Ling Sue Er submitted a journal entry summarizing her thoughts on post-decision dissonance. She describes how people often question their decisions after making a choice between equal options. As an example, she discusses her own decision to study Quantity Surveying at Taylor University and the doubts she had, but now feels happy with her choice looking back.

1. Name: Ling Sue Er
ID:0321683
Subject:Social Psychology
Course:Foundation in Built And Enviroment
Submission Date: 27 April 2015

2. 13 April 2015
Journal 1:Social Pschology
Entry 1:Social Loafing
Social Loafing happens in groups because certain individuals exert less effort than
others and this may lead to an unhelpful group dynamic and indidual
response.Working together in groups is typically seen as a way to improve the
capability of a task by pooling the talents of the individuals in that group. I can
probably think about school assignment’s group that have been a part of social
loafing .Some members of the group would sit back and watch while other members
did the majority of the work.
A well-known study on social loafing involved a rope-pulling experiment.The
participants were required to pull on a rope much like you would in a game of tug-of-
war.At the beginning, the participants tugged on a rope by themselves,then in a
group.The study showed that the participants tended to exert much less effort in a
group compared to when pulling the rope by themselves.

3. So, when there is an inconsistency of efforts between members of a group,individual
begin to gauge their own effort by what others are doing instead of maintaning a
excellence toward achieving the goal.This may lead to the level of satisfaction for the
task in all member of the group becoming lower.For example, if a highly motivated
member keep feels others team members are relying on them to do most of the
tast,they might deliberately reduce their workload because they no longer wan to feel
exploited by those less productive members.
In conclusion, Individuals in the group affected by social loafing.

4. 16 April 2015
Journal 2:The Self
Entry 1: The False Consensus Effect
False consensus effect is a type of bias in which we think that our own opinions are
common and appropriate so that others must also feel the same way. Lets say, if you
are trying to determine is other people share your own beliefs, you might immediately
think of your family and friends and it’s more likely that they think and feel many
things in common with you.
I have a recent story to tell on this.Suppose my best friends, Emilia asked me to buy
her a chocolate when I’m in KLIA, but she didn’t tell me what kind of chocolate she
want. Since both of us are very similar in many ways such as: we always accidentally
buy the same cloth from topshop, we like the same kind of food ,we buy the same
watch and etc. Therefore, it’s seem like getting her a chocolate that i like is a better

5. alternative than picking up other brand of chocolate that i never tasted before.I buy
her couple pack of ‘Kit Kat’ strawberry flavour that i love it pretty much.I was very
excited to pass her the chocolate that i’ve bought cause i think that she will love the
flavour that i choose. However, surprisingly she doesn’t like strawberry and she only
like dark chocolate. Just because of my own feeling, i assume that she will like the
same flavour as i like.But she doesn’t have the same feeling as me.
Another story I remember is during Hari Raya Puasa.Hari Raya Puasa is a fasting
month for Islamic.It’s means abstaining from eating, drinking, smoking and indulging
in any form of behaviour that serves to nullify the fast. So, most of the Islamic will
thought that others religion also think the same way as them. They assume that if
you eating or drinking in front of them is considered unrespecful.They might think that
we also think the same way as them. During my secondary school, one of my
teacher is Islamic. So, when I drink water in her class, she probably thought that I’m
not respect her. But I’m not showing the same way as she think.
In conclusion,perception is never be the best approach.

6. 18 April 2015
Journal 3: Social Cognition
Entry 1: Stereotyping
Stereotypes are a cognitive schemas used for orientation in social enviroment which
representing the judgment among members of a certain group about the other
groups.Stereotyping makes people generalize things. Stereotypes are not easily
changed because people’s perception are influenced by their own expectation. For
example,my sister has a stereotype of short people are not able to play
basketball.But some of my secondary friends who are just about 160cm are School
Basketball International team.Whenever you make judgments about people before
knowing them,you are stereotyping them.More often, majority of them are offensive
assumptions.There are variuos type of stereotype such as gender stereotype,recial
stereotypes ,positive stereotype,negative stereotype and etc.

