PYC3701/101/3/2014

Tutorial letter 101/3/2014

Social Psychology
PYC3701

Semesters 1 & 2

Department of Psychology

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your module.
 CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME ................................................................................................ 3

2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE ................................................................ 5
2.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Outcomes ....................................................................................................................................... 5
3 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS ...................................................................................... 5
3.1 Lecturers ......................................................................................................................................... 5
3.2 Department ..................................................................................................................................... 6
3.3 University ........................................................................................................................................ 6
4 MODULE RELATED RESOURCES............................................................................................... 7
4.1 Prescribed book .............................................................................................................................. 7
4.2 Recommended books ..................................................................................................................... 8
5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ................................................................ 8
6 MODULE SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................... 8
7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING ..................................... 9
8 ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................... 9
8.1 Assessment plan ............................................................................................................................ 9
8.2 Due dates of assignments, assignment numbers and unique assignment numbers .................... 10
8.3 Submission of assignments .......................................................................................................... 11
9 EXAMINATIONS .......................................................................................................................... 27
10 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS............................................................................................. 28
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .......................................................................................... 28

Important note:

Formal tuition in this module will be conducted in English only. Where capacity exists, and upon
request, individual discussions will be conducted in any preferred South African language.

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1 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME

Dear Student

We are pleased to have you as a student of Social Psychology and hope you will enjoy this subject.
Because our field of study is relevant to everyday life in so many ways, it is likely that you will find the
module particularly interesting and useful.

You will receive a number of tutorial letters during the year. A tutorial letter is our way of communicating
with you about teaching, learning and assessment.

Tutorial Letter 101 contains important information about the scheme of work, resources and assignments
for this module. We urge you to read it carefully and to keep it at hand when working through the study
material, preparing the assignment(s), preparing for the examination and addressing questions to your
lecturers.

Please read Tutorial Letter 301 in combination with Tutorial Letter 101 as it gives you an idea of
generally important information when studying at a distance and within a particular College.

In Tutorial Letter 101, you will find the assignments and assessment criteria as well as instructions on
the preparation and submission of the assignments. This tutorial letter also provides all the information
you need with regard to the prescribed study material and other resources and how to obtain it. Please
study this information carefully and make sure that you obtain the prescribed material as soon as
possible.

We have also included certain general and administrative information about this module. Please study
this section of the tutorial letter carefully.

Right from the start we would like to point out that you must read all the tutorial letters you receive
during the semester immediately and carefully, as they always contain important and, sometimes,
urgent information.

We hope that you will enjoy this module and wish you all the best!

Social Psychology lecturers

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1.1 Tutorial matter

Some of this tutorial matter may not be available when you register. Tutorial matter that is not available
when you register will be posted to you as soon as possible, but is also available on myUnisa. Please
consult my Studies @ Unisa about which department you should contact for assistance to obtain
missing study material.

At the time of registration, you will receive an inventory letter that will tell you what you have received in
your study package and also show items that are still outstanding. Also see the brochure entitled my
Studies @ Unisa.

Check the study material that you have received against the inventory letter. You should have received
all the items listed in the inventory, unless there is a statement like “out of stock” or “not available”. If any
item is missing, follow the instructions on the back of the inventory letter without delay.

PLEASE NOTE: Your lecturers cannot help you with missing study material.

The Department of Despatch should supply you with the following study material for this module:

• my Studies @ Unisa (general administrative information about Unisa)

• Study Guide

• Tutorial Letter 101/2014 (The tutorial letter you are looking at now. It has administrative
information and information about the assignment and the examination.)

NB: Tutorial matter will be posted to you as soon as it becomes available.

myUnisa: myUnisa is an acronym which stands for an Internet facility offered free of charge to all
registered Unisa students. With the aid of myUnisa students will ultimately be able to perform all study-
related functions on the Internet which are now normally done by telephone, by letter or personal visits to
the campus.

To make use of myUnisa, you will need a computer with a modem and an Internet connection, as well
as a browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. See my Studies @ Unisa for further information.

The following functions have already been implemented on myUnisa:

● you can contact your lecturers via e-mail;

● you can join a discussion forum (e.g. to discuss your module with other students doing
the same module);
● you can order books from the library, and search for books on the library database;
● you can download study material placed on myUnisa;
● you can check whether your assignments have been received and marked;
● you can submit written as well as multiple-choice assignments via myUnisa;
● you can look up your assignment or exam marks as soon as they are released.

To register on myUnisa, you should go to the Unisa web page, which is located at the Internet address
[Link]

On this web page, select the option “myUnisa”. If you are a first time user, you must click on the option
“Register as myUnisa user” which will enable you to register online (this does not cost anything). Type in
your name, student number and a password (the password must be at least 6 characters long). You will
then be supplied with a PIN code (personal identity number) which you will use in all future transactions
with myUnisa.

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Once you have registered, select the option “Enter myUnisa”, which will take you into myUnisa. In
myUnisa, select the option “My Courses”, (in this case PYC3701). From here, you will be able to submit
assignments and related activities (consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa).

2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this module is to help students gaining insight into the theoretical aspects of cognition,
social perception, the self, attitudes and prejudice, interpersonal relationships, social influence, prosocial,
antisocial, and group behaviour. The module also seeks to bring students in contact with internationally
acceptable standards by exposing them to both fundamental and applied South African and international
social psychological research.

2.2 Outcomes

Specific outcomes of this module are the ability to access social psychological information effectively and
responsibly and to know and understand the psychological principles that determine behaviour in
particular contexts. Learners should eventually be aware of social processes and social problems and be
able to understand and apply conceptual and theoretical knowledge. Finally, learners should be able to
present social psychological information in a written format.

