31
Mar 16

What Kind of Bystander are You?

We go through our daily lives on autopilot most of the time.  Our alarms are cut off without a thought, driving to work we probably couldn’t remember what kind of car was in front of us or even if we were stopped at a stoplight, our meetings at work or phone calls we take are only memorable out of necessity.  We are stimulated from the time we wake up until the time we lay down at night and then even at night our brains work hard to shut off.  But why are we so stimulated?  Is it the amount of responsibility we take on as an individual? Or is it our environment?  Are those of us that live in big cities more likely to become victims of stimulus overload to the point that we become almost desensitized? Once we become desensitized, we begin to miss things that normally we would give a second thought or look to.

One example of stimulus overload to the point of desensitization is a phenomenon known as the bystander effect.  According to Schneider (2013), bystander effect occurs when multiple people who witness an emergency situation fail to intervene.  From a social psychological perspective, this occurs when people that witness an event do not react because they believe that others will intervene on their behalf.  It works kind of like the cliché attitude of “not my problem”.  Studies have shown that people are more likely to intervene in a situation when they are the only bystander as opposed to being one of many bystanders.  When this occurs it is known as diffusion of responsibility (Schneider et al., 2013).

In an effort to understand the bystander effect better, a reporter for the online magazine Salon, Will Doig interviewed several psychologists.

“For more than 50 years, ‘urban psychologists’ have been faking seizures, dropping cash and breaking into cars in broad daylight to see if strangers would intervene,” ……“They’ve discovered two things. One is that people in rural areas do indeed get involved more readily than urbanites. But they’ve also concluded that this has very little to do with morality.”

After reviewing one experiment where the researcher attempted to steal their own bike, the psychologists concluded that there wasn’t a lot of intervention because people didn’t notice what was going on.  This is interesting.  Are we really so busy that we do not or cannot notice what is going on around us?  Some also concluded that they didn’t intervene because they didn’t know what to do.  And, finally some concluded that fear was a factor.

Several things are mentioned – fear, uncertainty and overlooking surroundings. All sound like pretty solid reasons why one would not intervene.  The question now is how do you get someone to intervene when you are not the bystander? One theory is to call out for help, be specific and identify the passerby in detail such as “You in the striped shirt! Help me, there is a fire!” or something similar.

We are never too busy to help someone in need.  Being more aware of your surroundings makes you more vigilant when you’re out alone, helping someone in need establishes a sense of community, and it can make you feel overall better about yourself knowing you helped someone in need.

Counter the bystander effect.

 

Big cities, bike theft and the ‘bystander effect’ (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2016, from https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2012/03/big-cities-bike-theft-and-bystander-effect

 

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


31
Mar 16

Gender Stigmatization in the Stem Community

Schneider (2012) describes a community as membership, influence, integration & fulfillment of needs and a shared emotional connection. These components need not be restricted by geographical boarders, but can be applied to communities such as the community that will be discussed in this posting: The Stem Community. Stem stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and makes up a wide sector of schools and jobs in the United States. The Stem community is facing serious prejudice and stigmatization in regards to male and female members of the community. Women are not as encouraged to be members of the Stem community due to being stigmatized as being different from the Stem community’s master status of having male-like qualities.

Respect for social diversity is a prime element of studying and participating in social psychology (Schneider, 2012). Part of the social psychology field is dedicated to understanding the stigmatization that occurs throughout communities in order to ignite social change. Social change in necessary in the Stem community in order to increase diversity in this field and “avoid adopting a standard of normal” (Schneider, 2012). Stigmatization means to label a group of persons as being flawed or different from the master status. In the Stem community this is very prevalent and was recently studied by L. Carli (2016) and posted in Psychology of Women Quarterly. The studies analyzed male and female perceptions of those working in the Stem field: “…despite significant progress made, women are still thought to lack the qualities needed to be successful scientists, and the findings suggest this may contribute to discrimination and prejudice against women in those fields” (Carli, 2016).

This is a serious problem in the Stem community because males are given the master status over females. This stigmatization often leads females to be discouraged or uninspired to enter science and mathematical fields. In fact, despite making up 47% of the total work force, women only make up “low shares in engineering (13%) and computer and mathematical sciences (25%)” (NGCP.Org). Carli’s (2016) research further demonstrated that male and female participants held views that deemed males as holding the master status in Stem fields; whereas, females were stigmatized for being flawed or not possessing the necessary qualities to be regarded as important members of the Stem community: “These data suggest that the challenges women face as potential scientists may go beyond the perception that science is a poor match with women’s communal goals or that more scientists are men [and] not women” (Carli, 2016). Hopefully, knowledge of this issue in the Stem community will prompt social change and increase diversity in the Stem fields.

References

 

Carli, L. (2016, March 28). New study finds we still perceive women to be incompatible with STEM. Retrieved March 31, 2016, from http://phys.org/news/2016-03-women-incompatible-stem.html#jCp

 

National Girls Collaborative Project. (2012). Statistics. Retrieved March 31, 2016, from https://ngcproject.org/statistics

 

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


30
Mar 16

The Bystander Effect’s Big Effect

A lot of the time, many people are not even aware that they are a part of a community. On the whole, they may not even be a part of one; we have evolved into such large populations, that people no longer want to interact with others. As a matter of fact, we go to great lengths to try to avoid it. Whether we are constantly on our cell phones or if we choose to shop online over going into a store, there is very little connection between people. This can be positive, as people have become more independent. However, there can also be negative consequences to such progress. For example, the bystander effect is something that has been studied many times; the idea that there is “safety in numbers” is certainly not always true when there is some sort of an emergency. In other words, people are less likely to take action when in a larger group (Scheider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). While this effect has actually gotten people killed in the past, there are ways to help change the way we behave by means of education on the subject through interventions.

On an evening in 1964, Kitty Genovese was walking back to her apartment. Three dozen people watched as a man followed her and stabbed her several times. These people were not criminals themselves, but still merely watched from their windows with the lights on. The killing took place over a period of a half hour, and only one person called the police when the woman was already deceased and the killer had fled (Gansberg, 1964). Imagine, a woman being brutally murdered outside of your home. You see others watching nervously from their windows. Would you help her?

We all like to think that we are good people, and we assume that if we are witnessing a violent murder that we will step in and call the authorities. However, when the aforementioned bystanders were questioned as eyewitnesses in this murder, each said that they just assumed someone else had called the police. Had the population been smaller, or had there been only one eyewitness, the police may have been called sooner and the woman could have been saved. Instead of having a sense of community and actively working together, we have instead resolved to pass responsibility off on strangers. It is almost as if we have become so used to numbing ourselves to avoid stimulus overload, that it is our default setting in any given situation (Schneider et al., 2012). This reality does not need to be accepted, and it can be helped through active participation of communities in interventions.

Of course, most of the literature suggests that people are less likely to help in the presence of other bystanders because of diffusion of responsibility; however, other research suggests that witnesses to any kind of victimization are less likely to help simply because they don’t know how or they are afraid of worsening the situation. In a survey study about specific bystander behavior in a variety of situations involving family and friends, it was found that when onlookers intervened and helped, there were more positive outcomes for the victims (Hamby, Weber, Grych, & Banyard, 2015). In order to encourage more bystanders to engage in helping behavior, the authors suggest teaching people proper ways to intervene in specific situations. For example, in the case of Kitty Genovese’s murder, onlookers may have been more likely to intervene if they had felt safe or confident in knowing how to help; this is not to say that someone could have simply called the police, but actually tried to physically help her (if one of them had a legally purchased gun, for instance). Within communities, programs could be organized to help teach people how to help others who are being victimized, much like what cops learn in the Police Academy. Community members could participate in mock situations, and practice intervening properly—despite how big of a crowd they are in. This could help lead to more positive outcomes.

In the modern world, it always seems easier to not get involved in anyone’s business. It is easiest to just worry about ourselves and our own lives, without giving anyone else much of a thought. While it is not our responsibility to help others, it is hard to imagine not wanting to if any of us were to see someone in trouble. The previous survey study was done on situations with family and friends, suggesting that people will be more willing to help someone if they feel a connection to them; this goes back to the importance of having a sense of community and knowing your neighbors. Regardless, never assume that someone else is going to do something. If you do not feel comfortable intervening yourself, at least find someone who is. Based on the aforementioned terms and literature, and the suggested program to increase helping, people and communities can once again start looking out for each other’s well being.

References:

Gansberg, M. (1964, March 27). 37 who saw murder didn’t call the police. The New York Times.

Hamby, S., Weber, M.C., Grych, J., & Banyard, V. (2015). What difference do bystanders make? The association of bystander involvement with victim outcomes in a community sample. American Psychological Association. 6. 91-102.

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


29
Mar 16

Advantages and Influences of Social Media

The person you are online may play an influential role in your life. Your facebook, Instagram, or twitter may seem inconspicuous but chances are you are on these profiles almost any time you pick up your phone. The influences of these communities and the personality we portray may actually be advantageous to how we feel about ourselves.

In a study, participants were told to look at their own profile and then received constructive criticism on a speech they had to give. The participants who looked at their own profile “felt more positive emotions and accepted the feedback (Toma, C.L. 2010).” What this tells us is that looking at their own profile helped remind the participants of the value of their life, the friends they have, and importance of their life. This helped them take the criticism better and feel more positive about the critique than those who looked at other people’s profiles.

This study also shows how important and influential social media can be to our daily lives. Those who show us a ‘fake’ life online may make us feel inadequate and question why our lives aren’t as interesting. The reality is that online profiles are only a small clip of daily life. The people in those profiles are selectively sharing their triumphs, while covering up their failures. Little things like this, while viewing other people’s profiles, may make us feel worse in the long run. Considering almost everyone has a social media account, what is the proper way to avoid feeling this way? What is too much to share online, and does everyone have a ‘fake’ life on the internet? These are questions to consider when thinking about the influences of online communities.

 

 

 

Toma, C. L. (2010). Affirming the self through online profiles.Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – CHI ’10.

Click to access p1749.pdf


29
Mar 16

Kitty Genovese and the Bystander Effect

NYTgenoveseHeadline1964

Many individuals may know about the controversial case of the murder of Kitty Genovese that prompted inquiries of the bystander effect. The bystander effect occurs when multiple people who witness an emergency situation fail to intervene. It is believed that the bystander effect occurs, because of diffusion of responsibility. Observers do not help, because they believe that the other observers will help. Now, lets get into details about the case of Kitty Genovese and how the bystander effect played a major role in her murder.

