SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND

DESIGN

Foundation in Natural and Build Environment

(FNBE)

Name: Lee Shze Hwa

Student ID number: 0320053

Group: Monday 2 pm – 4pm

Subject and Course: Social Psychology, FNBE

Submission date: 27th April 2015

Journal 1

First Entry: Social Learning Perspective

Use of emergency line Double parking

Social Learning Perspective is a learning process which individuals learn

through observing others behavior. For example, children usually will observe, learn

and modify the behavior of their parents and follow what their parents behave. This

perspective had occurred when I was learning how to drive a car and effected to my

driving attitude.

I still remember that when I got my learner license, I felt scare and nervous

when I was learning to drive. Uncle Sam was the instructor who taught me how to

drive, he always showed me step by step with explanation before I started to drive by

my own. Uncle Sam used the same way to teach me side parking, slope climbing

and 3-Point turn manoeuvres which require passing in the driving practical test.

Therefore, I can observe through example and it is easier for me to learn and obtain

it to sharpen my driving skill. After I got my P license, I still felt scare to drive on the

road and parents also do not allowed me to drive alone, they said my driving skill

was not mature enough and I had to keep practising until they feel that my driving

skill was safe and mature enough to drive alone. To improve my driving and parking

skills, I started to observe the way my family drive. From that way, I knew that what

we need to be aware of when driving on the road and the techniques of parking in

different situation. Sometimes, I saw my family overtook from one lane to another

lane, excessive speeding, speed up when the traffic light was turned into yellow light

and double parking. I knew that those behaviour is not a correct driving attitude and I

asked my family not to break the rules and drive in such dangerous way, but my

family answered me that there was the ways where Malaysian drive and said that I

will slowly understand them when I drive for a longer period. I just ignored what they

said on that time. To continue my studies at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, I

forced to drive to university every day. It was very boring when I stuck in the traffic

jam every day. I felt impatience when struck in the traffic jam and I started to

overtake to the emergency lane as what others driver did to avoid traffic jam. I also

tried double parking due to the lack of parking space. Eventually, I had slowly

become a Malaysian driver.

The Social Learning Perspective occurred when I observe others drive. It

helps me to improve my driving skill. However, it was also bring a negative effect to

my driving attitude. I had learnt from observing others overtake and used emergency

lane and they did not get any punishment from police. Therefore, I had learned and

decided to break the rules as others driver did.

Second Entry : Social Loafing

Group Assignment

Social Loafing explains the phenomenon that an individual make less effort

when attempting to achieve a same goal as a group compare to when an individual

attempting to achieve the goal on their own. This phenomenon had occurred when

we are doing a group assignment and an individual assignment.

In semester 1, we had given numerous of assignment including individual

assignment and also group assignment. The lecturer had released the final project

brief to us for the major module, Elements in Natural and Built Environment (ENBE).

We had to separate into 4 or 5 group of people and propose a new sustainable

future city and build a model of selected city. This final project separated into part 1

and 2. The first part is an individual task, each of us among the group had to propose

a sustainable city in the selected condition for the city to grow and produce a report

and video presentation of our own city. While for the second part of the assignment

is a group task. The lecturer had selected the best city among each group and we

had to make a model of the city and three presentation boards to present and show

on the presentation day. When compare to the effort that I had contributed in the

individual task and the group task, I think that I had contributed less in the group

part. In a group, we had separated to responsible the different part of the city model

and the presentation boards by group leader. For me, I needed to design and

produce the renewable energy resources. Each of us just needed to work on the part

we responsible and combine all the work we done together. At the presentation day,

the lecturers were very like our model and gave a good comment to our group. It is

more relax when compare to the individual part. For individual part, I had spent a lot

of time to redo and to make my city look nicer and attractive. I was motivated to do

better when I saw my classmate’s work. I felt stress when the submission date was

around the corner because I had a lot of things haven done yet. Fortunately, I had

finished all my work on the submission date.

In group assignment, I had made less effort because everyone of us was doing

on their responsible par and we work together, brainstorming together and solved

the problem together to make our model better. While for the individual part, I was

struggling and made more effort when I compared my work with others.

Journal 2

First Entry: Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is the ability to achieve certain goals. We believe that we can

achieve certain goal if we put effort on it.

My result in Form 1 was average. At that time, I seem like not so care about

my result. I decided to spend my time on watching drama series rather than to do

revision on the chapter that teacher taught every day. I always had a last minutes

revision when exam is coming. One day, my elder sister got her PMR result. She got

5 A’s in her PMR result which consider as excellent. She was very satisfied to her

result as she had put a lot of effort to do exercises and revision on her studies. My

parents felt very happy and proud of her. On that moment, I asked myself why I

cannot be as good as my sister and I thought that I can also achieve a good result in

my PMR result too. I wanted to challenge myself to get a flying color result. I started

to pay more attention and became more focus on class. I decided to spend my time

on revision and do extra exercise to improve my result. Besides, I also promised

myself not to be addicted in watching drama series and limited myself to watch only

2 hour drama series a day. When my result came out, I got 6 A’s in my PMR result. I

felt very happy and my parents also felt proud of me. I had successful to challenge

myself on my studies.