Broadly, the outcome of the module is to facilitate the ability to apply social psychological principles in
areas such as clinical psychology, health psychology, the psychology of work, and society in general.

3 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS

3.1 Lecturers

The lecturers for this module and the chapters in the prescribed book they are responsible for:

Dr C. Ochse (Module leader) (Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6) (012) 429-8244

e-mail: ochsec@[Link]

Dr S.D. Mhlongo (Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11) (012) 429-6833

e-mail: mhlonsd@[Link]

If you want to contact a lecturer via the myUnisa proceed as follows:

Register as a myUnisa user (follow the procedure in Section 1.2). Select “My Courses” and then the
option “Contact Lecturer”. This will enable you to send e-mail correspondence to the lecturers
involved in this module (also consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa).

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3.2 Department

3.2.1 Communication with the Department (by letter)

Address all correspondence concerning

● problems experienced in studying a specific module, or
● arrangements for an appointment with a lecturer to:

The Department of Psychology

(Name of lecturer or module concerned)
PO Box 392
Unisa
0003

NOTE: You may enclose more than one letter to the Psychology Department in an envelope, but do not
address enquiries to different departments (e.g. Despatch and Library Services) in the same letter. This
will cause a delay in the replies to your enquiries. Write a separate letter to each department and mark
each letter clearly for the attention of that department.

Letters to lecturers may not be enclosed together with assignments. Always write your student number
and the study-unit code at the top of your letter.

3.2.2 Communication with the Department (by telephone, e-mail or fax)

Our telephone numbers and e-mail addresses are on page five.

Lecturers frequently have to attend meetings, conferences, discussion classes, etcetera. They may
therefore not be in their offices at all times. If you cannot get hold of any particular lecturer in his or
her office, phone the secretary Mrs C Nel on [012] 429-8233.

Her e-mail address is nelc1@[Link].

Our departmental fax number is [012] 429-3414. When you send a fax, remember to indicate the module
code and the lecturer’s name.

Note that study material can NOT be faxed to students.

3.2.3 Personal visit to the Department

Always make an appointment before coming to Unisa to see a lecturer. Lecturers often have other
commitments which prevent them from seeing students without formal appointments.

3.3 University

Consult my Studies @ Unisa for general contact details.

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4 MODULE RELATED RESOURCES

4.1 Prescribed book

The book(s) prescribed for this module is (are):

Baron, R.A., & Branscombe, N.R. (2012). Social Psychology, (13th ed.). Pearson
Education, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-0-205-23199-7
ISBN-10: 0-205-23199-3

Mynhardt, J.C. (2009). South African Supplement to Social Psychology, (3rd ed.).
Pearson Education, South Africa.
ISBN: 978-1-77025-524-1

NOTE: Booksellers sell these two books as ONE PACKAGE.

Also note that your Study Guide (p. vii) indicates that the 12th edition of Social
Psychology is prescribed. However, this 12th edition is out of print. Make sure to get the
South African Supplement included when you buy the 13th edition of Social Psychology.
Although the 3rd edition of the Supplement is actually based on the 12th edition of the
main textbook, you can still use it for revision purposes with the 13th edition (read the
Preface, pp. iii-iv). Concentrate on the South African perspective sections for the
examination (see Section 9 of this tutorial letter).

Remember to place an order at your bookseller as soon as possible. This will save you the delay and
frustration experienced by those who wait too long. Make very sure to buy the twelfth edition of the
book. This twelfth edition differs considerably from previous editions.

Refer to the list of official booksellers and their addresses in the my Studies @ Unisa brochure.

Prescribed books can be obtained from the University's official booksellers. If you have difficulty in
locating your book(s) at these booksellers, please contact the Prescribed Book Section at Tel: 012 429-
4152 or email vospresc@[Link].

The PYC3701 syllabus consists of a Study Guide and the following ten chapters in the prescribed book
and the accompanying South African Supplement.

Chapter 2: Social Cognition

Chapter 3: Social Perception
Chapter 4: The Self
Chapter 5: Attitudes
Chapter 6: Stereotyping, Prejudice and Discrimination
Chapter 7: Interpersonal Attraction and Close Relationships
Chapter 8: Social Influence
Chapter 9: Prosocial Behaviour
Chapter 10: Aggression
Chapter 11: Groups and Individuals

Ignore Chapter 12 in the Study Guide. Note that each chapter in the study guide is divided into a
number of study units. At the end of each study unit is a number of activities or study tasks (see the
self-evaluation assignment later in this tutorial letter).

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4.2 Recommended books

There are no recommended books for this module.

4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

There are no e-Reserves for this course.

5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE

For information on the various student support systems and services available at Unisa (e.g. student
counselling, tutorial classes, language support), please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa that
you received with your study material.

6 MODULE SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN

NOTE: Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.

6.1 General module objectives

This module, which is an introduction to social psychology, will acquaint you with some major theories
and research findings in social psychology. Note that we do not expect you to know the names of all the
researchers mentioned in the prescribed book. However, sometimes the names of researchers whose
work has important theoretical or practical implications could also appear in multiple choice questions.

Note that the contextualisation of your social psychological knowledge is very important. One problem
with previous editions of our textbook was that many issues were discussed from an American
perspective only.

To overcome this problem, there is a South African Supplement (third edition) accompanying the
thirteenth edition of Baron and Branscombe (2012) that you might find very useful. In this book,
chapter-outcomes (goals) as well as study unit outcomes are formulated and the essence of the contexts
of every section in the main textbook is highlighted.

6.2 Work programme

We recommend the following: Use the Study Guide as a point of departure and read the Introduction
carefully. Draw up a study timetable to suit your personal commitments and complete all the activities in
each chapter before proceeding to the next chapter.

