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

Understanding Sensation and Perception in Marketing

Sensation and Perception Defined

• Sensation is the immediate response of our sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and fingers) to basic stimuli (light, color, sound, odor, and texture).
• Perception is the process by which sensations are selected, organized, and interpreted.

The Role of Sensory Marketing

Sensory marketing means that companies pay extra attention to how our sensations affect our product experiences. Marketers recognize that our senses help us to decide which products appeal to us.

Sensory Thresholds in Consumer Behavior

Have you ever blown a dog whistle and watched your pooch respond to a sound you cannot hear? You won’t be surprised to learn that there are some stimuli that... Continue reading "Consumer Perception and Sensory Marketing Strategies" »

●Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Erikson proposed eight stages of development

A period of life that is characterized by a specific underlying Organization

These stages follow the epigenetic principle

Biological plan for growth allows each function to emerge systematically Until the individual has fully developed

1-Oral-sensory Infant 18 months (Basic trust vs mistrust)

2-Muscular-anal 18 months- 3 years (Autonomy vs shame, Doubt)

3-Locomotor-genital 3-5 (Initiative vs guilt)

4-Latency 5-13(Industry vs inferiority)

5-Puberty and adolescence 13-21 (Identity vs Role confusion)

6-Young adulthood 21-39(Intimacy vs Isolation)

7-Adulthood 40-65 (Generativity vs Stagnation)

8-Maturity 65-older(Ego integrity vs Despair)

●Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development

Oral... Continue reading "Born of affection" »

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.  

Culture Defined

Culture is the sum of the “values, rituals, symbols, beliefs, and thought processes that are learned, shared by a group of people, and transmitted from generation to generation.” It shapes how individuals perceive the world and interact within their communities.

Conceptualizing Culture

Culture has been conceptualized in various influential ways:

• "Software of the Mind" (Hofstede): Culture serves as a guide for humans on how to think and behave, acting as a fundamental problem-solving tool.
• "An Invisible Barrier" (Hall): Culture represents a completely different way of organizing life, thinking, and conceiving underlying assumptions about family, the state, the economic system, and even humanity itself.
• "A Thicket" (U.S. Ambassador