Kitty Genovese was a New Yorker and the eldest of five children. She worked as a bar manager on Jamaica Avenue. On March 13th, 194 she was driving home from her job and arrived home around 3:15am. She parked her car about 100 feet from her apartments door and began walking toward the building. As she walked toward her building a guy named Moseley approached her. Genovese began to run across the parking lot toward the front of her building. He ran after her and stabbed her in the back twice. She began screaming, “Oh my God, he stabbed me! Help me!” Several neighbors heard her cry for help, but no one seemed to intervene. He than ran away and frantically changed his clothes when a neighbor screamed out the window to leave that girl alone. Ten minutes later Moseley returned and found Genovese who was lying on the floor barely conscious. A locked door was preventing her from entering the building. out of the view of witnesses he stabbed her several more times. While Genovese played there dying he raped her, stole $49 from her, and left her in the hallway. Afterwards, a neighbor named Sophia left her apartment to go to the crime scene and held her in her arms until the ambulance arrived. She was pronounced dead in route to the hospital.

Records of the earliest calls to police are unclear and were not given a high priority by the police. One witness said his father called the police after the initial attack and reported that a woman was beat up, but got up and walked around. A few minute after the final attach, a witness called the police and arrived within minutes of the call. Reports of the attack in the New York Times covered a scene of indifference from neighbors who failed to come to Genovese’s aid. 37 witnesses supposedly saw or heard the attack and did not call the police. Her brother believes the police were summoned twice, but did not respond because they believed it was a domestic dispute. Genovese’s death could have been prevented if bystanders called the police or intervened sooner than they did.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese


28
Mar 16

Education Starts at Home

Our society has extremely high expectations of our educators. We expect them to teach our children the academic skills necessary to graduate from high school and attend college. However, our expectations don’t stop there. We also expect them to teach our children social skills, sexual education, finance management, how to resist drug and alcohol, how to deal with bullying, and how to treat everyone equally. That is a lot of pressure for teachers who have a limited amount of time and resources for each student, not to mention the meager pay.

At some point, parents need to step up and take responsibility for teaching our children right from wrong and how to get along in this world. Teachers can spend their whole days teaching life skills to students, but if the students go home and those teachings aren’t reinforced, then the lessons are wasted. Children need to learn from watching their parents manage their finances responsibly, manage their drug and alcohol use, and treat others with the kindness and respect they deserve.

Racial bias especially is a concept that children learn at home. If a child learns at school that the color of a person’s skin doesn’t matter, but they go home and hear their parents make racial slurs or prejudice comments, they become confused and will likely follow the behavior modeled by their parents. The work of the teacher becomes even harder when kids go home and see opposite behaviors modeled.

Teachers can implement lessons such as the brown eyes vs. green eyes experiment (Frontline. 1985) where children have experiences which teach them first-hand how it feels to be discriminated against. But the children need to also be learning at home that making people feel bad is wrong in order for those lessons to stick with them.

Education of our children cannot just be the job of the schools. Parents must step up and take responsibility for educating our children on how to navigate in this world. It is our job to teach the life skills, and have them reinforced at school, not the other way around. Teachers need to be able to focus on teaching academics, not how to deal with bullies or balance a checkbook.

 

References

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


27
Mar 16

Future success depend on Kindergarten?

Here in Cincinnati, we have a local news station that has been covering the alarming poverty level of children in the city, the problems that come with it and way to for residents to get out of poverty. It is common knowledge that having a solid base in learning is one of the best ways to get out of this situation but when there is little or no support at home it is difficult for children to get this base. This is where schools and teachers need to gain an understanding about how they can help these children strive to succeed. This needs would work along with what the schools are currently doing, such as, offering free or reduced priced breakfast, lunch and in some cases sustainable food for the child to take home each night or weekend in order for them to have something to eat until the weekend is over which lowers this concern for them. This is helpful but this is not enough to boost their ability to succeed in the classroom.

Children from lower socioeconomic background are in need of more supportive student-teacher relationship and classroom emotional support in order to promote student adjustment. In a study in the Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, by Lee and Bierman, (2015) 164 children were followed as they transitioned from a Head Start program into elementary school to see the level of aggression, social withdrawal, learning engagement and emergent literacy skills, depending on the type of kindergarten support they received. It was found that there is an important link between children with a positive kindergarten exposure and a close student-teacher relationship and later outcomes. While this would be true for any child it is especially important for children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who may not be getting the support they need from their family and who most likely live in neighborhoods where violence is commonplace.

The children I work with each day are from this background and often they do not have support at home due to their parents lack of education, parents stress over trying to make ends meet or the belief that education is not important. If a child comes from this type of home life, they will come to school unable to focus or understand the importance of education. However, if the class they attend is friendly, fun and engaging they will learn to enjoy learning and this can stay with them through life. In the school where work I can see a marked difference in the children’s behavior depending on the friendliness of the teacher and the amount of social support the child receives during the day. Some of the teachers encourage discussions if there is a problem, maintain a positive classroom culture, demand respect from the students and give them respect back. In these classrooms the students show a better ability to learn and are more productive in their assignments throughout the day. In other classes there are teachers who do not encourage discussion, they tell the children what they are to be doing and expect them to do it and give little respect. In these classes there are often disruptions, fights, children screaming and many students being sent to, In School Suspension. Learning for any student in a classroom such as this is difficult and for many of the students this is their first exposure to school so this is what they will expect school to be like each day.

This correlates with what the study by Lee and Bierman, (2015), where it was found that student-teacher relationship and classroom emotional support uniquely effect children’s behavioral outcomes by the first grade. (Lee, 2015). When a child is close to the teacher it can increase the feelings of emotional security thereby increase their sense of well-being and self-confidence in class which will increase their ability to learn more effectively. When children are comfortable with the teacher and feel valued by them the will be more willing to work harder in their assignments and are more willing to be friendly and helpful with each other. A positive classroom experience at any age will have a direct effect on how much is learned and retained but in the case of children in Kindergarten it is especially important, due to the fact, that it is what they will base their expectations of school on in the following years.

 

References

Lee, P., & Bierman, K. L. (2015). Classroom and Teacher Support in Kindergarten:    Associations With the Behavioral and Academic Adjustment of Low-Income    Students. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly61(3), 383-411.

 


27
Mar 16

Rice Ball

I dreamed of the day where I open my brown lunch bag and finding a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  In reality, I take out a clear film wrapped rice ball filled with ingredients such as dried pork shreds, eggs and small pieces of daikon. “Ewww what is that?”, a kid yelled.  Kids started gathering around me to see what I had in my hands.  Some would use their fingers pulling their eyes to the side to mock my eyes and some would make disgusted sounds.  This happened when I arrived in the United States when I was 7 years old. It was the first time I realized I was different than other kids and a casualty of social categorization and became a part of the out-group.  I remember it was me, a Korean kid and an Indian kid and we would sit at our own table during lunch time eating our not so American lunches.

One day, my second grade teacher, Mrs. Powell told us that she was going to divided us into groups and the groups are to sit together twice a week and complete an activity as a group.  Thinking back, she purposely placed a member of the out-group kid with the in-group children.  At first, as you could imagine nobody wanted to talk to me partly due to my poor English and they can’t understand me.  Mrs. Powell would sit with each group communicating to us about diversity, getting everyone involved and never neglected to involve positive affirmation when someone did something good.  She also encouraged us to say positive things to each other.   This activity promoted peer assisted learning.  Through self perception theory, in which a child may learn by observing others that certain behaviours can result in desirable outcomes. (Schineider, 2012) Kids begin to know me as a person and felt good about themselves when they helped me. It helped many of us to eliminate or overcome fundamental attribution error.

I almost forgot this this experience until I was thinking what I should write for this week’s blog.  I remembered what a wonderful teacher Mrs. Powell was and how she tried to establish a positive learning environment so we can successfully build our perception of the world. For this, I will be forever grateful to her.

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.


27
Mar 16

Learning Starts at Home

We all have seen those kids that go to school to learn. These are the kids who have no discipline and are not learning a thing at home. These kids learn right only by way of school. These are the kids who are not being taught what they ought to know before they go to school. Then, there are the kids that go to school to practice what they have already learned. School is looked at in both a social aspect and academic aspect from pre-k through adolescence. Albert Bandura has pointed out that children act by mimicking what they have learned. He called this process observational learning (PSU, 2016). The process involves attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation (2016). Just like in the Bobo Doll experiment, if a child goes to school that has only seen and retained violence, disrespect, arrogance, ignorance, helplessness and/or laziness at home, this is what the child will be like both socially and academically. This particular child through observational learning will reproduce these traits, thus only being able to go so far in a school atmosphere. These would be the ‘problem’ kids at school. The other kids are the ones, who through observational learning, outside of school have learned what they ought to know; respect, peace, helpfulness and motivation to do well both socially and academically.

Looking at the Bobo Doll experiment, one can relate this to teaching children in schools. If children are given role models to follow, namely counselors, teachers and older peers a child will learn what they ought to know through observational learning. It is not enough to tell a child how they ought to be or ought to act but also show them so that they will model the same behavior.

In my children’s school, they have many different programs and activities they utilize to help children learn through observational learning. One such program is they have older children come in and do assignments such as reading, handwriting, math and even art with younger children. This gives the kids someone to look up to. They have “Got Manners” awards, where kids are voted for based on their manners. They learn these manners by having lunches with older peers and adults to practice etiquette and such.

Observational learning should be a bigger part of school and home. Children see and hear everything and mimic what they see and hear. Teach children right.

References:

PSU. 2016. Lesson 10 commentary.


26
Mar 16

High Expectations: A Planned Behavior

Five years ago my oldest son, Christian, was entering the 6th grade. It was a new school, in a new town. He had been having difficulties at the previous school such as bulling and lower grades. I requested that the bully be moved from the class my son was placed into with the kid that was known for bulling him. The school decided that since Christian had a stable living situation at home that it was better if he moved classrooms. Needless to say this was not okay with me and the bulling continued throughout the entire school year without the school intervening. We decided enough was enough. We moved back to my hometown.

Christian’s new teacher had a very different teaching style. She sets direct expectations of all the kids regardless of background, personality, or how smart or dumb the children think they are. They talk about strengths and weaknesses as well as what they want to accomplish in this school year.

The teacher did what I had seen no other teacher implement before, the theory of planned behavior. This theory is an account of behavior. “That predicts a person’s intention to behave in a particular manor.” (Schneider, 2012) She expects each student to behave in a certain manor and has high expectations set for not only their schoolwork but their behavior and achievements as well.

This makes the students perfectly aware of what others, the teacher, expects of them and how they should be motivated to fulfill with the expectations. (Schneider, 2012) When students understand what is expected of them and they are encouraged and rewarded for great achievement they then start to have faith and confidence in themselves.

This is exactly what happened with my son. Because of the bullying he had been dealing with the previous school year he had low self-esteem and didn’t believe that he could do the things she was talking about. However, with her motivation, high expectations and great leadership he flourished in and out of the classroom. He started doing better then ever in Math and fell in love with history. Her excitement for teaching and her encouragement in the classroom is like nothing I had encountered from a teacher before.

