Response to four posts (50-100 words for each)

Respond to your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Make a suggestion.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Post 1: (Write a 50-100 words response)

Emotion and Social Cognition
I choose an article about eyewitness accuracy and mood affect. According to research “positive affect promoted and negative affect inhibited the incorporation of misleading information into eyewitness memories ”(Laham,n.d.). Laham,(n.d.) posit mood state determines how information is processed and recalled. Positive mood increased and negative mood decreased the tendency to incorporate misleading details concerning events that took place(Migueles, & García‐Bajos,2007). Additionally, theories of exposure effect involve the operation of psychological processes that depend on some form of stimulus recognition(Migueles, & García‐Bajos, 2007).

Researchers question participants that viewed an arousing film and the non-violent, control version of the same movie( Migueles, & García‐Bajos, 2007). Those that were exposed to adverse events recalled more details than those that were exposed to the nonarousing film (Migueles & Garcia-Bajos,2007). Thus, providing evidence of arousal and memory(Migueles& Garcia-Bajos, 2007). Therefore, the research of several psychologist and social psychologist assert that mood is an essential part of memory retrieval.

References:

Laham, S.,(n.d.) Mood effect on eyewitness memory. Affective influence on susceptibility to information. Journal Of Experimental Social Psychology, 4(6),574-588

Lorraine Hope, Fiona Gabbert, Ronald P. Fisher and Kat Jamieson, Protecting and Enhancing Eyewitness Memory: The Impact of an Initial Recall Attempt on Performance in an Investigative Interview, Applied Cognitive Psychology, 28, 3,(304-313), (2014).

Migueles, M. and García‐Bajos, E. (2007), Selective retrieval and induced forgetting in eyewitness memory. Appl. Cognit. Psychol., 21: 1157-1172. doi:10.1002/acp.1323

Post 2: (Write a 50-100 words response)

Impact of Mood on Decision Making

Emotions

Arnold and Gasson (1954) explained, emotions or can be considered as the felt tendency towards an object judged suitably or away from an object judge unsuitable, reinforced by body changes”. Because emotions are psychological processes, emotions produce negative or positive reactions towards an object (Fiske, Gilbert, & Lindzey,2010).

How mood and emotion may have impacted the decision

According to (Fiske, Gilbert, & Lindzey,2010) When an effect is considered negative, adverse decisions are possible. Jose had the negative feeling about the women smoking in none smoking area which caused him to steal Karen’s clutch. As a result, Karen could not enter the building, and her personal space was violated. Jose looked through her person things. Research has shown that a negative mood can cause a person to make bad decisions(Bruyneel, Dewitte, Franses, & Dekimpe,2009). Analysis posits that mood and emotion affect cognition(Fiske, Gilbert, & Lindzey,2010). I do not condone Karen’s emotional outburst, but Jose’s mood about things created the whole episode.

A life and death situation and how mood might impact the outcome

A life and death situation that might be affected by mood is eyewitness accuracy. A persons negative or positive affect state can affect how positive he outcome of identifying a bank robber(Forgas, Laham, & Vargas,(2005). For example, if a person is in a good mood, he or she is more likely to misrepresent what the facts of a crime (Forgas, Laham, & Vargas, 2005).

References;

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Social cognition and affect. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Bruyneel, S. D., Dewitte, S., Franses, P. H., & Dekimpe, M. G. (2009). I felt low and my purse feels light: Depleting mood regulation attempts affect risk decision making. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 22(2), 153–170

Post 3: (Write a 50-100 words response)

Attribution
According to our video this week, attribution describes why people behave the way they do and is guided by psychological theories and situational context (Laureate Education, Inc, 2007). Collectivist cultures are likely to contribute success and failures to the team effort and to acknowledge the contributions of each person involved focusing on the relationships and context; these cultures are interdependent and holistic while individualistic cultures focus on the success of the individual where hard work and the lone individual are paramount (Laureate Education, Inc, 2007).

An example of a failed project in a group situation is if a new high school is being designed with input from teachers, administrators, parents, students, and architects. A few years after the building is built, flaws in the design emerge. This is the reality at the high school I work at. I live in the United States, a traditionally individualistic culture, and I have observed a lot of finger-pointing regarding these flaws. It seems like most people avoid identifying their role in the planning stages that could have contributed to the error, preferring to blame someone else in the group. In collectivist cultures, people may be more likely to focus on keeping group dynamics harmonious, maybe by identifying contextual reasons for the problems (enrollment increased much faster than expected, for example).

Reference

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2007). Culture and psychology: Cultural influences on attribution and aggression. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Post 4: (Write a 50-100 words response)

Aggression and Violence
For this week’s discussion the culture I decided to express aggression on is the American culture, but more magnified within groups of minorities. I can recall a time, where my parents would impound on me the understanding that “for every action there is a reaction”. The level of force or distributions impact of such reaction depends on several factors, such as injustice, social and economic lack of resources, and the blunt appearance of racial or ethnicity bias. From a lack of education and possible consideration cultures around the world were in some degree neglected the concept of social cognition, (Matsumoto, 2001). Furthermore; the focus on other cultures have not been much of importance to those with little or no connection to such culture, or have no relationship to the daily interactions that transpires.

In American culture with the increase and unstable relationship between law officials and citizen, (mostly minorities), the behaviour of aggression levels is fair to say at an all time high. These aggression, range from ethnicity, culture misunderstanding and individuals political preferences. Ethnicity is one of the most toughest factors when it comes to connecting with individuals based on perceptions, or how one may be portrayed in movies. Ethnicity includes race along with cultural characteristics. Where as an ethic group may share similarities within a racial characteristic as well as a unique social and cultural heritage, (Hall, Teten, DeGarmo, Sue, and Stephens, 2005). For example Asian Americans within the mainland of United States considered to be the minorities and those in Hawaii the quite opposite. According to Hall, et al Hawaii Asians believe their perception of a minority status increases once they come to the United States. Nevertheless, behavioural similarities between Hawaiian Asian Americans and European Americans that are different from mainland Asian Americans suggest that the differences is based on minority status.

I believe within the African American culture, the perception of aggression is considered by some because of the normal defensive, and often fierce responses that they considered as dangerous or somehow threatening. I’ve even experienced a response where I was questioned about my style of walking as it comes off to be an aggression of anger of some stance of defensive . Of course those with this belief, lack the knowledge to know that its due from Military combative issues, ranging from shot, to broken. I think the perception of many, have become a since of norm when contributed towards those of different cultures. instead of choosing to focus and understand one’s perspective, the ostrasizing of the perception is much more easier to adopt.

Of course much aggression within the African American culture can be related towards years of injustice and inequality, not to mention racial disparities. The southern region of the U.S.A.has experienced this a great deal, with high rates of interpersonal violence since its earliest settlement, (Lee, & Ousey, 2011).

References:

Hall, G., Teten, A. L., DeGarmo, D. S., Sue, S., & Stephens, K. A. (2005). Ethnicity, culture, and sexual aggression: Risk and protective factors. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(5), 830–840.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the PsycARTICLES database.

Matsumoto, D. (2001). The Handbook of Culture and Psychology. Oxford NY, Oxford University Press

Lee, M. R., & Ousey, G. C. (2011). Reconsidering the culture and violence connection: Strategies of action in the Rural South. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(5), 899–929.

Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ERIC database.