Even though Tech is a campus comprised of mainly engineers there seems to be a lot of attitudes about one type of engineering versus the other. I think that this is because early on our education we are encouraged to spend time with people in the same major from joining clubs to partnering in class for homework assignments. This seems to form ingroups. And while the ingroups aren’t necessarily particularly click-ish there definitely are some attitudes from one type of engineering to another.
I did a short survey for a Technocrat article on what the attitudes where from various majors on campus. I sent it to as many people as I could and tried to get some feedback from every major at Tech. What I found was that although students think that they work as hard as other students and they feel that their major is as important as others, they aren’t given equal respect. For instance non-engineering students whether two year, four year, or graduate degree earning majors all felt that they were treated as second-class citizens by students in engineering majors. Among engineering majors there were also just as many conflicts with those ingroups. Petroleum Engineers were reported to have insulted the most students, whether by touting the income they would earn one day or reducing fields such as Environmental Engineering to nothing more than a “glorified clean-up crew.” The thing is, I suspect that once out of Tech, if these same separated students were to meet up, their actions would be much different. For example, if two different engineering majors met at a bar one night after being in the workforce several years I think you would find that past ingroup biases would be forgotten and they would feel as though they were both part of either an engineering or Montana Tech ingroup.
Either way, although most engineers have similar interests and intelligence, there still seems to be some need to form ingroups. People tend to think either their group is superior or at least equal to that of others. While they see people in their ingroup as separate indiviuals, they reported seeing other groups as similar. This was proved when I asked them to use several words to describe their own majors versus that of others. They had a hard time generalizing their own ingroups but then used specified, often negative statements to describe others. For example, other majors were “greedy,” “approval-seeking,” or “slackers.” Out group descriptions were short and simple while ingroup descriptions were longer and more varied and emphasized diversity in character.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Social Loafing: Applying a Theory
In our readings for this week, I thought that Latane’s “Many Hands Make Light the Work” study was really interesting. I had noticed social loafing at my work this summer based on how many people showed up to work to plant to trees at the Superfund. It was a large-scale planting job and so depending on what phase of the work we were in there could be anywhere from 30-80 workers onsite during the day. We had several crews working at a time and the crews could have anywhere from 8-20 people on them depending on the day. Each person working was given a quota of trees to plant every day. Although there wasn’t any repercussion for not planting this many, by the first week into the job most people didn’t have any trouble meeting the quota.
My boss and I were talking one day when production was unusually good and we noticed there were fewer workers than normal but individual production was up above any other day that summer. We noticed this again several days later. After that we started trying to predict how good the production would be based on how many workers showed up. The interesting thing was there seemed to be a maximum production per worker when the crew was smaller. Crews around 9 people seemed to plant the most versus a larger crew of around 15. It seemed that when the entire crew was present, the workers felt less motivated knowing that the other worker would pick up the slack and if they didn’t, there would be many others to blame besides themselves. When smaller crews got together, there was less talking and also more focused work. Everyone knew their production for that day mattered more and so they worked harder.
It was really interesting to see that actual studies have proved this phenomenon as well.
My boss and I were talking one day when production was unusually good and we noticed there were fewer workers than normal but individual production was up above any other day that summer. We noticed this again several days later. After that we started trying to predict how good the production would be based on how many workers showed up. The interesting thing was there seemed to be a maximum production per worker when the crew was smaller. Crews around 9 people seemed to plant the most versus a larger crew of around 15. It seemed that when the entire crew was present, the workers felt less motivated knowing that the other worker would pick up the slack and if they didn’t, there would be many others to blame besides themselves. When smaller crews got together, there was less talking and also more focused work. Everyone knew their production for that day mattered more and so they worked harder.
It was really interesting to see that actual studies have proved this phenomenon as well.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Reducing Prejudice in Children
Reading Friendship Stories can Change Children's Attitudes Towards Stigmatized Groups
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51982.php.
I thought that this was an interesting study that looked into trying to reduce kids from having a negative prejudice towards a person or others in a particular group. This study was primarily looking at children who were from the ages of five to eleven years old. I thought this was crucial for the study to use this age group, because this age group isn't quite as familiar with the world around them. If these kids find someone that is or others that are different from themselves like their skin color, those kids might do certain things like avoid them or make fun of them. This could show a negative prejudice that those kids might have about that person or others that belong to a certain group. I also think that these negative prejudices that these kids might have could have come from prejudices held by their parents. Most kids view their parents as role models in which these kids might reflect the same attitudes, like negative prejudice against a certain group, that their parents might have without the kids being aware of it.