If teachers can set expectations and work with the children her classroom to get them to understand that they all have the capabilities to be great students then maybe far less children will get behind in the classroom. All too often teachers have already made up their minds about their students even before they step foot in the classroom. If the theory of planned behavior was implemented from the beginning of the year maybe this could lead to more students being motivated to please not only the teacher but themselves. In Christian’s case this made all the difference. He finally believed that he was capable of the things that were expected of him. Six years later he is graduating high school all because one teacher had high expectation (and encouragement from his parents).

 

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.


20
Mar 16

Facebook Unofficial

Facebook

With an overwhelming increase in social media over the past decade, we are seeing some significant negative effects and drawbacks from bullying, to shaming, and myriad additional responses meant to incite followers.  One of the most prevalent casualties of social media, in my opinion, is the negative effect of the declaration and maintenance of relationships on Facebook.  It doesn’t take much effort to observe your surroundings and witness almost everyone passing through life with their noses buried in their various technological devices.  So what are they so intent on monitoring?  Chances are, they are checking in with social media; more often than not, Facebook.

So why is this have a negative effect on relationships?  Take a look around you!  I happen to be enjoying the company of friends at a popular craft brewery in San Diego, California, and as I looked around watching the happy faces of fellow patrons, I fell on the unhappy existence of one, sad couple.  They were good looking, young, seemingly social people.  However, for the approximate hour that I observed them, neither one looked up from their smart phone.  This led me to wonder…does this type of neglect of each other’s partner occur in other relationships?

According to Clayton, Nagurney & Smith (2013), individuals who have a consistent presence on Facebook often neglect their partners, whether by communicating with former partners, developing jealousy through Facebook, or by constantly monitoring their partner’s actions via Facebook.  Most of us can claim to be a Facebook “lurker” at one time or another, but when that lurking becomes problematic by monitoring a partner, detrimental outcomes will likely follow.

But what about the positives?  Don’t we all love to post pictures of the good times we have?  Well, we should be careful not to make it a competition.  We’ve all heard the old adage “the grass is always greener on the other side.”  Viewing the great moments, vacations and life milestones that our friends, family and acquaintances post on Facebook is not a depiction of the whole story.  We should be wise to consider that, while the story being told online is fantastic, it is not the whole story, and we should not be comparing ourselves to the carefully posted moments of another relationship.

Clayton et al. (2013) conclude that “high levels of Facebook use, when mediated by Facebook-related conflict, significantly predict negative relationship outcomes (p. 720)”. It would be wise to remember that the grass is, in fact, not always greener, and sensible to consider one’s own relationship health before making relationship comparisons and disappearing into the cyber abyss.

 

Clayton, R. B., Nagurney, A., & Smith, J. R. (2013). Cheating, Breakup, and Divorce: Is Facebook Use to Blame? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(10), 717-720. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0424

 


20
Mar 16

Donald Trump and Vicarious Learning

Vicarious learning, which is at the heart of the social cognitive theory of mass communication, is the process through which a person learns to perform a behavior after observing a behavior being rewarded (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). This concept, regardless of your political views, could be one way to look at some of the criticism surrounding Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Recently, there has been much discussion regarding an incident between John McGraw, a Trump supporter, and Rakeem Jones, a protester that he assaulted. As Rakeem Jones was being escorted out of a Trump rally in North Carolina, John McGraw punched him in the face. McGraw was quoted as saying of Mr. Jones, “Yes, he deserved it,” and adding, “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him” (Parker, 2016). Prior to the assault, Trump had repeatedly told supporters of his desire to be rougher with protesters. One could easily make the argument that McGraw acted, at least in part, due to vicarious learning. He saw the violent behavior of Trump supporters being encouraged and rewarded, which then increased the likelihood that he would exhibit like behaviors.

Another way to look at the violence associated with the Donald Trump campaign is through the neoassociationistic model of media priming. According to Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts (2012), priming is the effect that a stimulus or event can have on the way that we react to future stimuli. Essentially, exposure to media violence can affect how aggressively we act in subsequent situations (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). Looking back to Trump’s campaign, his recent comments, regarding the likelihood that him being denied the nomination will lead to violence and riots, could potentially have a priming effect. He has recently been quoted as saying “I think it would be- I think you’d have riots. I think you’d have riots. I’m representing a tremendous, many, many millions of people” (Haberman, 2016). Is it possible that such statements, which he has repeated over and over again in subsequent addresses could act as primers for violent behavior? While Mr. Trump’s words might not be meant as a call to arms, I believe that similarly to the way that Mr. McGraw acted violently following Trump’s declarations regarding his desire to be violent against protesters, his most recent comments could also incite violence.

In addition to how violent rhetoric can in fact lead to violence, one could also focus on how such violence leads to an overall increase of fear. Cultivation theory is a theory based on the premise that TV is one of our primary socializing agents, and as such it can cultivate our social reality. In that sense, media violence can lead to, for people with heavy media exposure, a feeling as if the world in general is a violent place (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). If that is the case, then beyond inciting specific acts of violence, the rhetoric that has been central to Trump’s campaign could lead to an overall feeling of fear and insecurity amongst his supporters as well as all of those who are exposed to his views. Now this is certainly not limited to Trump’s campaign, but it is possible that his campaign is greatly contributing to feelings of unrest.

By applying social psychological theories to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, you can see where there is perhaps room for criticism. This is not about his political views or his fitness for office, but simply a breaking down of the potential consequences of some of his statements. That being said, these are certainly not concepts that apply exclusively to Donald Trump or even to the presidential race at large. I think it is important to understand how our exposure to media can affect our levels of aggression, our reactions, and how we view the world around us.

References

Haberman, M. (2016, March 16). Donald Trump warns of ‘riots’ if party blocks him at convention. The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/16/donald-trump-warns-of-riots-if-party-blocks-him-at-convention/

Parker, A. (2016, March 10). Black protester is sucker-punched by white Donald Trump supporter at rally. The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/03/10/donald-trump-rally-            protester/

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


20
Mar 16

Truly Anonymous?

In a world where everyone is connected, can we ever be truly anonymous? Cloud storage, geotags, tracking and other types of sharing are all prevalent in our daily lives. We think we have control of these apps and programs, but are we every truly aware?

The issue of privacy on the internet has been a long debated topic. Some people say we can share what we want and leave out what we don’t. It quickly becomes apparent that this is not the case. As we see time and time again, private celebrity pictures become public all to often and ‘leaks’ of information have happened countless times. The truth is, when your information is out there it’s out there. Though it may seem private, someone with the proper knowledge can track your location or see your photos. The problem is, not sharing these things may make them seem private but if they are present they can be accessed by someone.

So how have these privacy ‘leaks’ been dealt with by the government? The FCC came out with net neutrality laws that treated ISP’s (internet service providers) with a new set of rules to give everyone equal access to the internet, “this also protected consumer privacy and security” (Mccabe, 2016). Is this enough, probably not. The only way to truly stop information of data from ‘leaking’ is to abstain from being on the internet at all. Like I said above, if the information is there it can be accessed by someone. A true intervention for this problem would help. By understanding that data should be encrypted and people should have a right to keep their own information private, this would lead to better encryption practices. Even this though is no match for someone with the right tools, such as the government, who can easily bypass these security methods and eventually find your information.

The world is connected, almost a little too much. The reality of putting your information online is that some of it may get into the wrong hands. It’s important to prepare and be cautious of what you put out there, because it may end up somewhere you least expect. McCabe, D. (2016, March 19). Internet privacy rules: What you need to know. Retrieved March 20, 2016, from http://thehill.com/policy/technology/273624-internet-privacy-rules-what-you-need-to-know


20
Mar 16

Social Media and Political Views

In this day and age, people are relying more and more on social media to provide them with information.  As we approach the presidential election, there is an increase in social media interaction with regards to the differing candidates.  Memes with quotes and images of the candidates are shared and re-shared.  What effect does this have on people’s relationships with each other as well as their political beliefs?

I know for me, I have found some people who I avoid their posts because I am afraid of making a comment that would upset them because of my differing opinions.  There are other people on my social media that I have come to realize I have more in common with them because of the political views they share.  This is in line with the suggested view that people use media to increase positive feelings towards members of similar affiliations (Ponder & Haridakis, 2015).

Social media also removes the person’s ability to waver between two or three candidates because it established a herd mentality that motivates a person to choose between political positions.  They constantly are exposed to their friends and families posting for or against candidates, influencing their opinions.  The need to be involved in a cohesive group causes the person to become involved in Groupthink conditions.

As people watch their friends and family post about political views, they tend to rationalize the opinions of others as being good and true based on their relationships with those people.  They strive to have similar opinions and create a unanimous front, often to the point of censoring their own doubts or frustrations.

Groupthink can be a difficult problem to overcome and can raise many difficulties.  It negatively effects the person’s ability to make decisions.  Some of the negative consequences listed by Schneider et al. include an incomplete survey of objectives and a failure to examine the risks of the preferred choice. (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012) Another risk of Groupthink is that people will stop researching alternatives and will develop an uneducated bias towards a political ideal or candidate.

This election provides a very interesting selection of candidates and some very strong moral objections to many of them for many people.  This is causing people to become very outspoken in their political ideas.  People are eliminating friends on Facebook in an effort to create a more unanimous front on their Facebook feed and eliminating the possibility of receiving alternative viewpoints on the candidates.

Hopefully the almost “herd mentality” caused by this Groupthink will not cause there to be a President that will lead our country to misfortune.  I am not writing this in favor of any political candidate or to cause a political debate over the candidates, I am only interested in the social aspects that social media has had on this election.

 

References

Ponder, J., & Haridakis, P. (2015). Selectively Social Politics: The Differing Roles of Media Use on Political Discussion. Mass Communication and Society, 18(3), 281-302. doi:10.1080/15205436.2014.940977

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology (Second Edition ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE publications.

 


20
Mar 16

How many stars would I get?

It’s Saturday afternoon and you’re sitting around with a couple of friends contemplating where you should all go for dinner.  “Hey, I recently read great reviews on this Indian restaurant”, Jim says.  Everyone pulls out their smartphones, taps into YELP and reads the restaurant’s reviews.  Upon looking at all the photos and reading all the comments, you all decided to give the place a try.  “Man, this place was just all right, I’ll give it a 2”, Jim says upon finishing dinner.  The 2 refers to the number of stars that Jim would give to the restaurant when he writes his review on YELP.  With today’s technological and media advancements, the “rating system” has become an integral part of our new digital world.  Media have become an integral part of our lives. (2012) Believe it or not, even if you think you’re not a part of this, you are.  Taking parts in this in very subtle ways such as rating your Uber driver or rating the Netflix movie you watched last night.   This rating strategy is the oil that keeps likes of Uber, Ebay, Amazon and Airbnb running.  We either provide reviews or read reviews.  Rating has become a part of our daily lives.

