Social Psychology Project 3 Report

1.
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND
BUILT ENVIRONMENTS
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
ASSIGNMENT 3 REPORT
GROUP MEMBERS: Deenie H’yatt 0319719
Chong Jia Yi 0320869
Zoe Low Li Mien 0319444
Abdullah Mamode 0319562
Ee Yun Shan 0319990
TUTORIAL GROUP: Monday, 9am­11am.
SUBMISSION DATE: 8th June 2015

2. CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Discussion
2.1 Our chosen concepts and definitions
2.2 The script
2.3 How do we apply our concepts.
3. References

3. INTRODUCTION:
In this project, we have to choose 5 social psychological concepts and apply them to a story
in a form of a video clip. Before we began making the story, we chose our 5 concepts first
through our discussions. Individually we selected them based on our knowledge and combine
together. The concepts we have chosen are dispositional attribution, social loafing,
stereotyping, optimistic bias and operant conditioning. From then on, we moved to produce a
story from the concepts we have discussed.

4. 2. Discussion
2.1 OUR CHOSEN CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS
1. Situational Attribution
Situational Attribution (External Attribution) is the attributes of your behaviour to the
external or circumstantial causes. It refers to understanding an event or behaviour as being
caused by the situation that the individual is in. Making a situational attribution means that
we believe a person's behaviour is best understood as a result of his or her circumstances.
We might think that any sensible person would behave similarly in the same situation.
2. Social Loafing
The definition of social loafing is the tendency of certain members of a group to get by with
less effort than what they would have put when working alone. Its two common manifestations
are Free­rider effect, where some members do not put in their share of work under the
assumption that others' efforts will cover their shortfall, and thus cause Sucker effect, where
the other who is the fully performing members lower their efforts in response to the free­riders'
attitude.
3. Stereotyping and Stereotype threat
The definition of stereotype is ​a fixed, overgeneralized belief about a particular group or class
of people. By stereotyping we infer that a person has a whole range of characteristics and
abilities that we assume all members of that group have. Most stereotypes probably tend to
convey a negative impression. It make us ignore differences between individuals; therefore
we think things about people that might not be true. However, it ​ ​enables us to respond rapidly
to situations because we may have had a similar experience before as well as simplify our
social world since they reduce the amount of processing we have to do when we meet a new
person. Stereotype threat is a situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves
to be at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group. The anxiety of
confirming a negative stereotype seems to be the driving force behind stereotype threat.
4. Optimistic Bias
Optimism bias, originally referred to as unrealistic optimism (Weinstein, 1980), is the
tendency of individuals to underestimate the likelihood they will experience adverse events,
such as lung cancer or car accidents. As a consequence of this bias, some individuals might
disregard precautions that might curb these risks. They might not, for example, wear
seatbelts as a driver and for the smokers, they will keep on smoking regardless the situation
around them.

5.
5. Negative Reinforcement
Reinforcement is an event that strengthens a certain behaviour, which increases the
likelihood of it. For a negative’s case, it removes something that causes the person to feel
dissatisfied. Think of it as a removal within an event that makes the person feel unhappy
about it and will not practice the same specific behaviour again.
2.2 SCRIPT
The story is about a group of students who are doing a teamwork assignment given by the
lecturer.
Our Roles
Abdullah: Mr Abdullah
Deenie: Deenie
Zoe Low: Zoe
Chong Jia Yi: Jia Yi
Ee Yun Shan: Michelle
SCENE 1
The scene sets in a classroom filled with students as Mr Abdullah initiates a project.
MR ABDULLAH: ​All of you will be divided into small groups for the last 2 projects. I do not
admire the fact that you choose your own groups. I will set up them up.
All of the group members stare at each other. Jia Yi and Michelle started to high­5 each other
that they are in the same groups. Michelle starts a small conversation with Jia Yi and look at
Deenie and Zoe.
MICHELLE;​ Umm…. I don’t think they are suitable for us to work with them.
JIA YI​; I agree. I heard Deenie didn’t perform well on group projects, the same applies for
Zoe.
Zoe starts to look at both of the girls and talks to herself.
ZOE; ​What should I do? How would I collaborate with them?
DEENIE;​ Chill. Jia Yi knows how to draw, Zoe is good at colouring, Michelle knows how to
draw as well so I am going to sit here and watch.

