Tag Archives: Social

Spotlight #3

--Original published at Rachel Bickelman's PSY 105 Blog

Parental Peer Pressure: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/life/2017/01/20/8-ways-cope-parental-peer-pressure/96835714/

According Grande to not succumbing to peer pressure involves an inner strength, a strong support system, trusting your gut, being assertive, avoiding debates, practicing self-care, gaining respect, and increasing family time. I think these methods for avoiding peer pressure are adequate but not perfect techniques in avoiding peer pressure. Much of peer pressure can stem from a desire to “fit in” with the group and this can happen across any age. Thus, Grande’s advice of having a supportive social system is good advice. Having a trusted and genuine support system can facilitate positive peer pressure as well.

Grande’s tips on spending time with one’s own family also fits in with a strong support system. Grande reasons that when one spends time with their family, they will be able to discern the unique values they possess. This advice is good because having a strong relationship among family can remind the person and ground them in their own beliefs since the influence of peers would not be present. Furthermore, there is no outside audience when one spends time strictly within their family and thus judgement would not be present. This could also help with conformity since one would just be with their family and thus there are no outside forces that facilitate feelings of conformity.

The first tip Grande provides, however, is not the best strategy towards combatting peer pressure. Though an individual’s willpower and own strength can aid in avoiding peer pressure, willpower throughout the day decreases and insecurities can seep in at any time, especially if one lacks inner strength. Likewise, inner strength can be hard to automatically turn on especially when one feels peer pressure and the pressure to conform.

Adolescent/Teenager Peer Pressure: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/peer-pressure.html

This website argues coping with peer pressure necessitates a balance between one’s own morals and fitting in with the group. The argument that one needs to have a strong sense of self can backfire though. One’s sense of self can be diminished if they are present within a large group of people and feel the pressure to conform to what the group is doing. While inner strength and self-confidence are both important, these skills can be spotty when in the midst of peer pressure.

Another tip offered by the website is to join forces with another peer and stick to a decision together. This may be a good strategy because the person would not feel alone in their decision. They also suggest joining a peer and simply leaving the situation together. Since two people would be together in their decision their combined confidence may help in escaping peer pressure.

One of the tips is to “choose your friends wisely,” however, this does not guarantee that someone will or will not experience negative peer pressure. The urge to conform to what others are doing still may be present.

College Peer Pressure: https://caps.ucsc.edu/counseling/aod/peer-pressure.html

UC Santa Cruz’s Counseling and Psychological Services provides a few methods to avoid and navigate negative peer pressure. The first few tips highlight one’s recognition of their own morals and values. While this could be helpful in discerning whether an individual feels they should or should not do something, it may not aid with peer pressure since with peer pressure there is an urge to conform or “fit in.” One of the specific tips is to weight the pros and cons of the situation at hand. This may help an individual to look at the situation rationally rather than through a peer pressure perspective.

Another tip that may prove helpful is the delay tactic. This tactic may be helpful because the individual withholds their morals and values and politely declines. The individual could still be in their friends’ company but would not partake in activities they do not approve of. Some helpful phrases the website suggests replacing “no” with are “not today” and “maybe another time”

Like the previous website, UC Santa Cruz suggests taking a friend who supports you. This was the tension of conformity is mediated by someone who possesses the same perspective on the issue at hand. Having a person “in your corner” may help to alleviate peer pressure because of the increase in confidence to say “no” and stick with your decision.

Finally, the website suggests removing yourself from the situation. While this may alleviate peer pressure in the moment, if the individual continues to spend time with the same group, negative peer pressure could arise again.

Spotlight Blog 3 Prompts – Fall 2018

Regardless of which option you choose, make sure to use the tag “Spotlight” on your post. Also include the tag listed for the option you choose below.

Option 1 – Use the tag “Social”

People are often told to resist peer pressure and think for themselves, but as we’ve learned, this is more easily said than done. Too often, especially for teens, this advice is not followed with concrete recommendation about ways to resist pressure from others. I want you to identify three websites that provide methods for resisting peer pressure and discuss how likely you think the strategies they provide are to be successful. Make sure to explain your rationale using what we’ve learned in class and your textbook. Each of the three websites need to be targeted at a different audience but you may select the audiences you want to use (e.g., college students, athletes, parents, artists). Make sure to include links to the websites as part of your post.