Remember: we advise you to draw up your timetable as soon as possible. It should make provision for
all your subjects, and also for unforeseen circumstances such as illness and work pressure, to enable
you to work through the entire syllabus in good time and to submit your Assignments on time. The social
psychology module is very labour intensive and the volume of work is large. It is therefore very important
to study regularly.

Complete the important Self-Evaluation assignment before submitting Assignment 03. The aim with the
Self-Evaluation assignment is to further exercise your writing and communicating abilities (see Section
2.2 above as well as the Introduction to the Study Guide).

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6.3 The importance of the Study Guide

Although the examination will consist of multiple choice questions only (see Section 9), mastering the
activities or study tasks for the different study units remains extremely important for studying the
syllabus. Remember, these tasks will guide you, by means of interactive self-teaching, to consider
various viewpoints and debates between theorists; to apply theoretical knowledge appropriately and
responsibly; to learn through self-reflection and self-enrichment; and to apply general social
psychological knowledge to everyday life and in the family. Working out these tasks will also teach you
to organise information and to write systematically. The purpose of the model answers for the questions
in the Self-Evaluation assignment which you will receive during the year is to assist you with this learning
process.

6.4 The importance of the South African Supplement to Social Psychology for the
examination

The South African Supplement to Social Psychology that is being sold as a package with Baron and
Branscombe contains, among others, summaries of each chapter. This should enable you to
comprehend the essence of each one of the prescribed chapters better and faster. Note that this
book is actually based on the 12th edition of the main textbook, but you can also use it with the 13th
edition. (See Section 9 … the examinations.) You should always read the chapters in the main text first
– and only then the corresponding chapter in the Supplement. The Supplement also aims to familiarise
you with a sample of relevant South African research and to contextualise the module. (see Section 6.1
above). Study all the South African Perspective-sections. Keep in mind that 6-10 South African oriented
multiple choice examination questions will come from these sections (see Section 9).

6.5 The importance of the Self-Evaluation assignment

Our experience, over many years, is that students who work consistently and who monitor their own
progress are more successful in the examinations. It is therefore imperative that you should work out the
study tasks for each study unit in the Study Guide as you go along. This facilitates self-discipline and
consistent learning. Furthermore, we mentioned elsewhere that communication skills and being able to
present social psychological information in written format are critical learning and practical outcomes of
the module. Working out these study tasks will assist you reaching this module objective. Once you are
satisfied with your answer to any one of the questions, you should read the feedback. Bear in mind that,
often, our feedback merely provides suggestions or frameworks for possible answers and should not be
seen as the only way to answer any particular question. The eventual aim with the Self-Evaluation
assignment (and our model answers later) is to assist you in monitoring your own progress.

DO NOT SEND THESE ANSWERS TO US TO BE MARKED.

THIS IS A SELF-EVALUATION ASSIGNMENT.

7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING

There are no practicals for this module.

8 ASSESSMENT

8.1 Assessment plan

Assignments are seen as part of the learning material for this module. As you do the assignment, study
the reading texts, consult other resources, discuss the work with fellow students or tutors or do research,
you are actively engaged in learning.

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Eventually, students should be able to identify relevant psychological principles that determine social
behaviour from research and also be able to identify psychological principles that determine behavior
specifically within the South African context.

In some cases, additional assessment might be available on the myUnisa site for your module. For
students attending tutorial sessions, tutors may also set additional tasks and give feedback in class.

IMPORTANT: Although students may work together when preparing assignments, each student
must submit his or her own individual assignment. It is unacceptable for students to submit
identical assignments on the basis that they worked together.

• Examination admission and marking policy: Assignments 01 and 02 are compulsory and you
have to submit these assignments on time to gain examination admission.

Note that there are no further opportunities to gain examination admission.

Our marking policy for the multiple choice questions in the assignments is as follows: We
adjust the marks to accommodate the effect of 'blind guessing' or 'random guessing' by subtracting
a fraction of the marks for each incorrect answer. For questions with four alternatives the maximum
that we will subtract is one mark for three incorrect answers (in other words, 0, 33 mark for each
wrong answer).

• Assignments 01 and 02 count 20% towards your year mark. Doing the best you can in these
assignments is an obvious necessity.

If a student fails the examination with less than 40%, the year mark will not count.

There is a Self Evaluation assignment (which you do not submit) while submission of Assignment
03 is optional.

8.2 Due dates of assignments, assignment numbers and unique assignment numbers

Remember, there are two compulsory, one self-evaluation, and one optional assignment for this
module. Each one of the compulsory assignments consist of 30 multiple questions. Compulsory
Assignment 01 is based on the first half of the syllabus, while compulsory Assignment 02 is based on the
second half. Read the section “Study units” in the Introductory Section of your Study Guide before
completing the self-evaluation assignment. Ideally, this self-evaluation assignment should be completed
before you complete and submit the optional Assignment 03.

The following are the closing dates for the assignments:

Assignment 01 Semester Closing date Unique number

(Compulsory)
Assignment on page 12
1 10 March 2014 870210
2 29 August 2014 848794
Assignment 02 Semester Closing date Unique number
(Compulsory)
Assignment on page 17
1 07 April 2014 851957
2 29 September 2014 896018
Assignment 03 Semester Closing date Unique number
(Module Evaluation)
Assignment on page 23
1 25 April 2014 810684
2 6 October 2014 745682

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The Unisa computer identifies all assignments by the unique number. Remember; make sure that you
indicate the unique assignment numbers on your mark reading sheets before submitting Assignments
01, 02 and 03. Also, do not forget to fill in your student number and other required information on your
mark reading sheet. For detailed information and requirements regarding assignments, as well as
instructions for the use of mark reading sheets, consult my Studies @ Unisa.

