Introduction to Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Introduction to Psychology - Essay Example Solomon Asch: Group Pressure and Conformity Social psychologist Solomon Asch’s 1951 study of the impact of group pressure on decisions is noted as one of the most important and conclusive. The conduct of the study was fairly simple. Ache showed students in groups of eight to ten--all of whom except one in each group had been coached beforehand to pick the wrong answer on twelve of the eighteen cards. Each card had a group of three bar lines on the right, and one bar line. Students were asked to pick one bar from a series of three on the right that best matched the one bar on the left. Most subjects were told to deliberately give the wrong answer. Asch arranged the questioning so that most wrong answers would be given before the test subject in the group made his or her decision. The results were significant and according to Zimbardo and Gerrig (2010): â€Å"50 and 80 percent†¦conformed with the false majority estimate†¦a third†¦yielded to the majority’s wrong judgments on half or more of the critical trials† (p. 550). ... more complex psychological elements at work which according to Zimbardo and Gerrig (2010) may indicate impulses at play beyond our simple â€Å"desire â€Å"to be liked, accepted and approved† (p. 549). For instance, Asch noted that the fewer people who gave wrong answers the fewer test subjects did the same, indicating a strong mistrust element in the views of the few versus those of the majority. As might be concluded, a decided lack of independence and confidence was clear when it came to one’s rational judgment over that of the pack. Considering the often incomprehensible election habits of individuals, this becomes particularly relevant in terms of electorate behavior. The 25 percent who always conformed was roughly equal to the same percentage who never conformed (Zimbardo and Gerrig, 2010) indicating a possible polar aspect to the behavior. On the positive side, it should be noted that significant change in most aspects of life come from the minority generally c onsidered non-conformers. As Zimbardo and Gerrig (2010) found, â€Å"The conflict between entrenched majority view and the dissonant minority perspective is an essential precondition of innovation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( p. 551). As evidenced in the recent film, â€Å"The Social Network,† Facebook creator, Marc Zuckerman’s insistence on thinking independently ultimately produced a multi-billion dollar empire. For the others who conform even in the face of obvious evidence that they should not conform, there may very well be serious psychological disorders underpinning the behavior. The major disorders according to Zimbardo and Gerrig (2010) are categorized based their affect on the individual as follows: the individual experiences personal distress or dysfunction; behaves in ways that hinder goals and wellbeing or

Crime Scene Investigator Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Crime Scene Investigator - Essay Example The ability to recognize and collect physical evidence properly is always invaluable in solving violent crimes as well as during prosecution. As a matter of fact, the role of a crime scene investigator is in most court cases very critical as he/she is the determining factor as to whether physical proof will be applied while prosecuting or solving violent criminal acts (Crime Scene Investigator Network, n.d). It is important to note that the investigation of a crime scene can either be straightforward or it can come with challenges, which would call for a multidisciplinary approach in order to resolve them. To start with, the investigator can get the wrong impression of the crime scene – for instance, a crime scene that seems to be accidental fire may have been staged to conceal further crimes. Therefore, hurried conclusions may make the investigator to miss out on important clues. The investigator should therefore know that every item that catches his/her attention is importan t and he/she should document it. He/she should thus be observant and diligent following standard procedures for every kind of scene response (Fish, Miller & Braswell, 2010). On arriving at the scene of crime, a crime scene-investigator must do various things and process lots of information. To start with, he/she should start by having a brief interview meeting with the first reporting officer on the scene as well as the lead detective in order to obtain information that can assist him/her comprehend what happened, when it occurred and the order of the events that took place (Domnauer, 2007). This should happen without the investigator getting too much information that is likely to taint his/her perspective. Instead, it should be sharpened in such a way that he/she is able to take the information that he/she received previously and mesh it with that which he/she gathered at the crime scene thereby enabling him/her to come to an impartial and logical determination of the events. In ot her words, the investigator should present the court with an accurate and true crime scene representation remaining unbiased as well as objective all through the proceedings. He/she should leave it for the court to weigh the value of the evidence and determine innocence or guilt (Fish, Miller & Braswell, 2010). Crime Scene Investigator Network (n.d) further records that a crime scene investigator has no substitute for a thoughtful and careful approach, and that he/she must not jump into making immediate conclusions regarding what happened founded on limited evidence. Instead, he/she must come up with several different theories of the crime, keeping those that incoming information at the scene do not eliminate. Rational deductions regarding what happened are generated from information from witnesses as well as the scene appearance. These theories assist in guiding the investigator in documenting specific conditions and identify valuable proof. According to Ruslander (2007), a crime s cene