Option 2 – Use the tag “Mental Illness”

Television shows like My Strange Addiction, Intervention, True Life, and others have turned some mental illnesses into entertainment. In particular, the shows Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive showcase people with hoarding disorder trying to get their lives, homes, and relationships back in order. What do you think about this type of show? Is it ethical to do? Does it exploit people with mental illnesses? Here is a sample clip from Hoarding: Buried Alive in case you’re not familiar with how these shows work. Find at least two sources that argue these shows are helpful for the people on the show and/or the general public and at least two sources that argue these shows are harmful. Discuss the evidence each source provides, assess the credibility of the sources, and explain your own perspective on shows like this. Make sure to include links and/or citations for your sources.

Option 3 – Use the tag “Mental Health Treatment”

One of the biggest questions when deciding to seek treatment for a mental health condition is to pick between seeking psychotherapy (e.g., counseling, therapy) and medication. Major depressive disorder is the most common mental illness in the US, and can be treated effectively using either method. Find at least two sources that argue psychotherapy is a better treatment option and at least two sources that argue medication is a better treatment option. Discuss the evidence each source provides, assess the credibility of the sources, and explain your own perspective. Make sure to include links and/or citations for your sources.

Option 4 – Use the tag “Intelligence”

There has been a lot of controversy around the way our educational system works to improve learning outcomes for our children. For this post, you are going to investigate one of these issues and present your conclusions based on the evidence you review. You may select either year-round education (i.e., whether or not there should be a long summer break) or single-gender education (i.e., should boys and girls have separate classrooms). You will need to find two sources arguing for year-round education/single-gender education and two sources arguing against it, review the evidence in each source, and present your conclusion on the issue. Make sure to cite your sources.

I look forward to seeing what you write!

Header image: CC by Flickr user Thomas Hawk
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Chapter 12 First Impression

--Original published at LivsCollegeBlog

For this blog post, I chose to go with option one and take two different Implicit Association Tests (IATs). The first IAT I took was the “Age IAT.” During this test, I answered some demographic questions and other questions about my political and religious beliefs. These questions had no affect on my results. The main part of the test was categorizing words associated with “Bad” and “Good” and pictures of “Old” and “Young” people. This was what determined my results. I was supposed to press the “E” on my keyboard for a certain category and the “I” on my keyboard for the other category. They sometimes switched up which categories went with which key. My results said that I have the automatic preference of Young People to Old People. This was surprising to me because I consciously thought that I didn’t have a preference at all. I thought I preferred young people just the same as I preferred old people.

The second IAT test I took was the “Weight IAT.” During this test, I answered the same demographic questions as the first test I took. Again, these questions had no affect on my results. The main part of this test was similar to that of the first test. I categorized certain words associated with “Bad” and “Good” and also categorized silhouettes of people associate with “Fat” and “Thin.” This categorization process was what determined my results. Like the first test, I also used the “E” and “I” keys on my keyboard to categorize the words and silhouettes. My results said that I have a slight automatic preference for Thin people over Fat people. This was surprising to me for the same reason as the first test. I didn’t think I had a preference at all.

Both tests were intriguing and interesting to take. IATs can help college students become more aware of how they subconsciously prefer people. This helps them make sure they don’t come out as rude when talking to someone they subconsciously don’t prefer. Even though they might think they don’t mind the person, they will display cues that they dislike the person without realizing it.

Chapter 12 First Impression Post

--Original published at Wolfman Productions

When thinking about the people I talk to on a daily basis, it’s mostly people of non-hispanic backgrounds. This isn’t because I don’t like them, it’s the matter of not having any in a close proximity to actually get to know and strike up a casual conversation.

The results kinda surprised me because I thought of myself as someone who can talk to about anyone no matter the place of origin. Granted the tests couldn’t be exactly accurate because I was rushing to complete them seeing they were the same tasks and I was losing patience and drive to complete the test. If I took my time with each of these I maybe would get a different result, but that will all depend if the tasks will change or stay the exact same.

I know I can go and talk to anyone as long as I find a mutual topic we both can discuss. Maybe I should take the time and go find someone new to talk to that may have a different outlook on the topics we have in common. Until then I’ll always be on the lookout for someone new to talk to.

