1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL & BUILT ENVIRONMENTS
MARCH 2015 INTAKE
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
(PSY 30203)
SEPTEMBER 2015 SEMESTER
SESSION: MONDAY, 3.30 PM – 5.30 PM
LECTURER: MR SHANKAR THIRUCHELVAM
FINAL PROJECT REPORT
GROUP MEMBERS:
ISAAC CHEW JIAN CHUEN (0322030)
JOSEPH SOH (0323887)
REBECCA MARIE TANDUBA (0322757)
TEH WEI HONG (0323743)
3. 3
First and foremost, we’d like to acknowledge the effort of everyone
involved in making this video project a success. Without their patience,
knowledge and both physical and mental effort, this project would fail to be
completed.
We’d also like to thank our lecturer, Mr Shankar, for his guidance
through lectures and advices he has given.
Our gratitude reaches out to the team as well for their time and
commitment they have made for this project. We’d like to give them credits for
having taken part in this project willingly as well as their co-operativeness
when working with others involved.
INTRODUCTION
4. 4
In a group comprising of four people, we were instructed to conduct a
three-to-five-minute video, which is to be conducted to revolve upon five
different social psychology concepts and theories. This assignment is for
students to identify the social psychology concepts and understand how they
are applied or implemented in every day life. It is also to allow clarified
connections with different perspectives as well as intertwining with other
concepts within the field.
We’ve decided to conduct a series of social experiments,
experimenting on the chosen social psychology concepts that we have agreed
upon. The social psychology concepts that we have chosen are self-
perception theory, social influence, persuasion, the attribution theory and
prejudice.
Through this assignment, we were able to understand on a deeper
level of the social psychology concepts in real life situations.
METHODOLOGY
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APPARATUS:
1. Two recording devices (cameras)
2. Props (e.g. number cues, baby powder, a straw)
PROCEDURE:
1. 23rd January 2016 : First meeting with the group to discuss the video-
making and selecting of social psychology concepts. Meeting ends
when we have confirmed and decided on the date and time to execute
the project.
2. 29th January 2016 : We met up and immediately started filming. Part 1:
Rating Experiment. We carried around number cues and hold up
whatever number we rate strangers, similar to the judges in the
Olympics. In this experiment, we were testing the self-perception
theory. Part 2: “Drug-dealing” Experiment. We used baby powder to
pose as ‘cocaine’ and tested the concepts of social influence and
persuasion. We went about calling two of our friends and conducted
the experiments on them, not-knowing that they were being filmed and
the outcome of it was good. Part 3: The Interview. For this, we printed
out headshots of a murderer and an athlete, both wearing black with a
wall as their background. We had a few friends sit with us as we
question them during this event. This is a test for the attribution theory
and prejudice. The meeting ended when the final bit of the video is
done and after deciding who was to do the editing, report-writing and
presentation slides.
DISCUSSION
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As a team, we discussed the social psychology concepts that we were
interested in doing as we have decided upon doing a series of social
experiments.
PART 1: RATING EXPERIMENT
Concept tested: Self-perception theory
The self-perception theory explains the usage of our own behaviours to help
gauge our attitudes as we see ourselves just as how strangers see us.
We carried number cues and hold whichever desired number and rate
strangers as they go about their routines, attempting to catch their attention
and at the same time, engage some kind of reaction from them.
Corresponding to that, we received facial-feedback hypothesis by which our
subjects did not outwardly responded but simply responded by just smiling or
laughing.
PART 2: “DRUG-DEALING” EXPERIMENT
Concepts tested: Social influence and persuasion
Social influence concept explains a social identity theory whereby the
development of our identity is connected to particular social groups. We tend
to think that we are “the same” or “different from” social groups.
Persuasion explains the attempts to influence others’ behaviours or attitudes.
We used baby powder and a small plastic bag to pose as ‘cocaine’ and a
Starbucks straw-stirrer as the straw. We called up the friends of one our team
mates as they are of the same social circle, so prediction of the outcome
would be deemed successful. Which it did. We used the social influence of
our subjects’ friends and persuaded him into doing drugs, despite the
common schema that drugs and drug-dealing are illegal and wrong.
PART 3: THE INTERVIEW
Concepts tested: Attribution theory and prejudice
The attribution theory explains the study of models or subjects to further
enhance the study of the attribution process.
Prejudice explains a negative-learned attitude towards a group of people.
We printed two headshots, one of a white Americana and one of an African-
American. One of these two is a serial killer while the other is a famous sports
endorser. We called up a few of our friends to “interview” them on which of the
mentioned two people was the criminal. We managed to collect interesting
feedback and corresponding to that, we received slight prejudism as our
subjects discriminated the African-American by labeling him “black” and even
discriminated on the men’s appearances by stating the one with the beard is
the criminal.
CONCLUSION
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In conclusion, we managed in the making of this social psychology
video and at the same time, learn more about the social psychology concepts
and theories that we have learnt through lectures and previous assignments.
We were able to identify the concepts when applied to daily context as well as
learn how these concepts and theories are used in every day life.
APPENDIX
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REFERENCES
A.W. (n.d.). PROJECT 2 Video Clip. Retrieved January 30, 2016, from
http://fnbe0115angelawee.weebly.com/project-2-video-clip.html
Examples Illustrating Social Psychological Concepts. (n.d.). Retrieved
January 30, 2016, from http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/crow/examples.htm
S. M. (2007). Social Psychology | Simply Psychology. Retrieved January 30,
2016, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/social-psychology.html
