SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN THE DESIGN

SCHOOL FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILD ENVIRONMENT

ASSIGNMENT 1: INDIVIDUAL JOURNAL

NAME: CHONG HAO FOONG

STUDENT ID NO: 0322343

GROUP/SESSION: MONDAY, 5.30pm-7.30pm

COURSE: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY (PSYC0103)

LECTURER: MR. T. SHANKAR

SUBMISSION DATE: 30 NOV 2015

JOURNAL 01 – Social Loafing

“More hands make for lighter work.” “Two heads are better than one.” “The

more the merrier.” The idea of working in group is to have easier and more effectively

accomplish on a task by using the skills and talents of individuals in the group.

Agreeing with that thought, but sometimes in group there is a tendency on the

part of participants to contribute less to the group's goal than if they were doing the

same task themselves. This is seen as one of the main reason that sometimes group

work is less productive than the combined work of the members working as

individuals, people just not willing to put full effort on the group. In social

psychology, this kind of phenomena is called social loafing.

Social loafing refers to the concept that people exerting less effort to achieve a

task when they work in a group than when they work alone. As an example, a teacher

gives the class a project with a group of ten students. If the student is working on his

own, he would have brief through the project and start it right away. Since it is a

group project, the social loafing tendency makes the student will not care about the

group project as much as the individual work. Instead of taking the responsibility to

finish the group project, the student will just think that the other team member will

take care of it. Or in some cases, the other members in the group assume that someone

else will take care of their share of the work, and one of the member ends up getting

stuck doing the entire project by himself.

As for myself, I have experience social loafing dozen of times in my eighteen

years of life. One of the simple example happened when I am at school camping. I am

a scout in school, when we camp we need a lot of bamboo to cut and tight to turn

them into gadgets like a shoe rack, kitchen table, clothes hanger and many more. So

where did all the bamboo come from? The seniors will order a bunch of bamboo from

outside, a truck will come to our school full of bamboo. As a team, we will carry the

bamboos from the truck to the school field. When we carried bamboo, we often split

into three people a team. Three people can carried about five to seven long bamboo at

once. As my personal experience, social loafing tends to work on us when we carried

the bamboo. Sometimes I felt a lot of weight I have to carry when one of my friend

just use tiny bit of his strength. Sometimes I am the one who perform the social

loafing tendency. I hardly use any strength on carrying the bamboos when I can see

my friends are trying all their might. When we carried only a few bamboos by our

self, we tend to use all our might because there is no one else who can cover up for us.

Another example I experience is happening now in my life in Taylor’s

University. As I am a Foundation in Natural and Built Environment student, we tend

to have many group assignments as we have lesser quiz and exam. When we are in

group assignment, social loafing take place. In semester 1, when we are grouped and

the assignment brief have been given, the group meeting won’t start unless someone

start to ask the whole group to have meeting and discussion. Everyone doesn’t want to

be that someone who starts talking about the assignment first. Everyone just thinks

that the other group members might just be that someone. Therefore, the group

discussion always start late and we all can’t keep up with progress showcase in

tutorial class.

So, what causes social loafing? After some research and self-experience, I

have come out with some reason that causes this phenomena. One of the reasons is

motivation of the individual. Motivation can play an important role in determining

whether social loafing takes place. People who are less motivated by a task are more

likely to engage in social loafing when they are part of a group. Another reason is the

decrease in responsibility. When in groups, people tend to feel less personal

accountability and may even feel that their individual efforts have little impact on the

outcome. Because people assume that their efforts don’t matter and that they are not

personally responsible, they also assume that someone else will be the one to take

action. The size of a group also has a serious impact on the effort people put in

groups. In small groups, people are more likely to feel that their efforts are more

important and will contribute more. The larger the group, the less the individual feels

important.

Group work can be fast and efficient all and all. But the social loafing

phenomena can have a serious impact on group performance and efficiency.

(828 words)

JOURNAL 02 – Self-schema

We all have ideas and beliefs about other people, but did you know? We,

ourselves also hold the same sort of impressions about ourselves. The term schema

refers to the form of structure we have to describe various categories of knowledge

about the things in world, like many other things, we also hold a schema on ourselves.

These are called self-schema.

The term self-schema refers to a stable and long lasting set of memories that

summarize our own beliefs, experiences and generalizations about ourselves. These

categories of knowledge reflect how we expect ourselves to think, feel, and act in

particular settings or situations. A person may have a self-schema based on any aspect

of himself or herself as a person, including physical characteristics, personality and

self-interests, as long as they consider that aspect of their self-important to their own

self-definition.