You will receive two kinds of feedback on the compulsory assignments:

● A computer printout showing your answers, the correct answers, and the mark you obtained.
● A tutorial letter with feedback about the assignment. Assignments will be scored with a
correction factor for guessing (see Section 8.1).

Feedback on the compulsory assignments will be available after their closing dates. No extension for the
handing in of assignments will therefore be possible and late assignments will not be marked.

There will not be any feedback on the optional Assignment 03. Model answers for the Self-Evaluation
assignment will be sent to you after the closing date of the second compulsory assignment.

8.3 Submission of assignments

You may submit your assignments either by post (on mark reading sheets) or electronically via myUnisa.
Assignments may not be submitted by fax or by e-mail. For detailed information and requirements as far
as assignments are concerned, see the brochure my Studies @ Unisa.

To submit an assignment via myUnisa:

● Go to myUnisa.
● Log in with your student number and password.
● Select the module.
● Click on assignments in the left-hand menu.
● Click on the assignment number you want to submit.
● Follow the instructions on the screen.

Assignments submitted by post should be addressed to:

The Registrar
PO Box 392
UNISA
0003

As you will know by now, the following important guidelines should be kept in mind before you submit
any one of your assignments:

● Always keep a copy of your assignment answers in case your assignment does not reach the
University.
● Submit the original copy.
● Remember to use your correct student number and the correct unique number.
● Where an assignment involves the use of a MARK READING SHEET, read the section
“INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE USE OF MARK READING SHEETS” in my Studies @ Unisa.
● Students who do not have access to the internet must complete their assignments on a mark
reading sheet provided with your study material.

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Remember the following:

● Use only an HB pencil (not a ‘pacer’) and mark your answers clearly as follows: [–]
● If you mark a block incorrectly, make sure that the mark is erased properly.

Do not staple your mark reading sheet to any document.

8.4 Assignments

Assignment 01
Semester 1 10 March 2014 870210
Semester 2 29 August 2014 848794

MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the
question.

1. Mental frameworks for organising and processing social information are known as

1. affective states
2. anchoring frameworks
3. schemas
4. heuristics.

2. Which one of the following individuals is most likely to experience information overload? A person
who is

1. talking on a cell phone while driving a car

2. singing in the shower
3. dancing and talking at a party
4. chatting with his wife while dressing for work.

3. One way that schemas influence social thought is by

1. ensuring that inconsistent information is stored in our memories and retrieved rapidly
2. increasing our cognitive load by activating more information from our long term memory
stores
3. activating the availability heuristic and enabling automatic priming
4. acting as a filter to direct our attention towards some information and away from other
information.

4. Schemas affect our use of stored memories by

1. making it easier to retrieve information that is consistent with the schema

2. increasing the cognitive load on our reasoning abilities, making it more difficult to search our
memories
3. deactivating the anchoring and adjustment process whereby we make social judgments
4. not allowing the use of memories to reduce cognitive load.

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5. Automatic mental processes have the positive effect of

1. focusing on information that may be useful at some future time

2. priming our memories for related situations or events
3. reducing the level of bias in our judgments and decisions
4. reducing the effort needed for understanding the social world.

6. In thinking about a major assignment that is due in one week, Jacey focuses on the tasks to be
accomplished and how she thinks she will approach each task. She does not spend much time
thinking about how long similar tasks have taken her in the past. As a result, Jacey is likely to
underestimate the amount of time needed for the assignment. This is probably because Jacey has

1. fallen prey to the negativity bias

2. activated an inappropriate schema
3. engaged in magical thinking
4. entered a planning or narrative mode of thought.

7. The tendency to imagine outcomes in a situation other than what actually occurred is known as

1. counterfactual thinking
2. reminiscence thinking
3. mitigation thinking
4. counterintuitive thinking.

8. Sipho has been severely depressed for about six months and has difficulty remembering when he
was not depressed. He is illustrating the effects of

1. mood-congruent memory
2. mood-assimilation memory
3. mood-deleting memory
4. mood-dependent memory.

9. Thabo is overjoyed by the fact that he received a scholarship to go to law school. As a result of his
general positive and happy mood, he would be most likely to show an

1. increased level of compassion

2. increase in depression
3. increase in creativity
4. excessively high sense of self-worth.

10. Jason has been told that he should make sure to shake hands with the interviewer when he goes
for a job interview, and that this handshake should be firm, vigorous, and last a long time.
According to research (Chaplin et al., 2000), if Jason follows this advice, the interviewer may think
that Jason is

1. slightly disagreeable but very outgoing

2. outgoing and willing to try new things
3. a bit neurotic and somewhat outgoing
4. attempting to ingratiate himself with the interviewer.

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11. An example of interchannel discrepancy during deception would be

1. blinking very often

2. showing one expression quickly followed by another
3. smiling more frequently and broadly than would be expected in a given situation
4. managing one's facial expressions well while not making much eye contact.

12. Which statement best describes the attribution process? The process by which we

1. seek to understand the causes of the behaviour of others and ourselves

2. focus attention inward for reflection
3. combine information about others into unified impressions of them
4. attempt to shift blame away from ourselves.

13. Jen and all of her friends are afraid of her neighbour's dog. However, Jen is not afraid of any other
dog. The attribution that follows from this information is

1. a mixed one (Jen's behaviour stems from internal and external causes)
2. impossible to be determined based on the information given
3. an external one (about the dog)
4. an internal one (about Jen).

14. Our tendency to perceive the actions of others as caused by their dispositions or personality rather
than perceiving the cause of their actions as the situation they are in, is known as

1. a self-serving bias
2. perceptual salience
3. correspondence bias
4. the actor-observer effect.

