text:
User talk:Betsy

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:50, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hello Betsy, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random random project.
 * Browse everything on Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 04:50, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

 Hi! My name is WikiversityJack. I am a pumpkin and a Wikiversity mascot. My aunt told me that fun + learning = Wikiversity. Let me know if I can help you out.

QUESTION
How did my user page, or whatever it's called, change? Was it edited by the Wikiversity site automatically or did someone edit it? I looked at history and it just showed what it previously looked like. I dumped my material and was going in to tidy up, but it is already in different format. Betsy
 * OH no - why doesn't it scroll the sentence around - why is it going off the screen? B.
 * About sentences off the screen: This happens when copy + pasting text from another program sometimes. There were made following edits afterwards to "fix" this.
 * You can format e.g. with * or double point and if you use 2 or three of them after another you indent as you wish. See more info here.
 * Please also have a look if all indents were made correct now. Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 16:45, 19 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi Betsy, if you check the history for your page, you'll see that both Erkan and I have been working on adjusting ('wikifying') your formatting. Hope this is OK. If you want to go back to your original formatting, click on an earlier version and save it. But I think you'll find that our contributions are improvements and hopefully will help you to learn 'wiki'. Well done on posting a question to your page. You can also add your signature with four tildes ( ~ ). And well done on posting so much content! Once its tidied up a bit, I look forward to coming back and discussing more substantively. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 23:20, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

 * BTW (by the way), check Help:Editing for some other information about organising pages (using headings) and formatting text (e.g., bold). -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:37, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Actually, Erkan already provided this link. So read both his and my messages on this carefully (following the links), and hopefully you can work it out. Or reply here about anything you need some help with. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:39, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

THANKS JAMES & ERKAN: hopefully I will work it out - it takes so much time though. B., 20 Aug, 2.45pm
 * It may seem to take a lot of time I suspect because you may be applying a lot of formatting e.g., in a Word document, then pasting here. My suggestion would be to keep your off-line content in simple format, then do most of your styling here on Wikiversity. There are some other options. e.g., using Open Office, you can export directly into wiki syntax. But also, just leave a message if you want something fixed - and we'll help pretty fast :). -- Jtneill - Talk - c 06:03, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

How to do bullet-point points
Hi Betsy, To create a bullet-point, there are two ways: You might also be interested to read further about this at Help:List. Can I also check whether you've been through the beginnner's newcomer's guided tour? Once you have the basics (i.e., bullets and headings), hopefully the frustration will be minimised. Well done on commenting about what your specific problems are - again, the more specific you can be, the more targeted any help can be. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:11, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
 * 1) Use an asterisk (*) at the start of the line (instead of a full-stop)
 * 2) Click on the bullet-point symbol at the top of the edit box (it looks like three squares lined up vertically i.e., [[Image:Btn toolbar liste.png]]).

Thanks James, I accidentally wrote my last two lots of discussion notes into my user page last time. Just as well I didn't put them here as I was throwing a technology tantrum - rather than go and try and work it out I have fallen into the trap of 'wanting the solution here, and wanting it now'. Apologies for tantrum! Have now composed myself and will soldier on!61.68.32.118 03:36, 23 August 2008 (UTC) Betsy, 23 Aug. 1.30pm

James: Have worked out that I can switch off the Wikiformatting, I still have a bit to work out though - like why the bold and the underlining don't work at all, or sometimes, when Wikiformatting is switched off. Also, the time clock for the signature is two hours ahead. Betsy 9.38pm, 23 Aug.
 * There were made some format changes in chapter 9+12, could you have a look if that is as you wish ? (see version history with comments)
 * time difference: I suppose this is because the server has another time set up. You can see in the following line the actual time on the server (added with the June 29, 2024 tag).
 * June 29, 2024
 * Next time perhaps use the Chat - there are people who can help - the wiki syntax can sometimes be really problematic. Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 09:46, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

RESPONSE
Hi Betsy, Thanks for contacting me. It's nice to know there is someone else out there! (I think keeping my page nice and neat is a bit of a personality 'thing'!!). There seem to be a lot of tricks to use and I have found most of it is trial and error.Obviously James and Erkan also very helpul with this stuff.

The best idea is to go to the "help" page (on the left of the screen)and find "editing" - it shows you how to format, highlight text etc. I printed out this page so I can refer to it as I go along.

Looking at other people's pages can also be helpful. When you see a method of formatting you would like to use can go into "edit this page" (at the top) and look in the edit box for the syntax (ie symbols etc) they use. Be sure to CANCEL your edit of the page (bottom right of the edit box) - you have not actually changed anything just looked at the syntax.