Each of these beliefs includes our overall view of characteristics of ourselves.

For example of self-schema which is characteristics like shy, outgoing, talkative and

more. For a more detail example, if your self-schema consider yourself is a shy

person, you will feel very hard to give a speech in a situations where you will have to

speak in the public. As another example, if your belief is that you are sociable, when

you are at a party, you will tend to talk to a lots of people, your self-schema also

formed from the memories of a specific past events as if you made a lot of friends in

your first day at school.

Past experience plays a huge role in self-schema, since we have already an

overall belief on our personality as well as past experiences and situations, we

probably have a good idea on how we will feel, think and act on situations. Among

other characteristics, people tend to hold self-schema about physical appearance (I’m

so pretty, I’m so fat), interest (I like art, I like collecting stuff), behaviours (I'm

assertive, I avoid conflict). When people are very high or extreme in a certain self-

schema area, they tend to described themselves as being self-schematic in that

particular dimensions. For example, if you strongly consider yourself as a brave

person, you won’t back up on any dangerous attempt to prove that you are really

brave.

Self-schema tends to change when different experience gained. I for myself

have experience schema changed. When I was in my primary school, I known almost

everyone in school, I tend to consider myself as a sociable and active person. I was

the school head prefect and I tend to lead teams in school camp. But I consider myself

not a sport lover as I have asthma, I don’t play sport that much. When I am in my

secondary school, I moved to other state to study my secondary school. I don’t know

anyone in the new environment; everyone was not like the people in my primary

school. At that point, I feel awkward and shy when talking to people in the new

environment. My self-schema changed from a sociable person to a shy person. I can’t

talk to people like I can before. I feel panic when I had conversation. But at that time,

I also start playing soccer. Once I was a person who didn’t played any sport because

of my health condition. But after I meet some friends and start playing soccer, I found

that I am not bad at it. My self-schema also changed there as from an anti-sport

person to a sport lover. As times goes by and more experience I gained in the new

environment, I once again changed from a shy person to a sociable person. As I felt

comfortable talking to anybody again.

Each person has very different self-schemas that are influenced heavily by

past experiences, relationships, upbringing, society, and culture. As you might have

already noticed from my example, most of these schemas involve two different

dimensions: healthy versus unhealthy, loud versus quiet, sporty versus geeky, active

versus sedentary. People often think of them as either or traits, but most actually exist

as a continuum with each person lying somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.

In the self-schema concept, we also hold a future self-schema of ourselves.

These reflect how we think we will become after years in the future, which might

consists of negative and positive ideas of ourselves. We tend to act as the person we

wanted to be at the future, slowly become the person we have in mind.

So, what is your self-schema? Are you clear of whom you are? Are you

becoming the person you wanted to be? We all shall reflect on our self-schema today

and be the true person we wanted to be.

(785 words)

JOURNAL 03 – Counterfactual Thinking

Have you ever been in a situation, where you just sit there daydreaming,

wondering, what will happened if I did this or I did that? Will the outcome be

different? Will the outcome become worst or it will become much better than the

reality? Then, you are likely undergoing the process of counterfactual thinking.

Counterfactual thinking is a concept in psychology that involves the human

tendency to create possible alternatives endings to life events that have already

happened. Counterfactual thinking is exactly like thoughts that consist of questions

like "What if?" and the "If I had only..." that occur when thinking of how things could

have turned out differently. Counterfactual thoughts are things that could never

possibly happen in reality, because in the reality the event had passed and can never

be done again.

If you've ever watched any sports games, have you ever noticed the reactions

of the athlete after their result have been announced? Studies have found that athletes

who won the bronze medal are much happier than the athletes that have won the silver

medal. Why? Because most of the silver medal winner were preoccupied by the

counterfactual thinking. Which they are imagining the alternative outcome of the

competition. Thinking of how close they are to barely get the gold medal. They will

think of the crucial moment of themselves in the competition, thinking if they just put

a little bit more effort and the outcome will not be the same. If only they had pushed

just a little harder, then they would have won the gold. On the other hand, the bronze

medal winner will also undergo counterfactual thoughts as they almost didn’t get

anything. They will think of an alternative outcome where they didn’t even get any

prize, so they will feel really happy and lucky that they have won the bronze medal.

This is why the bronze is happier than the silver.

