students, but just like in public schools today, gifted children have once again fallen through the cracks. With our own government leaders emphasizing an environment that values research and innovation you would think that more federal money would be allotted to gifted programs rather than to programs that address student deficiencies. In a country that is currently in a transition, facing troubling economic times, and a technology boom – now is the time that we need to give our brightest young minds every tool they need to excel to their fullest potential, because after all, we could all benefit as a result.

References:

District Spending Cabot Middle School North. (2012, November 29). Retrieved from Education.com website: http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/arkansas/cabot/cabot-middle-school-north/

Marsh, H. W. M. W., Chessor, D., Craven, R., & Roche, L. (1995). The Effects of Gifted and Talented Programs on Academic Self-Concept: The Big Fish Strikes Again. American Educational Research Journal, 32(2), 285-319. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1163433

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

Stephens, K., & Riggsbee, J. (2007, February 1). The Children Neglected by No Child Left Behind. Retrieved from Duke Today website: http://today.duke.edu/2007/02/gifted_oped.html

U.S. Department of Education (ED). (2004, September 15). No Child Left Behind. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education website: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg1.html#sec1001

Amid the outpouring speculation and leads, I have come to realize that we should all do our best to disregard the flood of information regarding Flight 370. Don’t get me wrong; I am a highly curious individual that likes to find a solution for every mystery. However, in the case of a prolonged media campaign full of speculation and unreliable information, it is better to disregard the constant updates. Many of you  have already adopted such a method to cure the blues that inevitably follow similar events that a picked up by all forms of media. The larger media presence does a thorough job at bringing in analysts and experts. It seems as though a seed of a story can produce countless roots, expanding on the base of information. Constant coverage heightens the stress and anxiety levels felt by those who come in contact. Finally, some individuals have such a negative reaction that they begin exhibiting imitative or otherwise destructive behaviors as a response to such stress.

Let’s talk about the agenda of mass media. Our text defines a media agenda as the issues that are given substantial attention by a news agency (Schneider et al., 2012). Further, widespread coverage has the ability to set the public agenda, which in turn heavily calls upon governmental policies. It is also essential to remember that differing news agencies are in constant competition with one another for greater ratings, with hefty paychecks going to lead anchors with the top interviews.

Consumed by the details of recent current events, including the speculation surrounding Malaysian Flight 370, many will experience high levels of stress. A study conducted by U.C. Irvine in 2013 identified that an individual who spent six or more hours following the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings suffered greater amounts of acute stress than those who were actually present (but not physically harmed) at the marathon that day (Holman et al., 2103).  Anger is another emotion that can be inspired by viewing or listening to mass media reporting of tragic events. In a study meant to explore the emotional timeline of 9/11, the following revelation was made:

“In contrast to anxiety, anger never returned to its baseline level. Instead, anger accumulated over the course of the day and reached a level that was almost 10 times as high as at the start of September 11.” (Back et al., 2010)

When emotions are fresh, an alarming event has occurred, and no solution is in sight, many individuals exhibit negative behaviors as a response. Imitative behaviors come in response to news of a tragic events, especially acts of terrorism. A study conducted in Israel in 2004 concluded that within a 3-day timeframe there would be a dramatic spike in fatal car accidents. It suggested that these events may be terror induced suicides or simply a delayed reaction to the environmental trauma (Stecklov et al., 2004).

It is worth considering how much mass media coverage we are consuming daily. While updates concerning a missing plane or civil war might seem pertinent, consuming every detail may be hindering our health and feelings of contentment. News agencies are actively competing for ratings and work diligently to provide every angle in hopes of gaining more traffic to their station, website, or printed paper. Finally, the emotional stress of following tragic news has the ability to influence our behavior for the worse. I suggest that regardless of whatever new details are being reported today, we should switch off and engage in a more uplifting activity closer to home.

References:

Back, M. D., Eglof, B., & Küfner, C.P.A., (2010). The Emotional Timeline of September 11, 2001. Psychological Science, 21(10), 1417-1419.

doi: 10.1177/0956797610382124

Holman, A. E., Garfin, D. R., & Silver, R. C. (2013). Media’s role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings. PNAS.

doi: 10.1073/pnas.1316265110

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

Stecklov, G., Goldstein, J.R., & Fienberg, S.E. (2004). Terror Attacks Influence Driving Behavior in Israel. PNAS, 101(40), 14551-14556.

The media is very powerful. It has the ability to influence the way we speak, what we consider to be the norm, and how we feel about certain subjects. In addition to influencing our behavior, how we view ourselves, and how we view the world around us, the media can be used by us in order to actually influence our world (Penn State, 2014). One way this can happen is through the use of social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, ChristianMingle, and various other websites where individuals can set up accounts for themselves and interact with other human beings. People can use these websites to rekindle old flames, catch up with high school friends they haven’t spoken to in a while, keep long-distance friendships going strong, and defame people they don’t like. That’s right – the media that we use in everyday life is often utilized not only in benign ways, but also for far more malignant purposes. Some people use social media in order to bully individuals they dislike and others use it in order to outright ruin their lives.

One such malignant use of social media stems from fake profiles. If you have someone’s picture, phone number, name, and other bits of personal information, you can set up a profile for them in basically any social site and it can look completely legitimate. There certainly are a rather large number of people who set up profiles that are actually fake. Imagine such a profile of yourself out there in the world; imagine that someone decided to make a profile of you on Twitter or on Match.com and put actual pictures of you and your real contact information. Imagine that these people also used your name and face to write extremely inappropriate comments about your boss, your church friends, or a particular race or ethnicity of people, making you look obscene, two-faced, and racist. Does this sound far-fetched? Unfortunately, it’s a far too real occurrence.

There are various cyberbullying cases where individuals set up fake profiles in order to hurt someone they know in real life. Some of these individuals may set up profiles and begin to talk to an individual and pretend to be really nice to her. They can say that they’re from a different school and know the sibling of someone whom she knows. By posting multiple pictures, the individual can come off as real, even though he’s fake. Once the people who set up the fake account have the trust of the person, they tell them that they’re worthless and should just kill themselves. If this is timed just right, it can actually lead the person to commit suicide, and it’s a case that’s happened before. One such instance is with a girl who was as young as 13. The article of her story can be read at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494809/Girl-13-commits-suicide-cyber-bullied-neighbour-posing-teenage-boy.html. It’s a very real and very serious issue, and it happens more than we can imagine. The ABC family and Seventeen magazine’s film Cyberbully was created in order to fight online bullying, and it does a rather good job of portraying a milder case of cyberbullying where a similar thing happened.

Other individuals may set up such accounts to outright just bully. Cyberbullying can seem far more harmless to the bullies than it truly is in part because it’s not as easy to see the damage that is being dealt, not the reactions of the people who are being harmed. A few years ago, there was a newsworthy cyberbullying case where some individuals in a high school decided that it would be fun to create a Facebook page under the name of one of the students in their school. He was an athlete who was pretty well-respected, according to the article. The kids used real photos of the individual, wrote down his real phone number on the page – anything to make it look legitimate. They then proceeded to write awful, mean, slanderous posts using the Facebook page, even going so far as writing “obscene, racist, and sexual” comments (Cheng, 2009). Needless to say, this affected the reputation and life of the poor boy that had literally nothing to do with the Facebook page set up in his name. That just shows the large amount of power that people can have online as well as the power the media holds. It’s not only easy to pretend that you’re someone other than you – it’s also extremely easy to pretend that you’re an actual person whom you want to torment. The young athlete’s fake profile got the attention of some of the recruits who were looking into recruiting him for their college and raised concerns about whether they truly should. Maybe those kids meant for the Facebook page to be a prank, but that awful prank could have altered the child’s life forever – for the worse. It likely cost him admission to many colleges as well as scholarships and a rather big damage to his reputation (Cheng, 2009).

Cyberbullying doesn’t stop at high school, nor does it stop on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. There are certainly plenty of fake accounts out there on sites where individuals search for their “perfect match”. There are various cases where dating sites are used by murderers in order to pick up their victims, but there are also cases where the individual who uses the site for harm do so for less murderous reasons. A man was arrested by the Van Buren Police Department under the suspicion that he created a fake account under the name of his ex-girlfriend on Adult Friend Finder. He would set up dates with real men under her fake account, and these men, clueless that the account and post were both fake, would contact her while she was at work, call her on her landline and cell phone, or even show up at her work for her. The poor girl was being harassed by men she wasn’t even contacting herself all because of a bitter ex-boyfriend (Henry, 2013).

It’s much easier to bully someone from behind the protection of a computer screen, where you can’t clearly see all the damage you’re inflicting one someone. I think it’s very possible that some people can bully online and only view it as something “fun,” when it’s actually something much more harmful and potentially life-changing. Without a clear visual of the reactions of the people being bullied, it’s much easier to misunderstand others and go too far online.

