School of Architecture, Buildings and Design

Foundation in Natural and Built Environment

NAME : CHEONG SIEW YING ( EELYN)

STUDENT ID : 0314618

ASSIGNMENT TITLE : SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY JOURNAL 02 ( INDIVIDUAL )

DATE OF SUBMISSION : 18th DECEMBER 2013

Attitudes- Components and Theories:

In this lesson, I have learned the components and theories of a person’s attitude. Negative

or positive evaluation of thought from object may include group, social issues,

institutions, customer product and people. Cognitive, behavioural and affective are the

three components to evaluate the thought. Cognitive component is the thought that based

on beliefs and ideas. The person mostly will start his or her thought by saying ‘ I believe

that …….’. Moreover, behavioural component is based on predispositions to act. A

person’s thought on what he or she will do. In addition, affective component is based on a

person’s emotional or feeling for the thought. The person mostly will start the

conversation with ‘I feel…..’.

A person’s attitude will change through learning: evaluative condition, operant condition

and observational learning. From the lesson, I understand that operant condition is a

process of learning from open expression through punishment or reward. For instance,

five years old boy spoiled his toy and get punished, from that incident on, he will be

aware when he play with the toy because he knows that he will get punish if he spoil his

toy. In addition to that, observational learning is what others did(model) and the observer

followed. For instance, a little girl watch her mother using cosmetic, she will follow the

way how her mother did.

Conformity and Group Behaviour

In this topic, conformity is a type of social influence in changing one person’s belief or

ideas to fit in a group. Based on the conclusion of the experiment of Solomon Asch,

people tend to follow the majorities’ opinion or decision instead of giving out their own

opinion or decision. This action can be said that people tend to follow the majorities’

opinion so that they can fix in the group. Majority influence also known as group

pressure. For example, ten students are ask for their opinion based on the level of

difficulty for the Maths exam, eight out of ten students said it is easy, the remaining two

students will also said easy or keep silence although they feel that it’s not easy. Their

purpose for not express their real feeling or opinion is just to show that they are in the

same ‘ group’ as others are.

In addition to that, obedience is when people tend to follow one’s order or direct

commands, usually from someone in expert and have high position compare to other. For

instance, student will follow the instruction given by the teachers, what are said by the

teacher, usually student will consider it right and followed. For example, Miss Lee

( Biology teacher) asked her student to operate a frog, student will no dare the unfollow

her order.

REFERENCES:

1. http://www.simplypsychology.org/conformity.html

2. http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html