First Impression Prompt: Chapter 12

--Original published at Taylor'sEtownCollegeBlog

I chose option one.  This was interesting because I took the IAP tests.  I took the gender-science test and the race test.  While taking these tests you are required to look at different words or pictures that flash rapidly on the screen.  You are assigned a topic for two keys on the keyboard and must click that key if the word or image that pops up fits into that category.  This was very challenging because you are told to do this as rapidly as you can.  Because I was trying to do it so rapidly, I often made slight mistakes when it came to remembering which key was for which category.

 

I expected to receive different results than what I did, however, the results that I did receive were not that far off of how I expected I would do.  For example, in the race test, it said I had a moderate automatic response to African American and good compared to European American and good.  I expected these two responses to be equal.  What this really means is that I associated good words and thoughts more often with African American images than with European American images.  This was surprising because I never thought I would favor one race over the other at any point in time.  The results I got for gender-science was that I had a moderate automatic association for males with science over females with science.  This was not that surprising because I generally associate males with science more that I would with liberal arts.  I usually view females as being more liberal arts based.

 

These tests are beneficial for colleges and employment because it gives a insight to how people might respond to certain genders or races, depending on the situation that they are in.  This also allows for the college and employment an opportunity to provide workshops and resources to cut back on these stigmas.

~Taylor

Chapter 12 First Impression

--Original published at David's Blog

For this weeks first Impression post I decided to go with option two. This option had us go through and watch a video on cognitive dissonance. It was very interesting to see the way the subjects in the experiment acted towards the test. The person given twenty dollars to lie about the test told researchers afterward he didn’t like the test himself. But the person that was given only one dollar to lie about the test came back to researchers and said she actually enjoyed the test and would participate in more test. To my knowledge this has never happened to me. No mater what incentive I am given for something later on I won’t lie about my actual thoughts on it. I believe if I was pa]laced in that experiment and was given the one dollar incentive I would still say the test was dull and boring. I think this has the possibility to be a good thing. When people are motivated for less money certain things can coast less. A good example would be that researchers could save money on paying for test subjects if they need to. A downside to this is that people will lie about there actual experience with something. This is extremely important in research. If you test subjects are lying about how they feel about n experiment, you can’t get an accurate end statement.At that point your research will be pointless and will have no meaning. This is a very intreating concept to know of, I still find it hard to believe people will say they enjoy something more for less money.

Ch. 12 First Impression: Option 2

--Original published at Gracie's Blog

I chose to write about the first option for chapter 12 and took two different Implicit Association Tests. First I took the Age Implicit Association Test, where I had to sort pictures and words into certain groups as fast as I could. There were also just a few questions asked about my opinions and beliefs. The test said it was ten minutes long, and at the end of the test I would receive a result along with a definition of what it means. The test started with asking questions about my age and my thoughts on old people versus young people and which I prefer. The questions also asked me what ages I thought a person changes from child to young adult, young adult to adult, and so on. The next part of the test involved looking at pictures and words while pressing the “E” or “I” keys. The first few rounds were looking at a series of pictures representing old people and negative words, and pictures of young people and positive words. I had to press “E” for old people pictures and negative words, and the “I” key for young face pictures and positive words. As the test progressed the keys switched roles and represented the opposite picture or term than before. During this test I felt as if I was taking a concussion test because it was measuring my accuracy along with my speed of hitting the keys. My result after the age test said that I have a slight automatic preference for young people over old people. These results were given because I was quicker responding to “young” people corresponding with “good”.
The next test I took referred to gender-career and also focused on pictures associating with words. The questions at the beginning of the test are mainly for adults because it refers to annual income and employment questions, which was hard to answer because I am still a student. The test continued with seven parts, each section had letter keys “E” and “I” the corresponded to different topics. The first section were comparing “family” words, which I had to press the “E” key when family words appeared and “Job” words required me pressing the “I” key. The next section was comparing the words “male” and “female” names. The next section involved words in the male and family category and when the words popped up I had to press the “E” key. When seeing words in a female and career category press the “I” key. As the test progressed the roles of the keys were opposite. My results showed that I moderately associate females with family and males with career. I received those results because I was faster with hitting the keys when males were associated with career than when female was associated with career. I never thought about whether males or females represent one category than the other.
I think IATs are helpful and interesting to help people realize what they may prefer without ever thinking about it. For college students or when in the career field, taking an IAT can give you the results you need to find what they actually prefer and where or who they may want to work.