References:

Cheng, J. (2009, September 28). ArsTechnicaNot an obscene racist after all: 4 flagged for Facebook fake. Ars Technica. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2009/09/that-obscene-racist-may-be-fake-4-sued-for-profile-prank/

Girl, 13, commits suicide after being cyber-bullied by neighbour posing as teenage boy. (n.d.). Mail Online. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494809/Girl-13-commits-suicide-cyber-bullied-neighbour-posing-teenage-boy.html

Henry, L. (2013, November 7). Man Faces Cyber-Bullying Charge In Ex-Girlfriend’s Fake Adult-Date Profile.5NEWSOnlinecom. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://5newsonline.com/2013/11/07/man-faces-cyber-bullying-charge-in-ex-girlfriends-fake-adult-date-profile/

Penn State. (2014). Lesson 9: Media/Communications Technology. Penn State, Department of Psychology.

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Who remembers when the only sources of media were the phone which was a landline or television (whose screen was only about 19 inches in diameter and the outside of our television resembled a coffin) or if you were really lucky, an Atari for entertainment? I can officially say I am old because to me, that was the good ole days.  Media in 2014 now includes a wide array of state-of-the-art communication outlets which include television, movies, advertising, magazine, music, video games and the Internet. In the last twenty five years, life as we know it has constantly changed and created new ways to live better and communicate with people even more so. But with anything, the more media available, the more negative effects can occur. Media violence can have lasting negative effects on children and the society.   Did you know that by the time children reach 18 years of age, they will have seen just on television 200,000 acts of violence and roughly 40,000 murders ( Lurie, n.d.) That’s an astounding number.

Who could ever forget the awful December day in Newton Connecticut when Adam Lanza killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary? The fact that Adam was infatuated with violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto IV, Left 4 Dead or Hack//Sign may definitely be a factor in this heinous crime (McShane, 2013).The chilling picture of Adam as a very young toddler holding a small hand-gun to his mouth along with a row of bullets laying on his lap is a bit disturbing, in my opinion.  Obviously, with these crimes there isn’t just one component, but there may be some association between mental instability and video games which put them into a “virtual reality state.” In this example, the “Network models of memory” are used in that a “gun” is then linked to “violent criminal act” and will always be correlated with this story (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). While numerous studies have been found that violence in television and video games promotes violence in young people is exemplified when an 8 year old boy from Louisiana deliberately shot the elderly woman, Marie Smothers who was taking care of the boy after he played a violent video game. He was not prosecuted because a child who is under the age of 10 can’t be held responsible for a crime because he didn’t understand the magnitude of the results of what he did. Findings lead to the boy being in a “violent virtual world.

Another way that media shapes our thoughts is it influences how we perceive other people, especially those who we may look up to or believe in. Take for instance, how news during an election may influence our thoughts and emotions (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). I remember during the 2008 election, there were so many thoughts about President Obama, both good and bad. It honestly can be so overwhelming during the elections because with all the information, each individual has to process what is correct and what is false. I remember watching President Obama’s speech when we finally found Osama Bin Laden and that speech made me feel happy to finally have found the person who was most responsible ( in my eyes) to 9/11. During his speech, he was calm and a sense of pride was shown throughout the entire speech. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride to be an American and I truly felt united once again as one strong country that fights for our freedom every single day, even if we sometimes lose sight of how lucky we are to have this freedom. If you are ever on You Tube and want to take a look, it’s from May 1, 2011 and is only about 9 minutes and 28 seconds. The only thing missing in my opinion is the song by Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA!”

With this ever-changing technology, we need to make sure our children, adolescents, and adults understand that there are differences between what is actually real life and what is not reality. Some research has found a correlation to viewing television at an early age to issues in attention in later years (Lurie, n.d.).  Take time to understand what is suitable for specific ages and monitor what the individual is seeing. If children are exposed to enough violence, then they tend to think that it is “universal.” Children between the ages of 8-18 actually spend around 44.5 hours a week watching television, playing games or on the computer. Media actually is the activity that they do the most, besides sleeping. Don’t get me wrong, I am so spoiled with media that I don’t know what I ever did without it. But truthfully, when I do take a few days whether it’s on vacation or to just take a few days to not focus on the internet, television, constantly looking at my phone , I actually feel more clearer ( at least for a couple of days and I think why do I even need this in my life)? However, then I go right back to everything. I think we all need to focus more on our surroundings and sometimes face-to-face contact is what we really enjoy! What do you think?

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Lurie, Michelle. (n.d.). The Effects of Television on Your Child:  What You Can Do. Pediatric Neuropsychology Services.

McShane, Larry. (2013). Newtown killer Adam Lanza wrote tales about ‘hide and go die’ game, graphic violence: documents. Daily News.

Russell, Lauren. (2013).Police:  8-year-old shoots, kills elderly caregiver after playing video game.CNNU.S.

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

Lurie, Michelle. (n.d.). The Effects of Television on Your Child:  What You Can Do. Schneider, F.W., Gruman, J.A., & Coutts, L.A. (2005). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Social media can be seen in many different forms. Facebook, twitter, and Instagram are currently popular to both youth and adults. Another form of social media is video games. PlayStation and Xbox make gaming and interacting with other people possible. As video game players (or gamers) play their games, they can also interact with other friends who are also gamers. While gaming, does violent media effect or psychological state?

Looking into video games, technology and media make the game seem more real. Today, games like Call of Duty and Battlefield allow players to use what is known as first person shooter. This is when the player is in the same view as the character that is shooting. While doing so, you can also team up with friends and communicate through a head set. They are as well using first person shooter. This type of method allows the player to get the thrill of actively shooting someone in a video game.

Active video game playing allows gamers to feel as if they are actually doing an action. Not only do they feel as if they are doing an action, they get rewarded for their actions. Other friends online playing may tell them good shot, they may receive game points, or they may complete a challenge. These all are rewards that make the player feel that they have done something right.

When people watch an action, they have more of a chance to imitate the behavior.(Schneider,2012) This is known as vicarious learning. With that being said, some violent criminal acts may be linked back to video games. When people are rewarded in video games for acting violent, they could believe that rewards could come from violent actions in real life. Not only are video games thrilling, they are also motivating. With video games being motivations, they make the actions seem more exciting to perform. This causes more aggression in those that play violent video games.

I personally am not a gamer. I have played Call of Duty with my husband (who is a big gamer), but I do not play often. These games are exciting and really make you feel as if you are actually shooting others. Even if people do not intend to play video games to feel as if they can be rewarded for killing others, they can be drawn in through social learning because they reward the player for their actions. This could allow video games to be more harmful than they may be designed to be.

References

Bushman, B.J. The Effects of Violent Video Games. Do they affect our behavior? Retrieved from http://ithp.org/articles/violentvideogames.html

Claims that ‘video games lead to violence’ lead to violence. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/sep/20/video-games-cause-violence-claims-cause-violence

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.

Media has become a prominent part of our everyday lives. According to Schneider and colleagues (2012), over 95% of all households in the United States and Canada have televisions. In today’s society, it has become even more common among adolescents. Adolescents are spending approximately 8 hours per day with various media (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Media has evolved greatly over the last decade. Now, media, in general is very easy to access. Cellular phone advanced that now the internet is literally right at the tips of our fingers. Many great dangers can result to viewing particular media. Predicted violent behavior and sexual behavior can be related to what adolescents view through media.

There’s been a debate on whether viewing violent television increases violent behavior. Overtime, many experimental researches have been conducted and results demonstrate that television violence increases violent behavior (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Children and adolescents can be easily influenced. They tend to imitate what they see and are exposed, whether positive or negative. Also, youth, today, are exposed to violent shows and video games. Considering it appears there’s no limit to watch is put on television, it is difficult to keep children away from violent-free zones. Caroline Knorr (2013) states 90% of movies, 68% of video games, and 60 % of television shows depict some type of violence. These numbers are high, but I believe are somewhat accurate. Violence has overtaken the innocence of many shows, whether it’s subtle and evident. The text used the example of Lionel Tate being convicted of murdering Tiffany Eunick (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). He was imitating wrestle moves he saw on television. Parents are unaware of how this “entertainment” can cause great effect on individuals. We learn how to imitate violence through attention, representational process, behavioral production process, and motivational process. This is known as the social cognitive theory (Schneider, Gruman& Coutts, 2012). As a youth, what I watch on television was very restricted. Now, it feels as though children have no limits as to what they watch on television. Aside from increasing of violent behaviors, media can influence sexual behaviors and attitudes.

