solved: Please see instructions attached. Unit 6 Discussion Initial Post After completing the readings,

Unit 6 Discussion

Initial Post

After completing the readings, watching the videos in Unit 6, and further researching the topic, post a two-paragraph response to the following:

· In your first paragraph, explain and describe one or two of the social psychology concepts that you learned about in this unit. You may decide to choose from the following:

· Self-fulfilling prophecy

· Groupthink

· Correspondence bias

· Reciprocal altruism

· Cognitive dissonance

· Social loafing

· Conformity

· In your second paragraph, describe a scene or character(s) from a movie, TV show, or book that demonstrates your chosen social psychology concept. Be sure to give some background of the story and/or character, and specifically explain how this scene or character is an example of your chosen social psychology concept.

·
NOTE: In the Subject of your post, be sure to identify the concept and the movie/TV show/book 
(example: Cognitive Dissonance in “The Walking Dead”).

Reading materials

Readings

“An Introduction to the Science of Social Psychology”

Review 

“An Introduction to the Science of Social Psychology”
 by Robert Biswas-Diener.

The science of social psychology investigates the ways other people affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is an exciting field of study because it is so familiar and relevant to our day-to-day lives.

“Social Cognition and Attitudes”

Review 

“Social Cognition and Attitudes”
 by Yanine D. Hess and Cynthia L. Pickett.

Social cognition is the area of social psychology that examines how people perceive and think about their social world. This reading provides an overview of key topics within social cognition and attitudes, including judgmental heuristics, social prediction, affective and motivational influences on judgment, and explicit and implicit attitudes.

“Social Comparison”

Review 

“Social Comparison”
 by Stephen Garcia and Arnor Halldorsson.

When athletes compete in a race, they are able to observe and compare their performance against those of their competitors. In the same way, all people naturally engage in mental comparisons with the people around them during the course of daily life. These evaluations can impact our motivation and feelings. In this module, you will learn about the process of social comparison: its definition, consequences, and the factors that affect it.

“The Psychology of Groups”

Review 

“The Psychology of Groups”
 by Donelson R. Forsyth.

This reading assumes that a thorough understanding of people requires a thorough understanding of groups. Each of us is an autonomous individual seeking our own objectives, yet we are also members of groups—groups that constrain us, guide us, and sustain us.

“Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping”

Review 

“Prejudice, Discrimination, and Stereotyping”
 by Susan T. Fiske.

People are often biased against others outside of their own social group, showing prejudice (emotional bias), stereotypes (cognitive bias), and discrimination (behavioral bias). In the past, people used to be more explicit with their biases, but during the 20th century, when it became less socially acceptable to exhibit bias, such things as prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination became more subtle (automatic, ambiguous, and ambivalent). In the 21st century, however, with social group categories even more complex, biases may be transforming once again.

“Aggression and Violence”

Review 

“Aggression and Violence”
 by Brad J. Bushman.

This reading discusses the causes and consequences of human aggression and violence. Both internal and external causes are considered. Effective and ineffective techniques for reducing aggression are also discussed.

“Love, Friendship, and Social Support”

Review 

“Love, Friendship, and Social Support”
 by Debi Brannan and Cynthia D. Mohr.

Friendship and love, and more broadly, the relationships that people cultivate in their lives, are some of the most valuable treasures a person can own. This reading explores ways in which we try to understand how friendships form, what attracts one person to another, and how love develops. It also explores how the internet influences how we meet people and develop deep relationships. Finally, this module will examine social support and how this can help many through the hardest times and help make the best times even better.

“Conformity and Obedience” 

Review 

“Conformity and Obedience”
 by Jerry M. Burger.

We often change our attitudes and behaviors to match the attitudes and behaviors of the people around us. One reason for this conformity is a concern about what other people think of us. This reading explores conformity and obedience.

Videos

“Social Thinking”

CrashCourse. (2014, November 3). 

Social thinking: Crash course psychology #37
 [Video]. YouTube. Duration: 10m:47s  

Why do people do bad things? Is it because of the situation or who they are at their core? In this week’s episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank works to shed a little light on the ideas of situation vs. personality. Oh, and we’ll have a look at the Stanford Prison Experiment. It’s alarming.

“Social Influence”

CrashCourse. (2014, November 11). 

 [Video]. YouTube. 10m:07s

Why do people sometimes do bad things just because someone else told them to? And what does the term “groupthink” mean? In today’s episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank talks about the ideas of social influence and how it can affect our decisions to act or to not act.

“Prejudice & Discrimination”

CrashCourse. (2014, November 17). 

Prejudice and discrimination: Crash course psychology #39
 [Video]. YouTube. Duration: 9m:53s  

In this episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank tackles some difficult topics dealing with prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination.

“Aggression v. Altruism” 

CrashCourse. (2014, November 24). 

Aggression vs. altruism: Crash course psychology #40
 [Video]. YouTube. Duration: 10m:40s

In this episode of Crash Course Psychology, Hank discusses the ideas of aggression and altruism. These two things are difficult to understand and explain, so sit tight and get ready to run the gauntlet of human emotions.