This was how they put together this study in which they looked at kids in U.K. The people who put together the study decided to use stories that showed friendships between English kids and refugee kids, who are a part of this group that some in this area have negative prejudices towards. These kids were put into small groups in which they read these stories for once a week for six weeks for twenty minutes. What the researchers discovered from the kids who read these stories for those six weeks was that the English kids developed more positive rather than negative attitudes towards refugee kids. They also found out that most of these kids wanted to be friends with the refugee kids. I think that in the future when most of thes English kids are around refugees, they will more likely have an automatic positive attitude towards them rather than an uncomfortable and automatic negative attitude.
This study really reminded of an example that was used in one of our readings. This example was the one when a small number of people who were white participated in diversity education in which those people ended up having less anti-Black attitudes and having more friendships with black people as well as other things. The study and this example were similiar, because they both had people go through an experience which ended up changing their attitudes towards a certain group.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51982.php.
I thought that this was an interesting study that looked into trying to reduce kids from having a negative prejudice towards a person or others in a particular group. This study was primarily looking at children who were from the ages of five to eleven years old. I thought this was crucial for the study to use this age group, because this age group isn't quite as familiar with the world around them. If these kids find someone that is or others that are different from themselves like their skin color, those kids might do certain things like avoid them or make fun of them. This could show a negative prejudice that those kids might have about that person or others that belong to a certain group. I also think that these negative prejudices that these kids might have could have come from prejudices held by their parents. Most kids view their parents as role models in which these kids might reflect the same attitudes, like negative prejudice against a certain group, that their parents might have without the kids being aware of it.
This was how they put together this study in which they looked at kids in U.K. The people who put together the study decided to use stories that showed friendships between English kids and refugee kids, who are a part of this group that some in this area have negative prejudices towards. These kids were put into small groups in which they read these stories for once a week for six weeks for twenty minutes. What the researchers discovered from the kids who read these stories for those six weeks was that the English kids developed more positive rather than negative attitudes towards refugee kids. They also found out that most of these kids wanted to be friends with the refugee kids. I think that in the future when most of thes English kids are around refugees, they will more likely have an automatic positive attitude towards them rather than an uncomfortable and automatic negative attitude.
This study really reminded of an example that was used in one of our readings. This example was the one when a small number of people who were white participated in diversity education in which those people ended up having less anti-Black attitudes and having more friendships with black people as well as other things. The study and this example were similiar, because they both had people go through an experience which ended up changing their attitudes towards a certain group.
Obama Effect on Stereotype Threat
Begley,S. (2009, January) An 'Obama Effect' on Blacks' Test Scores. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/labnotes/archive/2009/01/23/an-obama-effect-on-blacks-test-scores.aspx
The Obama effect on African American students suggests that the stereotype threat was lowered after the nomination and election of Obama. Ray Friedman of Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management thinks that Obama will do more for black scholastic achievement than anything since Brown v. Board of Education.
The study tested at four times in 2008 ( in August just before the Democratic Convention; just after Obama accepted the nomination; in early October; and again right after Obama was elected), the study asked around 102 college students to take an online test of 20 questions from the Graduate Record Exams (GREs). (Over the four periods of the test, 84 black students and 388 white students that were matched for education levels participated.) The students were told the test was made up by the Massachusetts Aptitude Assessment Center, and is being used to assess verbal problem solving skills. The test was meant to activate the black stereotype that blacks do not perform as well as whites on aptitude tests. The students were also asked to indentify their race before taking the test as to activate the stereotype threat.
Before the convention and in early October the score gaps were as wide as ever; white students did better than black students. However, just after the conventions speech by Obama and after Election Day the scores became statistically equal. The rise in scores is attributed to Obama breaking the stereotypical mold.