15. Early research conducted by Solomon Asch suggests the presence of central traits, which are

1. relatively unimportant characteristics that interact with each other to determine our overall
impression of another person
2. clusters of traits that we use to try to understand and explain the behaviour of another person
3. traits that strongly encourage the self-serving bias
4. traits that strongly colour the way we interpret other aspects of another person.

16. Mike is applying for a job in advertising. While he is out to dinner with the interviewer, Mike pulls
out and lights an expensive cigar and offers one to the interviewer. Mike is using the tactic of
- - - - - to increase his chances of getting the job.

1. self-enhancement
2. induction
3. other-enhancement
4. sublimation

17. - - - - - consists of the efforts individuals make to create favorable first impressions on others.

1. The augmenting principle

2. Distinctiveness
3. Impression management
4. Impression formation

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18. As players on a “social stage," we may wish to emphasise some personal aspect to others, as well
as to ourselves. This is called

1. ingratiation
2. self-promotion
3. self-aggrandisement
4. self-efficacy.

19. The personal-social identity continuum recognises that we

1. see ourselves as being more consistent across situations than we really are
2. can see ourselves differently, depending on circumstances
3. are part of a number of different social groups
4. see ourselves primarily as individuals.

20. Research (Dijksterhuis, 2004) has shown that subliminal presentations of “I” or “me” with positive
trait terms such as “nice” or “smart” will - - - - - implicit self-esteem and prevent - - - - - when
negative false feedback is given later.

1. reduce; increases to self-esteem

2. reduce; reductions to self-esteem
3. increase; increases to self-esteem
4. increase; reductions to self-esteem

21. According to social comparison theory, we are most likely to compare our abilities to those of
another person when

1. there is no objective measure to judge ourselves by

2. the other that we are comparing ourselves to belongs to a different group
3. available objective measures may result in decreased self-esteem
4. available subjective measures may result in increased self-esteem.

22. Recent research has demonstrated that women will frequently perform worse in a mathematics test
when men are present than when the same test is administered to a female-only group. This
finding illustrates

1. gender differences in math abilities

2. stereotype threat
3. stereotype anxiety
4. performance uplift.

23. Jackson is a former member of a street gang. He has recently started attending classes at a local
community college, has made new friends who don't know about his former gang membership, and
is spending time with a girl from an upper-middle-class background. Jackson heard his new friends
and his girlfriend make several snide comments about gang members shortly before he took a test
in one of the classes he shares with his new friends. In the light of the stereotype threat idea, this
situation may cause Jackson to

1. perform better on the test than he otherwise might have

2. perform worse on the test than he otherwise might have
3. drop out of college and return to his old street life
4. become prejudiced against his new friends and his girlfriend.

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24. Thandi expresses indignation about illegal immigrants to one group of friends, but advocates for
amnesty to another group. This is possible for her because

1. she has no substantive attitude towards illegal immigrants

2. she is rewarded in one group for the former attitude and rewarded for the latter in the other
group
3. she measures low on self-monitoring, a stable trait
4. members of the two groups never talk to each other.

25. Having not met any members of a new social group, you hear a person expressing negative views
regarding that group. Your attitude toward the new group would most likely not be influenced by
hearing this negative message if

1. you like the person expressing the view, but believe his or her view to be unsubstantiated
2. you do not expect to be meeting any members of the new social group in the near future
3. the person expressing the attitude is someone you dislike and is dissimilar to yourself
4. you are generally oriented toward taking contrarian views.

26. Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour suggests that the choice of whether or not to
engage in a specific behaviour is determined

1. perceptually
2. by observing others
3. rationally
4. subconsciously.

27. In what health context might positive messages be much better than fear-inducing messages for
effecting behaviour change? When

1. health officials want to get children to see the school nurse

2. males are worried about painful examinations or tests
3. the message's health concern is not serious and does not involve a prescription
4. the message's health concern is very serious or fatal.

28. Ntombi has been listening to a political speaker who is encouraging people to support a law that
would require all people to recycle aluminum cans, and severely penalise those who do not
recycle. The speaker is giving strong arguments in favour of this proposed law and is couching his
appeal in moral and ethical language. As a result, Ntombi is becoming increasingly annoyed and
resentful of the speaker and his arguments. She may be experiencing

1. biased assimilation
2. cognitive dissonance
3. reactance
4. counterfactual thinking.

29. Arlene was always averse to physical contact with pigs, because she thought pigs were essentially
dirty animals. Despite her concerns, she was induced to kiss a clean-looking pig on the snout for
only R1.00 while appearing on a television game show. As a result, Arlene has become a staunch
advocate of pigs, and soon plans to have one as a pet. The most probable explanation for this
change in attitude is the

1. third-person trivialisation effect

2. less-leads-to-more effect
3. elaboration likelihood model effect
4. attitude-to-behaviour process effect.

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30. Providing members of a group with less favourable treatment because of their group membership
is known as

1. stereotyping
2. prejudice
3. discrimination
4. tokenism.

Assignment 02
Semester 1 07 April 2014 851957
Semester 2 29 September 2014 896018

1. Palesa has worked her way up in her organisation and is now a mid-level manager. She has
treated her subordinates the same way her male counterparts treat theirs. Recently, Palesa has
been passed over for several promotions. The jobs went to male coworkers who were possibly not
quite as well qualified as Palesa. This situation probably represents

1. shifting standards
2. the glass ceiling effect
3. gender stereotypes
4. tokenism.

2. Some experts have suggested that different types of prejudice may arise because of different
emotional responses to the target group. From this perspective, prejudice arising from anger may
result in behaviours that try to

1. protect the in-group’s status position

2. camouflage the prejudice to the extent possible
3. avoid contact with the out-group
4. harm the out-group directly.

