This document contains a full answer to all the social cultural approach essay questions in the IB psychology Paper 1. answers are 9/9 marks for all, and contains every sociocultural approach essay full answers.
Sociocultural Approach SAQ Study Guide
The Individual and the Group
SAQ: Social identity theory OR Social Groups
Explain Social Identity Theory, making use of one study. Other possible command terms include
outline and describe)
Introduction In this essay I will be focusing on describing Social Identification Theory (SIT), which is the theory on how
social groups influence behavior, proposed by Tajfel, and studied by Drury et al (2009). SIT states that the
Focus Sentence- theory/study/ sense of who we are is based on group membership. The theory claims that the groups we belong to can
answer the question be an important source of pride and self-esteem, and proposed that we have a personal self, and
What is the SIT theory? (Tajfel) multiple social selves based on different groups. SIT also states that our social selves may become salient
meaning they become more dominant and noticeable, and more aware of that facet of identity. Tajfel
What is saliency? also identified 3 mechanisms in creation of a social identity, them being: Social Categorization (Process of
What are the three psychological classifying people based on characteristics, leads to creation of ingroups), Social identification (Adopting
mechanisms involved in the creation norms of the group), and Social Comparison (Justifying group membership by comparing your in-groups
of a social identity. to other out-groups). One study that supports SIT by examining the influence of social categorization on
the behaviors of people and their tendency to help others is Drury (2009).
End of introduction focus sentence-
link theory to behaviour.
Research study Drury aim was to investigate the impact of social categorization on a person’s decision to assist others.
His sample consisted of 40 Sussex students, 7 males 33 females. The study used an independent sample
Describe one study - aim, procedure, design and used a virtual reality experience of an emergency to escape a fire. The participants were
results - which demonstrates SIT/ primed by making them think about an emergency before the experiment. Participants were split into
two groups: Group identification and Individual Identification. Group identification identified with others
Social Groups
from the same football team and wore the same-colored vests. Individual identification identified to
themselves individually and wore different colored vests (The color of vest was to increase saliency).
They were then presented with the scenario of having to escape from the fire, in which they could either
Explain how/why the effect occurs push others and escape faster or help others but escape slower. To ensure the group size didn’t influence
the results, the experiment was done with both a group size of 8 and 32 to establish causality. Results
using your knowledge of SIT. showed that participants in the group identification condition helped more and pushed less, while the
individual group pushed more. The crowd size had no effect. Drury concluded that having high ingroup
identification, and having higher social categorization increases the tendency to help others. These
results provide evidence for social categorization and identification, as participants who had identified
with the group helped more, which overall supports and describes social identity theory.
SAQ: Social Cognitive Theory
Explain Social Cognitive Theory, making use of one study. Other possible command terms include
outline and describe)
Introduction In this essay I will be focusing on explaining Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), which is a theory of how
Focus Sentence- theory/study/ answer the behavior is learnt from the environment, proposed by Albert Bandura, and studied by Bandura Ross and
question Ross (1961). SCT states that people can learn behavior from the environment through the process of
What is the SCT theory? modelling and reinforcement, essentially learning by observing. Modelling is the processes of observing
What is modelling? Link to vicarious role models performing a certain behavior with a certain consequence. This leads to vicarious
reinforcement and importance of role models. reinforcement due to the observed consequences and leads to imitation of the behavior if the
Explain ARMR- and link to how we learn consequence is perceived as desirable. Bandura identified certain conditions for social learning: Observer
behaviour. must pay attention to the action – Observer Must retain the information– Must be motivated to repeat
End of introduction focus sentence- link theory the behavior – Must have potential and ability to reproduce behavior. Once all these conditions have
to behaviour- gender roles/schemas. been met, social learning can take place. One study that supports SCT by examining the influence of role
model’s aggression on a child’s behavior and level of aggression displayed is Bandura Ross and Ross
(1961).
Research study Bandura aim was to investigate whether children would learn aggressive behavior by imitating role
models. His sample consisted of 36 boys and 36 girls, 3-5 years old, who were all evaluated for levels of
Describe one study - aim, procedure, aggression prior to the experiment, this was done by asking experimenter and teachers to describe
results - which demonstrates SCT. child’s behavior. The children were then split into 3 conditions using a matched-pairs design (average
level of aggression was same for all groups). The 3 conditions were: Whether exposed to violence or not,
Gender of the child, gender of role model. The children watched either a male or female role model
acting either aggressively (Bashing bobo doll) or passively, or they observed no role model (Control).
Explain how/why the effect occurs Children were then invited to room full of toys but banned from using any of them to instigate
using your knowledge of SCT e.g. frustration within the child. Children were then put into the room and observed through a one-way
mirror. Results showed that children who were exposed to aggressive role model displayed most
gender differences in aggression aggression, control coming second, and passive role model displayed least aggression. Boys were most
violent, girls tended to imitate female model more directly. Bandura concluded that role model behavior
and aggression does influence behavior modeled by children, as shown by the results since aggressive
role model group displayed most aggression compared to other groups, and passive role model group
displayed least aggression. These results overall provide evidence for modelling behavior, and ultimately
evidence and explain Social Cognitive Theory.
1
, SAQ: Formation of Stereotypes
Explain one theory of stereotype formation, making use of one study. Other possible command terms
include outline and describe)
Introduction In this essay I will be focusing on explaining the formation of stereotypes which was studied by Hamilton
Focus Sentence- theory/study/ answer the and Gifford. Stereotypes are defined as widely held, fixed, and oversimplified image of a particular type
question of person, thing, or idea. These stereotypes are mainly acquired through indirect methods such as media,
people, and social norms, but can sometimes also be acquired directly through personal experiences.