Mass media is an important perspective for adolescents’ sexual behavior. According to L’Engle and colleagues (2005), adolescents who are exposed to more sexually driven media and perceive greater support from media for adolescent sexual behavior, reports greater intentions to engage in sexual activity. Adolescents have great access to sexual driven and motivated magazine, televisions, and music. It’s important for adolescents to become self-aware of the potential dangers in engaging in sexual behavior. There are many intervention programs that can help reduce the issues of violence/media and sexual behavior/media. Completely eliminating media is not the solution to the problem. It takes a societal effort. Society had allowed these issues arise among the youth. When I was an adolescent, I was not exposed to risqué magazine covers and provocative television shows. For example, television networks should reassess the potential dangers and consequences of exposing the youth to inappropriate media. Also, parental involvement is a crucial factor in monitoring behavior and exposure to mass media. Overall, society, as a whole, should take a proactive stance in reducing undesired effects of mass media.

References:

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. ISBN 978-1412976381

Emmons, S. (2013). Is media violence damaging to Kids? Parenting.Com. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/living/parenting-kids-violence-media/

L’Engle, K. L., Brown, J. D., & Kenneavy, K. (2006). The mass media are an important context for adolescents’ sexual behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health, 38(3), 186-192.

Several adolescent televisions shows these days are full of fun, partying, fighting, and drama. Many of these shows can be categorized as reality television shows. These are shows that are used to portray what happens in reality. Some reality shows today are The Real World, Teen Mom, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and Duck Dynasty. As these shows may be exciting to watch, they can cause problems within society.

The Real World and Teen Mom are common shows that are viewed by young teenage women. As female teenagers watch these shows, they are drawn in by the drama that is going on in the reality stars lives. When thinking about Teen Mom, there are several of the stars that have faced domestic problems. With that being said, these young viewers are watching what the stars are going through and seeing how they react with the situations. In Teen Mom for example, Kailyn Lowry was once involved in a physical altercation with her boyfriend at the time (who is now her husband). Although she did admit what she did was wrong and change her life for the better, the problems with society is seen in shows like this because we view this as acceptable behavior and entertaining to watch.

As we understand media, we can see that the media is showing us what we enjoy watching. This is how they are able to make money. While this is understandable, they need to take into consideration what they are showing their viewers. This is because the actions that are being shown may seem to be just a television act, but young adolescents may see this as an action that they should perform if in a certain situation.

Violence in reality television may be seen as entertaining, but there are reasons that some of the scenes should not be shown. According to the social cognitive theory, we have more of a chance of performing a violent behavior if it is seen to be justified. (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012) With that being said, young adolescents may also decide to act as the reality star because they felt that it was an understandable action that other will agree with as well.

When talking about the social cognitive theory, I have seen this happen from young females watching Teen Mom. Just like Kailyn from Teen Mom, a girl in my high school was also a young mother. Not only did she have a child young, but she also was in a relationship similar to Kailyn. She was known for watching Teen Mom because she always talked about how she wished she was on the show. When the episode of Kailyn hitting her boyfriend came out, we all talked about how surprised we were that Kailyn had gotten so angry that she had hit her boyfriend. As we talked about this, the girl had decided to tell us that she had seen the episode and felt that the star was under a good bit of stress from taking care of her son that she had got to her breaking point. Although this may be understandable, this is not an action that needed to be taken. With that being said, the girl in my high school had justified the reality stars actions and recently has been seen to have similar actions as the Teen Mom star.

The social cognitive theory gives an understanding of why actions may be imitated. Sometimes it is because the media portrays actions as being acceptable, but sometimes the actions are imitated because they are realistic. (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012) No matter what the reasons are, the media needs to understand what reactions viewers may have while watching television shows. If the media is showing domestic violence to be acceptable, then many viewers are going to view domestic violence as acceptable behavior.

Just like many other women, I get interested in reality television shows as well. Although I do enjoy the drama that is being shown, I do not justify behavior that should not be acceptable. I feel that while the media makes money on these television shows, certain scenes should not be shown. It is unfair for viewers to get the wrong impression of situations, such as domestic violence, because this could result in a lifetime of harmful behaviors being done to them or being committed by them.

References

Mckay, H. (2010). Reality Shows Aimed at Young Viewers Airing More Violent Scenes. Retrieved from  http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/10/11/reality-shows-battery-domestic-violence-jersey-shore-teen-mom/

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

Sometime when you are out and about, take a moment to look around. I can assure you will find more than one person on their cell phone. There have been many times walking on campus that someone has ran into me because they were not paying attention, and most times it was because they were too busy looking at their phone. I would be lying if I said I was not guilty of this because it does happen. However, one day I glanced around and saw so many people on their phone. I decided to count how many people were on their phone while I walked from class to the library, which happened to be about two blocks away from each other. I lost count. It boggled my mind how many people were using their phone. Most walking with their eyes glued to their phone, probably checking up on their social media accounts or texting their friends.

It seems like so long ago that to communicate with others you had to see them in person or talk to them on your house phone. As technology progresses, people are able to communicate with others without having to see them face-to-face or call them when they were at home. Today people can communicate in various ways such as social media (Facebook, Twitter), text message, e-mail and so on.  There are many ways to communicate it is hard to keep track.All these ways of communicating can all easily be done on a cell phone. It makes it easy to keep in touch, but also takes away from the people right in front of you.

Are we addicted to our cell phones? Sometimes when my husband and I go out to eat with a group of people, he likes to point out when everyone is on their phone at the same time. Even at times when our friends are right in front of our face, it seems like we have trouble putting down our phones. There have been numerous studies done on the effects of cell phone use. A study conducted by Walsh et al. investigated whether problematic cell phone use can be cause addiction-like behavior by holding focus groups with 32 Australians ages 16-24 (as cited in Sansone R.A, & Sansone,L.A, 2013). Results showed that some participants were very attached to their cell phones and shared symptoms that may suggest an addictive behavior. These addictive behaviors may meet criteria that suggest dependence which also cause many problems, but it still remains unclear whether over using cell phones is a mere misuse or if people are actually becoming dependent and addicted to their cell phones (Sansone R.A, & Sansone,L.A, 2013).

Cell phones give us the opportunity to connect with others in various different ways. We can use them to log on to our social media accounts, call, text and e-mail others. They are used on a daily basis and are often overused which can cause risk factors such as dependency and addictive behaviors. People shouldn’t necessarily get rid of their cell phones all together, but I believe it is important for them to be aware of how often they are using them. We tend to get wrapped up in using our phones and it takes away from the people around us. Put the phone down for a little, you can do it!

Reference

Sansone, R. A., & Sansone, L. A. (2013). Cell phones: The psychosocial risks. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, 10.1, 33-37. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/psycinfo/docview/1364719673/A7AF9D4E906A4A97PQ/8?accountid=13158

Media is prevalent in society. Most Americans today use both TV and the internet on a daily basis. Studies have shown that many are frequently online or in proximity of a computer while they are watching TV (Zigmond & Stipp 2010). It could be argued that a significant amount of people in the U.S. also use a cell phone at least once day. Furthermore, cell phones today can be used to watch TV and movies, surf the internet, send texts, view and send email, take pictures and share them (on Flicker and Pinterest), watch YouTube and Vimeo independent videos (including uploading one’s own videos taken from the cell phone), update status on social websites such as Facebook, Tumbler and Twitter and finally even make a phone call now and then. Essentially performing tasks that were once reserved exclusively for home computers can now be done on a cell phone. This mobility has increased the use of all of these tasks. Access to media has never been easier and is literally at a hands reach. Samsung has even developed a watch that syncs to a cell phone. Many restaurants, stores, and coffee shops such as Starbucks, Peet’s, Phil’z and many other ma’ and pa’ coffee shops conveniently offer free Wi-Fi. This technology enables people’s computers laptops, notebooks, tablets, and iPads to “connect” making it easy for people to access the varying types of media. Media is present in many varying formats such as TV, movies, music, magazines (including on-line), and the Internet. Media has even infiltrated unlikely places such as churches. Churches are using visual electronic media (VEM). These churches use presentational software and hardware to incorporate every type of media such as video, film clips, texts, graphics, lyrics, TV, internet, Twitter, and iPods/iPads into their church services/sermons. Clearly, media is widespread and is in general use and acceptance. The question becomes then, how this ease of access and large volume of media available affects people and their behavior.