3. Very brief exposures to faces of people from different ethnic backgrounds (about whom one has a
negative attitude) frequently causes people to respond faster to words with negative meanings
than to words with positive meanings. This technique or type of research is known as

1. a bogus pipeline
2. category activation
3. the superordinate memory effect
4. the bona fide pipeline.

4. One approach to reducing prejudice and bias is to encourage individuals to recategorise out-group
members and in-group members as both being part of a larger single social entity. This approach
is known as the

1. common in-group identity model

2. inclusiveness model
3. shifting standards model
4. in-group differentiation model.

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5. Individuals who are in stressful situations frequently experience an increase in their need to affiliate
with others in a similar situation. This may be because

1. affiliation with others in similar situations may increase our sense of belongingness
2. such affiliations provide opportunities for social comparisons
3. affiliation with others in similar situations may increase our sense of isolation
4. others who are in similar situations may better know what to do.

6. The repeated exposure effect is least likely to generate positive evaluations when the

1. individual being exposed has a relatively strong need for structure

2. stimulus initially generates strong negative affect
3. individual is consciously processing information about the stimulus
4. individual is not aware that exposure has taken place.

7. The proportion of similarity is predictive of the degree of attraction between two people

1. when discussions are between females and females

2. when discussions are between males and females
3. regardless of the importance of the topics they discuss
4. when discussions are of topics that are important to the individuals.

8. Lerato has relationships with men in which she feels worthy, but inevitably has low expectations of
the relationship, leading her to fear genuine closeness. Lerato has a - - - - - attachment style.

1. dismissing
2. fearful-avoidant
3. secure
4. preoccupied-fearful

9. A person's attachment style

1. may change with relationship experience

2. will remain stable throughout his or her life
3. will become less pronounced after one has children
4. is accentuated with age.

10. A minority group that wants to influence the majority must be consistent in their opposition to
majority opinion, avoid appearing rigid and dogmatic, and

1. display greater concern for being part of the majority

2. explain how their beliefs apply in ambiguous and complex social situations
3. encourage majority members to think heuristically
4. consider the general social context when formulating its arguments for change.

11. One of the factors associated with compliance is social validation. This is because we

1. want to be correct, and one way to do so is to emulate the behaviours of others whom we
see as similar to ourselves in some way
2. are more willing to comply with requests from friends or from those we like than with requests
from strangers or people we dislike
3. are more willing to comply with requests that call attention to scarcity than to those that do
not
4. are more likely to comply with requests that come from those who hold a position of authority
over us.

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12. One way in which symbolic social influence may work is by allowing the psychological presence of
others to trigger goals with which the other persons are associated. This may, in turn, influence our

1. performance on tasks and our commitment to reaching these goals

2. effort to achieve particular goals and meet behavioural standards
3. liking for these persons and our willingness to exert effort on their behalf
4. cognitions about our behaviours and activate heuristic thinking.

13. One reason that people are willing to obey persons in authority who order them to engage in
destructive behaviours is that

1. the authority figure represents a significant threat to those who do not obey
2. authority figures may inadvertently stimulate heuristic mental processes that limit our ability
to think about what we are doing
3. authority figures are selected on the basis of their superior knowledge and understanding in
most situations
4. persons in authority often possess visible signs of their status which remind us of the social
norm for obedience to authorities.

14. According to your prescribed book, Kin selection refers to the idea that

1. natural selection favours those who engage in prosocial behaviour and disfavours those who
do not
2. natural selection applies to behaviours that benefit other individuals with whom we share
genes
3. behaviour is based on both our genetic endowment and our past learning experiences
4. behaviour is driven by genetic attributes that evolved because they enhance the probability
of transmitting one's genes to future generations.

15. Based on Burnstein's research, if a person were confronted with rescuing a person or animal in a
burning building, s/he would more likely rescue a - - - - - than a - - - - - .

1. non-relative; distant relative

2. young male; young female
3. dog; young male human
4. young female close relative; middle-age female close relative

16. Which statement best describes the decision making model of helping behaviour developed by
Latane and Darley?

1. Fallacies in our thinking make it difficult for us to make rational decisions regarding prosocial
behaviour.
2. People are more likely to help during an emergency when there are relatively few
bystanders.
3. The person confronted by an emergency situation must make five crucial decisions before
helping.
4. Whether we perform prosocial behaviour depends on whether we have been primed to do
so.

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17. In one study students were made to experience social exclusion or social inclusion by being told
they would likely be alone in later life or that they would have a future rich in personal relationships.
Results indicate participants who were

1. told they would be alone were less willing to help a fellow student
2. already guaranteed a future rich in personal relationships did not bother to help a fellow
student because they did not need any more friends
3. told they would be alone were more willing to help a fellow student to try to make friends
4. already guaranteed a future rich in personal relationships were unable to experience
empathy for someone who needed help.

18. Thanatos is

1. Baron's idea that evolution is one of several causes of human aggression

2. Hilton's idea that males aggress against other males but less so against females
3. Lorenz's idea of a fighting instinct in human males
4. Freud's idea of a death wish that becomes redirected towards others as aggression.

19. After watching wrestling on TV for an hour, five-year-old Samuel went outside to play. When five-
year-old Jamie, who lives next door, came outside, Samuel shoved him and tried to get him in a
head-lock. This situation can best be explained by

1. the Type A behaviour pattern

2. excitation transfer theory
3. instrumental aggression
4. the social learning perspective.

20. The frustration-aggression hypothesis suggests that

1. frustration leads to the arousal of an aggression drive

2. both frustration and aggression are innate human drives that cannot be easily controlled or
eliminated
3. males aggress against other males in order to obtain access to females
4. frustration causes the activation of our fighting instincts.
.
21. A person who has experienced an arousing event

1. experiences collateral frustration

2. always reduces the tension through aggression
3. tends to avoid that situation and similar situations
4. may transfer that arousal to another situation.

