Journal

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECT, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
ASSIGNMENT 1: INDIVIDUAL JOURNAL
NAME: CALVIN WONGKIM MING
STUDENT ID NO: 0323642
GROUP/SESSION: MONDAY,8AM-10AM
COURSE: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
LECTURER: MR. T.SHANKAR
SUBMISSION DATE: 30TH
NOVEMBER 2015

2. 20th November 2015
Journal 1: Social Influence
Social influence talks about the process by which one’s thoughts and actions
are affected by others. People learn something new every day is because affected
surrounded people’s thoughts and actions. For example, you as a teenager your
parents tell you do not take cigarettes because smoking can cause bring harm for you.
It’s Saturday night, your friends are smoking. They ask you to smoke one. You reply
“No” because of parents’ advice. They assure you smoking one cigarette will not
bring harm for you. They assure you will be safe. You start thinking maybe parents’
over reacting, one cigarette does not mean I will addicted smoking. You take one and
lighted up the cigarette. Social influence occurs in the example because other people
had an effect on behaviour. Social influence can have positive or negative effects on
people. Not all social influence is negative.
Today only I just realised that I got my driving license already1 year ago.
Normally first time we drive for a new driver that just had their driving license they
will drive very careful to prevent car accident. After a few months later more and
more of my friends got their driving license, sometimes when I lazy to drive I will
asked my friend to pick me up at my house. I remembered one day one my friends
said wanted to hangout to somewhere to have a drink then I told him I’m lazy to drive
and I asked him to come and fetch me, and he said “okay”.
When he arrived my house, and I got up to his car and we start moving to the
coffee shop we wanted to go. At first he drive very slowly because we are in a Taman.
After we head into the highway he start speeding up and for sure I will ask him to
drive carefully and drive a bit slower. He assure me “No worries! My driving skill is
good”. Then I said “Okay”. After few minutes we arrived the coffee shop. One day,
when I was driving alone, I tried to speed up my car just like my friend driving. It

3. possible for every car to speeding up to 120 or above speed. That time I was speeding
up to 140km/h. I was driving a 10 years+ Toyota car. This car actually is hard for me
speed up to 140km/h, it needs a very long highway to speed up. I will normally speed
up when I was driving alone.
Other than that driving fast car, how to keep on cut queue is influence by my
dad. Sometimes he is a very impatient person. When the is junction is jamming he
will directly cut queue to the most front there and directly just go in to the junction.
For people who understand the law knows that this kind of behaviour is wrong but my
dad just don’t care it. For me being his son will also learnt it from there. I
remembered that one day I was driving and I was in a rush and I just did the same
way like what my dad did last time.
Besides that, when every time when I driving back home from my friend’s
house it will be very jam in the highway. Every time I saw people using the
emergency lane to avoid the jam. For me I think that using emergency lane will not
get caught by the traffic police so I just did the same thing with them. Luckily got one
day there was a traffic police waiting in front to catch those driver who are using the
emergency lane.
In order to conclude the above statement, most of the previous statements is
towards negative influence. So that, they do have positive influence as well. As from
what I been influence by parents, eventually they do checked their car condition
within certain time range. Normally my parents’ habit do influence me since when I
have my driving license. We usually inspect our vehicle condition once a month, such
as tyre pressure, engine oil, radiator water, and some others common general things
that we able to check without going to the service centre.
In conclusion, social influence is not about how people affected your thoughts
and action. You yourself will also affect the people around you. This is how social

4. influence been carry out in our life and daily behaviour. So, in order to deliver more
positive influences to the others, firstly we have behave ourselves and try not to be
influence the others negative behaviour.

