- The document is a journal submission by Tan Wei Zhen containing 5 entries about concepts in social psychology such as counterfactual thinking, self-fulfilling prophecy, social loafing, confirmation bias, and stereotyping. - In the first entry on counterfactual thinking, Tan Wei Zhen describes regretting accusing his best friend of stealing money and the impact it had on their friendship after he found out his friend was innocent. - The journal entries provide examples and analysis of how each social psychology concept manifests in Tan Wei Zhen's experiences and observations.

1. Name : Tan Wei Zhen
Student ID : 0318560
Group/Session : Monday, 8am
Subject and Course: Social Psychology, Foundation in Natural and Built
Environments (FNBE)
Submission date : 10 November 2014

2. Social Psychology Journal 1
Concept: Counterfactual Thinking
Entry 1
22 September 2014
On an emotional day, I found out that a real large amount of cash of mine had went
missing and the last person who was in contact with the cash was my best friend. Without any
hesitation, I put the blame on my best friend and insisted that he was the one who causes the
cash went missing. I did not even exclude the probability of him stealing the bag of cash. At the
end, we had a serious fight and both of us got injured physically and mentally. Ever since that
incident, we both had never talk to each other anymore. He used to be the closest friend of
mine and I used to share every moment of my life with that friend. Few days later, I found out
that he is not the guilty one. I instantly flash back to the scene where my friend and I were
arguing about that incident and tonnes of regretful words were flowing in my mind. I kept
telling myself, “What if I had a little more trust in him? Things will not be worse.” and “How do I
feel when I am the one who got blamed?” Things in my mind were just countering the fact that
already happened and how badly I want things to happen in the other way. No doubt that I
regret a lot by not trusting him even we were friends for 7 years. After that, our friendship
remains 7 years and I guess it is not going to count anymore.
Tan Wei Zhen

3. Entry 2
28 October 2014
Today is the day where I had my test for the subject Introduction to Business. I used
to take the test very easily due to the fact that I have an overconfident personality, so I decided
to start studying the day before the test. Right before the day of the test, I started to search for
information and slides to study. At that moment, I found out that the test cover quite a number
of chapters and I had a lot to study for the coming test. Panic is not the solution, so I quickly
gleans through the sentences and remember as much as possible. The next morning when I
went into the examination hall, I was very panic and sleepy as last night I was busy studying at
the very last moment where all my classmates were looking confident and well prepared. When
the test began, I started to read the questions on the question paper, I had no idea how to
answer the questions and I gave up. At that moment, I regretted for such overconfident
attitude and I should study much earlier in order to catch up what I should study for the test. I
felt the guilt and if all the time I spent previously doing other things were spent on my studies,
today I could have passed the test.
Tan Wei Zhen

4. Social Psychology Journal 2
Concept: Self-fulfilling Prophecy
Entry 1
12 October 2014
I always wanted a better grades for this semester as my grades for the last semester
is not satisfying for me. I therefore went to a counsellor for consultation to collect information
on ways to improve my grades for next semester. He suggested me to have a meeting with my
educator to consult him or her. Fortunately, my lecturer is a very patient guy and he decided to
spend more time on me preparing for the next exam. Day by day, he expected me to do well in
the next coming examination as he had already spent more time helping me. After the
semester, I went to check my grades and I got excellent grades. I then tried to recall what the
lecturer had done to me that my grades could improve so much. He did nothing much on giving
me extra lecturers or giving me extra information, instead he spoke some inspirational words
like ‘work hard’, ‘believe yourself’ and ‘you can do it’ to me and encourages me to study more.
By listening to those inspirational words, I gain confidence, act more hardworking and behave
more discipline. Therefore I got a better grades compared to the past semester.
Tan Wei Zhen

5. Entry 2
5 October 2014
I am a soccer player and I love to play soccer. At the beginning of the season, I am a
better player compared to a teammate of mine but during the practice period, the coach spent
more time with him. Besides that, the coach often praises him that he has potential in the
soccer field and the coach believes that he could be the best player of the school one day.
Through the inspirational words, that teammate of mine began to behave more confident and
plays more like a professional soccer player. After the continuation of the positive behavior, he
began to perform better and better for every appearance. Today, he had finally became the
best player of the school. This proves that self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person
successfully makes internal attribution about another person that leads to a better behavior
and better performance.
Tan Wei Zhen