I hope this helps. If not let me know and I will give you more specific details.Jenny O

Hi Betsy,

Me again...I've had another look at your text. If you want to remove the dot point boxes, go into edit and just remove the asterix (*) at the beginning of the line. Sometimes spacing does not work the way it does in Word. I just fiddle around with it, checking it as a preview before I save it as the final page. I was going to edit a section of you page just to show you how it works but I am not too sure how you would like it formatted. If you would like me to edit a section let me know and I'll will - then you'll have an example to work from.Jenny O
 * Hi Jenny, after Betsy wrote to you there were made some changes - hopefully with that some of the problems could be minimized. :-( Erkan Yilmaz uses the Chat (try) 00:03, 25 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Hi Betsy, I have also emailed you to suggest that you check your page history where Erkan and I have been making formatting changes and explaining what we have done to help you out. Sincerely, -- Jtneill - Talk - c 01:59, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Jenny 0 / Erkan / James  : Thanks to you all for your help - it's quite humbling to get so much attention and help, thanks very much. --Betsy 10:31, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Signing
QUESTION - James James: Should I be signing off each time I do some work on E-porfolio - or should that be placed in the discussion page - or is it not really necessary ie you can track the movement anyway? Betsy 11:26, 28 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Signatures aren't really necessary on your user page / e-portfolio, but they are a good idea on talk pages (such as this one). -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:17, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

-- Thanks -- Betsy 04:21, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

TUTORIAL NO.3
I particularly like the way in this section you provide your own views, use examples from the tutorial and documentary, and use (bolded - easy to read) prejudice and aggression keywords. I think this does an excellent job of demonstrating your independent thinking, engagement, and understanding of theoretical aspects of the unit with specific and real examples. Well done! (By highlighting and commenting on this section, I am not necessarily implying that you are not doing this elsewhere, but it was a section that stood out to me as I stopped by to have a quick look - and it also sets a useful example for others). I can see you're working hard on your e-porfolio and the formatting/style is getting better all the time, plus you're using the interactive features of the talk pages and the discussion list! I also did a couple of edits with some bullet-points and links which may also be of interest. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 10:47, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Discussion list + images
JAMES : Question : Is the Discussion List a separate way of asking questions to the group - as it asks users to set up via a Google account, however I wasn't sure whether I should or whether it was a problem since I was using a pseudonym - as it requests Email address which of course would be under my real name. Anyway this is not really important, I was just wondering. I have also posted a question on Jenny O's discussion box, as I tried yesterday to import a picture, however nothing happened after I typed in the license agreement (in WikiCommons). Anyway I will have another go at some stage. I am trying to get reasonably up to date with my E-portf. so I can start doing some research for my essay - which I haven't done a thing on yet!! PS. Thanks for your comments and edits. Betsy 03:55, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

 * Re discussion-list: My understanding is that you are already a member of the discussion list and that you have been actively posting messages to the list using a different pseudonym. I'll email you a link to your discussion list postings separately, in case you don't want them publically disclosed here. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:08, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

 * Re images: What exactly are you wanting to do? Are you wanting to upload a picture to Wiki Commons or are you wanting to use a picture from Wiki Commons on a page here on Wikiversity? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:37, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

J: I wanted to export a picture from WikiCommons to my E-portfolio. Betsy 04:47, 31 August 2008 (UTC)
 * OK. No need to export. Just note the image name and add syntax like this: [[Image:Open book 01.svg]] wherever you want to the image to show on a page. This will show the image in its default size, e.g., [[Image:Open book 01.svg]] without any resizing or formatting. [[Image:Open book 01.svg|right|100px]]For getting it to look 'just right' (in terms of size and placement), plus for how to add a caption, see Help:Media_Files. But to start off with just trying adding an image and then keep asking questions if you want help to adjust it. Another way to learn about this is to view the source or hit EDIT on any page or section (such as Jenny O's) and look at the wiki syntax used for a given image. Hope this helps. Here's an example of the above image formatting a bit differently... -- Jtneill - Talk - c 05:09, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Image Copyright
Hi Betsy

It's good to hear from you again. I see James has helped with images (above). In response to your specific question regarding copyright. If you are using images from Wiki Commons there is no need to attend to the licence agreement – you can freely use their images as they have the necessary copyright. You just have to get the file name e.g., ‘Flock of sheep.jpg’. If you click on the image you like in Wiki Commons the file name comes up as a title. To ensure I get the image name correct I copy it, paste it into a word document, change font type and size and re-paste it into my syntax.