7. One of the stereotypes that happen on me is the perception that all of the women
who wear branded stuff are rich and party-people.Whenever I wear some branded
stuff to class, people might assume that I used up my pocket money from my parents
just to dress up myself.It’s actually some are my birthday present from my friends
and relatives.Besides, some of that are I buy it during promotion season.The reason
why I dress up myself beautifully is because it makes me more confidence.But
people think that I’m going any party after the class especially if I make up.
Another relevant examples of stereotypes is perception of my parents that most of
the B-Boy are rude,aggressive,inconsiderate and foolish.Before this I also one of
them that think this way.But now I can safely say that those group of B-boy make up
a small percentages of the overall number.Until now, some of my best friends are B-
boy but they are passionate, imaginative,sociable and friendly.The reason lead to the
mention of this stereotype is actually the dynamic moves on the floor that makes
most of us feel its rude.
Conclusively,Stereotyping often targets people with belief and behavior which affect
people’s mind.

8. 21 April 2015
Journal 4:Social Perception
Entry 1: Halo Effect
The Halo Effect is the tendency to use global evaluations to make judgments about
specific traits and also known as the physical attractiveness stereotype.In other
words,we use a global characteristic(such as adorable or attractive) to determine
specific personality traits ( such as intelligent and trustworthy).
Since we were children, we been taught that good are handsome, and bad are
ugly(or not as handsome).Based on the image above, we will judge them by their
apperance.So, our first impressions of the attraviness of that indivudual influence
how we judge that person holistically.
Halo effect are very useful in marketing.Some of the company names becomes
powerful marketing tools in their own right.which might lead to a halo effect to

9. marketing of other products.For example, the Apple company developed strong
reputation for producing iPhone and iPod. Apple put the bulk of its marketing budget
behind the iPod creating a halo effect that helped the entired product line.Apple used
the successful image it had developed and expand out into computer and watch.If
the company brand name is strong,then any product released by them will become
instantly recognizable to consumers.
Stereotype is an apparent that one’s first impressions of another influence their
successive interaction and that one’s expectations affect another’s behavior. Studies
showed that a student’s attractiveness also influence a teacher’s judgment on that
student’s knowledge.Teachers did perceive adorable student to have a greater
potential for education than those who were unattractive.Based on their
apperance,they were given more attention and favoured by the teachers.It leads to a
unequality in education.
In conclusion, a relavant quote from Kurt Vonnegut is well said.’Charm was a
scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately,no matter what the
charmer had in mind’

10. 23 April 2015
Journal 5:Attitudes
Entry 1:Post-Decision Dissonance
Life is full of choices.Should I continue my Master?If so,which country should I
go?What major shall I Choose? Should I join dance club?What shirt shall I wear for
today wedding dinner?Rarely do we face a situation in which one option is without a
doubt the only reasonable choice.Post-decision dissonance basically states that after
we make a decision between two equal options, we get uncomfortable and begin to
wonder if we made the right decision.Nevertheless, we make decisions every single
day and,buyer’s remorse notwithstanding,we frequently feel satisfied with our
choices.And those previously attractive alternatives?
People are most likely to experience post-decision dissonance if they make
irrevocable decision.One study done at a football match found out that people who
had already bet their bets were more likely to believe their team would win than
people who had not yet placed their bets.

11. Another closest instance that I can think of would be the decision to take up Quantity
Survey Course in Taylor University.I had spend a lot of time and effort in the process
of searching for universities, narrowing down to a smaller set to which I should apply,
searching internet, visiting campuses, and finally make my decisions.I have doubts
concerning my path in Quantity surveyor .I have spilt up with all my besties in high
school due to our different college programmes.It make me struggling sometimes
whether it’s a right decision. But now, when I looked back my e-portfolio, I am happy
with it.