Social Psychology
Instructor:  Susan Boland

Case Study 2.5 

Adapted from a case study written by Erik Coats and Robert S. Feldman in Feldman, R.S. & Regan, P.C. (1995). Social Psychology: Student Workbook with Case Studies. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:  Prentice Hall.  

·         This case study assignment requires that you apply the ideas presented in Chapter 5 of the textbook. Read the case study carefully and answer the six questions in detail.  Follow the instructions for case study write-up that are included in the course syllabus.   A copy of the instructions is also on reserve in the library and on my web-page www.lhup.edu/sboland 

·         Avoid quoting directly form the textbook -- write using your own words.  Information taken from the text or lecture, even if rewritten in your own words, must be credited to or cited to the textbook authors or to lecture. See the full instructions for more information about citing the text as a reference.

·         If you have any questions regarding this assignment, please ask.  

Case Study 2.5  (25 points):  "It's all Greek to me." 

          Heading to class one morning, Joan waits for the elevator.  Joan is pre-occupied this morning because she just received her results back from the GRE (Graduate Record Exam). She didn't do nearly as well on the GRE as she hoped. Joan is a senior at Ivy Lane College.  She is a Psychology major and is a serious student.  She hopes to earn her PhD and become a clinical psychologist with a private practice.  She knows that getting into graduate school is very competitive and she's afraid she may not get into the graduate school of her choice with her GRE scores.  Actually, she's afraid she may not get into graduate school at all.

        As Joan is thinking about this, three men walk up and also stand waiting for the elevator.  She overhears one tell the others how sick he feels.  “If it weren’t for this History exam,” he says, “I’d be at home in bed right now.”  Apparently all three were in the same class, and all three express being very tired and wishing for more sleep.  Upon hearing all this, Joan examines them more carefully. 

     The three are dressed in sweats and each wears a baseball cap with Greek letter logos.  Joan mentally sums the three up in two words: Frat brats.

    Joan associates fraternity membership with heavy drinking.  Although there are only a few fraternities at this college, Joan attended a couple of fraternity parties during her first year at college.  There was a lot of drinking at these parties, and things got pretty rowdy.  “They were probably out drinking after the basketball game last night,” she thinks to herself.  “It serves him right for being hung-over.  The others were probably out drinking with him, that’s why they’re so tired.”  

1.   a) What is social categorization?  Did Joan categorize the three men at the elevator?

          Explain your answer. 

b) What are ingroups and outgroups?  Does Joan consider the men to be in her ingroup or did

    she think of them as members of her outgroup?  On what basis did you make your

    decision?   

2.  a)  Because she is not a fraternity member, Joan may perceive fraternity or non-fraternity

          members  as more similar to one another.  What is this phenomenon called?  How does it

          affect how we perceive ingroup and outgroup members?

     b) What are two reasons social psychologists have identified for this phenomenon? 

     c)  Could one or both of these reasons be operating in this case?  Explain your answer.

3)  Apply Tajfel and Turner's social identity theory to this case. 

     (Make sure while you’re answering these questions that you apply the information to

      Joan's specific situation.)

     a)  According to this theory, what makes up one's self-esteem?

     b)  How can a person enhance their self-esteem according to this theory?

     c)  Under what circumstances is a person more likely to derogate an outgroup?

As mentioned earlier, Joan associates fraternity membership with drinking alcohol.  Although fraternities are not common at her college, Joan  had attended a couple of fraternity parties.  She saw a lot of heavy drinking and rowdy behavior. 

4) a) Could Joan's beliefs be supported by an illusory correlation?  Define illusory correlation

         and explain how it can perpetuate stereotyping.

    b)  Illusory correlation is the result of what two processes?

    c)  How might these two processes be at work in this case?

The dean of the college is concerned with the hostility expressed between fraternity and non-fraternity members on campus.  The dean has often heard members of the groups make derogatory remarks about each other.  At the recommendation of a social psychology professor, the dean decides to try the “contact hypothesis” approach to reducing hostility between the groups. 

5) a) What is the contact hypothesis?  Identify the four conditions that must exist for contact

          to succeed in reducing prejudice. 

b) Give a specific example of how the dean could achieve those conditions in this case.

     Suppose, for example that you have been assigned to a committee that must plan events

     that would reduce hostility between fraternity and non-fraternity members.  Use the

     conditions of the contact hypothesis and describe an event you would plan.  Your answer

     should make it clear how the four conditions of the contact hypothesis are included in your

     plan

Extra questions:

6)      Jennifer has been struggling this year with balancing her part-time job and a heavy course load in her pre-med program.  She is afraid her grades won’t be good enough to get into medical school. Although she has always dreamed of becoming a doctor, she has been wondering lately whether she has what it takes to succeed.  Use Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory to explain how Jennifer’s self-doubts might relate to her feelings about the men that she observed at the elevator.  (Your explanation should incorporate a description of the theory.)

7)      Jennifer herself may be stereotyped by others.  As a woman pursuing a career in medicine what gender stereotypes may affect other people’s perception of her?  Base your answer on information provided in your textbook, and provide two examples of how gender stereotypes or gender discrimination might affect how people perceive or behave towards Jennifer.
 

8)   Is it inevitable that Joan will stereotype the three men?  On pages 139-142, the text discusses

      various factors that may influence whether stereotypes are automatic or can be controlled.  Some of

      these factors include: stereotype priming, level of prejudice, being cognitively busy, perceiver's need

      for self-enhancement, the amount of information available, perceiver's cognitive ability and level of

      motivation to make accurate judgments.

     Choose TWO of the factors discussed on these pages, explain what they mean, and discuss how they

     might operate in this case to increase or decrease the likelihood that Joan would stereotype the

     men.

 9)  What is the tri-component definition of an attitude?  In chapter 5 there were special terms for reactions

     to groups that relate to these three components.  Match those terms with the three components in the

     definition of attitude. 

     What is the single component definition of an attitude?  Refer to Figure 6.1 on page 174 of your text. 

     Where does Joan's attitude about the men seem to fall?  What information affected your decision?