If it is any help to you I have also copied a section of syntax for the sheep thumbnail photo & text from my site as an example (this will appear as the thumbnail photo):

PLEASE NOTE: TO READ & COPY SYNTAX YOU MUST BE VIEIWING THIS IN EDIT

Translation of syntax: makes it a thumbnail image | position on page | size of image| my added text

NB: You must have the square brackets and vertical strokes (NOT the letter i or l) to make it work.

I hope this helps. Your e-portfolio is looking good! Jenny O 07:45, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

The next few weeks
Hi Betsy,

That's right, there are no more lectures or tutorials for our group until, week 10! So that gives us plenty of time to get up to date with the e-portfolio and the essay.

Have you tried adding any images yet? I'm happy to help if you'd like me to.

Another useful tip...when you sign off on a discussion page if you use four 'wiggly things'(sorry I don't know their real name) located at the top left corner of the key board, under the escape button - the computer automatically signs you as a link in the name 'Betsy' followed by the date and time. Very nifty. When you do that others can automatically click on it to link to your page(s). Jenny O 01:17, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Question
Have pasted the syntax, I think, however no image appears, tried to put in some info, however this was ignored?

I'll get there eventually. Betsy, 2 Sept.

 * You were very close :) - but no pictures shows until the name is exact. All I changed was to make sure the exact name was used (with spaces as it is on Wiki Commons) .... the links to the image I think you wanted is: commons:Image:Love - Engagement.jpg and to show the image (with a small size), we can use: [[Image:Love - Engagement.jpg|80px]]. So, see your page now. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:46, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

Image
Hey Betsy...Great image! Jenny O 03:25, 3 September 2008 (UTC)

Question
James: I have added a few more images and had fun doing so, however one doesn't appear to want to go in - see section 4 on Social Thinking. I have taken out the spaces just in case that was the problem, however that made no difference, unless there is something re the copyright, although I thought I had checked that (albeit quickly). Betsy 08:33, 3 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Looks like you don't have the exact name - here's the link: Image:Auguste Rodin - Grubleren 2005-03.jpg. Note that there should be no space after the colon, but in the name there are spaces before and after the dash. If you fix this up on your page, the image will display. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:40, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

- [By the way thanks for helping with the relationships picture]
 * That's fine. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:40, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

- ALSO : when I went in to edit section 3, Lecture: Film: Ghosts of Rwanda - I get a message saying the page is too long.Betsy 09:00, 3 September 2008 (UTC)
 * We have improved the meaningfulness of the message that displays. This doesn't really matter, it's a warning that there is a lot of content on the page and/or section. So you can ignore. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:40, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

- ALSO : can I link one section of my E-portfolio to another? say if I want to put a link from the groups section to the aggression section.
 * Ah, good question, yes you can (and it is good idea to provide this kind of linking/weaving). The easiest way to do it, is to link to section headings. A link is created like this: . Since that will be a little bit ugly (shows the #), you can rename the link like this: Renaming of the link . Here's a real example for this page. Well done, Betsy. Ever since I showed you how to sign your signature, you've been adding it to your messages.. The syntax for this link was sign your signature . -- Jtneill - Talk - c 04:40, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Hi Betsy
Hey Betsy, Sorry for the late reply in my wiki ignorance neglected to notice the discussion page on week 6. I think you may b right about women "knowing their place" but I find it really sad that in this day and age the old seteotype still exists. Thank you for looking at my page, I see you have done a lot of work on yours and what I have read so far is excellent! No doubt you will be hearing again from me soon when I feel more intelligible! MandaG 02:57, 11 September 2008 (UTC)MandaG

Image captions
Well done on getting images into your portfolio! A next step with these could be to add captions. On your page I edited the places where can add captions, with this text: "This is where a caption can go...". You can edit your page, delete that text from each image, and replace with your own caption. Hope this helps. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 13:27, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

 * I hope you don't mind, James, but I didn't want any captions against the pictures, just the pictures by themselves.Betsy 00:33, 15 September 2008 (UTC) - I thought the pictures would just link up with the subject matter for that section - however I may re-think and possibly add some .......