5. 22nd November 2015
Journal 2: Motivation
Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive forces that
activate behaviour. In everyday usage, the term motivation is frequently used to
describe why a person does something. Motivation has two type which is intrinsic
motivation and extrinsic motivation. For example, a student is so motivated to get into
Oxford University that he spends every night studying. For this entry, I would like to
talk about extrinsic motivation.
Today when I was sitting there alone and thinking something, I remembered
that when I am in high school I am a very lazy and procrastinate person. I always like
to do my homework last minute. When I am junior 2 high school, I failed my first
semester average mark, that time I was so panic how to tell my parents that I failed.
Once my father knew that I failed my semester 1 he was so angry and he told me that,
“If you don’t want to study anymore just tell me, I will stop you from going to school
and don’t waste my money if you don’t want to study”. That time I was just a 14
years old teenager and I was so scare that my father will really do that to me. Until I
realized something and I decided to study hard and do not disappoint my parents
anymore.
After that first semester end, every day I pay attention in class for what teacher
is teaching in front of the classroom and after school I will have a short revision
before I have a nap. Before the exam week and within the exam week I will always
revision for sure and sleep earlier because I wanted to wake up in the midnight to do
more revision. I knew that woke up in the midnight is not really good for health but I
just don’t care about it because I just wanted to study and score better. Finally the
exam is over. After 2 weeks teacher will give back all our exam papers. When I get
mine I was so scare that within 10 subjects I will failed more than that, but luckily
thank god that I only failed 4 subjects. The whole day when I get my exam papers

6. back I was so happy because finally I did passed so much subjects compared with the
last semester.
Normally after school my father will come to school and fetch me.
When I got up to car I was so happy and tell him that I had improved in this exam,
and he just answered me “So what? Not all subjects passed also”. That my mood from
the tip of mountain directly drop until the bottom of the mountain. I was not satisfied
anymore after my father told me that not all subjects passed also and I am motivated
with this one sentence. One week later, I paid out more effort to study and study.
Finally I did better than previous exam which is I passed 8 subjects. This time is my
cousin fetch me at school and send me to my father’s office. When I arrived his office
I keep on finding him just to tell him I passed on this exam. Few minutes later, I
found him and I told him about my exam and he said “Cheh, better than last time a bit
only”, but his face is putting a smile face. Although I know he is satisfied with my
results but he will still said the same thing to me because he wanted to motivate me to
become better. But all I want is not to make my parents happy is to make myself
achieve the target that I wanted to achieve but small part of it is wanted to impressed
my parents. They born me and educated me, as a son I will also work hard for not
disappointed them.
Conclusion for my own personal experience, everybody is not a lazy person it
is just depends on what motivate them to do the things they wanted to do or is the
thing brings benefit for them to do or not. Just like my own personal experience study
hard is not just to impress my family or want others to praise on me it also helps for
my own future. How people sees and criticize me is not important, what I did for
myself is for my own future. Until now when I got into university I am still study hard
because I know study in university does not like you study in primary school or high
school. University school fees is how many times to my primary school and high
school. Reason I keep on study hard is because I don’t want disappointed my parents
and wasting their money for no reason. Money is very hard to earn nowadays.

7. 28TH NOVEMBER 2015
Journal 3:Self-fulfilling Prophecy
Self-fulfilling prophecy is something like when a person unknowingly causes
a prediction to come true, due to the simple fact that he or she expects it to come true.
Meaning that, we will tend to fulfil our own or other expectations by self-fulfilling
prophecy either the expectations are positive or negative. This is because our beliefs
influenced our actions. For example, I am a Buddhist and I believe in God. If I felt
that today is going to be a bad day for me, I will pray to God and tell God about
everything.
Past few days, my friend and I was sitting outside our house’s balcony and
chit-chat for around 2 hours. We were talking about how’s our life will be next time.
Then my friend told me that last time he went to find a fortune teller to talk about his
fate, wealth and something that about himself. Then he told me what the fortune teller
told him. For my friend he is a 50/50 trust on this kind of thing of person, but he told
me that some of it is very accurate like example about his work and everything, but he
did not trust everything.
For me I sure very curious about this kind of thing because for me I can
counted as a very blind faith person. I directly asked my friend where the fortune
teller at . He told me that last time he went the fortune teller charge him is like Rm10
but that is many years ago thing, he said maybe now he will charge around Rm50 or
more than that. He told me that now at website what also can check. Then I directly
went back to my room and took my phone and ask him to search for me. We both at
there keep on searching on Google just to know about my fate and all others things.
After few minutes we found out one website is quite accurate about all the
thing it said. At first my friend tried out his first because he went to fortune teller
before so he can know that is that match with what the fortune teller had told him.

