Loh Wei Shuen submitted a social psychology assignment containing several sections on topics like false consensus bias, basking in reflected glory, self-fulfilling prophecy, counterfactual thinking, confirmation bias, and the halo effect. The document analyzed examples from the author's personal experiences and observations of others to illustrate key concepts in social psychology.

1. Social Psychology Journal
Name: Loh Wei Shuen
Student ID: 0317896
Group/ Session: Monday 4-7 pm
Course: Foundation in Natural & Built Environment (FNBE) 02/2014
Subject: Social Psychology (PSYC0103)
Submission Date: 10/11/2014

2. 2
25th August 2014
False consensus
Bias is an unfair prejudice and it will very easy to form a false consensus. For examples, girls that are with spectacles are usually do very well in their studies and boys with army hair looks honest.
When I was in secondary school, I was kind of afraid or refuse to approach elite students. They were excellent in academics and also sports which I was not include in any of one group. I thought they were proud and not interested to be friend with peoples that are much weaker. I tried my best to stay away because I didn’t want to get hurt by their mean comments and made myself to compare with them.
But everything changed after I met a girl. She had an excellent performance in her academic and also good in running. She was an acquaintance in my primary school but we became friendlier after we got into the same secondary school. At first, I was quite refused to approach her but after that I found that she is quite friendly and caring. She lived in my neighbourhood and we go home every day together. I still remembered on my birthday, she even gave a present although we just knew each other for a very short while. Besides that, she was willing to help me when I was suffered in my studies.
I become more open to the excellent students after met her. She changed my mind and not every single elite student is proud and arrogant. Instead of comparing myself with them, I prefer to learn from them and make myself to be better.

3. 3
Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRGing)
BIRGing is common in social arenas. For examples, fans reaction to their sport team’s victories and supporters express their joy when the nation’s military and political success.
I was graduated from an independent school. The well performance of the elite students in the academics competitions or the sports events makes my school becomes famous. The public thinks that it’s an excellent school and parents would like to send their children here to receive a better education.
In facts, it was just an ordinary school with minority of top students. These top students made me to feel honour to be in this school and peoples think that students from independent schools are very good in academic especially mathematical and linguistic subjects. Once I mentioned my school, these will come into their minds. It is just because the elite minority of my school made the majority of the school known to be smart.
There are also a lot of excellent students from other schools. Everything are actually depends on how willing a student to learn. Everyone is the same.

4. 4
1st September 2014
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Self- fulfilling prophecy includes three stages.
Franzoi, S.L. Social Psychology- 5th edition retrieved from page 8
I was a Chinese yoyo performer in my secondary school. We performed in large group. So to make a performance to be perfect, it’s very important to have sufficient practice and confident.
When it came to insufficient practices, we will set a target to minimize the mistakes and wish team mates try their best to perform. I still remembered when my first time being on a big stage, I was quite nervous and had a belief that I can’t do well due to lack of experience.
Music played and I forgot what to do the next although before that we practiced for few months. I started to become unconfident and mistakes came. So my very first performances then ended up with mistakes and I thought I needed more and more practices.
Few months later, it came another performance. I believed that this time would be better to me after there were experience and practices are enough because we remained the same routine. My second
Perceiver forms expectations about the target.
Perceiver acts toward the target based on the expectations.
Target interprets the perceiver's actions and responds so that his or her behaviour is consistent wit perceiver's expectations.

5. 5
chance was better than the first and it gained experience and my confidence in performing.
The self- fulfilling prophecy can be explained in a Henry Ford’s quotes “whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right”.

6. 6
Counterfactual thinking
I still remembered my first design assignment which got a very bad result for it. I was not satisfied with the grade which disappointed me a lot. I put a lot of efforts inside and it ended up with this grade.
“If I do my works until the last minute of submission, I may get a better grade.”
“If I submit my assignment a bit late, I may do better since there’re no marks are deducted.”
There were a lot of “if” in my mind which leaded me a lot of regrets. The more I thought, the more I felt to burst into tears. Finally, it did. Then my friends confronted me and said,
“As long as you got a B- which is not C or you don’t have to redo everything.”
“It’s not about the results, it’s about the process.”
“We learn through failures.”
Although consolation didn’t seem work on me that time, but it made me feel better to my disappointment.
Counterfactual thinking makes us to feel better when there’s a negative outcome and it help us to prepare us for the future. By considering alternatives to the past actions, we can better understand our mistakes and improve our chances for a better success in future.

