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

Understanding Social Influence in Groups

Social influence in groups occurs when the majority of the members influence smaller subgroups within the group to change (majority influence) and when the minority members succeed in converting the majority of group members to their position (minority influence). Asch studied conformity by measuring people's decisions when the majority of their group's members made errors judging line lengths.

Types of Conformity

When group members change their position, their conformity may result from temporary compliance to the group's pressure rather than true conversion (private acceptance). Those who do not comply may be displaying independence or deliberate defiance of the group (anticonformity). When congruence... Continue reading "Understanding Social Influence: Majority and Minority Dynamics" »

Ecocriticism: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Ecocriticism is an interdisciplinary field that examines the relationship between literature and the environment. Scholars analyze texts that illustrate environmental concerns and explore how literature treats nature.

Core Concepts

• Ecology: The biological study of interactions between organisms and their physical environment.
• Domestic vs. Wild Nature: Domestic nature is customized for human benefit, while wild nature remains untouched by human intervention.
• Biocentrism: An ethical stance that values all life forms equally, regardless of their species.
• Darwism: The theory of biological evolution through natural selection.
• Pioneer Species: Organisms that colonize new environments, shaping their ecosystems and

Chapter 7: Experiencing Positive Emotions

When it comes to flourishing as human beings, what often takes center stage is our ability to feel positive emotions.

One of the core elements of flourishing is the study of positive emotions (PERMA).

Positive Emotions: a wide range of pleasant emotions in the past, present, and future; being able to know what it is to be happy and to experience an enduring sense of well-being.

Two ways of smiling:

- Duchenne smile: a full-face smile where not only your mouth turns up, but the corners of your eyes crinkle, as well. That is, you smile with your eyes as well as your mouth.

- “the other smile”: with the mouth only and does not involve the eyes.

The extent to which the women displayed the Duchenne smile in... Continue reading "Experiencing Positive Emotions and Happiness" »

CONVENTIONS:

practices, behaviours, ideas and styles regarded as normal or taken for granted.

DISCRIMINATION:

treating someone or some group as different or less-than based upon their identity.

DOUBLE STANDARD:

a set of guidelines or principles in which one group of people is treated differently than performing the same or similar behaviour.

EXCLUSIONIST:

the position of excluding someone or some group from a fundamental right or prerogative.

FEMININITY:

socially constructed characteristics or ideas typically associated with the female sex.

FEMINISM:

a philosophy and social movement centered on improving the status and lives of women.

GENDER:

socially constructed characteristics associated with biological sex; ie., feminine, masculine.

HIERARCHICAL:

a system... Continue reading "Understanding Media Representation and Social Issues" »

Proposition:

Minimal unit of cognitive semantics; it is the equivalent of a statement, a statement being a sentence either affirmative or negative.

Utterance:

Is more a pragmatic form. It is an item of language produced by a real speaker in a real situation. Sometimes proposition and non-propositions are utterance.

Lexical meaning:

The meaning assigned to every word of the sentence.

Natural language:

A language that has developed naturally in use (as contrasted with an artificial language or computer code). The language of every human society.

Conceptualization:

Cognitive process automatically performed to make sense of the world/outer reality.

Categorization:

Basic cognitive function. Performed automatically and unconsciously as we interact with reality/... Continue reading "Cognitive Semantics and Language: Understanding the Basics" »

Instructions:

Choose the best answer for each multiple-choice question.

Questions:

1. Carl Jung believed that all humans have a common hereditary...
   1. Collective unconscious
   2. Displacement
   3. Rationalization
   4. Projection
   5. Regression
2. Three-year-old Joey is very angry with his parents but instead yells at his teddy bear. This is an example of...
   1. Collective unconscious
   2. Displacement
   3. Rationalization
   4. Projection
   5. Regression
3. A person with anorexia nervosa tells her therapist that she doesn't eat because she is worried about gaining weight, not because she wants to punish her parents. This is an example of...
   1. Collective unconscious
   2. Displacement
   3. Rationalization
   4. Projection
   5. Regression
4. Sam says that he does not trust Dorothy, but in reality, Dorothy feels that Sam is the one who cannot be

What is Psychology?

Psychology, derived from the Greek words "psyche" (soul) and "logos" (study of), is a complex field to define. It is the scientific study of mental processes, experiences, and behavior in various contexts.

Mental Processes

Mental processes involve activities like problem-solving, remembering, knowing, and learning. These are the internal mechanisms of the mind at work.

Experiences

Experiences are subjective and personal. Only the individual experiencing them can be fully aware of their nature. These experiences are embedded in our consciousness and are influenced by both internal and external factors.

Behavior

Behavior encompasses the responses, reactions, and activities we engage in. Some behaviors are overt and observable, while... Continue reading "Understanding Psychology: Mind, Behavior, and Perspectives" »

The Psychology of Attraction and Relationship Formation

Why We Choose Specific Partners

The phrase "Birds of a Feather Flock Together" encapsulates a fundamental question in social psychology: Why do we choose to form relationships with certain individuals and not others?

The first stage of any relationship is attraction.

Key Factors Influencing Interpersonal Attraction

Research identifies several crucial factors that determine who we are attracted to:

• Proximity
• Familiarity
• Physical Attractiveness
• Similarity
• Complementarity

Proximity and Familiarity

Studies on proximity have consistently shown that our immediate circle of friends often consists of people who live or work very close to us. Increased exposure leads to increased familiarity, which generally... Continue reading "The Science of Attraction: Similarity, Proximity, and Partner Selection" »

Personality: A Person's Pattern of Thinking, Feeling, and Acting

Type A and Type B Personalities

• Type A: Feel time pressure, easily angered, competitive and ambitious, work hard, more prone to heart disease.
• Type B: Relaxed and easygoing, work steadily, disregard physical or mental stress when they do not achieve.

Freud's Psychosexual Stage Theory

Freud believed that libido (psychosexual energy) moves to different parts of the body during different stages of development:

• Oral Stage (0-2 years): Sucking, mouth (drinking, eating, dependence, independence)
• Anal Stage (2 years): Bowel movements (orderly, stubborn/messy, wasteful)
• Phallic Stage (3-5 years): Play with genitals, feel attracted to the opposite parent
• Latent Stage (5 years to adolescence): Suppress

Sex and gender are two concepts often presented as equal, but they are not. Sex refers to the biological classification based on reproductive organs. Gender is based on psychological and social characteristics associated with being male or female. This article aims to explore the relationship between gender and health. Gender affects the approach to healthcare and the manifestation, epidemiology, and pathophysiology of diseases. We will discuss how gender can be a conditioning factor in health and how it affects mental health throughout the life cycle.

Cultural Influence on Gender and Health

Culture plays a very important role in the behaviors of men and women. Gender differences produce gender inequalities that empower one group to the detriment... Continue reading "Sex, Gender, and Health: Impact on Mental Well-being" »