Today, everyone is a critic.  But, what if these platforms begins to tap into our personal lives? Becoming available to us to rate our coworkers, employees, bosses and even relationships?  I recently came across apps such as Lulu and Peeple that allows people to rate people you know.  New colleagues or hiring manager can use an app to see how pervious colleagues have reviewed you.  The girl/guy sitting in front of you on your first date can read your relationship reviews from your previous partners.  Every aspect of our personalities and behavior can be assigned a star rating and it would all be public information.

Maybe it still doesn’t seem to be such a problem to some people.  Some may thing that this can help them realize what their weaknesses and downfalls and they can better improve themselves. Or, it’s great to know who their hiring, or how to get along better with their coworker or even help them finding the perfect mate without spending unnecessary time trying to find out things about them.  But, rating system can severely skew the social power dynamics.  For example, the ratings that Uber riders provide can actually cause the Uber drivers to be barred.  We are also giving other people the power to designate our lives.  And what about societal biases?  This may lead to reinforcement of discrimination and many other problems.

Yes, we think there’s no harm and that we are contributing by rating the restaurant we went to last night or the Airbnb room we stayed at last week.  But, just remember that very soon someone out there in the Universe may be reviewing us and giving us the number of stars they think we deserve.

 

Reference

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


19
Mar 16

Technology and the Human Condition

Probably the most significant and world-changing breakthrough of the early 21st Century, the modern smartphone (thanks a lot, Steve Jobs) has modified the face of the widely held future forever, carrying along strength from the most significant and world-changing breakthrough up the late 20th Century, the internet. It is reasonable to evaluate the effects that these intertwined technologies have had on the social interactions of humanity, and the potential ramifications going forward.

Indeed, the field of communications has risen further along the bounds of what has been considered possible than even the most emphatic thinkers and creators of yesteryear could comprehend. Yet more so than in previous generations, the inventions that have come to define this one have been met with more controversy and vitriol than any other since the invention of the television. And yet, even as the controversial nature of the internet and the smart phone continues to be broadcast on every major cable news channel, the accessibility of said technology has kept pace, becoming more pervasive than ever previously throughout society as a whole.

What really got me thinking about this odd duality was a conversation I had with an older client not too long ago. Okay, not older older, but a bit more mature than the average undergraduate student. They said that they were worried, because we were replacing our interactions in the real world with interactions in a virtual one. It wasn’t, the client explained, anything to do with less interaction going on, it was that the interactions had simply moved to a different plane of existence. Far from believing in the eventuality of a networked hive mind, but intrigued nonetheless, I decided to look into the matter further.

My client was wrong.

I mean really, really wrong. According to the Daily Universe, a campus publication at Brigham Young University (I know, I know, never cite the Mormons), “bout 4.1 billion text messages are sent per day in the U.S.” (Eastman, 2013). Additionally, according to Gallup, polling data shows that 68% of Americans aged 18-29 respond with “a lot” when asked about their texting habits from the day previous (Newport, 2014). There are plenty of stats to verify and validate that a great deal of communication has been supplanted by technology. These are only a few. The real challenge of what this entails, however, is something else entirely.

Consider a situation like my own; I am employed by a company as a manager of a business branch in a location far from my (and consequently, my boss’s) home. I travel an average of 90 minutes one way every morning to get to work. My boss hasn’t been down to my branch in nearly six months, even though it’s part of his job. The ability to send emails, texts, and occasionally call (when email simply cannot be leveraged) supplants the need for his presence at my branch rather effectively. The downside of his leadership style and its copious reliance upon technology, tied to many of the other examples already mentioned, leads into our duality.

The problem is that I literally never see my boss. It’s impossible for him to catch me doing anything that he might consider inappropriate (such as allowing my branch employees to dress up for holidays, bake each other birthday cakes, etc), as there has yet to be a direct social interaction between the two of us (or anyone else who works for me and him) in the better part of a year. His behavior shows us a very clear risk of over-reliance upon technology in stark relief.

Considering it from another angle, let’s go back to the Daily Universe article. “Sending messages through social media sites, such as Facebook, is also taking the place of verbal communication. More than four billion messages are sent daily over Facebook, according to techcrunch.com. Although this is far behind the rate of emails being sent, it is almost equal to the number of texts sent per day in the U.S., making up a large portion of the way people communicate” (Eastman, 2013). The idea that we are sending text messages and social media (emails? messages? pokes?) at nearly the same rate speaks to the supplanting value to real human interaction that technology has begun to play in the modern era.

The risks inherent in too much reliance on technology have been discussed for nearly as long as the concept of technology itself. Really, the first time a monkey decided to use a stick rather than his own finger to pick at an anthill, one could argue that technology was born. We’ve heard arguments consistently throughout history from the proponents and the detractors of the “next big thing.” Yet progress always seems to turn out something that helps achieve more for humanity, and doesn’t cheapen the species or force us to be less than what we were before. I feel as though we have yet to find a balance with our modern connectivity. There is something to be said for going “unplugged.” The real issue though, is that we don’t really know where the connectivity and ease of access to information of the modern era will eventually lead. And that, as so many other tech scares of the past show, is terrifying, particularly to those who have come before the generation to absorb and accept all of the change.

Really, it’s important to recognize that mellowing out is usually the safest path. As nice as having constant information and communication with the rest of civilized humanity and one’s fingertips can be, there is serious value in being able to put it aside. As Jim Butcher once said, “sometimes it’s better to not know” (Jim-Butcher.com). Not in any real sense of purposeful ignorance, but in finding a connection with the part of the human story that doesn’t revolve around concrete towers and glowing screens. It is only my opinion, but I have felt the hectic sense of stress that comes with the proverbial delivery of “too much” information to the human mind. The only way to clear it, at least for me, is usually to put my phone down and go climb a mountain. Where there is clearly, quite benevolently, no service.

Eastman, H. (2013). Communication Changes With Technology, Social Media. The Daily Universe, July 2013. Retrieved from http://universe.byu.edu/2013/07/07/1communication-changes-with-technology-social-media/

Newport, F. (2014). The New Era of Communication Among Americans. Gallup, November 2014. Retrieve from http://www.gallup.com/poll/179288/new-era-communication-americans.aspx

Butcher, J. (n.d.). Jim’s Upcoming Works Page. Retrieved from http://www.jim-butcher.com/faq/upcoming-works


19
Mar 16

Danzig’s (2012) Countering the Jack Bauer Effect

Entertainment media such as television shows and movies may influence audiences to imitate or display similar negative behaviors they view from fictional characters. Examples of this issue are provided in Danzig’s (2012) examination of the effects of the TV series 24 on viewers. In Danzig’s examination, he interviews and observes those involved in the development of 24 and those involved in real world experiences, especially interrogators. Moreover, he focuses on the impact of interrogations and violence in entertainment media on reality. Danzig’s point was to show how TV shows and films can negatively influence audiences if they take fictional characters or situations too seriously or apply what they see on entertainment media to real life.

As mentioned by Danzig (2012), torture is often utilized and glorified on TV and in films. Torture often provides the “good guys” with an advantage and makes them heroes. However, some people take this unrealistic idea too seriously and believe the torture techniques utilized by characters on TV or in movies will be effective in real life. For example, methods for interrogation from television shows have been imitated by “junior U.S. soldiers” and Guantánamo Bay interrogators. Additionally, the TV series 24 has presented an issue in military educational schools due to young students referencing the show as an effective way to utilize torture. Interrogators have also based their interrogation techniques on 24. At Guantánamo Bay, Diane Beaver, the “highest-ranking uniformed military lawyer” in that area, stated that 24’s 2nd season impacted the interrogation methods utilized at Guantánamo. Other professionals, including soldiers, have utilized TV shows and films as references for interrogations, including Lagouranis in Iraq.

In Danzig’s (2012) article, we see that fictional torture in entertainment media such as television shows and movies may influence audiences to copy what they watch. Viewers may imitate what they see on TV or films, which may lead to real negative consequences. In this case, interrogators or soldiers copying TV show or movie characters may lack limitations in their interrogation methods, which may lead negative consequences such as killing the individual being interrogated. Real life imitation of fictional characters seen on TV or in the movies may be encouraged when characters are shown experiencing zero consequences for their actions and/or are rewarded for their violent actions (e.g. becoming a hero). Moreover, fictional characters may be copied in order to obtain similar rewards, despite the fictionality of characters and situations on TV and in films.

On the other hand, although television shows and movies (we’ll leave out some documentaries in this case) are fake, they can often appear extremely realistic. The close attention to realistic features (e.g. costumes, props) in a TV series or film may blur the line between reality and entertainment, a potential influence on encouraging audiences to apply what they have seen in a show to real life. In one instance, Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer in 24) told Danzig (2012) people frequently view him as Bauer. Sutherland stated, “Recently, a woman on the street ran away from me screaming, ‘Don’t hurt me Jack Bauer!’” In addition, General Finnegan, West Point’s U.S. Military Academy dean and wearing a real uniform representing the army, was mistaken for a 24 extra while waiting for a meet up with Sutherland to speak with him regarding how the TV series depicts interrogations.

Conclusively, audiences may take TV shows and films too seriously and apply what they have watched to real life, despite the fictional environment of these entertainment media. This issue could be influenced by multiple factors, some of which are discussed in Danzig’s (2012) article. These factors may include: the difficulties of separating the entertainment media world of TV shows and films from reality when attention to realistic features are present, and fictional characters being rewarded and/or lacking consequences for their negative behaviors. We should become more aware of these influences and recognize that television shows and films are purely for entertainment (and money to those who developed the show or movie) and should not be taken seriously or applied to real life, for real consequences could result.

References

Danzig, D. (2012). Countering the Jack Bauer Effect: AN EXAMINATION OF HOW TO LIMIT THE INFLUENCE OF TV’S MOST POPULAR, AND MOST BRUTAL, HERO. In Flynn, M. & Salek, F. F. (Eds.), Screening Torture: Media Representations of State Terror and Political Domination (pp. 21–33). Columbia University Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/flyn15358.4


19
Mar 16

The Ignorance of Social Media

Ah, the wonders of social media. What was once Myspace has propelled to Twitter and Facebook, connecting people all around the world millions of times a day. A particular interest of those on social media today seems to be politics, especially given that this is an election year. While social media and media coverage of the election make people more politically aware, it also leads people to incorrect conclusions—giving people the delusion that they are political experts, based on the media agenda. When people respond to this assessment by saying, “The media doesn’t have an agenda, people do,” I have to say the media is people. It is not this abstract all-knowing entity that we rely on for news; it is an outlet controlled by people. Therefore, while social media networks and the national media in general can connect people to important information, they can sometimes do more harm than good.

Schneider, Gruman and Coutts make note of the fact that media coverage of politics and news can actually change peoples’ attitudes, whether the information is correct or not (2012). In a study by Ran, Yamamoto and Xu, it was hypothesized that those who partake in “media multitasking” while consuming news information are more likely to believe that they are very politically aware when they are not (2015). In this case, media multitasking means using a form of media while also doing something else—whether it be social, mobile, televised, or the like. For example, think of the last time you watched television or listened to music. Were you also texting or looking something up on your cell phone? If you are like many people, you probably were. This study also touches on the fact that people often jump from one media task to another, or back and forth while performing some other activity, adding to the phenomenon (Ran et al., 2015). The study concluded that media multitasking while receiving political news does lead to lower knowledge of actual political facts; people also seemed to perceive that they were more politically knowledgeable than they actually were (Ran et al., 2015).

