Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Psychology and Sociology

Ethics

Ethics refer to the study of moral principles or values that determine whether actions are right or wrong and outcomes are good or bad.

Three Ethical Principles

Utilitarianism: Greatest good for the greatest number of people

Individual Rights: Fundamental entitlements in society

Distributive Justice: People who are similar should receive similar benefits

Influences on Ethical Conduct

• Moral intensity

• degree that issue demands ethical principles

• Ethical sensitivity

• ability to recognize the presence and determine the relative importance of an ethical issue

• Situational influences

• competitive pressures and other conditions affect ethical behavior

Four Factors that Directly Influence Individual Behavior and Performance (MARS)

Motivation:

• Internal

Caregiver Sensitivity

Caregiver sensitivity is the extent to which a parent responds to a child's signals appropriately and promptly, is positively involved during interactions, and provides a secure base for exploration.

Emotional Development

Emotions are key to understanding a child's interpretation of a situation.

Emotional Regulation

The ability to regulate emotions is crucial for healthy development.

Temperament

Temperament styles include easy, slow to warm up, and difficult.

Emotions in Communication

Emotions act as a two-way channel for adult-infant communication, establishing intersubjectivity through social referencing.

Empathic Attunement

Attunement describes how reactive a person is to another's emotional needs and moods. A well-attuned person... Continue reading "Child Development: Emotional Growth and Caregiver Sensitivity" »

Competència

Horrocks, 1987: «the speaker's internalised knowledge of his language, his tacit or unconscious knowledge of the system of rules and principles which underlies his capacity to speak and understand the language of his speech community» La projecció, de nou. (Chomsky, 1969): «the child constructs this ideal theory without explicit instruction, [...] he acquires this knowledge at a time when he is not capable of complex intellectual achievements in many other domains, and [...] this achievement is relatively independent of intelligence or the particular course of experience.

Language Acquisition Device

Chomsky, 1965: «This device takes as input the kind of data used by the child who acquires the language and gives as output the... Continue reading "Language Acquisition and Development: Theories and Competence" »

Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Studies employing quantitative methods are often statistically sophisticated.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research studies prioritize interpretive observation.

Sociological Paradigms

Symbolic Interactionism

This paradigm emphasizes interaction and meaning as central to society. It assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction.

Conflict Theory

This paradigm posits social conflict as the basis of society and social change. It emphasizes a materialistic view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change. This perspective highlights the role of power and coercion in producing social order.

Structural Functionalism

This paradigm... Continue reading "Key Concepts in Sociology: A Comprehensive Overview" »

Mead's Theory of Social Self

Mead's theory of social self is based on the perspective that self emerges from social interactions, such as observing and interacting with others, and responding to others, among other factors.

The Social Aspect of Self

The social aspect of self is an important distinction because other sociologists of Mead's time believed that the self was based solely on biological factors and inherited traits.

Development of Self

Mead believed that the self is not present from birth but is developed over time through experiences and activities.

Reflexivity in Mead's Theory

Reflexivity plays a fundamental role in Mead's theory of mind. Vocal gestures allow individuals to hear their own gestures in the same way that others hear them.... Continue reading "Mead's Theory of Social Self: Emergence, Reflexivity, and Development" »

Consciousness: the subjective awareness of internal and external events

Communication Across Cultures is Necessary due to:

1- outsourcing 2- offshoring  3- Global supply chains

High Context Cultures

q1- Place high value on relationships

qFavor indirect communication

qAssign meaning to shared history, nonverbal signals, and the Context of the message

Multicultural Communication Guidelines

qUnderstand how your own culture shapes your beliefs, values, and Behaviors.

qLearn about other cultures while keeping an open mind and Respecting differences.

qAdapt to variations in cultural communication patterns.

qOvercome language barriers.  

Steps in the Job Analysis Process

1. Determine who will do the analysis and get top management buy-in the process.

2. Choose jobs that are critical to the success of the company and have a sufficient number of employees in them.

3. Review what has already been written about the job. One important source of information is the Occupational Information Network.

4. Select job agents, people who will provide job information, such as incumbents (people currently doing the job), supervisors, or job analysts (experts).

5. Collect job information through interviews, questionnaires, and observations.

Job Analysis Techniques

Job analysis interview: Face-to-face meeting with the purpose of learning about a worker’s duties and responsibilities.

Job analysis questionnaire:... Continue reading "Job Analysis Process: Steps, Techniques, and Results" »

What is communication? And its objective and significance

Communication is the process of exchanging information, ideas, thoughts, or feelings between individuals or groups using various methods and mediums. It is a fundamental aspect of human interaction and plays a crucial role in conveying messages, sharing knowledge, building relationships, and achieving various objectives. Communication can occur through verbal and non-verbal means, including spoken or written language, body language, gestures, facial expressions, and more.

Objectives of Communication:

1. Information Sharing: One of the primary objectives of communication is to convey information from one party to another. This can include sharing news, updates, instructions, or data.

2. Understanding:

Common Sociological Concepts

• Achieved Status
• Agents of Socialization
• Aggregate
• Alienation
• Anomie
• Apartheid
• Appearance
• Ascribed Status
• Assimilation
• Authoritarianism
• Belief
• Blue-Collar
• Body Language
• Bourgeoisie
• Bureaucracy
• Capitalism
• Capitalist Class
• Caste System
• Category
• Class System
• Clique
• Commoners
• Communism
• Conflict Theory
• Conformists
• Control Theory
• Counterculture
• Crime
• Crime Against the Person
• Crime Against Property
• Cultural Diffusion
• Cultural Relativism
• Culture
• Culture of Poverty
• Culture Shock
• Democracy
• Deviance
• Dominant Culture
• Dyad
• Economy
• Education
• Ego
• Endogamy
• Ethnocentrism
• Ethnomethodology
• Exogamy
• Formal Organization
• Gender Role
• Gender Socialization
• Global Stratification
• Globalization of Capitalism
• Government
• Group
• Group Dynamics
• Id
• Ideal Type
• Ideology
• In-Group
• Inner Controls
• Institution
• Law
• Macrosociology
• Manner