Last exam of the semester will account for 10% of your grade, unless the student decides to request a higher weighting.
The final exam constitutes 40% of the grade, as stated in the syllabus.
Accommodations for students wishing to review their exams are being implemented.
Session held to alleviate student concerns around exam reviews; approximately 10-12 students attended.
Study Advice
Focus on study guides, but do not attempt to study everything in them as it is excessive for exam preparation.
Final exam will sample from previously covered materials (first, second, and third exams) but will not repeat questions randomly.
- Important concepts selected based on relevance, not at random.
Advise to mark study guide items based on whether they appeared in previous exams:
- If included: Mark with a check.
- If excluded: Cross it off.
- If uncertain: Mark as unsure for later review.
Emphasize studying concepts from notes and slides that relate to exam questions.
Group Study Dynamics
Recommendation to study in groups, but to select teammates who are committed and carry their own weight.
Importance of collaborative learning without distractions from "social loafers".
Conceptual Understanding
Importance of not just recognizing concepts but elaborating on their nuances and contradictions.
Reflect on mistakes from previous exams—identifying misconceptions can help improve.
Recap of Class Material Covered
Reviewed key topics since the second exam, including:
- Behavioral paradigm (behaviorism, learning paradigm).
- Key figures in behaviorism: Freud, Skinner, Watson, Thorndike, Pavlov.
- Critiques of the behavioral paradigm leading to the cognitive revolution (Bandura, Kohler, Roeder).
Discussed the history and critiques of trait theory in personality psychology.
Transition to New Material
Introduction of challenges to personality psychology and personality disorders.
Upcoming topics will include exploration of personality when it goes awry.
Historical Context in Psychology
Discussion on the works of Walter Mischel, emphasizing:
- His claim in 1968 that personality traits do not predict behaviors effectively (correlations rarely exceed 0.3).
- His research on intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.
Critique of personality norms, emphasizing situational influences over traits in behavioral predictions.
Social Psychology Research Influences
Described key studies in social psychology demonstrating the impact of situational context on behavior:
- Milgram Experiment on obedience to authority.
- Stanford Prison Experiment revealing the effects of assigned roles and perceived power.
- Other studies (by Zimbardo, Rosenhan) showing situational influence on human behavior.
Key Studies Discussed
Detailed findings from the Milgram experiment:
- Participants shocked subjects (stooges) to varying degrees, with significant obedience rates higher than predicted by observers.
Zimbardo's findings from the Stanford Prison Experiment demonstrating rapid role adoption among participants.
Historical Reflections on Authority and War
Commentary on how situational psychology relates to historical events, including war crimes and the actions taken during regimes like the Holocaust.
Discussion about the concepts of the authoritarian personality, emphasizing how people develop empathy depending on in-group vs. out-group dynamics.
Conclusion & Further Discussions
Emphasis on interplay between personality and situational influences, noting the importance of both in understanding human behavior.
Introduction of Mischel’s later work on the Cognitive-Affective Processing System (CAPS).
Illustrated how behaviors are mediated through cognitive-affective units and influenced by situational contexts.