Based on the example above, counterfactual thinking can be split into two,

which is upward counterfactual and downward counterfactual. Downward

counterfactuals have the focus on how things might have been much worse. Upward

counterfactuals are mental simulations of better possible outcomes. Upward

counterfactuals may make feel bad as we think about how things might have gone

better. On the other hand, we might learn more effective strategies for success through

this reflection. We benefit from these thoughts. Similarly, downward counterfactual

thoughts may benefit us simply by improving our mood. Despite our lack of success,

we can take solace in the thought that it's not as bad as it could be.

In my eighteen years of life, I have experience this almost every day. Where I

just standing or sitting there thinking all the possible outcomes. Sometimes is because

I can’t get to an event. I will be there thinking what if I go to that event, what will I

do. Will I have fun or even make a new friend? Sometimes I really wanted to go to an

event but I just can’t make it. After the event ended, I will see all the pictures taken in

that event on Facebook, I will watch the pictures of my friend and ask them about the

event, I will think to myself that the event is not that fun and enjoying so that it will

make me feel a lot better for not going. Or even sometimes, when I got caught by the

school discipline at the secondary school and the teachers wanted to meet my parents.

I know I am in deep trouble. Counterfactual thinking will take place and I will think

to myself what if I didn’t did that particular thing, then I won’t get into trouble. Or

maybe if I am just lucky enough and not get spotted by a teacher, just a simple split

second and I will not be in trouble. I will just regret my action. I encounter many

counterfactuals thinking when I am having exam in the secondary school. I used to be

a student who get high marks and use to have upward counterfactual thoughts that I

can’t get A’s because of my carelessness in the exam. Now, I am just a downward

counterfactual thinking person as I am very happy that I got a B or even pass my

exam, I am just very easy so satisfied in my exam results now.

Individual differences seem to play a huge role here. For example, individuals

with high self-esteem make more downward counterfactuals in response to negative

events, reflecting on self-enhancement and mood improvement. This is seen by some

as a self-enhancement motive, a way to repair the negative feelings cause by the

unpleasant outcome. Of course, downward counterfactuals may be dysfunctional,

because it may also serve to decrease the likelihood that the individual will learn ways

to improve themselves. On the other hand, we benefit from upward counterfactuals

thoughts. We feel bad we didn’t achieve what we wanted and we will learn from the

mistake and fight harder the next time.

(835 words)

JOURNAL 04 – Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence

Unless you’re living in a cave, people are trying to influence us in our life all

the time. Some small example that social influence takes place in modern time now is

the trending applications in our phone today. New app pop up every day, but not all

the app is popular. Most of the app gets their fame by social influence. For example,

social network, it has become a must in our daily life that you have a social network

account or you will be outdated and kick out of the society. This is how much the

social network influence in our life now. For another more specific example that also

follows around the app these days is the mobile games these days. As an example, a

game like Clash of Clan just suddenly become trending last few years. I was also a

victim under the social influence. I was never interested in that game until my whole

class starts playing, then I got influence and start playing ever since.

Robert Beno Cialdini is the Regents' Professor Emeritus of Psychology. He

has come out with six principle of influence. Cialdini's theory of influence is based on

the principles of reciprocity, commitment and consistency, social proof, authority,

liking, and scarcity.

The first principle which is reciprocity. People tend to return a favour as we all

familiar with the concept of ‘give and you shall receive’. We also know that when

someone gives away something for free, it can have a powerful effect on us. When I

am at the mall, the worker will give my parents some samples of their products. After

eating their products, my parents tend to buy the products. When people give free

samples to them, they will feel like they need to buy their products in return. This trait

is embodied in all human cultures and is one of the human characteristics that allow

us to live as a society.

The second principle will be commitment and consistency. If you implant an

idea or a goal that what person they are, they will more likely to contribute with the

idea you ask them for. This will have to do with our self-image, if someone said you

are a kind and helpful person, you are more likely to help a person later. For example

that I experience before, my father promise my mother that he will buy her favourite

ice kacang for her, but unfortunately the stall wasn’t opened, my father will rush to

another stall to buy for my mother as a substitution. After a few days he will go to my

mother favourite stall and buy it for her again. My father goes and buys again from

the specific stall because he feels a commitment to my mum.

The next principle is social proof. People tend to look at others when they

make decisions. People have a mind-set that if others did it than it is no harm for me

because others are the proof. For example, people tend to run too if they see a crowd

of people running in panic, they will think that there is danger and they will follow

what others do.

