Social Psychology
Topics include:
Mob Mentality - the reason one person yelling "Jump!" to a young man threatening to commit suicide on a college campus in the U.S. turned into a whole crowd yelling "Jump!", and resulted in the death of the man (as well as, presumably, many guilty-feeling folks.)
Also the reason why, during a cheer off between two sides, one being "Tastes better!" the other being "Less filling!", a riot errupted, resulting in overturned cars, smashed windows, sexual assaults, and the trampling of people.
Bystander Apathy - The reason a woman was stabbed multiple times in clear view of 38 witnesses, and none called the police. Also the reason another woman lay unconscious on Fifth Avenue for an hour and a half after having broken her leg, literally passed by thousands, none who stopped to help or call for help.
Groupthink - One of the reasons the space shuttle disaster occurred. People that saw problems with the plan could not challenge the leader or the other group members due to this phenomenon - too much external pressure to conform.
Conformity - The reason why over 75% of people will call a black sheep "white".
Obedience - The reason over 75% of people continued to shock a man despite the fact that he was screaming in pain and yelling that he had a heart condition.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy - The reason you don't study if you think you're going to fail a test to begin with. Most people would rather be right than be successful. Also why preconceptions about people can alter your interaction with them and strengthen your (not necessarily correct) beliefs. If someone tells you someone else is rude before you meet them, you are much more likely to be stand-offish and defensive, eliciting rudeness - an other-fulfilling prophecy elicited by your conscious or subconscious behavior.
Labelling - One of the factors contributing to prejudice and differential treatment based on preconceptions. Why do we call someone with schizophrenia a schizophrenic? To quote Dax "That's the same as calling someone with cancer 'That cancer dude' or people with heart conditions 'Those heart-attack guys'" They're people with a disorder. Not a disorder with a person under it.
Self-serving Bias - The reason 90% of people rate themselves as "good drivers" rather than "average drivers". A logical impossibility. Also the reason no one ever thinks "it" could happen to them. Someone else will get cancer from smoking, someone else will get into an accident whilst driving after drinking, and you will somehow pick the magical numbers that will win you the lottery (probability being 1 in 13, 983, 816 according to *actual* calculations done by me for stats class.)
Fundamental Attribution Errors - The reason we think the person yelling on the bus is an asshole rather than attributing his anger to a really horrid day.
Hindsight Bias - You knew it ALL along, didn't you?
It's gonna be a good course. Je suis... uh... Comment dit on "excited"?
Ah oui, et MERRY CHRISTMAS to all the Eastern Orthodox peeps out there!
Mob Mentality - the reason one person yelling "Jump!" to a young man threatening to commit suicide on a college campus in the U.S. turned into a whole crowd yelling "Jump!", and resulted in the death of the man (as well as, presumably, many guilty-feeling folks.)
Also the reason why, during a cheer off between two sides, one being "Tastes better!" the other being "Less filling!", a riot errupted, resulting in overturned cars, smashed windows, sexual assaults, and the trampling of people.
Bystander Apathy - The reason a woman was stabbed multiple times in clear view of 38 witnesses, and none called the police. Also the reason another woman lay unconscious on Fifth Avenue for an hour and a half after having broken her leg, literally passed by thousands, none who stopped to help or call for help.
Groupthink - One of the reasons the space shuttle disaster occurred. People that saw problems with the plan could not challenge the leader or the other group members due to this phenomenon - too much external pressure to conform.
Conformity - The reason why over 75% of people will call a black sheep "white".
Obedience - The reason over 75% of people continued to shock a man despite the fact that he was screaming in pain and yelling that he had a heart condition.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy - The reason you don't study if you think you're going to fail a test to begin with. Most people would rather be right than be successful. Also why preconceptions about people can alter your interaction with them and strengthen your (not necessarily correct) beliefs. If someone tells you someone else is rude before you meet them, you are much more likely to be stand-offish and defensive, eliciting rudeness - an other-fulfilling prophecy elicited by your conscious or subconscious behavior.
Labelling - One of the factors contributing to prejudice and differential treatment based on preconceptions. Why do we call someone with schizophrenia a schizophrenic? To quote Dax "That's the same as calling someone with cancer 'That cancer dude' or people with heart conditions 'Those heart-attack guys'" They're people with a disorder. Not a disorder with a person under it.
Self-serving Bias - The reason 90% of people rate themselves as "good drivers" rather than "average drivers". A logical impossibility. Also the reason no one ever thinks "it" could happen to them. Someone else will get cancer from smoking, someone else will get into an accident whilst driving after drinking, and you will somehow pick the magical numbers that will win you the lottery (probability being 1 in 13, 983, 816 according to *actual* calculations done by me for stats class.)
Fundamental Attribution Errors - The reason we think the person yelling on the bus is an asshole rather than attributing his anger to a really horrid day.
Hindsight Bias - You knew it ALL along, didn't you?
It's gonna be a good course. Je suis... uh... Comment dit on "excited"?
Ah oui, et MERRY CHRISTMAS to all the Eastern Orthodox peeps out there!
posted by captain obvious at 10:15 a.m.
5 Comments:
oof that was a sexy post
<3
do you have links to articles about that jump incident and the riot and stuff?
Naaa, sorries. I was just summarizing what my Prof said in lecture. :(
Psy 220 eh? I have my textbook lying around here somewhere. Same edition I believe as you guys have this year. I can give it to you as an extended loan if you want.
It'd really help if you weren't anonymous :(
Yes I want it.
Do I look like Ms. Moneybags? An extended loan would be great :)
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