This rise in test scores only happened with students that watched the acceptance speech then it vanished. The black students that did not watch the speech scores were same; they never did score as well as the white students. However, Joshua Aronson of New York University, one of the researchers on the stereotype thought the study made some sense. According to Aronson studies have shown even a small intervention like Obama’s Denver speech can help with the stereotype threat. Then there is the possibility the students who chose to watch Obama and who chose to be the study are the type of people who would find Obama inspiring and that their test scores would get a boost from thinking about his accomplishments.
Many of the experts have the same idea as Aronson’s that the Obama effect will only inspire a sub-population of African Americans. More experiments are needed. However the idea that Obama could inspire the next generation is fascinating
The Obama effect on African American students suggests that the stereotype threat was lowered after the nomination and election of Obama. Ray Friedman of Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management thinks that Obama will do more for black scholastic achievement than anything since Brown v. Board of Education.
The study tested at four times in 2008 ( in August just before the Democratic Convention; just after Obama accepted the nomination; in early October; and again right after Obama was elected), the study asked around 102 college students to take an online test of 20 questions from the Graduate Record Exams (GREs). (Over the four periods of the test, 84 black students and 388 white students that were matched for education levels participated.) The students were told the test was made up by the Massachusetts Aptitude Assessment Center, and is being used to assess verbal problem solving skills. The test was meant to activate the black stereotype that blacks do not perform as well as whites on aptitude tests. The students were also asked to indentify their race before taking the test as to activate the stereotype threat.
Before the convention and in early October the score gaps were as wide as ever; white students did better than black students. However, just after the conventions speech by Obama and after Election Day the scores became statistically equal. The rise in scores is attributed to Obama breaking the stereotypical mold.
This rise in test scores only happened with students that watched the acceptance speech then it vanished. The black students that did not watch the speech scores were same; they never did score as well as the white students. However, Joshua Aronson of New York University, one of the researchers on the stereotype thought the study made some sense. According to Aronson studies have shown even a small intervention like Obama’s Denver speech can help with the stereotype threat. Then there is the possibility the students who chose to watch Obama and who chose to be the study are the type of people who would find Obama inspiring and that their test scores would get a boost from thinking about his accomplishments.
Many of the experts have the same idea as Aronson’s that the Obama effect will only inspire a sub-population of African Americans. More experiments are needed. However the idea that Obama could inspire the next generation is fascinating
Indirect Detection of Deception: Looking for Change
I could do that better.
http://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp14_9.pdf
Indirect Detection of Deception: Looking for Change
This study used indirect methods to detect liars. College students (53 males and 51 females) were asked to watch a video in which half of the people told some lies and half were entirely truthful. They were asked to detect the liars in the video and whom behavior, mannerisms, or speech changed. The participants were from psychology classes and were all given extra credit in the courses in exchange for participation. The people for the interview were asked questions about themselves, half were asked to lie and the other half were asked to tell the truth. The results were that the direct detection of lying resulted in poor accuracy. Yet the indirect method resulted in more accuracy, because they were told to look for changes in behavior.
I think this study was interesting and that it did find that people look more at how people act when lying versus trying to just figure out if the information was true. This is important in the studies of deception that they let the participants know what lying is and what exactly they were hoping to get from the study. I think it could have been done better if the people in the video had to lie about something that was meaningful to them, something that they cared to lie about. Just lying about basic information, the people had nothing they were trying to gain from it. The lies were not important to them. If the study had been done where the lying meant something to the video people, I think there would have been more reaction when the video people lied, because it was meaningful to them. The participants would have been able to pick up more on the lying because it was meaningful lying. I think it would have made the study a little more accurate.
-Megan Hopkins
http://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp14_9.pdf
Indirect Detection of Deception: Looking for Change
This study used indirect methods to detect liars. College students (53 males and 51 females) were asked to watch a video in which half of the people told some lies and half were entirely truthful. They were asked to detect the liars in the video and whom behavior, mannerisms, or speech changed. The participants were from psychology classes and were all given extra credit in the courses in exchange for participation. The people for the interview were asked questions about themselves, half were asked to lie and the other half were asked to tell the truth. The results were that the direct detection of lying resulted in poor accuracy. Yet the indirect method resulted in more accuracy, because they were told to look for changes in behavior.
