Reference no: EM133277041

Questions -

Q1. In lecture, Dr. Hodson discussed how factors associated with an individual person, or the context/situation, can shape prejudicial attitudes. Using your own words, explain the point he was making. Use examples of concepts or constructs to make your point.

a. What does social psychology have in common with folk wisdom? How does social psychology differ from folk wisdom?

b. Please think of a world problem today and suggest how social psychology and folk psychology would approach the topic differently.

Q2. Explain correlational research designs (what they are, how they are limited).

Q3. Describe the nature of the third-variable problem, and give a social-psychology relevant example (be sure to show mastery by full explaining).

Q4. Discuss how, based on course content, the media has misinterpreted correlational findings regarding the sexual health of women.

Q5. Susan is asked in class: "Which creature is responsible for the most human deaths in the world?" She answers "sharks" and is very surprised to learn that the answer is "mosquito", followed by humans, then snakes, then dogs and sandflies (Winegard, 2019).

There are likely 2 types of cognitive bias at work here.

a. Explain and define each type of bias.

b. In this example, why does this bias "matter" (i.e., what harm could it do)? In other words, why care about this?

c. Explain ways to reduce the impact of such biases (either in general, or in Susan's case).

Q5. In a study researchers found that randomly informing students (prior to having a class with that professor) that their professor was either nice and friendly, or distant and unapproachable, resulted in students giving the supposedly nice/friendly (vs. distant/unapproachable) professor more positive evaluations.

a) What type of research design is this study (and what makes it this type of design?)?

b) What does this finding tell us about how people process information about others?

c) Does this necessarily mean that people reach faulty conclusions in assessing others?

Q6. In your perspective, explain discounting and augmentation effects in social perception, and how they differ from each other.

a. Then provide you OWN social psychology-relevant example (real or fictitious) of these mental processes in action, and explain how they can shape social perception.

Q7. What have researchers done to collect evidence that there are six basic human emotions conveyed via facial expressions?

a) Then answer whether emotions are universal, and whether our ability to perceive emotions (in others) universal? Discuss the debates and findings.

Q8. Imagine a context where people are watching Prime Ministerial debates, where two candidates for Prime Minister answer questions from a moderator about a variety of topics (e.g., gun control; taxation; the handling of COVID-19) and millions of viewers watch the debate on TV at home.

a. Based on our discussion and the research findings on schemas, how might someone who is schematic for "integrity", compared to someone who is aschematic for "integrity" differ in how they interpret the debate? Explain what being schematic or aschematic means (in general), and what it would mean for the trait "integrity".

b. Draw on the research presented in class for making your argument.

c. Finally, what might such findings tell us about the growing political divide (left vs. right; Liberal vs. Conservative) in Canada (and/or around the world)?

Q9. When Dr. Hodson was a child, some of his childhood friends were paid by their parents for competing their own homework. Dr. Hodson's parents did not pay him to do his homework, yet he grew up being very motivated to succeed in school and went on to become a professor.

a) What did Dr. Hodson's parents seem to grasp about motivation and the development of self? What does your textbook refer to phenomenon as? How does it work or operate?

b) What outcomes does this phenomenon lead to? (in other words, if a child or person works on tasks or activities for their ow sake, and not because of outside factors like payment, what does effect does this have on how people approach life, including outside of that specific activity?)