Solomon Asch conducted an experiment similar to this in 1965. The participants were male college students who were asked to engage in a seemingly simple task.
An experimenter stood a couple feet away and held up a card that illustrated one line on the left side and three lines on the right side. The participant’s task was to determine which of the three lines matched the length of the one on the right. Around Sixteen cards were presented at a time, and the correct answer on each was very clear. Though there was a catch, the participant was not alone, there were sixteen other people in the room, who were confederates working with the experimenter. The one only real participant was placed in a seat so he would only be given the opportunity to share his answer after five other “participants” stated there’s. Everything went smoothly until the third trial, when the fake participant gave an obviously incorrect answer, and the other four gave the same answer. Suddenly the real participant was placed difficult situation, his eyes saw one thing, but the others apparently saw another. My experiment as well as Solomon Asch are both prime examples of how people tend to change their attitude and behaviours to match the attitude and behaviours of the ones surrounding them, this conformity is said to be because of the concern people have about what others think of them.
My experiment observations confirmed Solomons theory when Macenzie Taffo mentioned that Travis Scott was not the father of Kylie Jenner’s baby, the father was Kylie’s bodyguard. Of course this was fake news, and Alessia didn’t say much about it until everybody started partaking in the conversation, agreeing with Mac’s story, as expected Alessia confirmed the theory when she went along with the lie agreeing that she watched a youtube video about it last night. Throughout this experiment I was able to conclude that humans have not changed over the last 62 years, we still confirm to authority and obey the laws, many psychologists refer to this process as Informational Influence.
Most of the time, we know we should do the right thing, whether it’s putting litter in the proper container, whisper in libraries, tip your waiter, most of society will follow these “rules”. Though sometimes it is not clear what society expects from us individuals therefore, we often rely on descriptive norms. This is when we act the way most people do. Other people often have information that we do not, especially when we find ourselves in new situations. Another example of people conforming to authority is seen on a Jimmy Kimmel youtube video, the people in this video do not want to seem uneducated on Television, therefore they go along with whatever the interviewer is asking them. https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=dR_6VPlP9eEResearch II:a) Structural functionalism is is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. For example, a cars wheels serve a very important part, even though they are not the engine that will be making the car move forward, their the ones that are actually going to be moving, the door insures you don’t fall out, your seatbelt secures your safety, all these different parts of the car help it function as a whole, similar to how every individual helps society function as a whole. Symbolic interactionism explains the individual’s interactions with one another in society, analyzing this can determine social order and change. This term is useful to my qualitative study because it explains what I observed; an individual’s actions depending on those who surround them. The conflict theory is a way of studying society that focus on the inequalities of different groups that live in that society. Lastly, feminist perspective is a conflict theory and perspective which observes gender in its relation to power. Feminist perspectives can come in to play on certain topics such as; sexual orientation, race, economic status, nationality and gender wage gap.
The Structural functionalism emphasizes the interconnectedness of society by focusing on how each part influences other things. For example, the increase in single parent and dual-earner families has contributed to the number of children who are failing in school because parents have become less available to supervise their children’s homework. As a result of changes in technology, colleges are offering more technical programs, and many adults are returning to school to learn new skills that are required in the workplace. The increasing number of women in the workforce is a contribution to the formulation of policies against sexual harassment and job discrimination.
The conflict theory views society as a variety of different groups and individuals competing for power and resources. Symbolic interactionist is the concept in which people attach meanings to symbols, and act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. For example the American institution of marriage. Symbols may include wedding bands, vows of lifelong commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean. For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing “never ending love,” while the other may see them as a mere financial expense. Much faulty communication can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols.b) Clinical psychology is the psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of mental illness, abnormal behavior, and psychiatric problems.
This field integrates the science of psychology with the treatment of complex human problems. The experimental method involves a scientific approach to determine the answers to behavioural questions by analyzing the mind and human behaviour. This method tends to focus on how our behaviors and experiences shape our character. This process can help understand human behavior because it is surrounded by trial and error.
Trial and error is helpful in this type of study as you learn a lot about someone’s personality as you trial different things over and over again. The personality approach is your unique personality that sets you apart from others and influences your whole life starting from your relationships to the way you live your life. Psychologists strive to understand how personality develops as well as how it influences the way we think and behave. The personality method investigates how diverse yet similar human personalities are.
Psychologists who study the personality method also assess, diagnose, and treat personality disorders that can interfere with an individual’s day-to-day life. The abnormal study is a division of psychology that studies people who are “abnormal” or “atypical” compared to the members of a given society. The definition of the word abnormal is simple enough but applying this to psychology poses a complex problem: what is normal? Whose norm? For what age? For what culture? The concept of abnormality is imprecise and difficult to define.
Examples of abnormality can take many different forms and involve different features, so that, what at first sight seem quite reasonable definitions, turns out to be quite problematical. Lastly, the Developmental method is another scientific approach which seeks to analyze the change, growth and consistency throughout the humans lifespan. Developmental psychology examines how thinking, feeling, and behavior change throughout a person’s life.
Psychologist believe that a large portion of your development are influenced by childhood, as this is the period during an individual’s lifespan when the most change occurs.