This study, as well as the lesson readings, deeply connect to what is occurring in our country today. Recaps of presidential debates and campaign rallies are shown everywhere. They are on the news, on Twitter and on peoples’ Facebook newsfeeds. People make posts on social media about how awful this or that candidate is, or “vote for her, not for him,” and so on. How far will people be willing to let this continue before it stops? Yes, modern technology and social media have been a great success in many ways, but a great failure in others. It has brought people all around the world together, but it has also escalated conflict and helped create a generation of people who think they know everything. The Ran study suggests people try to not multitask with their media resources, and instead focus on “cognitive attention to details” in order to gain more factual knowledge (2015). In fact, some people may come off social media altogether.

This media-fueled generation has led many to give up on social media in order to get some peace, demonstrating the aforementioned ideas that it can do harm. Recently, a young man decided to permanently delete his Facebook page after one too many posts about the presidential election, organic and non-GMO foods, and government conspiracies. This was not the first time he deleted it; he had gotten rid of it a year prior, and had only had a new one for four months before he was sick of it again. He finds his days very peaceful, not checking status updates and not having to be involved in the biggest part of the media-consuming culture.

Unfortunately, though, social media and other forms of media technology are here to stay. People continue to think they know more than they actually do, partially due to the vast amount of information available through the media and the internet. However, people should learn to use it responsibly; for example, before setting up any social media account, people could be shown results from studies like the one mentioned above. Users could be aware of the damage media can cause, and perhaps this awareness could help improve the technological culture in which we live.

References:

Ran, W., Yamamoto, M., & Xu, S. (2015). Media multitasking during political news consumption: A relationship with subjective and factual political knowledge. Computers in Human Behavior. 56. 352-359.

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


18
Mar 16

Social support now at the palm of your hand

In an age where social media has dominated the world, no one ever has to feel alone. Start typing something in Google; it is like Google was reading your mind right? This is because you are not the only person looking for answers to these questions or topics you are searching. There are now more than 3 Billion people using the internet (Davidson, 2013). The internet is a world wide web of over 3 billion people connected through media. 3 billion people. It was found that 75% of American adults use social media sites (Pew research, 2013).

The good thing about this high number of people using social media is that you always have people to connect with, no matter what might be going on in your life there are others to talk to. There are other people going through the same or similar things you are at any given moment. For example, grieving the death of a loved one? How about a death due to suicide? There are groups and pages and people dedicated to help with the grieving process of this. There are others to talk to, there are inspirational sayings written across calming pictures, just to help you feel better and know that you are not alone. Survivor of domestic violence? Check out Facebook, there are groups and pages for that as well.

In a world full of negative and pessimistic outlooks on life, there are groups and pages to help through anything. My daughter has a rare illness, up until a few weeks ago I felt like I was in the dark. I didn’t know where to go or what to do for her. I found groups and people on Facebook that have made me feel so much better. I have a better understanding of her illness and a better understanding of what we need to do. I also have connected with people I have formed friendships with through these groups. I no longer feel alone.

There is a stigma attached to social media sites for teens and young adults. There is plenty we hear about cyber-bullying and people meeting up with the wrong people. We here about all the self esteem issues that young people have after viewing these super models. However, social media can be used for good too. Think about the friendships and relationships that have formed or were reunited due to social media. Think about the people that went into social media on a day where they may have thought they had no where else to turn or anyone to listen to them and they got help there.

Social media is compromised of people from all over the world connected in one place to share and help people just like them through the good and bad.

 

 

References:

Davidson, Jacob (2015). Here’s How Many Internet Users There Are. Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://time.com/money/3896219/internet-users-worldwide/

Social Networking Fact Sheet. (2013). Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/


17
Mar 16

Media, Psychology & Brand Preference

I once read an article, that I cannot find now, in which a group of people (about 30) took an annual trip to Las Vegas for pleasure and stayed at the same hotel every time.  During one visit to the hotel, they were checking in and ran into some problems, I believe it was with the line being long.  One of the people in the party tweeted at the hotel their frustration.  The competitor hotel down the street, which was monitoring that hotel’s social media account, saw this tweet and tweeted at the unhappy customer that there were no lines at their hotel and apologized that they had to wait.  That’s it!  A simple apology and a mention of no waiting and the group of 30 then began staying at the other hotel each year from then on.

Just when you think you’ve won over a consumer and got them hooked on your brand, it only takes one experience and an intercept from a competitor to get them to switch.  And all of this happened at no cost to the competitor hotel.  Tweeting is free!  Talk about an ROI!

In this particular instance, the consumer was unable at the moment to voice her frustration directly to the clerk or to another employee at the hotel, so they took to social media to vent.  In a study conducted by VB Insight, it uncovered that consumers complain about brands 879 million times a year with about 289 million of those complaints going unanswered.  Recently, Red Lobster received some backlash for not responding to Beyonce’s reference to them in the launch of her song “Formation”.  Because no one was monitoring their social media account, their “what should have been clever reply” was not posted until hours later. #Fail Red Lobster. Fail.

So how does media shape what we, as consumers, think is important?  If I think about this from the perspective of what I do every day, which is brand and advertisement, it looks much like agenda setting.  According to Schneider (2012), agenda setting is the idea that media can shape what issues we think about or what issues we think are important.  For example, each year a brand will do a brand campaign and they blanket the television, social media, radio, print etc with their brand and what message they want you to receive about their brand, be it functional or emotional.  This is known as the availability heuristic.  The availability heuristic (Schneider et al., 2012) suggest that people make judgments based on how easy it is to recall instances of something from memory.  For example, if you have seen a commercial, looked at a print ad in a magazine, read a twitter post all from the same brand and someone asked you to list the name of a brand in that category- chances are you will list this brand because it is most easy to recall.

This is the same technique the competitor hotel used in the beginning of my post.  They got in front of the consumer and made a positive emotional connection during a negative time- which left them at the top of that consumer’s mind; leading to increased recall.  As a result, that group chose the other hotel for their subsequent visits.

On the flip side, the same can also happen to a brand if there is negative media surrounding them.  Take Chic-Fil-a, for example.  This brand was known to all consumers to have great customer service and tasty food…fast.  Their corporate purpose? “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.” (Chik-fil-a.com) However, the only way you would ever know that there was a religious affiliation with this brand is the fact that their doors are closed on Sunday. No one thinks to take to a brand’s corporate page to look up their mission and vision or purpose if the brand is great!  There’s no reason to.  And the people that have interest in that are probably doing work for the brand.  Your average Joe consumer?  Nah, not so much. But who would have ever thought that the President of Chik-fil-a, Dan Cathy would explain his “guilty as charged” comments on the Atlanta radio program The Ken Coleman show on the heels of his gay marriage stance. Stating “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.” (U.S. News and World Report, 2012)  This caused tons of consumers, media outlets, political activists, gay rights activists and many others to take a deeper dive into what Chik-fil-a really stood for.  Chik-fil-a was in the media for a long time and people boycotted them, spoke negatively about them and a social movement was incited.

Media influences our thoughts, our feelings and our perceptions of political issues, social issues, brands, other people and ourselves.  We learn about things instantaneously these days.   We live the life we want to on the internet so others will think we “have it all”. Politicians tell you what they want you to hear to get your vote.  Brands pull you in emotionally to make the sale.  Instant gratification is only a wi-fi connection away. One thing is for sure- what goes up, must come down.

Media- love them or hate them, they are here to stay.

 

Cline, S. (2012, July 27). Chick-fil-A’s Controversial Gay Marriage Beef. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/07/27/chick-fil-as-controversial-gay-marriage-beef

How Can Brands Turn Consumer Complaints Into Compliments On Social Media? (2015). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.momentology.com/4140-consumer-complaints-on-social-media-how-can-brands-turn-complaints-into-compliments/

How We Give. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://www.chick-fil-a.com/Company/Responsibility-Giving-Tradition

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

 


16
Mar 16

A Great Influence on American Teenagers

Social media, it is apart of our every day lives. So many choose to have social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter devoted to most of their day. However, the amount of influence it has on American teens is significant.

In the United States, we spend 4.7 hours on our phones. The average American is awake for about 15 hours a day (Chang, 2015). This means that we spend about a third of our day on our phone. This is a huge amount of time. On average, 1.72 hours of that time is spent on social media sites. This is about 28% of all online activity (Bennett, 2015).

According to a report by Common Sense Media, 75% of American teenagers have an account on social networking sites. 68% of these teenagers use Facebook as their main form of networking.

The amount of time spent on these networks and the large number of youth taking part in them leads to vulnerable opportunities for influence. However, why are these teenagers so easy to influence? According to Debra Ruder, research throughout the past ten years revealed that the brains of these young teenagers have both fast-growing synapses and sections that remain unconnected. Due to this, these young individuals are easier to influence and they are more likely to have impulsive behaviors.

These social networks provide the agenda setting to influence many of these consumers, especially teenagers. Frank Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts defines agenda setting as the idea in which media can shape what we think about and what is important. For instance, cyber-bullying can be very popular among the youth. One may post an embarrassing picture or talk negatively about another. This could lead to others being influenced to do the same thing by either sharing the post, messaging the person, or using this information to publicly humiliate them in another way.

This leads into Schneider’s availability heuristic. This is when individuals make their judgement based on how easy they are able to recall it from their memory (Schneider, et al,. 2012) . In the view of this teenage world, they are likely to recall these embarrassing moments that occurred to another individual. These moments will forever shape their judgement about those individuals. Decisions will be based off of these moments. These decisions may not be dramatic in the eyes of an adult or compare to world issues but in a teenagers world they are rather important. For instance, the individual who was once cyber-bullied may ask another person to a dance or to be their partner for a school project. The individual is likely to reject them due to their memory of such events; especially if the events are reoccurring.

The amount of influence social media has on our youth I know is far greater than this. Many other aspects of their lives have to be damaged, such as their education, their self-worth, and how they view the world. Too much time is spent on these social networks and cutting down that amount of time can only benefit our youth; let alone, ourselves.

References:
Bennett, S. (2015, January 27). 28% of Time Spent Online is Social Networking. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/time-spent-online/613474
Chang, L. (2015, June 13). Americans Spend an Alarming Amount of Time Checking Social Media on Their Phones. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/informate-report-social-media-smartphone-use/
Ruber, D. (2008, September/October). The Teen Brain. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from http://harvardmagazine.com/2008/09/the-teen-brain.html
Saphir, M., Rideout, V., & Rudd, A. (2012). Social Media, Social Life-How Teens View Their Digital Lives. Commen Sense Media. Retrieved March 16, 2016, from file:///C:/Users/Ashley/Downloads/socialmediasociallife-final-061812 (1).pdf.
Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2012). Foundations of Applied Social Psychology. In Applied Social Psychology (2nd ed.). SAGE.