 * That's fine; entirely up to you, feel free not to do this (and remove my changes). In general, though, I tend to find that a bit of explanation about the image can help to make the link to the text for a reader. Note also that in 'academia', images are generally captioned, although the e-portfolio is not expected to be a strictly academic exercise - more important is its function as a reflective exercise. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 00:49, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

 * I might add that I do not always caption images, especially if it is a "good" match to the text. But sometimes I do. Sometimes some of your main text could actually be inserted (cut and pasted) as an image caption. This can be a way to improve the layout - e.g., like a 'feature' box in the textbook. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 00:53, 15 September 2008 (UTC)

Social psychology and population density
I've started this page to brainstorm some ideas (can be done collaboratively) e.g., no reason we can't plan a "table of contents" or something like that and discuss it. I've also altered the question slightly to refer to "high" rather than "rising". -- Jtneill - Talk - c 14:36, 16 September 2008 (UTC)

QUESTION
J: HELP!: Having a spot of bother trying to narrow down my topic. Still researching too broadly. Some of the searching I have been doing has revolved around the following terms: overpopulation / world population / population growth / privacy, personal space, social isolation, human crowding, territoriality (not searched yet), / high density living / learned helplessness / etc etc etc

Anyway, thought the essay topic should revolve around the terms in the chapter on groups and/or environment, however this is still too broad and although I have found four articles that might be of use and others that aren't really and five or so books that range from 'no use' to 'good but still not really helping me to really focus'. The topics seems to go hand in hand but to give them proper consideration can't be done in 3,000 words so I need to be very specific. This is the first time I have done searches and come up with lots of useless or only moderately useful material. I have even come up with blanks! What to do. Anyway - will read what I have and see if a librarian can help. I just can't seem to get my head around the topic. It just seems too big.Betsy 11:23, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

 * One way from here could be to refine/renegotiate the topic/question - you've done enough it seems to me to get a feel for what is out there and also perhaps to know what interests you in particular around this topic. Would you like to propose a related, but different essay question? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:02, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Tutorial Four
Hi Betsy, If you would like some more information on Tutorial 4 James' notes and links are very useful (see Tutorial 4). I have posted some notes on my Tutorial Reflections page, but I'm also happy to give you an update when I see you next. Regards Jenny O 11:16, 26 September 2008 (UTC)

title: User talk:Betsy


text:
User talk:Starcaster88

--Juan 06:50, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

How to work effectively
Hi, I have seen your editation in User:Starcaster88. Could you use more "Show preview" instead of "Save page" after each edit? I mean if you click on "Show preview" it will shouw you the page how it will look like after saving. Via this system, you can do more edits without saving each one. Its has also many advantages, such as the history: is not so long. And if you provide and edit summary to that line which is up from "Save page", leter on you can easily find and appropriate version i.e. appropriate change.

E.g. my edit summary for these edits: "welcome temlate; information about "Show preview" and writing edit summary" can be find in history of this page: --Juan 06:50, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User talk:Starcaster88


text:
User:Tegan H

Introduction/Definitions
Welcome to my E-Portfolio! I have enjoyed compiling my thoughts, opinions and questions on the following topics - defined in the contents box above - relating to Social Psychology and hope you find the issues I have raised interesting...Tegan H.

It's always good to begin with some definitions...

So..Social Psychology is:
 * "Aiming for a broad understanding of how human beings think, feel and act and how an individual's thoughts, feelings and behaviours are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others" (Allport, 1935)
 * "Concerned with the effects of personal and situational influences on such thoughts, feeling and behaviours (effectively, it involves the person-situation debate)" (Lewin)
 * "An examination of social dynamics, being between two people, between a individual and a group and between groups"
 * "Centred around three main fields; Social perception (How we interpret social objects), Social influence (Attitudes and behaviours brought about by others) and Social interaction (how we interact with others in the social world)"
 * "Not content with just knowing what people do; it explores why they do it"

The Self
Now, as for the whole nature v. nurture debate...As a biology major I have heard about this more than enough! (and the following argument may reflect my biological background/persuasions). What interested me most (in the beginning of Chapter 2 in Baumeister & Bushman's "Social Psychology & Human Nautre) was 'Brenda's' story, who was raised as a female although biologically male. More about this story can be found at : . The important finding of this so called 'experiment' is that there are limits to the power of socialisation. Relating this issue to the concept of the 'self', we understand the 'self' to be partially stable (indicating a genetically determined character) and partially changing (able to adapt to life changes). If this is the case (again relating it to 'Brenda's' situation) it should be noted that this definition of the 'self' may indeed be more complex. Should it not be weighted to say that genetics play the most major role in 'self' determination and the malleability of self is only possible in certain circumstances (as malleability -in the end- most definitley did not apply to 'Brenda')? Rightly, the definition of 'self' has evolved into encompassing more complex ideas, including being situationally and cognitively influenced, but is it now totally correct? Supporting evidence is the following study on similar circumstances by William G. Reiner (2004) who suggested that "children who are born genetically and hormonally male may identify themselves as males despite being raised as females and undergoing feminizing genitoplasty at birth...clinical interventions for such neonates should be reconsidered in the light of these findings". It must also be noted that 'Brenda' suffered low self esteem, perhaps heightened self-awareness and as a result of her situation, had poor self-concept. However, this brings us back to nature v. nurture debate and although it is usually widely accepted that actions/behaviours are a result of a cross between the two, the round-about of argument between the two concepts begins again! From a more 'real life' perspective on this issue, what were the parents thinking raising a boy as a girl? Did they not expect medical technology to improve? Did they not question the doctors' suggestions of raising 'Brenda' and not 'Bruce'? How could you look at your own child as a girl knowing full well this was not as he was intended to be?....