Chapter 12: First Impression

--Original published at Isabella's Psychology Blog

When I took my response I did not feel that shocked by my results. Though I noticed that the results of the test were affected by the amount of time spent associating something correctly by pressing the designated keys. I found it difficult remembering which key meant what category and was slow in associating the different pictures in the middle of the screen. I didn’t really feel that it was reliable since it was obvious how the questions were going to be graded.

After I took two of the IAT tests and was curious if the test results can be faked. So I redid the IAT about weight and decided to try and get a significant preference for fat people over thin people. The first thing I did was skip over the personal questions so reduce the amount of false data I gave the website. Then I made sure to pause when associating thin people to good things and fat people with bad things. Then I went faster in clicking on associating bad thing to fat people of good things to thin people. I also made some purposefully wrong answer to make it look more like I automatically associate thin people to bad things and fat people to good things. After doing this my test answer was that I had a moderate preference for fat people over thin people. I was surprised by this since I thought that I did good in faking my results but I only got a moderate preference instead of the significant preference that I was trying to get. Though this still shows that the test can still be manipulated. I strongly believe that if I tried the test a few more times I could successfully manipulate the test.

Since the IAT can be manipulated this easily with just one try I feel that if college students of job candidates could manipulate the test as well. Considering that there are so many books and videos about job interviews, so I feel that books and videos would be made to manipulate IAT tests. For this reason, I feel that colleges and jobs should not use the IAT in their application processes.

 

Chapter 12 First Impression Post

--Original published at Marlee's Psych 105 Blog

Going into taking the test I was unsure of what the expect. The Implicit Association Test was designed to measure the strength of peoples automatic association between mental representation of objects in memory. Once I opened the test I was instantly shown different tests that I could take. The different tests included topics such as age, religion, race, and sexuality. The first test I decided to take was the Race IAT. The next screen showed me a series of “good” and “bad” words and also pictures of white and black people. The next part of the test had you use the “E” and “I” keys to identify and match certain words. After completing the test you received your results. Mine were as I expected. Growing up I lived in an area where the white man was a minority. Out of my friends I was the only person not of color. So coming to Elizabeth town was somewhat of a culture shock to me. Hearing certain derogatory words upon my arrival to campus made me question if this was the right school for me. I was raised to believe everyone is equal no matter their color, beliefs, or sexuality.   My results reflected this upbringing quite clearly. For my second IAT I took the test relating to weight. Again the test showed me a series of good and bad words but this time a series of thin framed and heavier-set framed people. I again, needed to use the “E” and “I” keys to identify and make associations. I found my results of this IAT to be surprising. The results showed that I was partially biased to thin over heavy. Generally, I like to consider myself fairly open to all people. I tend to judge people based off of their personality rather than their appearance. Upon further reflection, I realize that most of the people I am surrounded with in my life have similar frames to me. Being a student athlete is very taxing on the body and requires a certain level of physical fitness. Having practice everyday and team meals everyday causes me to spend my time with my team and not other people. This could be what is causing my supposed bias toward the thinner frame.

Chapter 12 First Impression

--Original published at Bailey PSY 105 Blog

I highly enjoyed taking the tests. I chose to take the tests on race and sexuality, and my results were that I had a moderate preference of gay people over straight, and of black people over white. While this may seem interesting at first considering I am both straight and white, I was raised in a highly liberal and open environment (Boulder, Colorado) which had an affect on my home life, my social life and ultimately on my beliefs later in life. Being brought up in this type of environment means that white privilege and superiority were not tolerated in the slightest in any of the communities that I was a part of. This made it so that in a way I harbored a slight resentment for the stereotypical ‘privileged’ person (straight, white, financially stable, male), and because of this I began to more enjoy the company and views of those who did not fit that profile and express the views associated with white privilege.  I enjoyed the experience of taking the tests because it was interesting to see how similar my own perceptions of my views were to my actual results. I think this test could be extremely useful for college students in identifying and bringing underlying biases to the surface. I believe the only true way we are going to combat stereotypes and various ‘-isms’ (racism, sexism, ageism) is by educating others not only on the harm of stereotyping but  also by bringing to attention how many people truly posses these slight but harmful biases. I think this would also be helpful for my future career. As a social work major, it is going to be very important to be able to determine and get to the root of underlying biases to be able to eventually eliminate then.