 


14
Mar 16

Social Media Affects Self-Esteem

635898549947643076754984903_social media

Social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have been known to affect a users self-esteem. Self-esteem is defined as an individuals overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It is a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self. The opportunities for adolescents to form and maintain relationships within social media and on the internet has multiplied within the past several years. Valkenburg, Peter, and Schouten (2006), conducted a study to investigate the consequences of friend networking sites for adolescents’ self-esteem and well-being. The researchers conducted an online survey among 881 Dutch adolescents between 10 and 19 years of age. The researchers measured social self-esteem, well-being, use of friend networking sites, frequency of reactions to profiles, and tone of reactions to profiles. The research concluded that 49.3% of the reactions to their profile were predominantly negative and 28.4% of the reactions were predominantly positive. The percentages indicate the correlation between social media and self-esteem. Lets be honest, individuals within my generation seek specific things when “lurking” on an individuals profile. Such as the men in my generation follow and seek women on social media who tend to show a lot more skin than they should. The women on Instagram who do not have any issues bearing skin have a high amount of followers over 1,000. Women lurk on a man’s page seeking for their materialistic items such as cars, money, and the way a man dresses. Instances such as these causes low self-esteem to individuals who do not portray these specific items or lifestyles on social media.

USA Today asked 23 Chicago college students about social media and 20 out of 23 students believed social media caused anxiety or added stress to an individual’s life. One female college student believed that social media adds a lot of pressure to be the perfect person, because that’s how individual’s can make themselves look online. A lot of women on social media with low self-esteem issues show their skin and wear revealing outfits to feel “better” about their own body by taking into account how many likes on Instagram or Facebook they receive. The college students have realized it is easy to portray a different version of themselves on the internet. Individuals believe the number of likes on Facebook/Instagram or retweets on Twitter is used as a tool of verification for acceptance within their group of peers. This can cause a domino effect of problems on an individuals self-esteem. An individual will post photos that are outside their character just to seek approval through likes from their peers. This may boost an individuals self-esteem temporarily, but once he or she logs off social media their self-esteem really hasn’t improved.

References

1. Valkenbur, P. M., Peter, J., & Shouted, A. P. (2006). Friend Networking Sites and Their Relationship to Adolescents Well-being and Social Self-Esteem. Friend Networking Sites and Their Relationship to Adolescents Well-being and Social Self-Esteem, 9(5), 584-590. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Patti_Valkenburg/publication/6761621_Friend_networking_sites_and_their_relationship_to_adolescents’_well-being_and_social_self-esteem/links/5422d8660cf26120b7a63756.pdf

2.Tally, K. (2014, October 21). Does social media affect students self-esteem? Retrieved March 14, 2016, from http://college.usatoday.com/2014/10/21/does-social-media-affect-students-self-esteem/


14
Mar 16

Media Nation

The media along with the internet is a powerful draw especially to the youth of today where fame seems to be a prerequisite to happiness. Just the right video can garner riches while the wrong video can reap even more riches. The media has always led society around by the nose, but in recent times, it seems people are more enamored. One reason is that someone can make a living or earn internet fame therefore, you can be relatively anonymous in the world but a big celebrity on the internet. Another allure is the ability to make money without leaving the house. An uploaded topical video channel host on YouTube, depending on his or her subscribers and how many people watch the video can earn millions annually (Stelter, 2008). American society is checkered with previously anonymous individuals who parlayed a moment into celebrity, and with celebrity comes riches. In essence, many people are in the background of a live televised event trying to be noticed by waving or mugging for the camera hoping that will be their moment.
The media influence has a profound effect on a person’s desire to fit in and can act as a conduit for adolescent teens who have a strong desire is to be normal, be popular, or at the very least not stand out for not fitting in at all. According to designer Diane Van Furstenberg “Being active on the Internet is indispensable to growth and for being relevant” (as cited in Navimatt, 2013). The media prescribes the attire and behavior according to a particular clique they want to be a member. The media, rather than mass osmosis, inspired hip-hop lovers from around the country try to wear their pants below the backsides. He media also encouraged hundreds of thousand others to embrace face tattoos. The media helped perpetuate the Marlboro Man and supermodels in past generations. It is what the media does. The media can glamorize the norm or create the norm. If a lie is told often enough, it becomes the truth; therefore, if the media portrays an image often enough it becomes the norm.

The media can and has done well at times. It displayed the horrors of the Vietnam War, exposed police brutality and connected the world to climate change. To deliver broad narratives, the media gives to the public in chunks to be deciphered by those who will. However, without a doubt, the media glamorizes behavior that is detrimental to swaths of society at micro levels. In thirty seconds, the media can titillate millions of individuals with soft drinks or alcohol in a commercial without one word of dialogue. Advertisers misinform impressionable viewers that they can be energetic and beautiful if they drink or eat a particular product. In the small print or with an auctioneer’s whir, the negatives are explained. With print media, we have seen the impossibly thin and supremely striated symbols of the in-crowd. They look like people we have never seen before except in magazines or in commercials (see above). We know that media has played on the public psyche of body image for many years. The digital airbrush Rembrandts have been exposed, requiring the media to change. They now support the aesthetics of those who are overweight, deliciously plump, or BBW. Is this because it is healthier to be overweight than previously thought or is the media simply following the money. With more than “78.6 million U.S. adults considered obese” (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014), Corporations seek profit above other ethical considerations. Money is the motivator and the media will attempt to steer public opinion in whatever way leads to profit whether it is an inner city kid desperate enough to kill for Air Jordan’s, or a bulimic teen who wants to be just right. The media, in all forms, are the Wizards of Oz.
The media in many regards the media acts as a buffer from reality and buttress to self-esteem. No matter the debauchery committed online for the world to see, there will be people who will approve; therefore, things not normally spoken in polite society are now more acceptable because there is an insidious undercurrent of acceptance behind many negative ideations.
Unfortunately, mainstream media have made a fortune teaching people the wrong ways to talk to each other, offering up Jerry Springer, Crossfire, Bill O’Reilly. People understandably conclude rage is the political vernacular, that this is how public ideas are talked about. (Wolchover, 2012)
The media and internet bring people together in many cases for the wrong reasons. Very often what people do is find confirmation rather than conflicting sources to their already held beliefs. People are not motivated to be proven wrong. Unless research is a primary factor, personal ego steers individuals towards affirmational information and sources which, in turn, wrongly or rightly affect our attitudes and beliefs.
The media affects many people by showing them things they would rather not be like impoverished, racist, arrogant, or obnoxious. Segments of society are depicted and even vilified and most people prefer to stay within the social norms.

References
Navimatt (2013) Influence of Social Media In Fashion & Lifestyle. Retrieved from: http://socialmediaweek.org/mumbai/2013/07/18/influence-of-social-media-in-fashion-lifestyle/
Ogden, L.C., PhD, Carroll, D. M., MSPH, Kit, K.B,. MD, MPH, & Flegal, M.K. PhD (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. JAMA. 311(8):806-814. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.732.
Stelter, B. (2008). YouTube Videos Pull in Real Money Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/business/media/11youtube.html?_r=0
Wolchover, N. (2012) Why Is Everyone on the Internet So Angry? Retrieved From: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-everyone-on-the-internet-so-angry/


09
Mar 16

Social Media and Health Care

No need to call the receptionist and set up those doctor appointments-send a quick Facebook message instead- doc is now your bestie on social media! In this post, the topic of health care and social media will be explored.

In a recent AMA Journal of Ethics article “Why Can’t We Be Friends? A Case-Based Analysis of Ethical Issues with Social Media in Health Care,” researchers Kayhan Parsi and Nanette Elster explore several case studies that threaten to down grade the benefits of social media in the health care realm. The article explains some benefits of social media in health care. These benefits include quicker government responses to health emergencies, increases healthy lifestyle awareness, people with diseases can increase connections with others and spread awareness, helps doctors find new patients, and doctor office’s can post updates for patients and find new cliental. Although the benefits of using social media making revolutionary positive impacts in health care, the use of social media can often enter risky territories.

Social media in health care can deteriorate the fine lines between business and person realms. This includes ethical issues such as doctors and medical students posting personal information regarding their patients, and patients stalking doctors; in fact, “A 2009 study published in JAMA revealed that 60 percent of medical schools surveyed ‘reported incidents of students posting unprofessional online content” (Parsi et. al, 2015). Social media has opened the doors for privacy breeches that threaten the doctor-patient confidentiality. Other issues using social media in health care are documented in the following case studies: A medical student traveled to the Dominican Republic and shares photographs of herself and locals (patients) in the area on her social media accounts. How is she to receive consent for sharing these photographs of her patients? Some may argue that incidents like these violate privacy laws and ethical norms (Parsi et. al, 2015). The next case study explores negative consequences of using social media on private practice. Several Physicians working in private practice recently butted heads when one of the Physicians publically posted political health care criticisms on his twitter page. The others working with him felt his comments would negatively impact their private practice. This case study shows that social media can also impact private practice and aggregate business endeavours. Other incidences include sharing personal information regarding patients, or even more making fun of patients as an attempt to “vent” to friends and family.

Some of the social media misuse in the health care system can be attributed to American’s addiction to using social media. This social media addiction and impulse expands from one’s personal life and into the public sector; therefore, making it an easy tool to misuse. When a social media user in engaging in this activity and receives “likes” and “shares” on their posts and pictures, these psychological rewards stimulate dopamine and oxytocin in the brain. Researcher Courtney Seiter explains: “In 10 minutes of social media time, oxytocin levels can rise as much as 13%—a hormonal spike equivalent to some people on their wedding day.” This is the source of social media addiction and can cause users to seek more attention (good or bad) in order to keep stimulating these receptors in the brain. Some questions to consider: Are these negative components in health care part of using social media, or are their ways to monitor and prevent these incidents from occurring?

References

Parsi, K., & Elster, N. (2015). Why Can’t We Be Friends? A Case-Based Analysis of

Ethical Issues with Social Media in Health Care. AMA American Medical Association, 17(11), 1009-1018. Retrieved March 9, 2016, from http://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/2015/11/peer1-1511.html

Seider, C. (2015, August 10). The Psychology of Social Media. Retrieved March 09, 2016, from https://blog.bufferapp.com/psychology-of-social-media


07
Mar 16

Psychologists Can Help to Get It Right

In the climate of growing stigma about police brutality and unfair treatment of suspects, it seems that the importance of training law enforcement to understand behaviors is at an all-time high. While I personally know many law enforcement officers and understand what they are up against trying to convict criminals, many people do not. I also know defense attorneys who make a living pointing out the mistakes of law enforcement. There is tremendous pressure to make a bust and make it quickly. With today’s twenty-four hour news, sensationalism, over-coverage, and public demand for immediate action have become commonplace.

