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Social Psychology
Instructor: Susan Boland
Case Study 4.1
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
information from Chapter 8 of the textbook and from lecture. Read the
case study carefully and answer the five questions in detail. Follow
the instructions for case study assignments attached to the course
syllabus. A copy of the instructions is also on reserve in the library
and on my web-page
http://www.lhup.edu/sboland
Avoid quoting directly from the textbook -- write
using your own words. Information taken from the text, even if
rewritten in your own words, must be credited to or cite 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 4.1:
Graduate Gangs
Kathleen wants to pursue a masters
degree in counseling psychology. Kathleen has narrowed her search
for a graduate program down to two schools. To help make this decision,
she spoke with students at both programs. Interestingly, students at
the two schools described their programs very differently. At Unisonia,
people spoke about how close all the students were. The graduate
students in the program spent a lot of time together. They would study
together for exams, would advise each other about what professors were
good, and commiserate over pizza and beer. Although graduate students
don't have a lot of leisure time, the students in the program often
spent what leisure time they did have with each other. Perhaps, because
the program was so difficult, the students really bonded.
Speaking to students at Whatsamatta U., Kathleen
heard a very different story. In this program the faculty members
tended to work closely to their advisees. But in general, the students
were not very close to one another. Most of their interaction was
narrowly focused on discussion of class material. They didn't spend
much time outside of the classroom or the laboratory together. In
fact, students at this school tended to very competitive with one
another.
1.
a) According to the social psychological definition, what
characteristics do groups possess?
What is a collective?
b)
Which of the following best fits the definition of a group: (1) The
graduate students at
Whatsamatta U., (2) the graduate students at Unisonia? Explain your
answer.
c) Do
you think one is better described as a collective? Explain your answer.
2.
(a) What are norms? What are the norms for student interaction at the
two different schools?
(b)
What is cohesiveness? Would students at Whatsamatta U. or at Unisonia be
more
cohesive? What forces or factors do you think increased the cohesiveness
among those
students?
Kathleen
has progressed in her program at Unisonia to the point that she is
finishing her master's thesis. Students completing a master's thesis
must hold an oral defense. At this defense, students must present their
research project and respond to questions from a faculty committee.
3.
a) Explain Zajonc's mere presence model of social facilitation, that is,
what three steps are
required to get from presence to performance?
b)
According to this model, to you think Kathleen's performance will be
impaired or enhanced
at
the oral defense? Under what conditions would her performance be better
or be worse?
4. a)
Now apply either the evaluation apprehension model or the
distraction conflict model of
social facilitation to Kathleen's
situation. (Of course, whichever model you choose to
discuss, you should explain what the
theory says.)
b) Contrast this model's explanation with
Zajonc's explanation of what would affect Kathleen's
performance during her oral defense.
Another
hurdle students must clear in order to earn a graduate degree is to pass
a qualifying exam. The qualifying exam covers material from seven major
areas within psychology: personality, abnormal, social, physiological,
developmental, cognitive, and research methods. Because there is so
much information to cover, Kathleen and six graduate students she often
works with decided to divide up the task. Each will take one of the
areas covered by the exam and be responsible for reviewing the material
for the other students. All the students are anxious to do well on the
exam, because they could be kicked out of the program for poor
performance!
5.
a) Kathleen is concerned that social loafing will occur in the study
group. What is social
loafing?
b) Read
over the conditions when social loafing is less likely to occur
(p. 262). Are any of those
factors present for Kathleen's study group? If yes, list the factors
you think are present and
explain why you think they probably exist for the study group.
c) How
likely do you think social loafing will be in this group? Explain your
answer.
Extra question:
During her first semester at Unisonia, Kathleen
joined the Psychology Graduate Student Council. This committee brings
the concerns of the graduate students in the program to the attention of
the psychology faculty and the university administration. During the
first year, Kathleen was sort of an "unofficial" cheerleader for the
group. She enthusiastically supported the proposals made by the leaders
of the group. She tried to encourage other students to join the group
and to voice their opinions. In her second year, she was elected as the
committee's treasurer. In this role she was responsible for keeping the
financial records for the group and for filling out the appropriate
paperwork for distributing funds.
6. (a)
What role did Kathleen play in the group during her first year? Was it
a formal or an
informal role? Was it an instrumental or an expressive role?
(b)
What role does Kathleen play in the group during her second year? Is it
a formal or an
informal role? Is it an instrumental or an expressive role?
(Define terms and explain your answers)
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