People who watch more than four hours of TV daily are considered “heavy exposure” watchers. This exposure is the baseline for cultivation theory where TV is seen as a socializing tool which teaches individuals about their culture and world (Schneider, et al. 2012, p.147). Cultivation theory proposes that television watching can be a mechanism in which people make sense of their world and create and adapt a social reality. Studies have found that heavy users tend to submit easier to stereotypes. Stereotypes are generalization about a group of people where characteristics are assigned to everybody. Thus, media can affect attitudes is in creating, perpetuating or supporting stereotypes. For instance, heavy viewers of TV have a greater propensity to hold more sexist opinions of women (Schneider, et al. 2012, p.147). Media also exposes people to violence in varying degrees. Studies have demonstrated that individuals who are exposed to violent content are more likely to think aggressively (Schneider, et al. 2012, p.145). Violence is serious social problem. Exposure to violent media has been shown to increase violent behavior in adults (Schneider, et. al., 2012).  On television violence dominates. 58% of all TV programs during the 1994–1995 seasons contained physical violence or a threat of physical violence (Schneider, et al. 2012, p.137). Music also has an effect on people. Apparently song lyrics can have an effect on a person’s tendency toward aggression.  According to a study by Brummert & Warburton 2011, people exposed to violent lyrics on average were significantly more aggressive than those not exposed to any violent lyrics. This outcome occurred whether violent imagery accompanied the music or not. Another aspect of media affecting people is the internet and pornography. It is suggested that pornography viewing is a contributor to callousness toward women and it can also affect the way relationships are interpreted. Viewing pornography can alter a person’s social reality related to sexuality and relationships (Schneider, et al. 2012, p.157). Young people in particular are susceptible to creating false expectations of what a romantic relationship ought to be like. Lastly, media can also affect people’s thinking. Specifically, media can have an impact on what people believe is socially important. Media can cover a topic excessively which in turn becomes a public agenda. Take 911 for instance. The tragic events were covered on almost all media outlets for an extended period of time. This issue became what the public deemed as important and became the public agenda. Government officials took the event further by making it a policy agenda (i.e., patriot act). Research suggests that the media often set the public’s agenda and that the public sets the policy agenda. Together all of these studies suggest that media has a powerful effect on people and society at large. Media can perpetuates stereotypes, aggression, and even influence our thoughts. To be fair, not all media is counterproductive. There are benefits to media as well. Online learning, educational programs and news information are just three examples where media is beneficial to society. The prevalence of media in our society should urge all of us to take individual responsibility for what we support through our viewership and interpretation.

References:

Brummert Lennings, H. I., & Warburton, W. A. (2011). The effect of auditory versus visual violent media exposure on aggressive behaviour: The role of song lyrics, video clips and musical tone. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(4), 794-799. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.02.006

Friedlander, L. J., Connolly, J. A., Pepler, D. J., & Craig, W. M. (2013). Extensiveness and persistence of aggressive media exposure as longitudinal risk factors for teen dating violence. Psychology of Violence, 3(4), 310-322. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0032983

Gilbert, R. (2010). From icons to ipods: Visual electronic media use and worship satisfaction. (Order No. AAI3405785, Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, , 1134. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/817615117?accountid=13158. (817615117; 2010-99190-024).

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

Zigmond, D., & Stipp, H. (2010). Assessing a new advertising effect: Measurement of the impact of television commercials on internet search queries. Journal of Advertising Research, 50(2), 162-168. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.2501/S0021849910091324

image: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/meyer769/section16&17/2011/11/what-about-the-children-many.html

As technology progresses we are now receiving our information from various sources, video games have rapidly become one of our main storytellers. (Blackburn, 2011) As of 2013 the video game industry worldwide reached sales of 93 billion. (Gartner, 2013, p.1) Much like television the majority of these video games are violent and hyper-sexual. Although the link between video games and violence has been researched, the study of gender roles in video games is still fairly new.

On average youth between ages 8 to 18 consume 40 hrs a week of media. (Anderson and Bushman, 2001, p. 353) It is no secret that most of our conceptions of sexual identity and sexuality are gained from our interactions with media. In this respect, video games, a character driven medium is greatly responsible for the way young people form their ideas on gender roles. (Dill and Collins, 2008, p. 1402) Researchers Dill and Thrill (2007) found that in the top-selling video game magazines males were 83% more likely to be portrayed as aggressive. Conversely, female characters are more likely to be hyper-sexual and scantily-dressed. (Dill and Thill, 2007 p. 851)

There have been countless studies done on the influence of media on gender roles. Gender stereotyping and the creation of one “true” ideal can be detrimental to one’s self concept. (Dill and Thill, 2007, p. 850)  Men must possess hyper masculine “macho” characteristics, and women must be ultra-feminine curvaceous and available. (Dill and Thill, 2007, p. 852) Research has shown that constant exposure to these appearance ideals can lead to unrealistic expectations, low self-esteem, and self destructive behaviors. (Dill and Thill, 2007, p. 852)

According to the National Institute of Family most video game content objectifies women and glorifies sexual violence. (Dill and Thill, 2007, p. 853) In Grand Theft Auto series women are often portrayed as prostitutes and men are violent thugs who can have sex with these women and then kill them. (Dill and Thill, 2007, p. 853)  Grand Theft Auto V sold more than 800 million units worldwide in a single day. (Graser, 2013) Grand Theft Auto is not the only video game to include embedded violent sexual material. Research done by Beasley and Collins-Standley (2002) found that in Playstation and Nintendo games, women were underrepresented, scantily dressed, and hyper-sexual.

Viewing just a few minutes of violent sexual content or in this case engaging in a violent game play can have adverse effects. (Ewoldsen and Roskos, 2006, p. 152) Some adverse effects include: decrease in sensitivity to violent sexual acts, increased sexual arousal, increase in rape fantasies, increase acceptance of rape activity and rape myths. (Ewoldsen and Roskos, 2006, p. 152) Arousal and desensitization can be precursors to aggressive behavior; Violent sexual video games can prime the user to act out.  These games can have an adverse affect on the way users view genders roles and also are perpetuating unhealthy destructive behavior.

With almost 63% of Americans playing video games, it’s clear this medium is only getting stronger. Gaming and gamers have created a subculture, that has become bigger than the games themselves. (Dill and Thrill, p. 2007)  In this respect the cultivation theory can be applied to gender representation and engagement in video games. Video games can be viewed as a socializing agent, dispersing images and knowledge to those willing to receive them.

Video games can be a playground for individuals to create their own worlds. As a form of escapism video games can stimulate creativity and keep your mind active, but with all this power comes great responsibility. It’s imperative that we have an honest conversation about the effects of these video games because sometimes entertainment isn’t just entertainment.

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: a meta-analytic review of the scientific literature.Psychological Science, 12. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00366

Beasley, B., & Standley, T. C. (2002). Shirts Vs. Skins: Clothing As An Indicator Of Gender Role Stereotyping In Video Games. mass communication and society, 5(3), 279-293.

Dill, K., & Thill, K. (2007). Video Game Characters and the Socialization of Gender Roles: Young People’s Perceptions Mirror Sexist Media Depictions. Sex Roles, 57(11), 851-864. Retrieved March 20 2014, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9278-1

Newsroom. (n.d.). Gartner Says Worldwide Video Game Market to Total $93 Billion in 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/261

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.

The 21st century has seen a surge of users of every age engaging in social media outlets. These outlets include Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc and the list is constantly growing. Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012) reviewed the importance of media in acts of violence, pornography and politics however, little was mentioned about the positive influence of the media. Specifically, in using various forms of media to overcome psychological disorders such as social anxiety disorder. Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin and Walters (2005) reported that social anxiety disorder is the third most common psychiatric disorder in the nation. Furthermore, Kessler et al. (2005) revealed that more than 80% of individuals with social anxiety disorder are not undergoing any treatment. Individuals who suffer from social phobia often experience anxiety in any situation connecting to potential social interactions. Farfan (2013) pointed out that with the advancement of technology and the high usage of the internet, individuals have begun to adapt the concept that socialization involves the aspect of the internet to some extent. In a world that is so heavily consumed with a constant interaction online, how is this affecting individuals who suffer from anxiety in social situations?

Many psychologists have actually advocated for the use of social media as an intervention to overcome social phobias (Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, 1984; Myers, 1987). The belief is that the social media environment is conducive to the human need for social connection without the aspects such as audiovisual cues and transparency that may cause anxiety (Farfan, 2013; Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, 1984; Myers, 1987). The goal then in using social media as an intervention is being able to transfer skills and confidence learned through online interactions to real-world application (Farfan, 2013). Grieve, Indian, Witteveen, Tolan and Marrington (2013) experimented with the social networking site, Facebook, to see if humans have the ability to gain the same level of connectedness that is gained from face-to-face interactions. This experiment was based on the social belongingness theory which explains that individuals develop and maintain social relationships to feel a sense of belonging (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Lee & Robbins, 1995). Additionally, Lee and Robbins (1995) reported that positive social connectedness has a negative association with anxiety and positive relationship with self-esteem. Therefore, using social media to enhance social connectedness in individuals with social anxiety disorder will reduce their anxiety and foster confidence and self-esteem in social situations.