In the high pressure world of law enforcement, it might be difficult to take a step back and do more analyzing of suspects before trying to get a confession out of them. However, Porter, Rose and Dilley (2016) propose that this is exactly what needs to happen in order to make sure that the police are getting accurate information (Porter, Rose, & Dilley, 2016). Psychology can play a large role in helping law enforcement make sure they are getting accurate information and putting the right suspects behind bars.

Psychologists study the behavior of people. Researchers have amassed large quantities of data on how to read people and why people react the way they do. Psychology research can inform law enforcement on how to tell if a person is lying for instance (Porter, Rose, & Dilley, 2016). There is data on behaviors of people who are not being honest, and often times the data says something different than our instincts.

Research can also inform as to what types of personalities are more likely to render a false confession. Many people still believe that no innocent person would ever confess to a crime that they did not commit. However, studies have shown repeatedly that there are certain situations and certain types of people who will confess to something they didn’t do for several reasons (Porter, Rose, & Dilley, 2016). Some people confess because they have been coerced into thinking that they will be convicted regardless of a confession, but have been promised leniency if they confess. Some types of people will confess because they see it as the only way out of a stressful situation. Still others will confess because they have been convinced that they actually committed the crime.

The stakes are high in criminal investigations and it is very important that the investigators get accurate information. After all, if they convict someone based on a false confession, then the actual criminal is still on the streets. Psychology has an important part to play in training law enforcement officers on how to get to the truth of a situation rather than just getting to a conclusion.

References

Porter, S., Rose, K., & Dilley, T. (2016). Enhanced Interrogations: The expanding roles of psychology in police investigations in canada. Canadian Psychology, 35-43.


06
Mar 16

Reducing Recidivism

Serving time in prison is not easy to say the least but regardless of how difficult it is it can be even more challenging to be able to stay out of prison once an inmate is released. This is how it was for Rudy Holder when he was released from prison after 12 years behind bars for the non-fatal shooting of two rivals (Lee, 2012). Once an inmate is released he wanted to avoid the cycle of recidivism, however, without marketable skills and the stigma of having a prison record there are few job prospects that will keep them out of trouble. For Rudy this was even more difficult since he, like many on parole, had to return to his old neighborhood where he ran the risk of running into someone he was not to interact with since it would be a violation of his parole and these acquaintances would temp him to return to his old gang (Lee, 2012). So, what can be done about this problem? The idea of therapeutic communities could be the start of this solution. Therapeutic communities use social and clinical psychology to promote personal growth and development (Schnieder, 2012). Since the main aim of a therapeutic community is to change attitudes and beliefs and behaviors to ones that will lead to heathier lifestyles and more adaptive behaviors when returning to the community (Schnieder, 2012). In a prison setting this therapy would add ideas that would include building relationships with one another, authority figures, women and children, as well as, attending to antisocial attitudes, values, beliefs and victim awareness and steps to avoid reoffending (Schnieder, 2012) These communities must work in a highly structured way that will model a supportive and prosocial model in order for the prisoners to learn a new way of living.

While this is helpful for prisoners, it is difficult to maintain due to the security concerns and it must operate as a separate community from the general population. Once the prisoner is released it can still be difficult for them to assimilate what they have learned when they return to the old neighborhood with old acquaintances. This is when programs such as the Exodus Transitional Community in East Harlem steps in (Lee, 2012). This program believes that the first three to six months after release are the most critical in determining recidivism so they help recently released convicts get re-acclimated. By tailoring a program to meet their motivations and skills they are provided with the resources to help them. (Lee, 2012). The Exodus program has helped 400 participants with only 9 of these returning back to prison and in 2011 at least half had a job with the average pay of $10.40 per hour (Lee, 2012).  This holistic approach has been successful and there have been many other programs similar to it across the country that not only focuses on helping their clients find work but also helping them change their street or jail mentality or personality, which includes their language, sense of entitlement or resentment of not having the things others may have (Lee, 2012). When programs such as therapeutic communities in jails and the Exodus Transitional Community work together the risk of recidivism can be greatly reduced and Rudy Holder is proof of this as he started as a client, became a volunteer, then intern and now is a full time employee (Lee, 2012). Rudy can use his prison experience to help others stay out of trouble, even if it means going to look for those who are showing signs of getting into trouble again my missing classes or meeting. With programs such as these and people working in them who have first-hand experience with the difficulties that are faced before, during and after prison people who are at risk for recidivism can be helped to find a positive lifestyle. And this is a positive change for everyone.

 

Lee, Trymaine (2012) Recidivism hard to shake for ex-offenders returning home to dim             prospects. Huffington Post Black Voices. Retrieved from                 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/09/recidivism-harlem-convicts_n_1578935.html

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

 


06
Mar 16

Ugh, I Received a Jury Summons

It is our rights as Americans to have a jury of our peers who are not biased. But what happens when they don’t want to serve on a jury? We all would like to be the ones who are excused from service, but according to California Rules of Court, rule 2.1008 – external link, the grounds on which the Jury Commissioner’s Office is allowed to excuse prospective jurors from jury service states, “Jury service, unless excused by law, is a responsibility of citizenship. The court and its staff shall employ all necessary and appropriate means to ensure that citizens fulfill this important civic duty.” (Sacramento County, 2016)

I have seen it time and time again. Friends of mine are posting on their social media sites about how they have received that dreaded notice. We should all want to serve our communities and county in the best way possible. So what are the reasons behind this? Juries play a key role in the criminal justice system, changing the lives of criminals and victims everyday. Social Psychology has had a long time interest in human decision-making and applied to serving on a jury, real interesting information can emerge. (PSU, WC, 2015)

Here are the top four reasons people give for not wanting to serve on a jury:

  1. Undue hardship
  2. Jury service being uncomfortable
  3. Distrust in government
  4. Lack of punishment for a non-responsive summons

Social Psychologists have been interested in the understanding of the social process of a jury when in the courtroom, but what about the jurors before they get chosen? (Schneider, Gruman and Coutts, 2012) We, as jurors, have no control over how long we may be serving on a jury if chosen. This can create anxiety over wanting to help in a jury environment. If I have to worry about how I am going to make my rent, pay my bills, or feed my kids, then what use am I to the 11 other people I serve with, along with the defense and prosecution?

Part of the job as a juror is to deliberate on a verdict for the defense. (Schneider et al., 2012) If I am preoccupied am I going to push to move the deliberation along faster and agree with everyone else on the panel just to be done? This is why lawyers look through each candidate who has been presented to them and figure out who will be the best candidates for the position of a juror. Significant research has been done on the attitude-behavior connection that show that the two are closely correlated, but only under curtain circumstances. Ajezn and Fishbein (1977) stated that this only happens when the attitudes are specific to the behavior. For example, me getting the jury notice and me having to worry about how I will function economically during jury service. (Schneider et al., 2012)

It is then our responsibility as a citizen serving our community to make every effort to be honest and forthcoming to all people involved about why serving may not be for you (at least this time). There is nothing wrong with stepping away from the situation if you feel like your choices may affect the outcome of the jury trial. However, you should always look at serving jury duty as a chance to do your civic duty. If you are open and honest about every aspect of why you would want to serve or why serving is not right for you, the lawyers involved will make what they think is the right choice for their clients.

References

Jury Services Center: Sacramento Superior Court. (2016). Retrieved March 05, 2016, from https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/jury/jury.aspx

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). Applied Social Psychology. Psych 424. Lesson 08: The legal system/criminal justice. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych424/001/content/09_lesson/printlesson.html

Sams, D. M., JD. (2013, January 31). Avoiding Jury Duty: Psychological and Legal Perspectives. Retrieved March 05, 2016, from http://www.thejuryexpert.com/2013/01/avoiding-jury-duty-psychological-and-legal-perspectives/

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

 


06
Mar 16

Steven Avery Trial and Cognitive Resource Theory

If you are one of the many millions of Americans that used your Christmas break or time off from work wisely, then you watched the Netflix Original docuseries, Making a Murderer. It was mesmerizing and infuriating all at the same time. The filmmakers drew you in, placed you on the side of the Avery family, got you to feel a great deal of empathy for them and then …..plot twist.

With so many thoughts that didn’t make sense taking up space in your mind, you could not understand the details that began to unfold in this series. How could someone that spent 18 years in prison, only to be exonerated, get out and kill someone? Was the Manitowac County Sheriff’s department crooked? Is it because the Averys are poor? You were hooked. You were outraged. You were overwhelmed with emotion. You emotions got in the way of your rationale mind and your quality decision-making.

According to ChangingMinds.org, Cognitive Resource Theory states that stress affects the relationship between intelligence and decision quality. It states that when there is low stress, then our intelligence is fully functional and makes optimal contribution. On the contrary, when we are stressed and seeking rationale then we are not utilizing quality decision-making and our intelligence level is of no use.

In this case, we fell for the “facts” presented to us in the Steven Avery case. We became emotionally involved and stressed out under the details of the first case of wrongful incarceration. We grew to like Steven Avery and to feel for the supposed “underdog”. Once he was accused again of a horrific crime, coupled with the facts presented to you by the filmmakers, at that point it did not matter how smart we thought we were or how rational we normally are, we were unable to make a quality decision of his guilt or innocence because we were so outraged with the travesty that was bestowed upon this family. Not once- but twice.

As the novelty of this documentary phenomenon died down, we began to hear more details of the case that were not presented in the series. Our emotions seemingly returned to normal and our quality decision-making was back on track. Of course there are many more social psychological factors affecting this case- eye witness testimony, police interrogation and police line ups but the overarching message in this case is one of true and raw emotion. One that led us in, shut the door and got us hooked.

There are many other true American crimes that involve the use of our emotions, ones that seem to be handed to us by the media.  They interrupt our wise mind, they halt our rational thinking and we are outraged by what we consider to be the facts of the case.  Never once thinking there could be more information out there, perhaps we aren’t getting all of the facts or quite possibly maybe he or she is innocent or guilty.

Cognitive Resource Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2016, from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/cognitive_resource.htm

 

 


03
Mar 16

Wrongly Identified

Crimes are committed on a daily basis. Police officers often hope that another individual witnessed the crime taking place. If there was someone there to witness the crime then there would be a higher chance of catching and convicting the right individual. However, how trustworthy is an eye witness statement?

According to Schneider (2012) there are several ways that applied social psychology can be applied to the legal system and criminal justice; eyewitness testimony being one of them. It is common that human tendencies influence the validity of the information provided.

Eyewitnesses base their knowledge off of their memory. Often at times, people think that memory is like a video recorder (Arkowitz, & Lilienfeld, 2010). It plays back what we have previously experienced. However, memory is reconstructed instead of being like a video. There are bits and pieces that are being put together to form the memory. When being questioned, our memory may be triggered by the words that the questioner is using. This could lead to false memorization. This is a situation known as misinformation effect (Schneider, et al,. 2012). One needs to think about the emotion in the words used before questioning an individual.

