What JMC150 Students Should Know about Psychology* Ronald Harvey, PhD Assistant Professor of Psychology rharvey@aubg.edu * according to one psychology professor 1
Introduction Media is storytelling – and storytelling has been going on for thousands of years Journalism is chronicling people’s stories 2
Introduction Therefore, any insights on how people think, feel, and behave can help you to: Know what to ask How to evaluate information from sources Choose what to write about 3
Caveats I am not a journalist, but in my ethnology work, I try to think like a journalist Psychology is ONE critical lens to see interviewees Take psychology classes! Read psychology books! 4
Recommended reading…
What is Psychology? “…the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.” (Myers, 2014)
What consists of y our Psychology? Thoughts Feelings Behaviors
Four Principles of Interviewing http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/edit/MencherIntv1.html 1. Prepare carefully, familiarizing yourself with the source 2. Establish a relationship the source conductive to obtaining information 3. Ask questions that are relevant to the source and induce the source to talk 4. Listen and watch attentively
Things You Should Know* * according to one psychology professor 1. Journalists should know about the psychology of TRUST 2. Journalists should know basic social psychology about BIAS 3. Journalists should know about PERSONALITY: a) what it is, and b) how to recognize personality traits 4. Body language 9
Four Principles of Interviewing http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/edit/MencherIntv1.html 1. Prepare carefully, familiarizing yourself with the source 2. Establish a relationship the source conductive to obtaining information Know the psychology of TRUST
The Psychology of Trust Trustworthiness Trust is believing that a results when the person will do what is expected behavior of the interviewer aligns These beliefs stem with the expectancies from three qualities: of the interviewee • Ability You MUST work both • Benevolence sides of the equation! (kindness) • Integrity RESEARCH on your subject to will flatter, It is a fragile dynamic of influence, and shape interaction between their trust of you parties! 11
The Psychology of Interpersonal Trust Similarities is a Mutual sharing and the dependable breaking down of predictor of trust personal defenses will build trust, which Similarities might be: is a requisite of gender, ethnicity, friendship age, neighborhood, We feel attracted to or to our attitudes, the people to whom beliefs, and values we have self- Why? When others disclosed agree with us, it Reciprocity is affirms us: we all like important early on to be “right.” 12
Trust Emerges from three qualities: • Ability: we have the skills to conduct the interview • Benevolence: we mean the interviewee no harm; will treat them with kindness • Integrity: we do what we say we are going to do before, during, and after the interview What are Some Specific Behaviors that can Foster Trust? 13
Human beings are… …meaning -making machines! HOWEVER: They are not necessarily accurate meaning-making machines! 14
Four Principles of Interviewing http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/edit/MencherIntv1.html 1. Prepare carefully, familiarizing yourself with the source - TRUST 2. Establish a relationship the source conductive to obtaining information - TRUST 3. Ask questions that are relevant to the source and induce the source to talk BIAS and PERSONALITY
We are all amateur psychologists! • “The human brain is an engine of belief” - Michael Shermer, neuroscientist • Our minds continually consume, produce, and attempt to make sense about ourselves and others • We all construct our social reality – mostly to serve our own needs!
A Very Quick Example: • Self-serving bias: –“I got an ‘A’ in JMC 150!” –“Professor Kelly gave me a ‘C - ’ in JMC 150.”
Social Psychology Sample social psychology question: Why might students speak up in class, or hesitate to speak? To answer this, we can study emotions, cognitions, motivations, reinforcers, and more: Personality Psychologists could study the traits that might make one person more likely than another to speak, and Social Psychologists might examine aspects of the classroom situation that would influence any student’s decision about speaking.
Social Thinking Attribution: Identifying causes Attribution: a conclusion about the cause of an observed behavior/event. Attribution Theory: We explain Most people tend others’ behavior with two types of to make the attributions: Fundamental Attribution Error Situational Attribution (factors outside the person doing the action, such as peer pressure), or Dispositional Attribution (the person’s stable, enduring traits, personality, ability, emotions)
Social Thinking: Fundamental Attribution Error See if you can find the error: The Fundamental Attribution Error: When Sheila failed her final exam. Rita we go too far in assuming noticed Shelia is gone most that a person’s behavior weekends and automatically is caused by their assumes Sheila is partying and individual traits. not serious about her studies. We think a behavior Hint: Next day… demonstrates a trait. Rita : “You had better get serious about your studies!” Shelia : “I had to go home every We tend to overemphasize weekend. My mom is very sick. I had to take care of her.” __________ attribution and underemphasize Rita: ”…I’m so sorry!” __________ attribution.
Confirmation Bias Examples Elections : prior to Definition : not Clinton/Trump election, bothering to seek out many commentators information that actively ignored contradicts your ideas enthusiastic Trump rallies Benefits and downsides : There must be a cause: enables quick solutions, bigotry, stupidity, but misses finding out prejudice, racism, sexism – when first guesses are which are easily wrong “confirmed” again
Confirmation Bias: A Case Study 22
Pesky details… There were 2 attacks, not 3 A local bar was often noisy with screams and fighting The 2 attacks were difficult to see from windows At least 5 people called the police In1964 NYPD were less likely to respond than in today’s 112 and 911 culture 23
The Result: The case has become a parable or a warning – not a case study It fit into the growing anxiety of de- personalization of “modern life” The Genovese Case appears frequently Used by politicians as “apathy” to influence us into action By existential nihilists into giving up 24
Four Principles of Interviewing http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/edit/MencherIntv1.html 1. Prepare carefully, familiarizing yourself with the source - TRUST 2. Establish a relationship the source conductive to obtaining information - TRUST 3. Ask questions that are relevant to the source and induce the source to talk BIAS and PERSONALITY
#4: Personality - An individual’s characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors persisting over time and across situations Introverted Sensitive, Neurotically Reactive Naïve irritable Conscientious Contentedly Agreeable, Open lethargic 26
Let’s deconstruct “personality” Personality: An individual’s characteristic – it is part of that person’s core identity patterns – personalities are remarkably consistent of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors – people tend to think, feel, and behave consistently; it is remarkably difficult to change persisting over time and across situations - the best predictor of what people do today is what they did yesterday
The “Big Five” Personality Factors Personality includes a Conscientiousness: person’s sense of self. self-discipline, careful “Self” as the core of pursuit of delayed personality, the organizer goals and reservoir of our Agreeableness : thoughts, feelings, actions, helpful, trusting, choices, attitudes. friendliness These include: self-talk, self- Neuroticism : anxiety, esteem, self-awareness, insecurity, emotional instability self-monitoring, self-control. Openness: flexibility, nonconformity, variety Extraversion : Drawing energy from others, sociability
The “Big Five”/ Impulsive Trusting C.A.N.O.E. Anxious Personality Dimensions Conforming Fun-Loving
What is behind the Personality? • To get at the person behind the personality, good interviewers talk to the friends, associates, relatives of the subject. • Samuel Johnson, the brilliant 18thcentury English writer, advised writers that: – “more knowledge may be gained of a man's real character by a short conversation with one of his servants than from a formal and studied narrative, begun with his pedigree and ended with his funeral.” http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/edit/MencherIntv1.html 30
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