Another principle which will be liking. People are easily persuaded by other

people that they like. People tend to like people who are most like themselves who

pay them compliments. Physical attractiveness and people that make them laugh also

a factor of influence. For my experience, my mother went to a shop to buy a vacuum

cleaner. She asked the shop worker about the details and price of the device. The

vacuum cleaner in that shop is the cheapest among other shops, but the shop worker

had an attitude and doesn’t really care when my mother asked questions. My mother

was pissed and she went to another shop which the price is higher but the workers

there are friendly and helpful. My mother bought the vacuum cleaner from the shop

with friendly worker even when the price is higher. This shows people prefer people

by liking.

The authority principle, which is the fifth out of six principles. People will

tend to obey authority figures, even if they are asked to perform objectionable acts.

From a very young age, we are trained to obey. First our parents, then teachers,

policemen, managers and so on. Eventually we end to obey who is more superior than

us as we trust them. If a guy dresses as a policeman, ordering you to follow him, you

won’t deny him, until you know he is fake then you will stop following his orders.

As for the last principle which is scarcity. People tend to want things as they

become less available. This is often seen in advertisement like ‘limited time’. It also

shown that people wanted to know the information more with censorship. People

wanted to know stuff they can’t know. As for my experience, which happened at

McDonalds. McDonalds tend to made limited burgers, me and my friends will always

get excited and wanted to tried the new burgers whether it is good or not. We

wouldn’t want to miss out the limited time burger. (860 words)

JOURNAL 05 – Social Categorization

Do you often find yourself categorizing people in groups based on their

common attributes like race, gender, and other common features. This is a social

psychology principle which most of us have called social categorization.

Social categorization is a theory of mass communication that argues

individuals into broad subgroups such as age, sex, classes, social and many more.

Social categories also can be based on something as broad as race or as specific as

height, but they are always socially important.

Although we may not give much thought about this theory in our daily life,

but we will be surprise that we belong to so many different collections of other

people, each categorize will effect and shape our life in many different ways. There

are obvious groupings like gender and race that influence how people see us. But

what about the other groups that we associated with? For a more general example,

people who live in the city will have seldom chance to interact with people who live

at the country side. People in the city will often group them as country people or

farmer type of people. In the other hand, the country people group the city people as

busy and modern people. As in reality none of this is hundred percent true.

As for how categorize group will affect people and play a huge role in our life

is shown in the example below. In an investigation, teenagers and elders are group in

a room. Teenagers tend to talk less to other teenager because they have been group as

“teenager” which they tend not to interact with each other on a regular basis. For

example, teenagers are a social category because they are all within a particular age

range and share certain characteristics. However, they don't necessarily interact with

each other simply because they are teenagers. They tend to talk less and care less. As

for the elders they are having the conversation of a life time. As they have been

categorized as the “elders”.

As for my personal experience, I start categorized people when I am in

secondary school. As people tend to have their recess with a group of friends. The top

students who keeps scores As in exam is often in a group. The troublemaker group

which they always do stuff to be caught by the discipline. The nerd group as everyone

knows it. The popular kids group that almost everyone in school knows them and like

them, but some people hate them. I often didn’t know them very well but I just

assume their personality based on the group of friends they are with. Sometimes, after

I get to know someone very well, he turns out to be a nice person after all. For

example, I have a friend name Eddie. I used to think he is an asshole when I didn’t

know him that well. He is always group with a bunch of troublemaker, whom they

always play pranks on people or even try to annoy people even if you don’t know

them. They are not the type of people I want to be friends with. One year, he is in a

same class with me. He sat next to me in science lab; I was like ignoring him in every

way. After months in science lab together, I have found that he is also a nice person,

just sometimes a little playful. He later became one of my best friends. That is when I

learn don’t judge people based on their group.

In social categorization theory, there is a principle called outgroup

homogeneity. It is the belief for people to view members of group that they don’t

know so well as being the same as their group. It is like seeing that the outgroup as

very similar and less diverse. As we see our own group as more unique and special.

As for my own experience, in my university life now, people tend to hang out

in different groups. You can see it very clearly in my course now. As for example,

there is a group of friend which they all smokes, smoking which makes a bad

impression for them and I tend to categorized all of them are all the same. Their

personality and characteristic are almost alike. My course also have a group of girls

who dress up pretty well every day and look rich in every way. Some of them are not

really friendly. I will just group them all as not so friendly. After getting to know

them better, I found out there are only a few assholes in those groups, some of them

are not bad and quite friendly as I can tell.

That is all for my social categorization theory. I have learned that sometimes

people are not like what their group is.

(807 words)