SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

FOUNDATION IN NATURE AND BUILD ENVIRONMENT

NAME: LIEW POH KA

STUDENT ID NO: 0320424

GROUP / SESSION: MONDAY (2PM-4PM)

SUBJECT: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

INTAKE: AUGUST 2014

LECTURER: MR. SHANKAR THIRUCHELVAM

SUBMISSION DATE: 27 APRIL 2015

JOURNAL 1, 1 st entry: Social Learning Perspective

Social Learning Perspective is when an individual’s behavior gets influenced by

observing others. The perspective argues that individuals learn from observing the behaviors

of others. My experience is related to social learning perspective and it is developed by my

mother.

When I was young, my mother always told us to be a good manners person. She

wanted me to be manner and respect to any seniority. I still remembered that my mother was

very strict about manner matters that even scold us if we did not do it well. I was trained to

respect whoever elder than me, I would either call them “uncle” or “auntie” for those

seniority who over 30 years old. For those who under 30 years old, I would call them “sister”

or “brother” even though they are not really my siblings and it is just the way we addressed

them. When I grew up, I eventually developed this and become one of my habits too. After so

many years, I learned to be a manners person. Whenever I went out and saw any seniority

who I knew, I will sure address them politely.

Social learning perspective is shown by me. I learn to be a good manners person

since young. I learn to respect people who elder than me in the way to address them.

JOURNAL 1, 2 nd entry: Social Facilitation

There are two roots of social psychology which are Social Facilitation and Social

Loafing. My experience is about Social Facilitation. Social Facilitation is when one’s

performance is enhanced with the presence of others. For example, in the sporting realm,

cyclists were timed when racing alone versus when they were in the presence of other cyclist.

The athletes consistently had faster race times when in the presence of their teammates versus

when they were racing alone. The conclusion of the study was that the presence of the other

cyclist made them more competitive.

I loved music and I learned to play piano since 10 years old. I usually played piano

when I was free. A pile of school homework made me couldn’t put all my effort into it.

Sometimes, I was lazy to practice and I would get scolded by my piano teacher. I wouldn’t

try my best because I felt like there was no competitive opponent and no need for me to put

extra effort into it.

One day, my piano teacher said she would hold a competition for all of her students

and I had been invited to that competition. Because of that competition, most of the students

were putting a lot of effort into it, and because of that, I was motivated to practice hard for

that competition. If there was no competition, I wouldn’t put so much effort into it, but when

the competition came to me, it motivated me to do well. At first, I thought everyone wouldn’t

practice well but after that I found out everyone practice so much at home. So I practiced

hard too and also in the end I won a prize in the competition.

Social Facilitation is shown. Because of the presence of those students, my

performance had enhanced, and unlike the past of me who wouldn’t care so much, the current

of me now is motivated to do my best in music.

JOURNAL 2, 1 st entry: False Consensus Effect

False consensus effect is our tendency to overestimate the number of people who

act or think as we do. False consensus effect is a type of bias in which we think that our own

opinions, attitudes, beliefs, etc. are common and appropriate, so that others must alsofeel the

same way. When we have a particular belief, we tend to estimate that belief to be more

prevalent than it is by individuals that have an alternative belief.

When I was young, my family always said I am the stupidest in the house. This is

because when I was in primary school, my results were always worse than my siblings

because I did not study before exam. I played computer everyday whenever I got back from

school. During my tuition lesson, I did not pay full attention on it too. These attitudes caused

me getting bad results in every exam. My mother had a difficulty on spelling words.

Sometimes she needed our help to spell words for her but she will only ask the help from my

siblings and not me. She did not believe on me as she knew my results when I was young

were worse than my siblings. So she did not believe that I can give her the right spelling

when she is in difficulty on spelling. When time flies, my results are getting better and better

compare to my primary school results. Even though now my results are better than my

siblings, still she doesn’t believe that I can give her the right spelling. She still thinks that I’m

the stupidest in the house. False consensus effect is shown by my mother. She thinks that I

am stupid even though I turn better now and she assumes that I do not even know how to

spell the simple words. She estimates wrongly!

By relating to false consensus effect, mother developed false consensus effect

when she thought I am still that stupid like when I’m in primary school. But, she made a false

statement which she thought I couldn’t spell the word for her and never improve in my study

when I grow up.

JOURNAL 2, 2 nd entry: Cutting Off Reflective Failure (CORFing)

Cutting Off Reflective Failure (CORFing) is practiced by attempting to distance or

separate ourselves from some failure that may have a negative impact on our self-esteem,

reputation, or self-image. For example, you not only disassociate yourself from failure, you

also give them credit for failure or rather put blame on them.