I think this study was interesting and that it did find that people look more at how people act when lying versus trying to just figure out if the information was true. This is important in the studies of deception that they let the participants know what lying is and what exactly they were hoping to get from the study. I think it could have been done better if the people in the video had to lie about something that was meaningful to them, something that they cared to lie about. Just lying about basic information, the people had nothing they were trying to gain from it. The lies were not important to them. If the study had been done where the lying meant something to the video people, I think there would have been more reaction when the video people lied, because it was meaningful to them. The participants would have been able to pick up more on the lying because it was meaningful lying. I think it would have made the study a little more accurate.
-Megan Hopkins
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
How social perception can automatically influence behavior.
I liked this article because it opens the door to many possiblities. It closely relates to the self-fulfilling prophecy that we discussed last week except within others. These studys that they did were facinating and it all makes you wonder; Am I really in charge of what I am doing? Or have I been influenced by someone else in someway to do what I am doing now. The article does hold some weight here. I can think of times in my own life where I have been influenced by an outside source and ended up following the same path without consciously knowing it. It can be as simple as hanging out with someone who says the word "dude" alot, before you know it your saying the ridiculous word everytime you hang out with that person.
In thinking about this article, I would say that the better way to test this phenomenon would be in a naturalistic observation, over a larger extent of time. This way you could measure the extent of the action and how long it goes on and also if the action can be changed by introducing another prime in relation to the the first.
In conclusion, I think knowing this kind of information could be very helpful when it comes to youth and prevention but also like most things this kind of knowledge could be very harmful in cultures where blowing yourself up is a popular thing to do or the group suicide issue in Japan.
In thinking about this article, I would say that the better way to test this phenomenon would be in a naturalistic observation, over a larger extent of time. This way you could measure the extent of the action and how long it goes on and also if the action can be changed by introducing another prime in relation to the the first.
In conclusion, I think knowing this kind of information could be very helpful when it comes to youth and prevention but also like most things this kind of knowledge could be very harmful in cultures where blowing yourself up is a popular thing to do or the group suicide issue in Japan.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
MySpace and Social Psychology
Self-presentation and Gender on MySpace
Adriana M. Manago et al.
Published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 29 (2008)
I thought this article was cool because it was a study done on something that almost everyone is familiar with. The researchers in this study examined what they defined as “emerging adults” and how they establish their self-identity and their interactions with fellow MySpacers. Manago, et al. determined that by using MySpace people were able to express themselves in different ways than they could in the offline world, and often used their page to exhibit to viewers the “self” they want to become. The study was conducted from surveying a group of volunteers from psychology classes in the 18-24 year old age range. The participants were split into same sex focus groups with a moderator whose purpose was to keep the conversation on track and to extract more answers by using pointed questions. The responses were then coded for what themes they touched on. The themes for the purpose of this article were self-presentation, social identity and gender identity.
This article is relevant to class discussions because it gives a real life display of how people affect their social reality. People who are frequent users of MySpace often have their “offline” reality and then their reality on this social network. Friends on MySpace are not necessarily people that the user knows in real life. This networking site allows people and almost non-threatening way to explore social groups and norms in a way that is anonymous. Until this Social Psychology class I had never realized the impact that MySpace had in life outside of the opportunity to stay connected to people.
Adriana M. Manago et al.
Published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 29 (2008)
I thought this article was cool because it was a study done on something that almost everyone is familiar with. The researchers in this study examined what they defined as “emerging adults” and how they establish their self-identity and their interactions with fellow MySpacers. Manago, et al. determined that by using MySpace people were able to express themselves in different ways than they could in the offline world, and often used their page to exhibit to viewers the “self” they want to become. The study was conducted from surveying a group of volunteers from psychology classes in the 18-24 year old age range. The participants were split into same sex focus groups with a moderator whose purpose was to keep the conversation on track and to extract more answers by using pointed questions. The responses were then coded for what themes they touched on. The themes for the purpose of this article were self-presentation, social identity and gender identity.
This article is relevant to class discussions because it gives a real life display of how people affect their social reality. People who are frequent users of MySpace often have their “offline” reality and then their reality on this social network. Friends on MySpace are not necessarily people that the user knows in real life. This networking site allows people and almost non-threatening way to explore social groups and norms in a way that is anonymous. Until this Social Psychology class I had never realized the impact that MySpace had in life outside of the opportunity to stay connected to people.
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