7. 7
15th September 2014
Confirmation bias
Confirmation bias shows that peoples tend to seek out information that confirms their existing opinions and ignore the information that refutes their beliefs.
For examples, peoples think that women are bad driver. If there’s an accident happened, it must be caused by a woman. So confirmation bias doesn’t happen in my life.
There was a friend who I hold a bias. He is intelligent and hardworking. So although how well he presented in his assignments, I also think that he was actually cheating. Even when he was trying to help someone in the assignment, I believe he was holding a cost- benefit model of helping.

8. 8
The Halo effect
Halo effect is a bias that the impressions of an individual influence the observer’s thoughts and feelings about that individual.
I met a girl in orientation party. For the first impression, she was quite active, talkative and no manners. I didn’t really like to get close to her because I think she may be a rude and impolite person.
I tried to avoid from her but finally we had a chance to be in the orientation group. In group, she didn’t even want to listen to others’ opinions which she supposing had to. It made me hate her more and more due to her unreasonable acts.
I believed everything is just my own judgement to her. Well, it came to a day I was able to know her better. We had a long conversation. She was actually a kind person but with a more open handed personality. She did help others and gave some suggestions to peoples instead of making decisions for everyone.
I found that I was actually misunderstanding her and judged everything beforehand and it was quite unfair to her.

9. 9
22nd September 2014
Observational learning
At the beginning of my foundation studies, I had no ideas with the assignments which related to drawing and designing. I saw my friends were able to get a very well grade in their assignment but I can’t.
I was wondered how come they were able to decorate their works with awesome and pretty fonts and I thought everything were their ideas. After a period of observed them doing their works, I found that they actually did a lot of researches on the fonts and also some skills like visual note-taking.
So whenever it comes to an assignment, I will go for researches first like how my colleagues did.

10. 10
Post- decision dissonance
“The fox and the grapes” shows the psychology theory “post- decision dissonance”. In the story, the fox was unable to reach the grapes which hang on a high vine. So the fox leave and remarked that the grapes were not ripe yet and they were sour.
I am Asus computer user. I was quite regret by choosing this brand instead of Macbook. I got this laptop for few years because it was easier for me to use on that time. One day my parents decided to get a Macbook for my brother.
I was quite upset because I think I am the one who would need a more professional laptop due to the needs of assignments. I started feel regret and tried to brainwash myself how good was my laptop.
“I can watch dramas and movies on my laptop which we are not allowed to watch on Macbook.”
“I can download whatever software I need instead of worrying I would download a virus.”
So a lot of reasons came into my mind which to confront myself. Until now, I feel so good that I’m still using my Asus laptop to finish every of my assignment. Maybe if you asked me, would you like to change your laptop to a Macbook. My answer is… definitely yes. I still feel regret.

11. 11
3rd November 2014
Prejudice & Discrimination
A common social belief about another group can creates bias and leads to prejudice and discrimination which is unfair to everyone. Prejudice is an attitude whereas discrimination is an action.
Before that, I always think that males were not caring and they can’t do very small details things. I was quite worried when it came to a group assignments with the majority are males. I don’t even like to let male group mates handle something that are need more patience.
But it changed my mind after I got into university. When there are group assignments, I found that males also can be very concentrate on the details. Sometimes they can even perform better than females.

12. 12
Bystander Effect
Being in an emergency, peoples involve not only one decision to help the victim, in facts it’s five decisions (so called “bystander intervention”). If there’s a “no” among the five decisions, there’s no intervention.
Step 1: Do you notice something unusual happening?
Step 2: Do you decide something is wrong and help is needed?
Step 3: Do you think you have responsibility to help?
Step 4: Do you know the appropriate form to help to render?
Step 5: Do you decide to implement your form of help?
Franzoi, S.L. Social Psychology- 5th edition retrieved from page 482
Last week, I went to a shopping mall with my family. While my mother and I were choosing our daily items, suddenly there was an old- aged auntie fell down. We turned back and were shocked by her. I saw the staff quickly held her up.
The bystander intervention can be seen from the staff. From the perspective of the staff, she noticed something unusual happened which was an old-aged auntie fell down (the first decision step). Helped was needed by that auntie to get up (the second decision step). It’s important to help her because she represented her company and it was everyone’s responsibility to help the weakness (the third decision step). So, she quickly held her up (the fourth decision step) and asked other staff to provide a chair for the old lady to sit (the fifth decision step).