When I was 13 years old, my results were not that good, this is because I never

study before my exam, did not concentrate during class and I addicted to computer games last

time. Due to my attitude towards studies, I couldn’t enter the better class with smart students

and I am adjusted to enter the behind class with some lazy students. At that time, the friends

who I knew were very playful and lazy. They do not really care about their academic and

they always asked me to skip lessons with them whenever they feel boring during the lessons.

However, that time I am in rebellious phase, I always persist on good advises. When I was in

15 years old, suddenly I turned to become a hardworking study. I started to arrange my

timetable for myself to study, concentrate during lessons and also started to become a good

student. There was a PMR Examination when I was 15. I put a lot effort in it and finally I got

flying colors result and also I successfully get into the better class. When I was in the better

class, I realized that none of them were I knew. There was one time when teacher say we

going to have a group assignment. My new friends knew I was from the behind class and they

were from the better class. They did not want to let me join them for the group assignment.

They were worried I will ruin their assignment because of my poor attitude last time.

From that moment, CORFing is shown by my classmates. By relating Cutting Off

Reflective Failure (CORFing), they are selfish who never thought of me. They are trying to

distance themselves from me because they know I am from behind class, who in bad attitude

towards academic too. That’s why CORFing shown.

JOURNAL 3, 1 st entry: Stereotype

Stereotype assumes that all members of a group share some common features.

Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but are usually an exaggerated idea of what a group

is like.

When I was in high school, I heard about Taylor’s University’s students. Also,

when I just started my high school life, my brother started his college life in Taylor’s

University too. Sometimes I log in “Facebook”, I saw people posted their photo when they

are in their university. People that I saw in the photos were all carrying their branded

handbags with high heels for females. For males were all smokers and driving expensive cars.

These people were from Taylor’s University. From that moment onwards, I developed a

stereotype when I think Taylor’s University students are rich people and most of them are

smokers. I am not as rich as them and I thought I will be very suffering to be with them but

actually not. When I got into Taylor’s University, I was wondering my friends were not like

what I thought last time. They are just normal like me who only bring backpack and wear

normal shoes to university. For males, most of them are not smoking too. Only when I got

into Taylor’s University, I know not all of them are rich people like what I thought last time.

Both positive and negative stereotypes can have a negative effect on a person. By

relating to stereotype, I thought that Taylor’s University students all with branded handbags

were rich people, but it could make outsider felt that Taylor’s University students were not

really go university for study and felt they might be going university for fun, which is a

negative outcome. Also, throughout this incident, I decided not to stereotype them. Instead,

they are dressing with branded!

JOURNAL 3, 2 nd entry: Counterfactual Thinking

Counterfactual Thinking is imaging different outcomes for an event that has already

occurred and also usually associated with bad events. Counterfactual Thinking is divided into

two types which are upward counterfactuals and downward counterfactuals. My experience is

related to downward counterfactuals.

There was a SPM Examination when I was in form 5. I am not a brilliant person, it

was quite difficult for me to get full A’s in SPM. People found out it was challenging but for

me it was a stressful thing. I stressed for every exams. When the day came, I did my best in

SPM. After few months, my result released and I got a very bad result for it. I wasn’t satisfied

with that result which disappointed me so much. I put a lot of efforts inside and ended up

with this result. I was thinking:

“If I burn the midnight oil during the exam, I may get a better result.”

“If I can manage my time for studies, I will not getting so stress up and perform badly in my

exam.”

There were so many “if” in my mind which leaded me a lot of regrets. I was

thinking if I thought of these problems, I could get a better result. I was so sad when I got my

result, one of my friends confronted me and said,

“If you burn the midnight oil during the exam, you will easily get tired and will not perform

well in the exam.”

“Everyone got their weakness, none of them are perfect, none of them can manage their time

PERFECTLY, and there must be some blockage with make you fail on it.”

I was so sad at that moment, this kind of consolation didn’t seem work on me that

time, but I appreciated what my friend said to me. Downward counterfactual thinking is

shown. It makes me to feel better when there is a negative outcome. Throughout this

experience, I will learn from mistake and perform better in future.

JOURNAL 4, 1 st entry: Motivation

Motivation is the reason or your drive for doing something. Motivation is divided

into two types which are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. My experience is

related to extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation refers to take some action in order to

obtain a reward or outcome. For example, a person may works at a company in order to

receive a paycheck, while another person may be working at that same job in order to receive

health benefits.

When I just started my high school, I wasn’t a hardworking person. I always

refused to study. I used up my time on video games and not on studies. My parents scolded

me for being so lazy but still I refused to listen their advises. I did so badly in my every exam.

The only thing I hope I could get it was a new hand phone. There was a PMR Examination in

form 3. Once I went to form 3, I turned into a hardworking person. I studied for every

subjects and I paid attention during the class lessons and tuition lessons. This is because my

father promised me if I could get 5A’s and above in my PMR Examination, I could get a new

hand phone as a reward. I found out this was quite challenging for me. I took the challenge

and finally I got more than 5A’s in my PMR Examination.