Grieve et al. (2013) uncovered that social media sites such as Facebook, are effective in achieving a similar form of social connectedness as seen in face-to-face interactions. Additionally, the connectedness experienced through social media results in positive psychological outcomes such as a decrease in depression, anxiety and increase in wellbeing (Grieve et al., 2013). The experiment by Grieve et al. (2013) supports the notion that using social media and social networking in interventions with individuals suffering from social anxiety will be beneficial. With the concept of the belongingness theory and the use of social media, individuals with social anxiety disorder have the opportunity to engage in social interactions in a comfortable, supportive environment. This intervention through social media can be used as a stepping zone to reducing the fear and anxiety that comes from face-to-face interactions while still providing social connection. Farfan (2013) suggested that even the perception of developing social relationships is beneficial in enhancing self-esteem and overcoming anxiety in social situations. Ultimately, social media can be used as a source to increase self-esteem, social connection and social support which are often deficient in individuals with a social phobia (Grieve et al., 2013).

References

Baumeister, R. & Leary, M. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments and fundamental motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.49.

Farfan, G. (2013). Social anxiety in the age of social networks. Observer, 26(5). Retrieved from https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/may-june-13.

Grieve, R., Indiain, M., Witteveen, K., Tolan, G., & Marrington, J. (2013). Face-to-face or Facebook: Can social connectedness be derived online? Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 604-609. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2012.11.017.

Kessler, P., Berglund, P., Demler, O., Jin, R., & Walters, E. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distribution of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593-602. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.617.

Kiesler, Siegel, & McGuire, (1984). Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication. American Psychologist, 39(10), 1123-1134. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.39.10.1123.

Lee, R. & Robbins, S. (1995). Measuring belongingness: The social connectedness and social assurance scales. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42, 232-241. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.42.2.232.

Myers, D. (1987). Anonymity is part of the magic: Individual manipulation of computer-mediated communication contexts. Qualitative Sociology, 10(3), 251-266. doi:10.1007/BF00988989.

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.

As social media, mobile devices and new technology get better equipped and designed to help keep us better connected, in some ways we grow further apart. To start we are able to add people to view our sites yet keeping them emotionally distant. According to Strachan, when we “friend” people on Facebook, we are keeping them at an emotional distance. This is true because as we document our lives on the Internet we are still keeping that barrier. Social media sites such as ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’ allow us to document every second of our lives on their websites. We can include pictures to show where we are, whom we are with and what we are doing.  We can also use #hashtags and those allow us to relate our post or picture, whatever piece we are referencing, to another website, post or photo. These tools allow us to look into the lives of others who are doing the same things we are.

The way social media sites are distancing people from each other include allowing us to read and look at pictures of peoples’ every day lives; that we no longer feel the need to personally be involved in their life. We are offered the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. (Strachan, 2012) This leads to isolation and depression of all individuals because they don’t have any social interaction.  They turn to social media because they desire to be connected to one another yet there are obstacles preventing this from happening. (Bain, 2013) The coffee shop meet ups to get together to catch up over the past week or month become obsolete due to the need to work longer hours, to make more money, to do more things. The hour long phone calls with friends from high school or college disappear because the idea that a text message or a post on their wall saying “I miss you” is all you have time for. According to Huff, social networks are more like mutual isolation networks that detach people from meaningful interactions with one another and make them less human.

Granted, I am no better than anyone else in this area but I am striving to include more coffee shop visits, stopping by friends houses for a meal or even talk on the phone for a couple hours in order to stay involved in friends’ lives. We should put down our phones, turn off their computers, and learn to communicate with one another face-to-face. (Huff, 2011) Do we continue to stay online thinking that is the only way to stay connected or do we get offline and take a walk to get to know each other?

Strachan, Yukio. (2012) Does social media cause a more isolated society? Published on Digital Journal. Retrieved from http://digitaljournal.com/article/322982.

Bain, Joel. (2013) Social Media: Driving Us to Isolation & Loneliness Through Superficial Human Connection. Published on Sour Grapes Winery. Retrieved from

http://www.sourgrapeswinery.com/society/2013/11/22/social-media-driving-us-to-isolation-loneliness-through-supe.html

Huff, Ethan. (2011) Social Networking Leads to Isolation, Not More Connections, Say Academics. Retrieved from http://www.naturalnews.com/031128_social_networking_mental_health.html.

When thinking of childhood memories, most people can recall sitting in front of the television on a Saturday morning watching cartoons. While still wearing pajamas and eating a bowl of cereal, children across the country have made watching The Flintstones, Hello Kitty, and many other cartoons a ritual for decades. As time passed, cartoons were incorporated into daily programming and even invaded prime time television. What used to be reserved for Saturday mornings is now part of a daily routine. This increase in the accessibility of animated entertainment can be an enjoyable, wholesome family experience. Television programs such as Sesame Street can provide children with learning opportunities. Cartoons such as Franklin or Little Bear contain lessons about social skills. Cartoons can be magical, filled with stories of princesses and talking animals. However, because cartoons are comprised of false realities, parents have a responsibility to carefully choose which cartoons their children watch.

Children do not possess the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality until late childhood (Kirsh, 2006). The result is that some cartoons can be harmful, especially if the child is watching them for long periods of time. Not every cartoon is as beneficial as Sesame Street or Little Bear. Children like to imitate what they see and when cartoon characters exhibit undesirable or unsafe behaviors, children can imitate those same behaviors. Cartoons such as Loony Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Batman, and many others mislead children about the consequences of violence. Cartoons show violent acts such as gunshots, but not the true consequences. In the world of animation, characters constantly survive bombs, falls, explosions, and other violent acts, but consistently walk away unharmed.

Dual priming can take place when the violence is coupled with humor (Kirsh, 2006). Watching an act of violence in a cartoon, and seeing that act portrayed as humorous makes children process the act as less violent. This is especially true of younger children because they may perceive morality as a result of the consequence of the act, instead of the harmful intent by the perpetrator of the act (Kirsh, 2006). Some research indicates that camouflaging violence with humor reduces the negative effects on aggressive behavior, but may still increase thoughts of aggression (Kirsh, 2006). Other research shows that there is a connection between watching violent television programs and aggressive attitudes and behaviors (Nathanson and Cantor, 2000).

When children confuse reality with fantasy, tragedy can strike. A ten year old boy from Washington suffocated in a sandbox after he and his friends attempted to re-enact a scene from the Japanese animated show, Naruto (Surette, 2008). The problem is not limited to the United States. A nine year old Saudi boy was killed by an iron skewer when he and another boy tried to imitate a fight from a cartoon (Emirates 24/7 News, 2012). In China, a six year old boy jumped from a six-story window because he believed he could fly like his favorite cartoon character (GB Times, 2014). Another Chinese incident resulted in two brothers being badly burned when another boy tied them to a tree. The boy set the brothers on fire because the three were recreating a scene from the Chinese cartoon, Xi Yangyang and Hui Tailang (BBC News, 2013).

To lessen the impact of comedic violence, research has shown that active mediation, focusing on the negative impact of the violent act, reduces the child’s view of violence as being humorous (Kirsh, 2006). Research has also shown that active mediation provides children with a better understanding of the difference between the real world and fantasy (Nathanson & Cantor, 2000). A problem of active mediation is the unintended effect of reduced enjoyment of the program (Nathanson & Cantor, 2000). By encouraging children to consider the feelings of a victim of violence, the program becomes less fun to watch. Although this may be a negative effect from a child’s point of view, the effect is positive for parents because the reduction of negative attitudes and behaviors due to cartoon violence is the goal. Although this type of tragedy is not the norm, losing even one child is unacceptable, especially if it is preventable.

References:

Chinese tv cartoon blamed for child injuries. (2013, December 19). BBC.com. Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-25447851.

Boy jumps from 6^th floor while imitating flying superhero. (2014, January 10). GB Times. Retrieved from: http://gbtimes.com/china/boy-jumps-6th-floor-while-imitating-flying-superhero.

Kid killed in fake fight after watching cartoon. (2012, January 10).Emirates 24/7 News. Retrieved from: http://www.emirates247.com/news/region/kid-killed-in-fake-fight-after-watching-cartoon-2012-01-10-1.436865.

Kirsh, S. (2006). Aggression and violent behavior. Science Direct, 6. 547-557.

Nathanson, A., & Cantor, J. (2000). Reducing the aggression-promoting effect of violent cartoons by increasing children’s fictional involvement with the victim: a study of active mediation. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 1. 125-142.

Surette, T. (2008). Boy dies after friends imitate Naruto. tv.com. Retrieved from: http://www.tv.com/news/boy-dies-after-friends-imitate-naruto-11008/.

Imagine having a mentally impaired relative that has committed a crime. Should they be given the same treatment as other adults? The problem is that mentally impaired individuals are not mentally the same as other adults. Mentally impaired individuals have disadvantages to the way they interact socially, which can lead them to committing a crime.