22. Lefa is a relatively easy-going person who never seems to be in a hurry. He tends to avoid direct
competition with others, preferring to set and meet goals and standards for himself without
considering what others are doing or achieving. He is always patient with those who move more
slowly than he does or who get in his way. Lefa probably has a

1. Type A personality
2. holistic approach to aggression
3. non-hostile attributional bias
4. Type B personality.

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23. Programs that are intended to reduce bullying in schools or in prisons

1. can be effective if a 12-step program is used as the basis for treating the problem
2. are more effective in collectivist societies than they are in individualistic societies
3. are rarely effective in any but the most unusual set of circumstances
4. can be effective if bullying is recognised as a serious problem and organisations take strong
and appropriate steps to correct it.

24. The catharsis hypothesis suggests that providing people with an opportunity to express aggressive
impulses in a safe manner will decrease their tendencies to engage in unacceptable forms of
aggressive behaviour. What does research on this hypothesis demonstrate/suggest?

1. Catharsis is effective with children but not with adults.

2. Catharsis decreases inappropriate aggressive behaviour.
3. Catharsis has no effect on aggressive behaviour.
4. Catharsis may actually increase aggressive behaviour.

25. Members of a - - - - - group are linked by face to face interaction.

1. common-bond
2. common-identity
3. national
4. collectivist

26. Sibusiso, in his professional association, serves informally as a kind of "father confessor," listening
attentively to members of his group. This best reflects - - - - - in the group.

1. his role
2. the status he has attained
3. an unstated norm
4. his formal assigned task

27. According to social facilitation theories, people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours can be
affected by the

1. presence of others
2. presence of attractive others
3. presence of higher-status others
4. sudden presence of a stranger.

28. Superordinate goals are goals that

1. both sides to a conflict seek and that tie the two sides' interests together
2. are so important to one or another group that compromise is not possible
3. individual group members think are more important than their group's overall goals
4. are ordinarily achieved by bridging.

29. Distributive justice refers to individuals' judgments

1. about the individuals who decide which group members receive rewards and the ways in
which those rewards are presented
2. about whether the rewards they receive are proportionate to the contributions they have
made
3. concerning the fairness of the procedures used to distribute available rewards to group
members
4. about whether the rewards they receive are the same as the rewards received by other
group members.

21
30. Group polarisation involves the tendency of

1. some group members to shift from one extreme position to another, depending on the views
of the group's leadership
2. group members to shift toward more extreme positions than those they initially held as a
result of group discussion
3. groups to attract members who initially agree with the group's position, and then to take that
agreement to extreme levels
4. some individuals to take a charismatic leadership position within a group.

SELF-EVALUATION ASSIGNMENT

Below are six self-evaluation activities. Being able to present social psychological information in
written format are critical learning and practical outcomes of the module. Working out these self-
study tasks will give you an opportunity to exercise your writing skills.

We will send you model answers for the questions after the closing date of Assignment 02.

Prepare answers for all the study tasks in the Study Guide before the closing date of Assignment 03
and use the model answers for the six self-evaluation tasks to monitor your own writing skills. This is
for your own benefit because you will not gain writing experience by simply learning the textbooks.

Do not send your answers to us to be marked. Remember, these are self-evaluation

activities.

Question 1

Define and give your own example of the self-serving bias and briefly discuss the reasons why it occurs.
Refer to South African research. [10]

Question 2

How effective are fear appeals in persuasive messages? In your answer, refer to relevant research.[10]

Question 3

Discuss stereotypes as a cognitive source of prejudice in detail. Concentrate on why people form and
use stereotypes and how stereotypes operate. Where appropriate, use examples discussed in the South
African Supplement to Social Psychology. [10]

Question 4

Thirty-eight people witnessed the murder of Kitty Genovese, but not one of them tried to help --- directly
or indirectly --- by calling the police. Using your knowledge of variables that influence prosocial behaviour
in emergencies, explain the reactions of the bystanders. In your answer, refer to the five essential steps
in the decision-making process and give a South African perspective of this incident. [10]

Question 5

What accounts for our ability to resist conformity? Discuss this question with reference to the factors
discussed by Baron et al. (2009). [10]

Question 6

Explain why individuals in large crowds often do things they would not normally do. [10]

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 PYC3701/101

Assignment 03
Semester 1 25 April 2014 810684
Semester 2 6 October 2014 745682

This assignment is not compulsory, and carries no examination credits. The assignment consists
of 31 questions to evaluate the Social Psychology module. Please assist us to improve the module by
evaluating it. Note that this is not an assignment in the real sense of the word and you will not get any
marks or credits for completing it. We only use the assignment format to utilise our computer to
analyse the data.

NOTE: Ignore any “mark” you get for the assignment.

Remember to use an ordinary mark-reading sheet to indicate your answers.

MODULE EVALUATION

1. My overall opinion of the Social Psychology module is that it is

1. poor
2. average
3. good
4. excellent.

2. My expectations of this module have been met.

1. No, not at all.

2. Yes, but only to some extent.
3. Yes, to a great extent.
4. Absolutely, yes!

3. This module has led to greater insight into South African society.

1. No, not at all.

2. Yes, but only to some extent.
3. Yes, to a great extent.
4. Absolutely, yes!

4. This module has led to a better understanding of South African social health issues.

1. No, not at all.

2. Yes, but only to some extent.
3. Yes, to a great extent.
4. Absolutely, yes!

23
5. It was --------- to understand the PYC3701 Study Guide.

