This document is a student journal entry for a social psychology course. It discusses how humans are inherently social and influenced by others. The journal was intended to enhance awareness of social psychology concepts. It uses the example of a baby developing schemas, or cognitive frameworks, to help organize and interpret information about objects like baby bottles. As the baby grows, her schemas about bottles are modified as she learns about normal bottles and drinking cups. Through new experiences, her existing schemas are modified and new information is incorporated, shown through her evolving understanding of different drinking vessels.

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE , BUILDING AND DESIGN
THE DESIGN SCHOOL
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILD ENVIRONMENTS
LOH PEY MUN l 0318572 l SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY l 30OCT2014
NAME : Loh Pey Mun
STUDENT ID : 0318572
COURSE : Social Psychology
COURSE CODE : PSY30203
TITLE : Individual Journal One
WORD COUNT : 343 Words
LECTURER : Norul Hidayah
SUBMISSION DATE : 30 October 2014

2. Humans are born social animals. Social Psychology is a study about human thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors. They are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. This
first journal assignment was designed to enhance the awareness of social psychology concepts
applicable to different contexts in social life. Schema is a cognitive framework or concept that
helps organize and interpret information. Schemas can be useful because they allow us to take
shortcuts in interpreting the vast amount of
information that is available in our social
environment. Everyone has their own
schema starting from a very young age. The
photo below shows a baby drinking from
her baby bottle. The baby may first develop
a schema for the baby bottle. She knows
that baby bottle is a small bottle with a teat
( liked mother’s nipples ) to drink directly
from. The baby will grow up to become a
little girl. When she learns how to drink
with a normal bottle but not a baby bottle
for the first time, she might initially call it a baby bottle. After all, it fits in with her schema for
the characteristics of a baby bottle; it is a bottle with a teat , small , a cap to cover the teat . Once
she was told that a bottle doesn’t always represent a baby bottle and that they are different, she
will modify her existing schema for a baby bottle and create a new schema for a normal bottle.
Now, let’s imagine this little girl learns to drink from a glass cup for the first time. She will feel
more uncomfortable because she wouldn’t know how and why people drink from a glass. Until
LOH PEY MUN l 0318572 l SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY l 30OCT2014

3. her parents explain the differences of a baby bottle and a glass and how she should start learning
to drink from a glass at this age, then this little girl will start modifying a schema for the glass.
Through her new experiences, her existing schemas were modified multiple times and new
information was developed and shown in her newly modified schemas.
LOH PEY MUN l 0318572 l SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY l 30OCT2014