8. After he read that he told me that it was quite accurate. I quickly took out my phone
and searched the website and type out all my birth date, name and others requirement
that it need me to fill in. After filled in, all the thing came out and my friend and I
started reading it. My friend explain to me what is this and that and I was there
listening to him only. For something that the website said about me was accurate but
others I trust half only.
My friend told me that fate is in your own hands. Everything was set by the
God in a book. Just like why am I studying this course is also God arrange for me.
You can say that I am a blind faith person because I trusted in God since I was young.
My family all believe in God so I also believe in God. But I knew that this kind of
things is all based on yourself how you think about it and do it. I got my friend that I
can talk to every time when I got trouble or anything. He always told me that pray to
God, God will lead you to the way and don’t felt discouraged. He said that “God
always give us the hardest way to walk but it is always the best way for us is we can
walk out from it”.
The other night I was so annoyed about something that just happened to me on
that day. I remembered that my friend told me that pray to God and God will help us
to solve the problem. I quickly sit down and pray to God and tell God all about the
things I faced today. After praying I felt better and maybe this is what about self-
fulfilling prophecy.
This case showed that even is the fortune teller or the God you every day
prayed, we do not know that is that real or not, or maybe is just something that only
use for comfort us, we do not know. All these things is just to fulfil ourselves and
other expectations. In the conclusion, we tend to fulfil ourselves or other expectations.
Although every day we woke up and think that today going to be a bad day for us why
don’t we think that before we go to sleep, after tonight, tomorrow will be a better day
for us. As the saying goes, “change your thought and you change your world”, by
Norman Vincent Peale.

9. 25TH NOVEMBER 2015
Journal 4: Confirmation Bias
A confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias that involves favouring
information that confirms previously existing beliefs or biases. For example, a student
who is going to write a research paper may primarily search for information that
would confirm his or her beliefs. The student may fail to search for or fully consider
information that is inconsistent with his or her beliefs. Confirmation biases impact
how people gather information, but they also influence how people interpret and
recall information.
About two months ago, a restaurant called “Tong Fung” opened not far away
from my house. My parents usually bring my sister and I go to the a bit further branch
of “Tong Fung” to have our breakfast, but now there is a bit nearer one so my parents
decided to go there to have our breakfast, but that day so unlucky that I got
assignment need to pass up the next day and I need to rush it so I didn’t follow them
to go new restaurant to have breakfast. So I decided stay at home and do my
assignment and they went out for breakfast. After their breakfast they come home I go
down from my room and ask them how is it about the new restaurant? They told me
the new one does not taste the old one we usually go. At first I Not believe what they
said because almost every week I also went to the restaurant called “Tong Fung” to
had my breakfast. Plus, my parents told me that the services there is very bad, the
food take so long to come. The worst is the drink not drinkable because it is too
sweet. For me I haven’t been there for sure I will not believe in what they said.
One day, my friend called me out for lunch, and he asked where to eat? I
answered him “Let’s go to the new restaurant that opened nearby my house”. My
friend directly tell me the same things like what my parents told me. Then I seriously
as him is it real or not? Because my family said that to me also. Then I told him “I
don’t believe”. In my mind “Tong Fung” this restaurant is one of the best restaurant I