For the past two years, I have had the pleasure of working for a company that has group homes for mentally handicapped/ mentally retarded males. As a direct care staff member, I interact with them for my entire shift and see them for the people that they truly are. Although several people may be afraid of people with mental impairments, I have got to understand that they do not always realize what consequences will happen due to their actions.

A mental disability is also known as an intellectual disability. This is an impairment that could limit ones functioning socially, actively, educationally, and personally. All of which causes a disadvantage compared to those without a mental impairment.

While social learning can be related back to criminal activity; how is it related to mental impairments? An individual with a mental impairment can have limited social functions. With this being said, they may be too trusting to those around them. Since people’s interactions can affect the criminal activity, mentally impaired individuals have even more of a disadvantage (Schneider,2012). As these individuals may trust the wrong crowd of people, they are observing activities of those around them. When those in the group encourage criminal behavior, there is more approval. To fit in, the mentally impaired individual may only see the benefit of the activity, which could be friendships. With that being said, they would not be aware of what negative outcomes could potentially happen.

In conclusion, people with mental impairments should not be treated the same as other adults that have committed crimes. They have disadvantages socially because they are easily persuaded. Social learning with them does happen, but they may not fully understand what type of harm they are putting themselves in and what activates may become criminal.

References:

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.

When criminals wind up going to jail it can be due solely to tactics surrounding the investigation and questioning situation. Oftentimes police and even criminals operate under the self-fulfilling prophecies, which states’ the way in which a person’s expectations can influence his or own and others’ behaviors in a way that will confirm the person’s beliefs, (Schneider, Gruman & Courts, p. 255) and run with that belief regardless of what the person across the table says. I believe the police operate under a self-fulfilling prophesy because if they believe someone is guilty, regardless if they are or not, they will make sure that person is behind bars. This vengeance can hold true to persons that may have killed fellow police officers or even family members. It can also hold true to people who simply seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Additionally, a criminal will be operating under the self-fulfilling prophecy because they will believe that’s all they will ever amount to. They may have seen generation after generation in their family go to jail or even die due to criminal activity and in the back of their mind they may think, “This is all I’ll ever amount to.” If we look at movies such as Save the Last Dance, even though it’s a fictional story it shows one guy that moved beyond the criminal life and pursued medical school. Maybe this negative attitude is just an excuse for laziness.

In turn, I would like to write from the perspective of the injustice in the criminal justice system. First off according to Deborah Kendrick, the U.S. has less than 5% of the worlds population but holds 25% of it’s prisoners. It’s very ironic the number of prisoners that we hold. She makes a good point in her article that prisoners go to prison and back to the inner cities where they are accepted. It’s a cycle that continues. The newly freed prisoners have a high chance of being a repeat offender due to being back in a familiar surrounding. According to the Department of Justice, approximately two thirds of all ex-offenders will likely be rearrested within three years of release.

As a result, the cycle can’t be broken unless the person wants to start in a new and different environment. At that point the person is faced with segregation and being ostracized due to being a former prisoner. Fortunately, there are various re-entry programs for ex-offenders. For example, in Georgia there are faith-based ministries and governmental based ones. Also, there are drug rehabilitation programs through the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. It can be court mandated or one can join with their own desire. The common basis for these programs to be successful is that the ex-offender wants to be there. If one is operating under the self-fulfilling prophecy, their chances of rehab are very slim because they will believe it won’t work. At the end of the day, can people overcome their self-fulfilling prophecy? Do they really operate under one or is it just an excuse?

Kendrick, Deborah. (2013) The criminal injustice system in the United States. Retrived from A Voice for Men Humanist Counter-Theory website:  http://www.avoiceformen.com/mens-rights/thedailybeast-abc2020-the-criminal-injustice-system-in-the-united-states-thedailybeast/

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

United States Department of Justice. (2013) Prisoners and Prisoner Re-Entry Introduction. Retrieved from USDOJ: FBCI: Prisoners and Prisoner Re-Entry website: http://www.justice.gov/archive/fbci/progmenu_reentry.html

The Sixth Amendment of the U.S Constitution guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial, which will be heard by an impartial jury. There are many forms of bias that can, and do, affect a jury member’s decision of guilt or innocence. An impartial jury cannot exist if a jury member is subjected to outside influences that would sway their vote. A jury member can also be biased due to their own values and morals. Prejudice is a form of bias that has flooded the news. These are just a few of the many types of bias that can affect a jury’s decision in a trial. With so many types of bias, is it possible to have an impartial jury?

The legal system has a responsibility to do everything possible to prevent jury bias. The first step is during jury selection, voir dire. Jurors are asked questions that might directly or indirectly disclose information that would indicate bias. A potential juror whose father was a police officer would not be a good juror for a murder trial if the victim was also a police officer. The defense has a responsibility to weed out this type of individual in order to provide their client with the best defense possible. However, it is possible for biased individuals to slip through, which jeopardizes the fairness of the trial. Prospective jurors might conceal information for reasons including the fear of being frowned upon.

Once the jury has been selected, bias may still be a factor. Although a verdict must be based on evidence, outside information can influence a juror’s opinion. In the trial of Charles Manson, who ordered the slaughter of seven innocent people in 1969, Manson held up a newspaper with the headline “Manson Guilty, Nixon Declares.” This outside information, based on the former president’s statement to reporters, had the potential to influence the jurors. The implication was, if the president said Manson was guilty, he must be. Judge Older denied the motion for a mistrial after questioning each juror to determine if they had been influenced (Smith, 2002).

The media can be a huge source of outside information which can result in jury bias. This is especially true in cases involving celebrities and high profile cases. It would be extremely difficult to find twelve jurors that could serve without bias. One such case was the trial of George Zimmerman. Zimmerman was accused of shooting a seventeen year old, Trayvon Martin, at point-blank range in 2012. The jury of six found Zimmerman not guilty and questions of racial bias were raised. The media frenzy and public opinion made finding an unbiased jury difficult. Another example is the infamous case of O.J. Simpson. Simpson was accused of murdering his former wife and her friend in 1994. Simpson was a famous NFL star and had appeared in commercials and movies. Fans of Simpson, football fans, and fans of the movies in which he appeared could be biased. Attorneys would also have to locate jurors who had not seen the famous footage of Simpson being chased by the police for an hour along I-405. The media coverage affected the trial in many ways, including turning the trial into a race issue. If jurors watched the news or read a newspaper, this could have had an effect on their decision.

Generic prejudice is described as possessing general attitudes that interfere with an individual’s ability to evaluate evidence without bias (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Detecting such bias is the responsibility of the criminal justice system during the jury selection process. However, individuals must also be aware of their own biases. Without this awareness, an individual may not realize that their decisions, such as a jury vote, are influenced. When a person’s life hangs in the balance, one person on a jury of twelve can make the difference between impartial and unjust.

References:

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

Smith, Thomas. “Charles Manson Trial: 1970-71.” Great American Trials. 2002. Retrieved March 07, 2014 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3498200242.html

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Legal system-The Jury

The jury is extremely pivotal to the criminal justice system and to the rights of the people and the individuals. The integral role takes place when the jury chooses the individual(s) culpability and blame in a situation. There are various cases that juries deliberate which vary from civil cases where compensation may be found to be warranted such as a tenant didn’t pay their rent and therefore should be held accountable, as well as larger cases where individuals are hurt or killed and therefore accountability is the focus . Our criminal justice system believes in defending the innocent and therefore believes that it’s more humane to allow a guilty person to be free than to imprison an individual who doesn’t have proof beyond a “reasonable doubt” (Shapiro, 2011).

The jury consists of between 6 or 12 individuals usually from the same community and is chosen randomly by enumeration lists and/or voter registration lists to be present for jury duty (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). The choosing of a juror can take many days up to weeks to find the “right” juror. There are a series of questions asked about prior knowledge of the cases so that bias doesn’t occur. In some cases, the less number of jurors who serve can actually lower the period between when the case may actually be tried and it consequently prompts the trial to begin quickly.  Once a juror is selected, they are paid a “wage” for each day that they are there, subsequently missing work if the trial goes on for more than a day or so.

While I found the Asch study quite interesting, the opposite may occur as well. Take the movie Twelve Angry Men, for instance. In this movie, it was quite the opposite whereas there was only one person who wasn’t “conforming to the incorrect decision” and throughout the movie, tried to persuade the other jurors to look more carefully and consider all of the evidence.  From this evidence, it is unlikely that what occurred would have happened in Twelve Angry Men, however, with every vote which changed from guilty to not guilty, the jury seemed to really examine each piece of the evidence. This movie used schemas and stereotyping when swaying the juror’s rationality because many of the jurors thought that kids who were raised in the slums and who were part of a certain minority were  “ up to no good” and therefore it was easy to see blame the boy through internal attributions even though there was evidence to the contrary. This was perfect example of “generic prejudice” whereas the racist views of the jurors obstructed an unbiased assessment (Schneider, et al. 2012). Some of the jurors felt that kids didn’t show respect. During one of the beginning scenes, there was a re-count of who thought the boy was guilty versus not guilty and the older gentleman actually viewed the room to see the way that other people were choosing. Henry Fonda, the only juror who at the beginning said that he wasn’t sure if the boy was guilty wanted to have a confidential and unidentified vote indicated that not just Henry Fonda’s character was unsure. This is definitely a must-see in my opinion if you have never seen it.