What are stereotypes? Link to prejudice Stereotypes can also be seen as a heuristic linking with schemas as they provide a fast method to reach a
and discrimination. conclusion about a certain group. These stereotypes can ultimately lead to judgement of the groups.
Define illusory correlation and explain Prejudice, which is defined as the making of a judgement with very little evidence except group
how this can lead to the formation of identification, is caused because of these held stereotype. Discrimination is the biased behaviour
stereotypes. towards a group, thing, or idea that is caused due to these held stereotypes and prejudice. One method
End of introduction focus sentence- link of stereotype formation is Illusory corelation. Illusory correlation is an example of a cognitive bias which
theory to cognition which is cognitive bias leads us to perceive two social groups differently. It is the flawed judgement of relationship between two
variables, a group and the stereotype held, leading to the unjustified positive or negatively held
and formation of stereotypes.
relationship between them both, and hence the underestimation or overestimation of the association
between the two variables leading to the formation of the stereotype. One study that explains the
formation of stereotypes by investigating the influence of illusory correlation of group size on minority
groups to a negative behaviour is Hamilton and Gifford (1967).
Research study Hamilton and Gifford aim was to investigate the illusory correlation of group size to a negative behaviour. Their sample
consisted of 70 Americans, male and female, who were informed about the existence of two groups: Group A – Group B.
Describe one study - aim, procedure, Group A had twice as many people (26) than group B (13), making group B the minority group. The participants were told
that group B was smaller than group A before starting the experiment. Participants were showed a series of slides, each
results - which demonstrates with a statement about a single individual of one of the two groups, with the statements being either positive or negative.
formation of stereotypes. Each of the groups had the same proportion of positive to negative statements. The participants were then asked to rank
members of each group for 20 traits, such as popularity, socialness, and intelligence. Once this task was completed, they
were given a booklet with statements about a person from an unspecified group, then asked whether this person
belonged to group A or group B, and finally were asked how many of the statements for each group was “Undesirable”.
Results showed that for the trait rankings, group A was ranked higher than group B for positive traits and ranked lower for
Explain how/why the effect occurs negative traits. In the booklet, participants recalled more positive traits for group A (74%) than group B (54%) but recalled
using your knowledge of illusory more negative traits for group B (65%) than group A (55%). Finally, Participants overestimated the number of negative
traits in the minority group. Hamilton and Gifford concluded that illusory correlation had taken place with the negative
correlation and how that lead to behaviours being associated to the minority group. They argued that this was because the minority group was smaller in
stereotypes e.g. overestimation of number, hence the negative behaviours appeared more distinct and representative to the group, and ultimately causing
the linking of that behaviour to the group itself. These results overall support and explain illusory correlation, and
negative traits for minority groups. ultimately explain the formation of stereotypes.
SAQ: Effects of Stereotypes
Explain one study that shows effects of stereotypes on behaviour. Other possible command terms
include outline and describe)
Introduction In this essay I will be focusing on explaining one effect of stereotypes, stereotype
Focus Sentence- theory/study/ answer the threat, which was studied by Steele and Aronson. Stereotypes are defined as a
question widely held but fixed and oversimplified social perception or an idea of a particular
What are stereotypes and how are they type of person, group, or thing. It is the generalization that is made about a group,
acquired. and then attributed to members of that group. Stereotypes usually aren’t acquired
directly, but rather through other ways such as social media, people, and social
Define stereotype threat and explain what that
norms. Having these stereotypes can lead to judgment, being prejudice and
can lead to and how it can affect behaviour.
discrimination. Stereotypes can also be seen as schemas that help us gain a
End of introduction focus sentence- link theory
perception of the world around us, and it can be either negative or positive. One
to anxiety of fulfilling the stereotype effect of stereotypes is stereotype threat which is the fear of confirming a negatively
held stereotype about a group that one belongs to. When faced with stereotype
threats, people tend to get nervous and perform worse, thus confirming the
stereotype. One study that explains the effects of stereotypes by examining the
influence of stereotype threat on the academic performance in African Americans is
Steele and Aronson.
Steele and Aronson aim was to investigate the influence of stereotype and stereotype threat on
Research study academic performance within African Americans. Their sample consisted of 76 male and female,
Describe one study - aim, procedure, black and white undergraduate students. The participants were each given a standardized test of
verbal ability, similar to SAT, and were split into two groups. One group was told that it was a test
results - which demonstrates effects to diagnose their intellectual ability and the other group was told that it was a test of problem-
solving skills. The condition of testing intellectual ability is the stereotype threat condition. The
of stereotypes. participants then had to complete the test and their results on the test was analysed. Findings
showed that there was no significant difference between males and female participants between
Explain how/why the effect occurs the conditions, hence showing that gender doesn’t play a role in this case. As for race, African
Americans performed worse when believed that it was a test of ability but did just as well as the
using your knowledge of stereotype white Americans when they believed it was to test their problem-solving skills. This shows that
African Americans performed worse in the stereotype threat condition, but their performance
threat and link to academic equalled the white Americans in the non-threat condition. Steele and Aronson concluded that
performance. stereotype does have an influence people’s behaviours, especially on academic performance in
this case, as shown by the results with the African Americans performing worse when faced with
the stereotype. When faced with a negative stereotype or expectation, the amount of anxiety may
increase causing their performance to decrease, hence this study overall evidences and explains
the effects on stereotypes on people’s behaviours.
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