10. had ate though out so many restaurants. My friend said if you I don’t believe in what
they said he will bring me to the restaurant and try it out. So we decided to go the
restaurant to eat.
At last we decided go there to have our lunch. Awhile more we arrived the
shop. Normally for everyone who first time went to a restaurant for sure will look at
the menu, so I request for the menu. All the dishes on the menu was so attractive and
look alike like the old one I usually went, but my friend beside said that don’t give
comment based on the pictures only, pictures can always lied to people. I still don’t
care what about he talk to me and I just ordered what I wanted to eat. I ordered what I
usually eat in the old restaurant. After ordered my friend still telling me that you don’t
trust me you will regret, because he knew that I am very pay attention to food that I
eat, but I still don’t care him cause I believe in myself that this restaurant for sure is
the same one with the old one. Few minutes later the foods were served. At first I see
the food is quite good looking. After I tasted it, I seriously regret what my parents and
my friend told me. I was looking at my friend and doing those face to him which
performed that the foods was so unappetizing. He laughed on me and told me that
“Who asked you don’t believe what I had told you before”, but no choice we cannot
waste food just like this, so I just finished it.
When I go home I tell my parents that I went to the new restaurant to tried out
the food and tell them that the food there is really made me disappointed. They
laughed at me also and said the same thing as my friend that I did not believe them.
Through this experience, confirmation bias have brought to this action. I believe in
myself that the old restaurant will be the same like the new one but it did not when I
tried it out myself.

11. 29TH NOVEMBER 2015
Journal 5: Observational Learning
There are a few leaning theories, such as classical conditioning, operant
conditioning, that how direct reinforcement or punishment lead to learning. However,
a great deal of learning happens indirectly. This is known as observational learning.
For example, think of a children watches his parents say hi to another and then
imitates these actions himself. A tremendous amount of learning happens through this
process of watching and imitating others.
Today I was sitting there alone and think of something, I think that why every
time I met a new friend or I saw a person that I do not know him or her I will
automatically say hi to them or smile at them. All of these was because my parents.
Since I was in primary school my parents always got a habit that they will greet with
their friends. I was so curious about it. So I started imitating them. When my parents
or cousins they met their friends in a coffee shop they will automatically greet them
and I will automatically follow what they did. After I slowly grew up and I just knew
that this was a politeness. When you met someone you know them at least you need to
greet them. This is what I learnt from my parents.
Other than that, it was long time ago, it about when I am 10 years old kid. I
saw a group of children there bullying a cat. For me as a children that time I think
bullying a cat is just like playing with the cat. Few days later, I went to the park again
with my grandfather and I saw a cat there. I slowly walk to the cat there and start
doing the same things like what the children did last time. My grandfather saw that
and shout at me and said that “Do not bully the cat! Even a small animal also had their
own livelihood. We shouldn’t bully them”. After my grandfather shouted at me I just
knew that this was a wrong actions that what I did.

12. Besides that, I got a younger sister. She is 7 years old younger than me. As an
older brother she will always listened to me and imitate what actions I did every time.
I remembered that every time she made me angry I will make a fist and make an
angry face at her. Now when she grew up, when I did something that made her angry
she will did the same thing to me just like what I did to her last time when she was
still young. As an older brother I did not show a good example for my sister I felt a bit
shamed to myself. My mother also said that to me “Why every time when she made
you angry you did that to her? Now she imitated what you did to her last time”. That
time I just realized that actually I was wrong, I should be a good example for her to
imitate.
Last but not least, when I was still young I love lion dance very much. Every
time I will asked my mum to buy me those lion dance CD for me or every year
Chinese New Year I must go to friends open house because they got invite lion dance.
My grandparents knew that I love lion dance very much, they decided to bring me go
to buy a set of lion dance equipment but of course not included those jump here and
there one. Those are for professional player that trained before to perform. After I get
my first lion set I start did the same like what those lion dance did every time. For
example, dink, eat and others. Every festival that will gather all family together they
for sure will ask me to perform to them. This is how observational learning brought
into my life.
In the conclusion of observational, there will be positive or negative learning
from everyone. In my life there is negative and positive observational learning that I
imitated or people imitated me. It depends on the parents whether they do a good
example or bad example to their children. If they do good example for sure children
will imitate their good example, if bad example for sure it is bad. After I learnt about
this concept of observational leaning, I will always remembered that now people
around me or next time I got my own children, I will be a good example to them.
Observational learning is sometimes also referred to shaping, modelling, and
vicarious reinforcement. While it can take place at any point in life, it tend to be the
most common during childhood as children learn from it in their life. Doing all these

13. things is part of how you educate your children when they are still a baby without any
knowledges.