My self-efficacy is the motivation for me to challenge a difficult task. Because I

believe that I able to achieve a good result in my PMR exam so I will put more effort

on it and become more confidence in the examination.

Second Entry: Extrinsic Motivation

Motivation divided into 2 parts which are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic

motivation. I will talk about the extrinsic motivation that experienced in my life.

Extrinsic motivation is the action that we take due to the external pressure or

obligation. The action could be taken to avoid a punishment or earn a reward.

My parents had hired a maid from Indonesia since I was 6 years old. The maid

will take care of us after we came back from school and help my mother to do

housework including prepare lunch and dinner for us. The maid was very responsible

to keep our house clean and neat. Time pass so fast, my maid had work with us for

around 8 years. My maid had requested to quit the job as she wanted to go back to

her country and stay with her family. My parents had accepted her request since we

were all grown up and we can take care of ourselves. My mother had to be

responsible to clean up our house and prepare dinner for us. My mother always

called us to help her to do housework because she said that she cannot handle all

the housework since she needs to work. If we refuse to do, we will get scold from

her. She will always call me to wash the dish after dinner. Sometimes, I was busy

doing my homework and I refused to do so, she will said that it was my responsibility

to help her to wash the dish and started to scold me until I moved out from the study

room and help her to wash the dish. To avoid scolding from my mother, I started to

do the housework. I automatically washed the dish after dinner and helped my

mother to clean up the dining table. It had slowly become my responsible to wash all

the dish, cups and water bottle. Until now, I was automatically washing the dish after

having breakfast or dinner. If she called me to do housework, I will just do it because

I known that if I refused to do, I will get scolding by her.

The motivation for me to automatically do the housework is the extrinsic

motivation because I want to avoid scolding from my mother.

Journal 3

First Entry: Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias is we are willing to hear and attend the information that

support our schema and we ignore or refuse to hear about the information that

contradicts to our schema.

There was an example of confirmation bias. A Chinese restaurant named

“Puchong Yong Tau Fu” is a very famous restaurant in Puchong. I knew about this

restaurant from my father. One of his customers had also recommended this

restaurant to him. It is a must to try and eat the “Yong Tau Fu” in this restaurant

when we at Puchong. Unfortunately, we had no chance to try it because it was too

far from our house and we usually will choose to have our meal at the restaurant

nearby our house. One day, when I was going out to have dinner with my family, I

saw the branch of that restaurant was opened. We were so excited and wanted to try

their “Yong Tau Fu” but there were a lot of people in the restaurant so we decided to

come earlier and had our lunch tomorrow. After we had our dinner, my father

received a call from my uncle and he had told my father that the food from that

restaurant was bad and convinced him not to go to that restaurant. We had ignored

what uncle said because we saw a lot of people in that restaurant and my father’s

customer had recommended to him. The next day, we had come earlier to that

restaurant. We had selected our preference item such as chili, lady’s finger, bitter

gourd, dumpling and spring roll at the serving counter and our selected items will be

filled with fish paste and cooked. When the foods came, we first tried their soup and

it taste good. But when we tried their “Yong Tau Fu”, we all felt very disappointed.

The fish paste was soft and the dumpling was too salty. The service there also very

bad because everyone were so busy and no one came and served us. We had to

wait 20 minutes for the person in charge came and counted the total amount that we

need to pay.

We thought that the “Yong Tau Fu” in the restaurant was very tasty and

delicious so we had a high expectation on it. We choose to see and hear the

information that support our thought and ignored what my uncle told us. At last, we

tried the food on that restaurant and we all felt disappointed on it.

Second Entry: The Optimistic Bias

Optimistic bias is the tendency that we believe bad things happen to other

people and good things happen to ourselves. We will believe that our own judgment

or control is better or greater than it truly is.

My add math result was very bad, I even failed my add math in the final

examination in Form 4. When comes to Form 5, I realized that I should improve my

add math result. I decided to find tuition and I requested my tuition teacher not only

needed to teach me the chapter of Form 5 but also needed to teach back the chapter

of Form 4. I had to attend 2 add math tuition per week. My tuition teacher told me

that we need to keep on doing exercise. It is the only way to improve our add math

result. I believe that no pain, no gain. I was struggling on the add math exercise

every day. I had spent all my extra time to do exercise. When I had problem to solve

the question, I will asked my friends and teachers. When to the second examination,

I was confidence to solve and answer all the questions. It was the first time that I did

not leave blank for any question, I cannot ensure that all my solution was corrected

but at least I will get some working marks. After our add math teacher had marked all

the exam paper, he had told us that most of the student get the grade of B and C

and it was only 2 person get grade A. Of course I knew that I’m not the person who

got grade A and I just thought that at least I reached the grade of B- because I was

well prepared. Teacher had given the exam paper to us and discussed the question

one by one. I got grade C for the exam. It was under my expectation. I thought I was

well prepared as I had done numerous of exercise. I felt disappointed on myself and

I could not imagine how my tuition teacher felt when he knew my result. My tuition

teacher felt disappointed when I showed him my result and he started checked back

the solution I done. He had realized that I had done a lot of careless mistake and he

had calculated all the marks that I gone due to the careless mistake. Actually, I can

score better if I be more concern to the question and the solution I done. I think that

because of my overconfidence, I had ignored the careless mistake I done. I had

learnt not to be overconfidence and be more careful when answering the question.