The most integral component to the prosecution is to prove fault and responsibility “beyond a reasonable doubt” which is really tough to do with 100% confidence and no uncertainty .What occurs when what the individual is charged with doesn’t fit the criteria and so while they are guilty, they are guilty of a different offense and therefore serve a much smaller charge or just get found “not guilty” for that particular crime. A perfect example was the Casey Anthony trial because many felt that the blame should have been centered on the prosecution as to why Anthony received an acquittal (Shapiro, 2011). This is a perfect example of trying to charge a higher and harder degree of murder, first-degree murder when they clearly didn’t have the evidence. While they knew certain information such as Anthony’s many lies and lack of reporting Caylee missing, there was little proven evidence of intention. This trial included the death penalty and questions to jurors included questions as to if they believed in the death penalty and if so, could they convict someone else and put them to death. When a juror may have to send someone to death, jurors need more evidence, unconsciously. What should have taken place was that Anthony would have pleaded to a reduced charge such as a felony. What I didn’t realize is that with a capital murder case, there is no possibility of a plea. Holes were created throughout the trial which lead to there being almost no possible way to have 100% certainty that she was guilty.  I can still remember the verdict and feeling a pit in my heart and stomach. Just writing this blog made me emotional because I just remember her sweet face everywhere. While it was a heartbreaking decision, it really was the verdict that should have been passed down, taking away the emotional side, in my opinion. How would you have voted emotionally? Now, what did you think was the right verdict, emotion aside?

The courtroom is the setting for trials in our legal system and where many social processes occur including “group decision making, attributions, and the social influence.” (Schneider et al., 2012). The pertinent awareness as to in what way the jurors contemplate and choose to determine the evidence and the behavior associated with each trial. How does a jury not use emotion in decisions? Well, emotion is an unconscious feeling at times and can inevitably decide a case, but there are clear directions reminded by judges to uphold the law and find without a doubt a decision to find an individual guilt or not guilty. I believe this is one of the hardest decisions a juror has to make because it affects real life individuals!

References

Fonda, H. (Producer), & Lumet, S. (Director). (1957). 12 angry men [Motion picture]. United States of America: Orion-Nova Productions.

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

Shapiro, Robert L. (2011). In Casey Anthony’s case, the law worked. Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/09/opinion/la-oe-shapiro-caylee-anthony-20110709

Marital violence is a serious and vital topic of consideration for applied psychologists. With 1 in 4 women experiencing domestic violence in their lifetimes, and most cases of domestic violence never even being reported, it is clear that prevention measures need to be utilized. Those households where marital abuse is present, it is much more likely that the children will be abused as well. In fact, the biggest risk factor for generational transmission of abuse is through children witnessing marital abuse. (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, n.d., p. 1)

The finding that children who have been abused are much more likely to commit acts of violence in their own marriages and against their own children led to support of social learning theory as a relevant factor in marital violence (Mihalic & Elliott, 1997, p. 21). Social learning theory is the idea that individuals learn through observing and imitating others (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2005, p. 76). For instance, a child who witnesses his mother beat his father, or vice versa (observation), or is even beaten himself, is likely to ingrain that information into his own behavior patterns and imitate those violent behaviors (hitting his own spouse/children later in life).

In support of this, those individuals, male and female, who saw their parents hit one another had three times as much likelihood of abusing their spouses. Then, those individuals who were also abused and then witnessed their parents being violent with one another (“double whammy”) had an even higher rate of encountering marital violence, a one in three chance of occurrence within the year (Mihalic & Elliott, 1997, p. 23). High rates of battered women have witnessed abuse or been abused as children as well.

The cycling of marital abuse through generations is found to be especially prevalent in males. Women appeared no more likely to be victimized by spousal abuse no matter if they’d seen their parents violent with one another or not. With males, the opposite is true. It was found that males are much more likely to be violent towards their spouse if they had witnessed violence between their parents as a child. Also of interest, a shockingly high incidence of violence, 82%, occurs when males witness marital violence in their homes as children and are also abused. (Mihalic & Elliott, 1997, p. 23-34)

Given the large and obvious role that social learning theory plays in the perpetuation of marital violence, it seems pertinent that martial violence prevention begin with eradicating, or at the very lease reducing, acts of martial abuse. The CDC promotes individual, community and societal change. The CDC lists the key to marital abuse prevention is to speak up at the first occurrence of marital abuse. In reference to the concept of first offense response, the CDC has developed a program labeled DELTA (Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances). DELTA holds firm that all forms of domestic violence are completely preventable, the key is to that a person seeks help when they need it. DELTA  is working to get people more informed about the risk factors and warning signs of domestic abuse, but also in offering community and individual activities to help and bring awareness to the domestic violence problem. Altogether, DELTA works to prevent first time, perpetration and victimization promoting protective factors which limit occurrence of domestic violence, using evidence based methods to instigate change, incorporating social change and behavior theories, reducing risk factors for domestic violence, and finally analyzing past strategies and pulling from those to construct ever better methods of domestic violence prevention. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013, p. 1)

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013, November 14). DELTA|Funded Programs|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC. Retrieved March 5, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/DELTA/index.html

Mihalic, S. W., & Elliott, D. (1997). A Social Learning Theory Model of Marital Violence. Journal of Family Violence, 12(1), 21-47. doi:10.1023/A:1021941816102

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (n.d.). Domestic Violence Facts. Retrieved March 4, 2014, from http://www.ncadv.org/files/DomesticViolenceFactSheet(National).pdf

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.

In a country like America, law abiding citizens can count on a number of justices when wrong doing is taking place. We like to believe that when laws are broken and crimes are committed, whether we are the victims or the offender that we can have faith that the justice system will treat us fairly and in accordance with the constitution. But circumstances are not always so cut and dry, especially when it comes to culprits that are children or teenagers. It is easy to commit an adult to life in prison, and even plausible to sentence an adult to death when the crime calls for such a harsh punishment, but what are we to do when heinous crimes are committed by teenagers, particularly those teenagers that are aware that their behaviors will be met with a simple slap on the wrist?

Adolescence is a rough time of life for most teens and understandably so. Their bodies are changing and often at different rates than their peers; hormones are off kilter which cause changes in the way they behave and how they react to others; they become more self-aware, more self-conscious, and convinced that they are the only ones experiencing this inner turmoil; and cognitively their brains are changing right along with everything else (Arnett, 2012). Due to all of these changes it is no wonder why adolescents seek out their peers to establish a sense of normalcy in an otherwise chaotic world. They seek out their friends to confide in, to rely on, and to get advice about sex and relationships, but they are also likely to engage in risk-taking behavior with these same friends (Arnett, 2012).

For most teens, this risk-taking behavior is fleeting and is considered to be a normal part of development (Arnett, 2012). It is often short-lived and not very serious. These teens just want to test the waters of authority and that is normal. Teens process information using their amygdala as opposed to the frontal cortex that adults use and that can explain why teenagers always seem so emotionally charged (Arnett, 2012). The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls instinctive reactions and emotions like fear, anger, and aggression (Arnett, 2012). Since the amygdala is running the show, the frontal cortex is unable to temper these reactions as it does in adults, therefore you often have a teen that isn’t thinking about the ramifications of his actions and often makes decisions based on the present circumstances. Combine a brain being controlled by the emotions with a peer group that participates in risk-taking or outright deviant behavior and you have a recipe for disaster. Add in the fact that many of these teens are aware that since they are considered minors by law they often only get a small punishment from the courts and you have a potential epidemic.

Very simply stated, teens are controlled by their instincts and when they have a peer group that engages in deviant behavior, it is easy to follow suit. With the added pressure of wanting to belong, some teens find it easy to commit crimes at this stage in life that they may avoid just a few years later. The latest crave amongst teens where I live is a game they call “knockout.” Knockout is occurring in groups of males, females, and also a mix of sexes. In this game a group of teens walk through the streets and randomly select strangers which they will hit one time with a goal of knocking them out. According to my parents, whom are both police officers, this has been a problem for the past decade or so in the cities they work, but within the past year it is getting out of control. The typical age range for this behavior is 13 to 18 years old and is most commonly committed by males, but the incidences of female groups participating in the game is increasing; every week my mother tells me about another innocent person that has been attacked on the street simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And this game is occurring in different parts of the city, not just in the poverty stricken neighborhoods or high crime areas; teens of all races from all walks of life are engaging in these senseless acts of violence.