1. very difficult
2. difficult
3. fairly easy
4. very easy

6. The Study Guide and study tasks contributed to my mastering of the module material.

1. Not at all.
2. To some extent.
3. To a great extent.
4. The study guide is crucial.

7. The prescribed work for this module is

1. very difficult
2. difficult
3. acceptable
4. very easy.

8. It was ------- to get hold of the prescribed work.

1. very difficult
2. difficult
3. relatively easy
4. very easy

9. The tutorial letters for this module is -------- to understand.

1. very difficult
2. difficult
3. relatively easy
4. very easy

10. The tutorial letters contributed to my mastering of the module material.

1. Not at all.
2. To some extent.
3. To a great extent.
4. The tutorial letters are crucial.

11. The two compulsory assignments for this module were

1. very difficult
2. difficult
3. acceptable
4. easy.

12. If English is not your first language, to what extent did language contributed to module difficulty in
the case of PYC3701?

1. Not applicable (English is my first language).

2. It caused serious difficulties.
3. It sometimes contributed to the level of difficulty.
4. It was not a source of difficulty.

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 PYC3701/101

13. In total, the workload for this module is

1. too demanding
2. demanding
3. manageable
4. easy to manage.

14. On average, I spent ---------- studying this module.

1. less than 4 hours per week

2. 4 to 6 hours per week
3. 7 to 10 hours per week
4. more than 10 hours per week

15. Did you enjoy studying this module?

1. No, I did not enjoy it at all.

2. No, not really.
3. Yes, to some extent.
4. Absolutely yes!

16. Would you recommend this module to your colleagues or friends?

1. No, not at all.

2. With reservations.
3. Yes.
4. Yes, with great enthusiasm!

CONTACT WITH PYC3701 LECTURERS

17. How often during 2012 have you made contact with 3701 lecturers?

1. Weekly.
2. Monthly.
3. Quarterly.
4. Not at all.

18. How do you prefer to communicate with your lecturers?

1. Telephone calls.
2. E-mails.
3. Personal visits.
4. Letters/faxes.

19. In general, how helpful were the lecturers?

1. Not applicable (I didn’t contact them).

2. Not at all helpful.
3. Helpful.
4. Very helpful.

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TUTORIAL CLASSES

20. Did you attend tutorial classes?

1. No, I was not really interested.

2. No, there were no tutorial classes in my area.
3. Yes, in Parow.
4. Yes, in Thutong.

If you attended tutorial classes, please complete the following section.

Use the scale below to express your opinion on each one of the following statements. Mark (4) “Not
applicable” only if a statement is clearly not relevant in your case):

1 = D (Disagree)
2 = A (Agree)
3 = SA (Strongly agree)
4 = NA (Not applicable)

Tutorial Class Statements:

21. I found the classes intellectually challenging. 1 2 3 4

22. I found the classes worthwhile. 1 2 3 4

23. I came prepared to the classes. 1 2 3 4

24. I feel more confident about the examination

after attending the tutorial classes. 1 2 3 4

25. The tutorial classes focused on the syllabus. 1 2 3 4

26. The tutor came prepared to the classes. 1 2 3 4

27. The tutor demonstrated knowledge of the subject. 1 2 3 4

28. The tutor encouraged active participation. 1 2 3 4

29. The tutor responded effectively to questions. 1 2 3 4

30. The tutor was open to a discussion of other

viewpoints. 1 2 3 4

31. The tutor showed respect for students as

individuals. 1 2 3 4

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

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 PYC3701/101

9 EXAMINATIONS
Use your my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general examination guidelines and examination
preparation guidelines.

9.2 Examination Paper

The multiple choice examination questions will be based on any part or section of the relevant
chapters in the main text (the 13th edition of Baron and Branscombe) and on the South African
Perspectives – sections in the (3rd edition) of the South African Supplement to Social
Psychology.

There are only two examination sessions per year in the semester system, in May/June 2014 or
October/November 2014. If you fail the module, but achieve a mark of 40% or higher, you are entitled to
one supplementary examination. This will take place during the next examination session at the end of
the next semester. You will be expected to inform the Examination Department of your intention to write
the supplementary examination. You will also be expected to pay the examination fees. Note that there
will be no further supplementary exams. If you fail the supplementary examination, you will be required
to re-register for the module.

The multiple choice examination papers will not be marked negatively. Remember again - the
examination paper is based on the 13th edition of the prescribed book and its accompanying
third edition of the South African Supplement.

The examination paper will be in English only.

If you are repeating this module, it is necessary to keep the following in mind: Our experience is that
students who repeat the module are frequently over-confident and tend to revise the work superficially -
everything appears familiar to them and, consequently, they merely read the work instead of studying
essential detail. Be careful not to make this mistake!

9.3 Format of the examination paper (two hours)

● The examination paper (two hours) will consist of seventy multiple choice questions for a total of
70 marks.
● The total marks for this two hour examination paper is 70. Your mark out of 70 will be re-
calculated as a percentage.
● Remember that the multiple choice questions will be set on any part or section of any one of the
prescribed chapters of the 13th edition of Baron and Branscombe (see also the introductory
section of your Study Guide).
● At least six, but not more than ten of these seventy items will come from the “South African
Perspective” sections of the third edition of the South African Supplement to Social Psychology
(2009).
● Also remember that, in this module, the year mark counts 20% and the examination 80% of the
final mark. Your average for Assignments 01 and 02 counts toward your year mark.

27
9.4 Examination period

PYC3701 is a semester module. This means that you will write the examination in May/June 2014 or
October/November 2014.

The Examination Section will provide you with information regarding the examination in general,
examination venues, examination dates, examination times, supplementary and special examinations
(due to illness or accident). Please make sure that you have these details.

Your lecturers will unfortunately not be able to help you with this.

10 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS

There are no other assessment methods for this module.

11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The my Studies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study information.

28