According to surveys, the juries decision is based highly on the eyewitnesses testimony (Arkowitz, et al,. 2010). Police lineups are mostly used to allow witnesses to identify the individual whom committed the crime. Photos may also be used to identify the suspect. In a live police lineup, the witness is placed in a room with a one way mirror. This allows them to view the suspects without exposing themselves. Several people are lined up in front of them. This lineup may or may not contain the individual who actually committed the crime. This puts a lot of pressure on the witness. They want to do good and help the police find who committed the crime. Even if the right individual is not in the lineup, witnesses tend to choose someone anyway, due to the amount of pressure on them (Snider, 2014). The misinformation effect can come into place during this time as well. If a police officer is in the room with the witness during the lineup, the police officers may signal a cue to the witness causing them to choose the suspect that they had in mind (Snider, 2014).

DNA testing has shown to be a great way to determine if the the eyewitness chose the correct suspect. DNA has played a role in more than 70% of wrongful convictions (Eyewitness Misidentification, n.d). This just goes to show how unreliable an eyewitness statement can be.

Reforms and solutions to this issue have already begun, such as the innocence project. This includes blind administration, lineup composition, confidence statements, and recording but only a few will be discussed. The blind administration involves a police officer within the room during a lineup. However, this police officer is unaware of who they might think the suspect is for the crime (Eyewitness Misidentification, n.d). With lineup composition fillers are used to resemble the eyewitnesses description, such as multiply of the same race versus only having one of that race in the lineup. Lastly, recording the identification process would be beneficial (Eyewitness Misidentification, n.d). This would allow the jury to witness the identification taking place and they would be able to determine for themselves if they feel the witness was sure of their choice. Overall, it will be interesting to see if the innocence project will be successful in eliminating inaccurate identification.

References
Arkowitz, H., & Lilienfeld, S. (2010, January 1). Why Science Tells Us Not to Rely on Eyewitness Accounts. Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-the-eyes-have-it/
Schneider, F., Gruman, J., & Coutts, L. (2012). Foundations of Applied Social Psychology. In Applied Social Psychology (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Snider, B. (2014, June 4). What Happens in a Police Lineup? Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://blogs.findlaw.com/blotter/2014/06/what-happens-in-a-police-lineup.html
Eyewitness Misidentification. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2016, from http://www.innocenceproject.org/causes-wrongful-conviction/eyewitness-misidentification

 


03
Mar 16

What about the jury…

jury

Jury, a group, usually about 12 people, who are sworn in, to provide a verdict in a legal case. Their verdict is based off of evidence the court provides them (Webster’s, 2016). This definition clearly states that when a jury makes a verdict in court, it should be based off of the presented evidence. That sounds good, but this is not always the case.

Sommers and Norton examine the peremptory challenge through a psychological approach. The Peremptory challenge refers to the attorney’s right to reject potential jurors. This rejection of jurors does not require an explanation.

So, attorneys get to reject potential jurors, without an explanation, why?

They can reject these potential jurors if they have any belief that the juror would be impartial. Impartial, is the act of not treating trial participants fairly and just (Summons & Norton, 2008). This process allows attorneys to remove potential jurors, whom they believe may be biased, although they cannot prove this. Now I don’t know much about this process, but I am curious to know how you can label someone as impartial without giving an explanation or receiving any type of explanation from them. This leads me to believe that potential jurors are being labeled as impartial based on judgmental aspects, such as gender, race, age, etc.

Moving on, the purpose in attorneys doing this is so that they can create a “fair jury”. I personally believe that if a jury is random, then the jury should be fair. Unless there is evidence that a potential juror knows the attorney, the defendant, or so on then I do not see any other reason that the potential juror can be deemed biased.

This brings me to one of the suggested interventions proposed by Summons and Norton. Random selection. Random selection of the jury prevents, gender, race, and age from having an influence on jury selection (Summons & Norton, 2008). Random juries call for a truly representative jury, free of bias, unless individuals have their own personal biases, which can be eliminated if they can be identified by the attorney or judge. By using random selection to select the jury we would be preventing the opportunity for attorneys or judges to have control over who is present for the jury, giving them less control of the results, as it should be. I think that this would call for more fair juries and then more fair outcomes.

Another intervention that Summons and Norton suggested was category masking. Category masking is the process of making jurors blind to the visual components of the case. Jurors would only be made aware of the details of the case. This type of intervention would be implemented in an effort to also reduce the chances of biased decisions being made in the court room. The only concern I have with this, is that jurors would not be able to look for signs of dissonance when making their decision. Dissonance is the lack of agreement between what a person says and their gestures and/or actions. This can play a huge role in the decision making process for jurors.

I want to conclude with thinking about some more ideas and possible interventions on how we can make sure our criminal justice system is making matters fair in all cases when a jury is involved. I would love to hear your thoughts, and suggestions.

If you would like to read this article yourself, the citation is included below:

Sommers, Samuel R., and Michael I. Norton. “Race and Jury Selection: Psychological Perspectives on the Peremptory Challenge Debate.” American Psychologist 63, no. 6 (2008): 527-39.

Photograph: Mark Strozier/Alamy, 2016


02
Mar 16

Pick me! Pick me!

People often tell me how dreadful jury duty can be.  Taking time away from your normal life, long waits and time being wasted makes a lot of people not wanting to do jury duty.  I had my first ever jury duty experience last month. Although I was removed during the voir dire, or the initial screening process it was one of the most interesting experience I’ve ever had.  From the number and types of people to how systematic the process was to questions they asked and finally the elimination. Everything was well thought out and served a purpose. After reading this week’s lesson and thinking back on my experience I realized that social psychology does and can apply to every aspect of our lives.  If there are people, there is social psychology.

Social psychology research has investigated how the number of people serving on a jury can impact the outcome of a trial. The quick answer is that too few jurors bias the case against the defendant. (Lesson 8)  The first thing I noticed when I got there was the group diversity. There were college students, middle-age house wives, blue/white collar and retirees. People came from all facets of life with different educational backgrounds and different ethnicities.  We started with 36 people to have 12 final jurors chosen for the trial.  According to results done by Saks and Marti indicates that jury size tends to have a greater impact on the deliberation process than on the jury’s verdict.  Smaller juries tend to spend less time deliberating and tend to recall fewer details of the case. A 12 person jury is twice as likely to arrive at a hung verdict as a 6-person jury.   Statistically, larger juries are thought to be more representative of the diverse community from which they are drawn.  (pp. 262)  I really didn’t think so much thought was put into this.  Every little detail could affect or alter the outcome of the trial.  Applied psychologists have been actively involved in conducting research on the courtroom, including behaviors of jurors. (pp. 261) The social process that takes place within the courtroom amongst lawyers, judges, witness, defendant and jurors should not be neglected.

When we finally got into the courtroom, we were each given a number in which is what we would be referred to from that point forward. We were divided into three groups to sit in the jury section where we would be asked specific questions to determine our partiality. Gives both lawyers a good idea about our attitudinal and a behavioral component which could potentially affect a verdict of a case and to eliminate anyone with any type of juror prejudice (pp. 264) The case presented to us that day was a domestic violence case.  The Judge begun by asking each of us to introduce ourselves then went into more specific questions mainly related to what our perception of domestic violence was and whether we had any personal experience with the issue. While the judge was doing this, I can feel both lawyers paying very close attention to what we were saying and what our body language is expressing. Sometimes they would even take down notes.  When the Judge finished her questioning, it was time for both lawyers to ask the questions so they can select the candidates that would be most beneficial to their case.

As this process went on, I really got into the case and in my heart I was thinking “Pick me! Pick me!” After all the questions were completed, it was time for elimination. The answers that I had given didn’t show any signs of bias so I was feeling hopeful as I thought I am a pretty impartial candidate for this case.   The Judge called out numbers that would be excused from the trial. I was very happy my number wasn’t called.  Then each representing lawyers would call out the numbers that want eliminated.  Then “4213”, my number was called by the defending lawyer.  I was quite devastated.  I still don’t know and will never know why she excused my but she must have seen something about me that is not in favor to her case.  All in all, it was a great experience and eye opening to see the type of impact social psychology has on our jury system. Impact that can improve fairness to people on trial which enhances both the criminal justice system, but also the reputation of our society (Lesson 8)  As we understand how people act and think, we can develop ways to assist and enhance all aspects of the criminal justice system.

 

Reference:

Schneider, Frank W., Gruman, Jamie A., Coutts, Larry M. “Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems”. Second Edition. 2012. Sage Publications.


02
Mar 16

Trial in the Loss of Marissa Peach

On January 5, 2007 Edward Bernat beat his live in fiancé Marissa Peach to death.  Marissa sustained multiple injuries, one was a blow to her head that caused her to enter into a coma and subsequently die as a result of her injuries.  Marissa was my friend and coworker.

During the course of the investigation and trial of Mr. Bernat there were multiple factors that could have gone wrong, evidence could have been tampered with or lost in the collection process, her cleared cellular phone, and laptop were found and restored aiding in establishing a time line.  The prosecutors up until the Sunday night before the trial started tweaked the witness list.

Once the trial began, Mr. Bernat expressed little is any emotion in the courtroom.  While he argued that she went for him the evidence clearly went against this claim of the sequence of events.  It was at this point that it became obvious Mr. Bernat would accept no personal responsibility (pp. 248) for his actions toward Marissa.

Understanding the interpersonal components that lead to these actions are difficult.  We can assume that the frustration aggression theory (pp. 248) applies as Mr. Bernat historically appeared dissatisfied with his own life, living off of Marissa while he retained his wages for his interests avoiding paying for the household needs (Castelli, 2008).  We can also assume that on leaving her alone, still unmoved the following morning as he left for work it is likely Mr. Bernat experienced a sense of social deindvidualization, perhaps less aware of what severity the injuries his actions created had caused, or potentially that she would be found prior to his return home and he could try to diffuse any responsibility.

While we will never understand what lead to this tragic night, we can see how the criminal justice system worked in this case.  From the responding officers and investigators, to the district attorney, and jury.  All of which lead to the successful trial within an adversarial model (pp. 260) of our criminal justice system.

Too often we cite problems within the system, though far from “perfect” by any stretch of the imagination, I believe more often than not our criminal justice system works.  In identified areas where flaws are discovered or local areas where improvements can be made the use of psychology will be important in providing feedback and interpretations of available data from cases like Marissa’s to make the system more consistent and more importantly more trusted by those it is to serve.

Castelli, Karen. “Victim’s Mom Calls Daughter’s Killer a Dead Person”. The Patriot News via PennLive.com.  March 21, 2008. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/03/victims_mom_calls_daughters_ki.html

Schneider, Frank W., Gruman, Jamie A., Coutts, Larry M. “Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems”. Second Edition. 2012. Sage Publications.


Skip to toolbar