Then of course in the end, my father did keep his promise and bought me a new

hand phone. This was how me doing action that caused extreme pressure but in return I got

my reward. Extrinsic motivation is developed. My father motivated me to study hard in the

examination with a reward.

JOURNAL 4, 2 nd entry: Routes to Persuasion

There are two types of routes to persuasion, one being the central route, and another

being the peripheral route. My experience will focus on the peripheral route. The peripheral

route is when one only attends to external cues. It involves a lack of ability or motivation to

attend to the message.

I was an unhealthy person. I liked to eat high cholesterol and high calories foods. I

wasn’t care about my health last time. Contrary, my sister was a people who care about her

health. She ate healthy according to the food pyramid and she did not over taken cholesterol

and calories. One day, she told me not to eat so unhealthy. She explained to me about the

cause and effect of eating unhealthy. She even told me that if I continued with this behavior,

it would probably affect my health condition such as getting high blood pressure, high

cholesterol, diabetes and etc. I had already persuaded by my sister to eat healthy. She also

showed my some persuasive video on how to eat healthy. As I always complain that healthy

foods were not nice and tasty, she even cooked me some healthy foods. From that moment

onwards, I totally turned myself from an unhealthy person into a healthy person. Her

persuasion was really worked on me. I did not expect I can turn myself into a healthy person.

Peripheral route to persuasion is shown. I have changed my behavior due to the

persuasion given by my sister. She persuaded me to eat healthy to avoid getting sickness.

JOURNAL 5, 1 st entry: Sexism

There are three different types of discrimination, which are racism, sexism and

ageism. Out of the three types of discrimination, sexism is the most relating to my

experience. Sexism is the act of treating people unequally due to their gender. Sexism is

divided into two types which are old-fashioned sexism and modern sexism and I will be

choosing old-fashioned sexism. Old-fashioned sexism is an overt sexism based on the belief

that women are less competent and promoting traditional gender roles and different treatment

of men and women.

My grandma is a people who prefer boys to girls. She treated my brother so much

better than my sister and I. I remembered when there was one time when I was in 13 years

old, my brother just finished his high school and he was waiting for his result to continue his

further study in university. After he did his survey, he decided to study Culinary Arts in

Taylor’s University. At that time, my parents were facing financial problem and they couldn’t

afford the full tuition fees for my brother. After my grandma knew that my parents were

facing financial problem, she was willing to sponsor a quarter of my brother’s tuition fees

around 20 thousand ringgit. After few years, my parents were also facing financial problems

when I was going to start my further study in university but my grandma did not help on me.

She never sponsored me for the help of my tuition fees and until now still she doesn’t know

what I am studying too. It is quite sad that my grandma is only care about my brother and not

me.

Old-fashioned sexism is shown by my grandma. She had an old-fashioned thinking

which think that boys can do work well compare to girls. For example like old people who

always think that women will not do things well, so women should stay at home and take care

of their children if they have a family. For men, they should go out work and earn money for

their family. These are what old people think last time. Therefore, my grandma is still that

kind of thinking. She treated my brother better than I that show she is still promoting

traditional treatment of men and women.

JOURNAL 5, 2 nd entry: Racism

Racism is the discrimination directed at a specific racial group. Racism is divided

into two types which are old-fashioned racism and modern racism. My experience is related

to old-fashioned racism. Old-fashioned racism is meant a person who overt prejudice and

discrimination. It also involves oppressive acts and feelings.

I am a friendly person. When I was in high school, I got a lot of friends who from

different races such as Indian and Malay. As I got a lot of friends, I was closed to everyone

and also treated them truly. There was a graduation when I finish my high school. That

graduation held on the last day of my high school life. On that day, I took many photos with

my friends because I knew I might not be able to meet them next time so I took photos with

them to keep it as memories. There was a male Indian friend named Aldridge who always

play with me, talk to me and also always teach me whenever I’m in difficulty on my studies.

On the graduation day, of course, I took photo with Aldridge. Here story begin, my mother is

a racist people. She totally cannot accept when I am too close with a different race of people.

After that graduation day, I changed my “Facebook” profile picture with that male Indian

friend, Aldridge. My mother saw it from her “Facebook”, she immediately ask me who was

that guy. She thought that guy was my boyfriend. She warned me not to couple with an

Indian guy because she couldn’t accept there was different race person in our family.

Racism is shown by my mother. She is racist on other race person. She said she finds

out there is a difficulty on communication with different race person because she is poor in

other language other than mandarin. Also, she doesn’t like other religion due to culture. This

is probably racism occurred.