The Social Psychology Network Assignment

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The second perspective is socio-cultural. Lev Vygotsky is known his theory, called the socio-cultural perspective. This theory states that child development is the result of the interactions between children and their social environment. These interactions include those with parents, teachers, playmates, classmates, brothers and sisters. They also involve relationships with significant objects, such as books or toys, and culturally specific practices that children engage in the classroom, at home, and on the playground. Children are active partners in these interactions, constructing knowledge, skills, and attitudes and not just mirroring the world around them. Vygotsky opposed the psychologists who believed that children's development occurs spontaneously and cannot be affected by education (DiTomaso, 2010). Vygotsky felt that learning could lead development if it occurs within what he called the child's “Zone of Proximal Development” or ZPD. The ZPD contains skills and concepts that are not yet fully developed but are "on the edge of emergence" evolving only if the child is given apt support. For the skills and concepts that fall outside of a child's ZPD, even major instructional efforts may fail to produce developmental benefits. Vygotsky recognized that the kind of assistance needed to help children develop new skills and concepts within their ZPD took different forms for children of different ages. For instance, fostering make-believe play with preschoolers could provide the same support that formal instruction offers for older students (DiTomaso, 2010).

Established by Albert Bandura, the next perspective, Social Learning Theory emphasized on the importance of rewards and punishments. This theory identified that children can learn new behaviors in one or two ways: through trial and error or by observing and imitating others in their social surroundings. Bandura stated that observational learning is more effective than trying to determine everything by yourself. Children can learn from other people in their surroundings, including parents, siblings, peers, and teachers. Children can also learn from people in the mass media. Bandura’s research influenced others to recognize a number of things about television violence and children. First, viewing television violence and animated programs could cause children to behave more aggressively, particularly if the violent characters were attractive and were praised for their actions. Second, in many of these studies, the effects showed the most strongly for boys not girls. The researchers hypothesized that this hostile tendency concluded in boys being more susceptible to the impact of media violence (Grusec, 1992).

The next theory of social psychology is phenomenological perspective. This concept was developed by Kurt Lewin. This concept emphasizes the individual’s independent perception. Different individuals may interpret and perceive situations as if they were the same. Conducting research across any cultural framework requires concentrated focus on ethics. A cross-cultural research relationship innately involves a force of power. Researchers have traditionally held power in forms of money, knowledge, and "expertise" over their human subjects. As a result, the research relationship allows for other ethical issues of informed consent, control, and research. A community-based partnership project integrating an ongoing process of communication and consent offers an ethical solution that is mutually beneficial to both researcher and cultural group members (Dynamic Perspective, 2002).

Understanding the dynamics of different cultures is a crucial element in social psychology. How human think, feel, perceive and understand the world around them is heavily influenced by the culture in which they are a part of. This is often where the nature vs. nurture debate comes in. People’s innate in-born functions and their experiences stemming from environmental influences will vary from culture to culture. Much of the goal of those who conduct research for and who practice social psychology is to determine ways in which different cultures shapes the human mind. No two people experience the same things in the same exact ways so understanding each different perspective is integral in ultimately understanding how we think and behave as a whole society (Skol & Strout, 2007).

References:

- Sutcliffe, A., Dunbar, R., Binder, J. & Arrow, H. (2012). Relationships and the Social Brain: Integrating Psychological and Evolutionary Perspectives. British Journal of Psychology, 103 (2), 149-168

- DiTomaso, N. (2010). A Socio-Cultural Framework on Diversity Requires Structure as well as Culture and Social Psychology. Psychological Inquiry, 21 (2), 100-107

- Grusec, J.E. (1992). Social Learning Theory and Developmental Psychology: The Legacy of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura. Developmental Psychology, 28 (5), 776

- Marsh, L. (2008). Introduction to Special Issue: “Perspectives in Social Cognition”.

- The Dynamic Perspective in Personality and Social Psychology. (2002). Mahwah, N.J. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

- Skol, R.I., & Strout, S.L. (2007). Understanding Human Psychology: The Integration of Social, Evolutionary and Cultural Studies. Journal of Social, Evolutionary and Cultural Psychology, 1 (1), 1-6.