6. Social Psychology Journal 3
Concept: Social Loafing
Entry 1
15 September 2014
It is the end of the week, therefore lecturer gave us a group task that due next
week. We form our own groups and discuss for the next meeting. One of the members in my
group used to be very hardworking and passionate for the individual tasks became very
ignorant when it comes to group tasks. His performances in the individual tasks and group tasks
are totally different. Every one of us were busy exchanging ideas where he was doing nothing.
The tendency of that particular member to get by with less effort than what he would put when
working alone. Eventually, the contribution of him is lesser then any one of us and our work
load increases instead. Sometimes he even absent during the meeting. This proves that social
loafing occurs when there is two or more person working in a group. If the individual does not
feel their contribution matters, they are less likely to assert the effort.
Tan Wei Zhen

7. Entry 2
1 August 2014
Back then when I was working part time in a company during the semester break,
there was an employee which I heard my colleagues were talking about him that he is a very
hardworking and dedicating employee. The employees of the company are part of the
committee so we were required to write a new employee manual. During the committee
meeting, that employee is very dedicating for his individual tasks but he did not make much
effort on the new employee manual. He had made such a greater effort on other tasks in which
he worked alone. An absence of motivation prompts poor group participation. There are lots of
reasons people may lack motivation for a group task. A common reason is when participants
are assigned to a project but does not want to be part of a group and this also proves that social
loafing occurred among the employees.
Tan Wei Zhen

8. Social Psychology Journal 4
Concept: Confirmation Bias
Entry 1
2 October 2014
Today my lecturer gives out an assignment which requires research to the whole
class. While I was doing the research for my assignment, there are many output of information.
Some might be the right one and some might be the false information, but I decided to select
the ‘right’ information that is inconsistent with my beliefs although some of the information do
make sense but I still choose the information that I think it is right. After the lecturer had grade
my work, I read the feedbacks and went back home to redo my research to make confirmation
about my mistakes. Then I realized that some of the information which I thought was wrong
previously are now the accurate information. Eventually, I think it was the confirmation bias
which causes me to choose the information according to my beliefs which is inaccurate.
Tan Wei Zhen

9. Entry 2
25 September 2014
On this day, while me and my friend were walking pass a garden, there were two
boys fighting nearby, one with big size and another with smaller size. Without hesitation, my
friend told me that it was the boy with a bigger size who started the fight because there is no
such reason for a smaller sized person to hit a bigger size person. After few minutes, there was
a security guard walk passed and he saw the fight. While the security guard decided to bring
both of them to the police station nearby, the boy with a smaller size immediately admit that
he started the fight and he apologized to the other boy. After this incident, I think that my
friend made his decision through confirmation bias. He believe that the fight began with the
bigger sized boy who attempt to bully the smaller sized boy, so he is sure that his guess was
correct.
Tan Wei Zhen

10. Social Psychology Journal 5
Concept: Stereotyping
Entry 1
29 August 2014
On this day, my friends and I went to the hospital to visit one of my friend who was
hospitalized. We went into the lift and pressed the number of floor which my friend was
hospitalized. Suddenly a male nurse came into the same lift. One of my friend were shocked
and he asked, “Does male even suitable to be a nurse? I thought nurses are only for female?”
He then further explains that he had never seem a male nurse until today. He was surprised
that there are actually male nurses existing in this world. After that I asked him what makes him
thinks that only female can be a nurse. He replied me that all the nurses he had seen were all
female. The real reason why he thinks that nurses are for female only is because he grouping all
the nurses together to indicate that everyone of that sexuality only can be a nurse.
Tan Wei Zhen

11. Entry 2
9 November 2014
I still remember on this day my friend made a statement that men who spend too
much time on computer or reading are geeks. Then I asked him what makes him thinks that
men who spend time on computer or reading are geeks. He answered my ques tion by telling
me that all the guys he saw in the movies who spent much time on computer or reading are all
geeks. He even tell me that all the men in reality will slowly turn into geeks if they spent too
much time on computer or reading. The stereotype causes him to make assumption that have
become a common knowledge. He often made judgment of other people or other things
without knowing them and generalized everything, which the geek case has made itself a good
example.
Tan Wei Zhen