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Study guide: Individual and the group

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  • Student resources/
  • Sociocultural approach/
  • Revision (review): Sociocultural/
  • Study guide: Individual and the group

In order to prepare for exams, it is important to prepare a "tailor-made" study guide.  A study guide should reflect your own learning and not just what someone tells you is the "best" research to use on an exam.

For the topic "the individual and the group", you will find an attached study guide.  I recommend that you attempt to fill it in before looking at the responses below.  There is both a paper and a digital copy available.

Individual and the group study guide

Digital "individual and the group" study guide

A reminder

Below I have filled in the study guide with a wide range of possible answers.  You should choose 2 - 3 studies to use for your ERQs.  If you are only going to prepare this unit for SAQs, you would only need one study. You should not try to master all of the material that I have filled in below. 

Question 1: Discuss Social Identity Theory.

Key vocabulary/description of theory: Social categorization, social identification, social comparison, in-group/out-group, in-group bias.

Research: Abrams (1990) on SIT and conformity; Tajfel (1970),  Cialdini et al. (1976), Drury et al (2009), Bagby & Rector (1992), Hilliard and Liben (2010) 

Critical thinking: Theory may be more explanatory than predictive, many of the studies are low in ecological validity, difficult to measure social identities, salience, and self-esteem, there is biological support for in-group/out-group classification, there are many applications of the theory.

Different command terms: Outline, describe, and explain for SAQs. Evaluate for ERQ.

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Question 2: Discuss Social Cognitive Theory.

Key vocabulary/description of theory: Attention, retention, motivation, and potential. Vicarious reinforcement.  Self-efficacy.

Research: Bandura's Bashing Bobo (1961), Eron & Huesman (1986), Joy, Kimball and Zabrack (1986), Charlton et al's St Helena study (2002); Kimball (1986) 

Critical thinking: Because a gap exists between when one observes the model and when one may demonstrate the behaviour, it is difficult to establish that the behaviour is the result of observing the model. Neither does social learning theory explain why some people never learn a behaviour, in spite of the above criteria being met.  There are difficulties in measuring self-efficacy. Studies were natural experiments - so the researcher cannot control other variables. Studies in laboratories lack ecological validity.

Different command terms: Outline, describe, and explain for SAQs. Evaluate for ERQ.

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Question 3: Discuss one or more theories of the formation of stereotypes.

Key vocabulary/description of theory: stereotype, illusory correlation, confirmation bias, the grain of truth hypothesis, cognitive misers.

Research: Rogers & Frantz (1961), Hamilton & Gifford (1976), Schaller on the role of SIT (1991), Hilliard and Liben (2010) on the formation of gender stereotypes.

Critical thinking: Cross-sectional studies like Rogers & Frantz do not show change over time; difficult to observe stereotype formation in real-time - studies lack ecological validity. Ethical considerations in inducing stereotypes. Difficult to know from laboratory studies the long-term effects of creating stereotypes.

Different command terms: Outline, describe, and explain for SAQs. Evaluate for ERQ.

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Question 4: Discuss one or more effects of stereotyping on behaviour.

Key vocabulary/description of theory: stereotype threat, illusory correlation.

Research: Stereotype threat:  Steele & Aronson (1995); Spencer (1999); Stone (2002)  Memory distortion: Allport & Postman (1947); Payne (2001); Martin & Halverson (1983)

Critical thinking: Ethical considerations of the research; ecological validity; the inability to actually observe cognitive processes, stereotype threat research has not shown a high level of reliability.

Different command terms: Outline, describe, and explain for SAQs. ERQ: No other command term may be used.

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Question 5: Discuss ethical considerations in the study of the individual and the group.

Key vocabulary/description of theory: Informed consent, deception, undue stress or harm, anonymity

Research: Any research in this unit may be used.

Critical thinking: To what extent can participants withdraw (Milgram, Zimbardo); why do we use deception, why is debriefing important, why is anonymity important, how do we justify carrying out a study, what level of stress is acceptable?

Different command terms: Outline, describe, and explain for SAQs. ERQ: No other command term may be used..

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Question 6: Discuss the use of one research method in the study of the individual and the group.

Key vocabulary/description of theory: Remember that the term "research method" means - experiment, observation, interviews, correlational studies, or observations.

Research: Any study may be used - for example, Eron & Huesman (correlational study), Asch (true experiment), Charlton and Kimball (1986) (natural experiment), Festinger (observation)

Critical thinking: Cause and effect relationships, replicability, artificiality, ability to control variables, problems of bidirectional ambiguity, triangulation, the role of deception, the potential for researcher bias.

Different command terms: Outline, describe, and explain for SAQs. Evaluate or contrast for ERQ.

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