I had experienced the optimistic bias when I chosen to believe that I not the

one who get grade C and because of my overconfidence, I believed that I will get

grade B in my add math exam result.

Journal 4

First Entry: Fear-based Appeals

Fear-based appeals are the negative valence that is elicited by a message

designed to prevent a specific action. It was effective when a message designed to

prevent negative outcome.

Sometimes, when I found out that I was over slept and late to attend class, I

will speed over the speed limit in highway to make sure that I could reach before the

class started. However, it was unfortunately that I got caught by my mother. That

day, my mother was using the NPE (New Pantai Expressway) highway to go to

Kuchai Lama and pass some things to a customer. She was driving on the second

lane of the highway and suddenly she saw my car from the back mirror. That time, I

was excessive speed and overtake her car, she also saw me cut out from the right

lane to the most left lane in a very high speed. My mother was very angry about it.

She scolded me when I came back from university. She said that it was very

dangerous when I excessive speed and cut out to the left lane in a high speed. She

told me that it can easily cause an accident and it also can cause serious injured to

me. I knew that I was wrong but I had no choice as I do not want to be late for my

class. My mother started to show me the car accident cases every day from the

newspaper. It was very disgusting when I saw the picture. The car was blended and

the people inside the people were all had a serious injure and blooding. I was scared

that I become the victim in an accident and I started no to speed and ensure that I

woke up on time and reach university before the class start.

By showing the cases of car accident on newspaper had bring out a message

to me about the dangerous of excessive speed on the road. It may cause a serious

injure to me and also others. I knew that excessive speed was dangerous and I tried

not to speed to prevent accident happen.

Journal 5

First Entry: Sexism

Sexism is the discrimination directed at a specific gender. Sexism includes the gender prejudice and gender stereotypes. When we had prejudice at a specific gender, we will treat that person unequally. Example for gender stereotypes, when a female driver is trying to park to the side parking, maybe some guys will think that the female driver will fail to park in her car because they have the schema that female driver has bad parking skills.

When I was in secondary school, I decided to join basketball club because I was interested to learn and play basketball. There were very little female member in the club, we only had total 13 female member and others were all male. We had total two basketball court in our school. However, since one of the courts was used by the volleyball club, there was only one basketball court for our club. The basketball courts had separated half for male and female members training section but since the male member were too many, they had grabbed our court. We had complained to the teacher in charge and hope to get back our court for training. But the teacher in charge told us that there was not enough court for us since the male members were too many and the school team also needed the court to train for the coming competition. We felt so angry about it and we decided to complain to Mr Daiminda who was the leader of extra-curricular activities (ECA). Mr Daiminda discussed this problem with the coach and they got a conclusion about it. He told us that the school team needed a court to train for the coming competition and he had due with others male members that they if they used the court this week then they will let the court to us next week. We were agreed with that due. The problem of lack of court had occurred again when we knew that we had a competition with others school. We needed a court for training every week to prepare for the competition. We had discussed this problem with Mr Daiminda but he seem like did not take any action on it. We felt that it was unfair, the male school team can used the court every week for training to the coming completion but when we requested to use the court every week training for competition, Mr Daiminda was ignored us. We forced to rent a court outside for training by ourselves and we needed to pay extra money to the coach.

Sexism had occurred when we requested to have a court for training every week. Mr Daiminda had treated us unequally compare to the male school team. He thoughts the male school team can represented our school to get champion in the competition and thoughts that we were not good enough to win the competition so he refuse to take any action on it when we requested from him.

Second Entry: Ageism

Swimming

Ageism is the discrimination directed at various age groups. For example, we are not allowed to go in casino under 21 years old and some movie also prohibited people to watch under age. I had experienced ageism when I was a child.

The swimming pool in the club house had separated the area for adults and children to swim. Children are prohibited to swim to the adult’s area because the adult’s area was deeper and they thought that it was dangerous for children to swim. When I was 7 years old, I had learnt swimming skill from my father and I was expert in swimming. I felt that I was not enjoyed swimming in the children area, my legs will touch until the ground when I swam so I decided to swim to the adult area with my father. When I was enjoying swimming, I heard someone called me to stop. It was the lifeguard, he told me that I was not allowed to swim on this area and called me to me swim at the children area. My father came and explained to him that I had learnt swimming before and he will take care of me. The lifeguard said that the deepness of the adult’s area was too deep for me and children were not allowed to swim in adult’s area. My father tried to convince the lifeguard that I actually can handle the deepness of the adult’s area but failed. I forced to swim back to the children area and it was really uncomfortable for me to swim.

The lifeguard had discriminated that children cannot swim at the adult’s area because he thinks that children cannot handle the deepness of it. But actually I had attended swimming class for a year and I can swim very well. It is more comfortable for me to swim at the adult’s area.