Critically Evaluating Developing Intellectual Thinking Skills - Assignment Example

Introduction: 1. What is a learning journal? A learning journal is a mode of scholarly reflection. ideal for improving self awareness regarding learning outcomes. It aids to broaden the scope of learning by encompassing all experiences and activities performed by the individual. It helps to critically evaluate what one has gone through by further developing intellectual thinking skills. 2. Why am I completing a learning journal as part of my study of social psychology? The main purpose of compiling a learning journal is that it includes personal reflections indicating the reasons of change in comprehension of social behaviour, brought about via learning. Describing my responses could help to promote reflective practices for better academic performance, as well as for the future professional tasks. This learning journal would serve as proof that I have actually thought about the particular topics presented in this unit and that I am prepared to evaluate them in the context of my own learning experience. 3. What do I hope to learn from this assignment? By drawing examples from work and family life related to the topics under discussion, I would be able to elucidate the main issues and give reference to the evidence deduced from lectures, relevant texts and tutorials. I would be able to check my level of understanding pertaining the chosen concepts and theories. This assignment would aid to provide reflection on the evidence, material provided, learning and its implementation. After completing it, I would become more apt at making judgements regarding proposed merits and their applicability in routine life. Reflective Learning Journal Topic: Self & Identity 1. Which topic interests me the most and why? The lecture on ‘Self & Identity’ (Griffin, October, 2010) laid emphasis on the person’s identity concepts. Myers (2010, p.59) proposed that “at the center of our worlds, more pivotal for us than anything else, is ourselves”. The part of the lecture that interests me most is the concept of cultural notions of self because it explains how independent and interdependent notions dictates one’s self concept. 2. What are the main ideas, concepts and evidence related to this topic? Tim Griffin has provided authentic examples of cultural conformity in the lecture (October, 2010), illustrating Kim and Markus (1999) common observation that Americans are more independent as compared to Asians in their cultural notion of self. The study presented a situation where both are asked to choose a pen for themselves. Most of the Americans (77%) chose the unique orange pen while Asians’ percentage was relatively low (33%). Myers (2010, p.43) mentioned another example to verify the validity of this concept with the Nisbett’s study of an animated under water scene description made by the Japanese and Americans. Most of the Japanese (60%), being more holistic and confirming their preference for interrelatedness among objects and people, were more adapt at mentioning the background details (like the frog near the plant) than Americans who focus on larger objects e.g. single big fish. Distinctive characteristics for interdependent and independent selves are mentioned yielding that independent persons are more individualistic in their perceptions. They are conscious of their rights and liberties. They deny conforming to the society as a whole with a motto that “to thrive own self be true” (Griffin, October, 2010). People who identify themselves with society, believe in group solidarity, negate egotism thus represent interdependent notions of self. “No one is an island” is what they strive for (Griffin, October, 2010). Whenever there is amalgamation of East and West, self concept seem to become more individualized as Myers (2010, p.45) has given an account of the study of Heine et al., 1999. Personal self esteem was reported to be increased in Japanese exchange students after studying for seven months in the University of British Columbia. Similarly in Canada, long term Asian immigrants have higher individual self esteem as compared to recent immigrants. 3. What short quote or reading from the text or reading illustrates an important point related to that extent? Myers (2010, p.44) identified the inclination for individualism or collectivism in his book by stating that “Our self concepts seem to adjust to our situation: If you interact with the same people all your life, they are more important to your identity, than if you are uprooted every few years and must make new friends. You yourself become your constant companion”. 4. How is this aspect related to my social world? The examples provided by the instructor and related text helped me to reflect my own personal position in terms of cultural notions of self. One day while I was hanging out with my friends in the restaurant, they all ordered chocolate shake. Even though I was more inclined to take a strawberry one, I didn’t express my desire and ordered the same shake like the rest. As this was not a big issue to make firm judgement about myself concept, but it made me realise that I am more prone to interdependent notion of self. My desires are moulded by the significant others in my life. Topic: Prejudice & Discrimination 1. Which topic interests me the most and why? The lecture on “Prejudice & discrimination” deals with the predefined negative judgement established for a group or persons within that group. The topic that interests me the most is “stereotype threat”, as its comprehension would further help to culminate its adverse affects on individuals. 2. What are the main ideas, concepts and evidence related to this topic? In his lectures (October, 2010) Tim Griffin, while discussing the insidious nature of prejudice, defined stereotype threat as the advanced fear of being judged and treated according to the existing negative stereotypical views, thus persuading the targeted individual to ultimately succumb to these stereotypes via his behaviour. Myers (2010, p.343) has dictated the result of experiments carried out by Spencer, Steele and Quinn in 1999 that involved a hard math test given to both men and women students with similar math knowledge. Firstly, when they were informed that they are not going to be evaluated in terms of any group stereotype, women’s performance was consistent with those of men, but at the moment they were told that there will be a gender difference, women automatically confirmed the negative stereotype and showed poor results due to this added apprehension. Jeff Stone and his colleagues carried out a study in 1999 revealing that when people are reminded of a stereotype threat it can have a negative impact on their performance, “White men can’t jump” and Black couldn’t think straight. While performing a golf task in the framework of sports intelligence, Blacks couldn’t perform up to the mark; similarly Whites fail in the test of natural athletic ability (Myers, 2010, p.344). Myers (2010, p.346) has also discussed the point that people possess strong gender stereotypes, but usually ignore them when evaluating an individual e.g. Many White Americans disregard Black people but still showed their support for President Obama who was a Black presidential candidate. Tim Griffin(October, 2010) presented, in the lecture, findings from Rosenthal and Jacobson study, indicating that elementary school children showed IQ gains in the first two years at school but the gains were significantly high in the “bloomers” (a randomly selected group of students who were favoured by the teacher to have higher IQ potential then the rest). Nelson, Biernat and Manis, in 1990, carried out a study asking students to judge the heights of individually pictured women and men. Most students revealed men to be taller than women even though they were all of the same height indicating that strong stereotypes do influence people in general (Myers, 2010, p.347). 