Social Identity Theory Recap

My social identity of being half Dutch and half Vietnamese effects me in different ways depending on the country I am in. If I am in one of the countries, that identity becomes more salient, while in the other country that other identity is more salient. Growing up in neither of the countries, has effected the way I view my nationality and identity, as most of the time I feel disconnected to my culture as a third world child.

KF Case Sudy by Shalice and Warrington (1970)

Recap the KF Case Study by Shallice and Warrington (1970) and explain how this also supports the Working Memory Model.

The story of KF, a man who suffered a motorcycle accident which caused damage to his left parietal occipital region of the brain, is a story that caught the eyes of Shalice and Warrington(1970). After his accident, KF showed a very poor digit span(short term), but could remember 10 word sequences and even remember them some months late. This contradicted the Multi-Store model as it predicts that a STM is required to transfer information into the LTM, and support this Working Memory model.

The Working Memory model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch(1974) shows that STM and LTM are more complicated than the Multi-Story model proposed, instead, each containing different components. This model proposes that LTM is comprised of 3 different types of LTM, episodic(memories of events), procedural(knowledge of how to do things), and semantic(general knowledge), as it is understood that there is not only 1 single unit for LTM as memory can be categorised into many different types of knowledge. As well as STM, replacing the name of Short Term Memory, to Working Memory, containing different systems for unique processing different types of information. Working Memory includes, Central Executive, Phonological Loop, Visuo-Spacial Sketchpad, and Episodic Buffer.

KF and his accident, support the Working Memory model as his STM was no longer intact but he still managed to send information to LTM, supporting the claim of Working Memory that there are different systems within the working memory(STM), meaning that when one system is damaged, another system can still transfer a certain different type of memory to the LTM.

Review on Stereotypes & Globalization

Stereotypes are formed due to the interactions we have with people of different cultures than our own and how we form schemas on those cultures in our own minds. We observe the behaviour of one person from the culture and assume that all people from that culture act in that certain way. Stereotypes can also be formed from information that is given to us from others, through stories or maybe in social media such as tv shows or movies. The idea of stereotyping links with Globalisation very well as globalisation effects stereotypes a lot. It is perceived that during globalisation, when an individual is exposed to many different cultures at once, their own culture becomes very salient as they might feel Stereotype Threat and feel the need to protect their culture. Globalisation can also cause people to create stereotypes of the culture they are being exposed to in a way to separate themselves from the other cultures, which can lead to memory distortion, which is when a stereotype about another culture is so strongly put into someones brain that even if someone from that culture is not acting accordingly to the stereotype, the person will still think that they are acting in that certain way.

Values of Singaporean Culture

Common Behaviours in Singapore:

  • It is very common to see people using their mobile phones at the table and not communication with the people they are dining with
  • Tipping is not common
  • It is typical for food to be brought out when it is ready regardless of whether the other people at the same table have their food

What Values of Singaporean Culture do you think would explain the behaviours listed above?

I think the behaviours can be explain by looking into how, as Singapore is a very industrialised country, Singaporeans tend to value work achievements very highly and a lot of Singaporeans are very work driven and value their income as a form of high reward. This can explain why it is common for tipping to not be common as money that is earned is very valued and not typically shared with others as pressure from parents encourage the value of saving money for the future. Something that may come along with a very work driven population is a more individualistic society as achievements and rewards and kept to themselves, possible explaining how

How can we Reduce Conflict using our Knowledge of SIT?

In class we have been looking into Social Identity Theory, a topic we have recently discussed is how we can use our knowledge to unite people who are in a conflict or have just gone through a conflict to help them help one another. It can be simple ideas such as announcing “All Singaporeans….” or even “Everyone who has been effected….” to help the people acknowledge their commonalities and similarities which will encourage them to see each other as equal and to persuade them to help one another instead of just themselves.

Why do our identities sometimes become salient ?

Think of a time that you were very aware of your national or cultural identity. How did that affect your behaviour at the time ?

My views on my nationalities change depending on where I am in the world. Since my mother is Vietnamese and my father is Dutch, I have to opportunity to chose which nationality to tell people I am and that depends on which country I am. For example, if I’m in South East Asia like Cambodia or Indonesia, I choose to say that I am Vietnamese but when I’m in Europe I say that I am Dutch. I think this is because if we are given the option we will more often chose to have more in common with a group(of locals). So, for me my cultural identity depends on the community I am surrounded by, and that effects which side of my cultural identity I chose to adapt in that situation to fit in more.

Animal Ethics Article Reflection

After reading this article, I think that the ethical problem with animal testing are very significant. I have always view animal testing as a negative and cruel thing to do, I feel that since the animals are not informed and do not know what is happening to them it’s not very ethical to test on them. Since a lot of animal testing is done because it is ‘more unethical’ to do on humans, I feel like it’s wrong to put an animals rights below human rights just because we are the ones in charge, I think it is wrong to put the animals below us and to allow ourselves to do whatever we please to them because we feel we are superior to them. Although I do see the advantages to animal testing and how we can expand our knowledge doing this and how we can try things on animals such as rats, that we can’t test on humans, I still feel it is still a bit wrong to do so.

Comparison of 2 Physiologist throughout History

Charles Darwin & Franz Joseph Gall (Phrenology)

Both Darwin and Gall focused on humans and how we work, but the difference between their studies is that while Gall studied about the human brain and the different functions, Darwin studied about human evolution and how we got to where we are and how we(and our brains) function the way we do. Gall is said to introduce the detailed study of Phrenology, which is the study of the human brain(cranium). Phrenology is based on the concept that the brain is an organ of the mind, each area of the brain has a specific and unique function. Darwin, on the other hand, is most famous for his research, development, and proposition of human evolution. His evolution theory has had significant effects on science and the way we now view life. Darwin is also famous for his idea of animal selection, as before him, many naturalists believed were ‘unchanging’ and were designed for only one specific environment.

Darwin and Gall both collected their research in different ways, while Gall decided to study medicine in the University of Stratsburg and focused his time and research into educating himself and studying. Meanwhile Darwin embarked on a 5 year survey voyage around the world, focusing on a more interactive way of researching his study of the different people around the world which lead him to develop his theory of evolution.