6.
SCENE 2
The scene changes to the group members started to meet up for a group discussion and Jia
Yi starts assigning everyone.
JIA YI;​ Since both of you didn’t say anything, I am going to divide all of us to do certain parts.
MICHELLE;​ Yes certain task! Both of you will do it.
ZOE;​ Are you sure you can do it?
MICHELLE;​ Of course she can do it. JIA YI IS THE BEST!
SCENE 3
After the 1st meeting, the group members meet up again. The 3 girls did most of the work
except for Deenie.
JIA YI;​ Ok did you guys do anything.
Zoe and Michelle starts to show their papers to her except for Deenie.
JIA YI; ​What about you, Deenie?
Deenie starts to shrug.
DEENIE;​ Sorry I don’t have time to do whatever assignment you have given me.
JIA YI​; Why didn’t you do any work for the past week? I’m also busy with Design, CNC, EPC
and so on.
Deenie starts to smirk.
DEENIE; ​Chill, Do you know James A.K.A. The slowpoke? He’s the leader for the group B,
they didn’t even start on anything yet and we’re moving faster than them. So chill what’s with
the rush, we can finish it early.
SCENE 4
The scene sets in 2 weeks later when the group meet up again.

7. DEENIE;​ Hey guys, we didn’t even start on anything. All we did was just the research on the
concepts.
Jia Yi and Michelle stare at each other.
JIA YI;​ Do you remember what you said for the last 2 weeks? You said that all of the group
are behind and we are one step ahead of them. You told us to relax since we are the only
group with the most progress. Now what happen?
Deenie keeps quite.
MICHELLE; ​We have tutorial after this, we have nothing to consult. What should we do?
SCENE 5
The scenes changes to the classroom with Mr Abdullah walking to the table we are sitting in.
MR ABDULLAH;​ Have you guys done anything so far?
There’s a 5 second silence, Mr Abdullah confirming the fact that no one had done anything.
MR ABDULLAH; ​Since you guys have not done anything yet, you have only 2 days to submit
your assignment. If you don’t submit your project, you will not have any marks for this subject.
There’s an awkward silence occurring.
MR ABDULLAH; ​Ok bye bye. See you next week and I hoped to see your assignment.
2.3 HOW DO WE APPLY THEM IN SCRIPT
SCENE 1: Situational Attribution
We apply Situational Attribution by showing the girls’ inner thoughts of other members.They
think that the members are not very suitable to work, based on what they have heard from the
other students. Their thoughts came in from the circumstances of the other members which
they knew through their classmates.
SCENE 2: Social Loafing
Social loafing is applied on the boy who is lazy. When the lecturer allocated the group project
to them, the boy thinks that the other members in the group can do the project better. He finds

8. that the members of his group are good in drawing, colouring and designing, but he doesn’t
do anything. This is where he began to put less effort, thinking that the others can cover the
lecturer’s expectation of the boy.
SCENE 3: Stereotyping and Stereotype threat
The Stereotype comes in when Michelle and Zoe started showing their effort with the
exception of the boy. The group leader started to think that the boy never does the work at all,
like the gender he is from. Whereas the girls does the work better than him. Deenie was
reminded of negative stereotype about his gender when their group members are blaming
him. This was due to their group’s poor performance and procrastination. The anxiety of
confirming a negative stereotype seems to be the driving force behind stereotype threat. That
anxiety causes him to perform worse than what he should be. Therefore, he tends to fulfill
their expectation on him when self­fulfilling prophecy comes in.
SCENE 4: Optimistic Bias
The concept is used on the argument between the boy and the girls. When the boy started to
ask the girls as their submission day is coming close, the girls referred back to what he said
previously. It shows the boy was underestimating the likelihood of consequences, where the
bias is shown as a fact.
SCENE 5: Negative Reinforcement​.
Negative reinforcement is exerted onto the lecturer’s warning toward the group’s progress. He
stated that if they have not done their work, they will not receive any marks. He purposely said
that in order to make them work. Losing their marks is shown that he receives a result of their
negative behaviour.
3. REFERENCES
Cherry, K. A. (2005). Operant conditioning. [web article]. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/introopcond.htm
Cherry, K. A. (2005). What is negative reinforcement? [web article]. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/operantconditioning/f/negative­reinforcement.htm
Kos, J. and Clarke, V. ​(2001). Is optimistic bias influenced by control or delay? [web article]
Retrieved from ​http://her.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/5/533.long

9. McLeod, S. (2007). Skinner ­ Operant Conditioning. [webpage] Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/operant­conditioning.html
McLeod, S. (2008). Stereotypes. [webpage] Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/katz­braly.html​)
Moss, S. ​(2009). Optimism bias. ​Psychlopedia​. Retrieved from
http://www.psych­it.com.au/Psychlopedia/article.asp?id=238
Princeton University Department of Psychology. ​(2004). Case Study Where do stereotypes
come from? [webpage]. Retrieved from
https://psych.princeton.edu/psychology/research/fiske/case.php
SparkNotes. ​(2015). Learning and Conditioning​: Operant Conditioning. [webpage]. Retrieved
from ​http://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/learning/section2.rhtml