3. What short quote or reading from the text or reading illustrates an important point related to that extent? Summing the role of stereotypical threats and prejudice, Myers (2010, p.348) has stated that “Once formed, stereotypes tend to perpetuate themselves and resist change. They also create their own realities through self fulfilling prophecies”. 4. How is this aspect related to my social world? After getting an insight into the related literature, I came to realise that I have seen incidences of stereotype threats. It is my personal observation that female students in class don’t participate much as compared to male students this could be a reason that they are apprehended by negative stereotypes as predicted by Myers (2010). Also when Australian women cricket team won T-20 World cup, I felt that male cricketers didn’t encourage them, as they should have done in the presentation ceremony. An orthodox view is that their sullen attitude was because they themselves have lost to England but I believe there was this gender stereotype associated with it. Topic: Attractions & Close relationships 1. Which topic interests me the most and why? The lecture on “attractions and close relationships” highlighted the need for affiliation, covered aspects of attraction, mystery of love, friendship, break ups and loneliness. The topic that interests me the most discusses the reasons that lead couples to break up as it reveals how love dies and which variables predict marital dissolution? 2. What are the main ideas, concepts and evidence related to this topic? In his book, Social psychology, Myers (2010) elucidated the reasons for significant increase in divorce rates. Roughly half of American and nearly 40% of Canadian marriages break up. Royal House of Windsor in Britain has witnessed many fairy tale marriages to dissolve e.g. that of Prince Andrew, Prince Charles, and Princess Margaret etc. It has been discussed that cultures having individualism are more divorce prone as compared to communal cultures. Dion and Dion (1993) stated that the prime reason for this being that individualists expect more passion and fulfilment in their marital affair, which adds extra pressure on their mutual relationship. Myers (2010) mentioned the American Enterprise survey, 1992 yielding that “Keeping romance alive” phenomenon was more acknowledged by American women (78%) as compared to the Japanese (29%). Tim Griffin (October, 2010) envisages the reasons for break ups including differences in intelligence, interests, sexual attitudes and backgrounds. Other factors being desire to lead an independent life, family pressure to break the marriage, having another affair or living at distant places. The author has quoted Miller (1997) stating that strong relationships are embedded in love and satisfaction. Myers (2010) gives reference to Popenoe (2002) indicating a national survey reporting 86% of the couples who were unhappily married but stayed together. When re-interrogated after five years, they tend to be happier with their relationships. Divorce risk factors deal with who is going to marry whom. Findings by Myers and Tzeng revealed that couples stay together if they are married after twenty years of age, grew in two-parent stable homes and were dating each other long before marriage. According to Rusbult (1986), relationship distress can be confronted either through constructive or destructive means. Couples could seek ways to bring improvement in relationship or act upon the urge to end it for good (Myers, 2010). Gottman (1998) studied 2000 married couples and concluded that healthy marriages suffer from conflicts but they have the ability to reconcile this gulf and overcome any sort of prevailing criticism (Myers, 2010). Huston and his associates (2001) pointed out that disillusionment and despair are predictors of a dull marriage life (Myers, 2010). An Australian researcher, Patricia Noller (1996) stated that mature love can only be sustained by the faith that love comprises of acknowledging differences and shortcomings (Myers, 2010). 3. What short quote or reading from the text or reading illustrates an important point related to that extent? Myers (2010) has quoted, from Sarnoff & Sarnoff (1989), the French saying that “Love makes the time pass and time makes love pass. But it takes effort to stem love’s decay. It takes effort to carve out time each day to talk over the day’s happenings…It takes effort to make a relationship into a classless utopia of social equality”. 4. How is this aspect related to my social world? After considering the above mentioned factors provided by Myers (2010), they makes me realise that being an individualistic society, divorce rate in Australia is also quite alarming. By following the reconciliation methods provided by the psychologists, this increasing ratio could be controlled. Love can strengthen if both partners accept each other the way they are and strive for the betterment together. Lecture by Tim Griffin (October, 2010) compelled me to play active part in raising awareness about break up issues, thus being a valuable citizen to my country. Conclusion: 1. What value has this journal been for my learning of social psychology? This journal has provided me with a firm ground with valid justifications to prove the theories of social psychology. It improved my learning perceptions to a greater extent as retrieving information from the slides, and tutorials have revived my already existing knowledge. Applicability of such theories in the real world further makes sense of their authentication. It helped to change my thinking of self, as I thought myself to be independent to cultural notion, but in reality I was more interdependent. 2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of my journal? My journal is reflective of my ideas about self identity and individuality, yet I think that I have to focus more on the implementation strategies for the theories. My experiences are not very appropriate according to the wide range of aspects these topics encompassed. Negative stereotypes need to be eradicated for avoiding prejudice. 3. Did I get out of this assignment what I hoped for? I had hoped to reflect my thoughts on the concepts under discussion, and I believe that I have achieved my goal. Narrating my personal experiences, related to the topics, has further enhanced my comprehension of major issues prevalent in Social Psychology. It helped me to locate my position in the social framework. After compiling this learning journal, I gained the confidence to make judgements relating to individual’s self and identity, prejudice, discrimination, attraction and close relationships phenomenon. References: Griffin, T. (Ed.), (2010). 101557: The Individual in Society. North Ryde, NSW: McGraw-Hill Australia. Myers, D. G. (2010). Social Psychology. (10th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Read More