The problem is that the jails in the cities where my parents work are over capacity and nearly all of adolescent wrongdoers are given a small fine, a day’s worth of community service, and are sent back out into their neighborhoods to repeat the same game over and over again. The problem here is that these teens are being treated like criminals without considering the multitude of changes they are experiencing. There is no attempt at counseling and there aren’t any meetings with the parents or schools to try and combat the behavior, the courts simply slap them on the wrist, send them on their way, and expect to never see them again; they are so inundated with adult criminals that they don’t have to time (or the desire) to deal with the teenager lawbreakers. The teens know that they won’t get a harsh punishment because they are minors, and thus continue to engage in the same behaviors repeatedly. According to Andrews and Bonta’s model of antisocial behavior, teens that engage in criminal behavior during the teenage years are referred to as adolescence-limited individuals (Schneider, 2012). Their model states that the antisocial behavior practiced by these teens only tend to last through the teenage years and are typically nonviolent in nature (Schneider, 2012). But I feel as though many of the teens I have mentioned could be categorized under this distinction. The reason I categorize these teens in this way is because according to my mother, many of these “knockout” teens do not commit other crimes and often they only participate in these crimes while in high school. Most of them turn out to be law abiding and productive members of society once they become adults (or even emerging adults). My mother has had countless run ins with some of these teens that have told her the ways in which they have turned their life around and how they regret being involved in such brutal crimes as teenagers. A girl last month told my mother that she did it because her friends did and she didn’t want them to turn on her, so she participated. She then went on say that she was just living in the moment and didn’t really think about the person she was attacking or the ramifications of her actions. This is a prime example (though possibly an extreme example) of the way in which an adolescent thinks. This particular girl is now a senior in college who is going to school to be a domestic violence counselor.

Adolescents seem to be a race of their own. Adolescence is a time of transition and because of the constant changes this period of life has been coined with the phrase “youth culture: (Arnett, 2012). And adolescents seem to be just that – a culture all their own. It is because of that reason that we should approach teenage crime in a different way than we approach crimes committed by adults. Aside from mental health concerns and reasonable lapses in judgment due to extreme situations of stress spurred on by abuse, adults should be held accountable for their behaviors to the fullest extent of the law, but should we extend these same punishments to teenagers? I don’t think so. While I don’t condone violent behavior in teens, I do feel that we need to approach their punishment from a viewpoint of correcting their behavior and teaching them tools to better themselves, neither of which will not be accomplished by long prison sentences. This is not just a problem for the parents of the teens involved in these crimes (though some are to blame), but rather it is a community problem. We need to be addressing these issues from all sides. Teachers should be informed in the ways an adolescent develops and be taught ways to help these teens deal with their changes in a productive way; they need to be supportive to students that are performing below average. Parents need to take responsibility for their children and take an active role in their lives. Parents and teachers need to be aware of the warning signs that begin to surface in early childhood that could be indicators of future deviant behavior. Courts need to look at alternatives to jail for adolescent offenders like counseling or productive activities.

The criminal justice system is used to hold members of society accountable for their actions, and that’s one of the things that makes our country great, but the bottom line is that we can’t hold adolescents to the same standards as we do adults. We do not hold adults with mental health problems to the same standards as we do mentally healthy adults, so why should it be any different for adolescents; it shouldn’t be. If we want to prevent the behavior from occurring again in the future, and teach teenagers that their behavior is wrong, we must include all aspects of the adolescent’s life in the prevention; families, schools, communities, religious organizations (if they belong to any), and the courts. We must learn to identify the warning signs early on and inform ourselves on ways to combat these behaviors before they get out of hand. Interventions like the one mentioned in our textbook – Multisystem Therapy is a great place to start. This program involves all of the domains I mentioned previously and give promise to recognizing deviant behavior and counter that behavior utilizing all of the social systems that adolescents are involved in (Schneider, 2012). And even though this program was created for “seriously violent youth,” there is no reason why we can’t apply it to all adolescents and their social systems. The old adage by Benjamin Franklin – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure seems fitting here.

I couldn’t locate any news stories about the “knockout” game here in Arkansas, but I have included a link to CNN that describes this game as it occurs elsewhere in the nation (it is graphic and does contain a video of this “knockout game”): http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/22/justice/knockout-game-teen-assaults/

References:

Arnett, J. J. (2012).  Adolescence and emerging adulthood:  A cultural approach (5th edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Pearson-Prentice Hall.

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

Face-to-face communication can be used to convey messages to individuals who are in physical proximity (Schneider et al., p. 233). At some point in time, this form of communication was the only kind that existed. Then came writing and eventually electronics which allow individuals to type the messages they wish to convey. These messages must first be encoded from the sender’s thoughts into text and then decoded from text into a meaningful message by the receiver. These messages allowed individuals to communicate in ways that they never could before.

Technology has allowed us to communicate in a way completely different from face-to-face communication. Instead of air molecules, our channel can be wires, waves, and cables connecting us to one another even when we are physically far away (Schneider et al., p. 233). The virtual communications we partake in is generally lacking in an important aspect included in face-to-face conversations – nonverbal communication (Schneider et al., p. 236). In face-to-face communication, we can emphasize a sentence such as “I love you” with a hug, a kiss, a warm and sincere tone, or a smile. In a text, we can place a smiley face next to the words, but even then we cannot convey through that text what we could physically through nonverbal communication (Beebe & Masterson, p. 49).

Our world is growing accustomed to a larger and larger number of virtual communications, and as we evolve to change how we communicate, we evolve those methods to accommodate us further. A lot of miscommunication can occur through texts, chats, and e-mails, but there are many individuals working on improving virtual communication so that it may be someday closer in richness to face-to-face communication (Walvoord et al. 2008). If that occurs, not nearly as much would be lost through text as is now.

While there is more room for misunderstandings and ambiguity in virtual communication, there is also greater flexibility of time and space – individuals can meet at the same time and speak from completely different parts of the world or carry a conversation throughout their day (Beebe & Masterson, p. 155). Take the Penn State World Campus, for example. While it’s likely true that we would be able to make friends with much greater ease on-campus than online due to nonverbal communication, it’s also true that many of us would be unable to complete our education if it weren’t for the flexibility that virtual communication allows. We’re communicating virtually right now. I’m writing this article for you all to read and some of you will respond back. Meeting face-to-face allows us to pay greater attention to emotional cues and helps us establish a greater feeling of trust, but even without nonverbal communication, we are capable of effectively communicating (even if not as well as we could face-to-face).

Through our lesson this week we learned that face-to-face communication is rather important and often much less misunderstood than virtual communication, but that is not to be taken as virtual communication being bad or inferior. Virtual communication is an amazing breakthrough in human communication, and even with its kinks and flaws, it allows us to accomplish that which we would perhaps not be able to accomplish face-to-face.

References

Beebe, S. A., & Masterson, J. T. (1986).Communicating in small groups: principles and practices (2nd ed.). Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman.

Schneider, F.W., et al. (2012). Applied Social Psychology (2^nd Ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

Walvoord, A. A., et al. (2008). Empowering followers in virtual teams: Guiding principles from theory and practice.Computers in Human Behavior, 24(5), 1884–1906.

Words have the ability to be empowering and inspirational.  Words can make us laugh, they can make us cry, but is it the words themselves that we find so empowering and inspirational or is it how they are said to us?

Nonverbal communication refers to all the different aspects that go into the meaning of the message besides the words themselves (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts 2012). The way a person is standing, their facial expression and tone in their voice all help contribute to understanding the meaning of the message. These nonverbal cues can add important information that give insight to what the speaker is trying to convey. It becomes more than just words, it’s as if you are listening to the speaker with your eyes trying to gauge an understanding of the emotion behind the words.

I personally find nonverbal cues to be more powerful than the words themselves. A person can say “I am so angry”, but the look on their face or their body language can give much more insight to how angry they actually are. It is not necessarily how the words are said, but instead how a person says them makes all the difference.

When trying to come up with a situation to prove my point, I couldn’t help but think of my dog. He doesn’t necessarily understand all the words I am say to him, but he is able to pick up the nonverbal cues such as my body language and facial expressions. He is able to tell when I am angry at him, perhaps by the angry face I am giving him or the tone in my voice. The wiggle in his tail when I say “good boy” in a high pitched shows helps him understand that I am happy with him. He doesn’t judge my words by the words themselves, but rather by the nonverbal cues I give off.

Sure, we can say there in a big leap between humans and dogs in understanding the meaning behind spoken words. However, this silly yet simple example shows exactly how powerful and important nonverbal cues are. Nonverbal cues can add important information that give insight to what the speaker is trying to convey. My dog is more likely to pick up on the nonverbal cues rather than the words themselves, yet he still understands when I am happy or angry.

Reference

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.