Tegan H (07/08/08)

Social Thinking
The issues of social perception and attribution.

Social Perception- “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, this is what we have always been told, right? Do we actually pay attention to this statement? Relating back to self complexity, I believe it true that we perceive ourselves as more complex than those around us. I also believe this effectively belittles most others’ aptitudes and competences. If we are social creatures, then judging others should be socially accepted. However, how often do we appraise someone we do not know as having positive qualities, especially someone who is seemingly, outwardly similar to yourself? Do you usually find something negative pertaining to a person that you would not attribute to yourself? Perhaps this negative judgement can be attributed to evolutionary history, in that we see all others as competition. It is also a way in which to elevate and justify our self-perceptions and self-esteem. As a self-professed ‘people watcher’, it is not until I sit and dwell over this issue that it becomes apparent to me that I may be too harsh on the odd passer-by. Are you in agreeance based on your own judgements of others? As discussed in the second tutorial, the main method of communication is revealed through body language. In relating this to negative judgements, I also find it interesting that based solely on this channel of communication we are able to make such strong judgements of a person. Has it not been shown that not all body language is decipherable? And does body language expression not change from individual to individual? Yet, we still make judgements based on this behaviour! Attributions- Linking with the ideas just discussed, how many times have you found yourself evaluating someone’s actions, then within a group, attempting to find the cause of those actions? According to attribution theory, we do this as to reduce the discrepancy between observed actions and causal explanations. The negative judgements we make of others are well explained by the internal and external attributions theory. According to this theory we have a tendency to make internal attributions when thinking of others. Another theory that explains negative judgment is that of the correspondent inference theory which assumes that others’ behaviour is accredited to characteristics of the actor. In all of this, I find it amusing that we often judge others and their decisions and actions as negative, as, in all probability, they are like us! We are very much, ‘Self-Serving’ beings.

Social Conformity- Another interesting topic for me! As much as we like to believe we are individual beings that stand up for our own beliefs, in fact, we stand up for others’ beliefs as well - according to social conformity. We all feel the need to belong to a group of some sort, but we portray ourselves as independent! A classic example of conformity is the Asch conformity experiment

Tegan H (15/08/08)

Aggression
“Behaviour directed toward the goal of harming or injuring another living being, who is motivated to avoid such treatment” The Ghosts of Rwanda background information:

I was completely devastated watching this documentary. I have never been more silent for two hours in my life, this film brought complete silence. Words that come to mind include disgust, anger, bewilderment, shame and shock. How could this have happened? The slaughter of 800 000 people. Although the plea for help was sent, the world ignored this slaughter, literally turning their backs. With all the strength the US military forces carry, the issue was ‘out of their hands’, ‘there was nothing they could have done’. Disgusting, ignorant and inexcusable. How do the people who did nothing sleep at night? “It’s not within our [Americans] interests”. What happened to morals and ethics and the basic human right? In 1994.... How could this have happened? One particular scene from the film saw me gasp. Shot from atop a hill, in the street in the distance lay bound Tutsi’s, a man wielding a large machete stood over them. He raised his machete and slammed it into one of the men lying bound on the ground. I still don’t understand the strong cultural rift, prejudice and racism between the Hutu’s and the Tutsi’s, let alone the deindividuation that allows human beings to slaughter other human beings and not think twice about it.

Tegan H (23/08/08)

Prejudice
Prejudice- “A negative feeling toward an individual based solely on his or her membership in a particular group”

It can be said that prejudice evolved as a function of our evolutionary development as it is a protective mechanism for survival- Darwin’s famous ‘survival of the fittest’ principle. For primitive explanations, this principle works brilliantly. As for our more advanced society, it cannot be used as an excuse. I’m sure that there is someone or something you don’t like about a particular person and when someone else comes along that you perceive as having the same qualities as those u dislike, you are immediately ‘turned off’. It seems that we don’t have the cognitive resources to see everyone as unique individuals; hence we stereotype and are discriminatory beings. Do we not judge ourselves as being the complete opposite of this concept? We try to pride ourselves on giving everyone a fair go. But do we really? Perfect examples of this lack of ‘a fair go’ are racism and obesity.

Racism- Apparently there has been a decline in ‘old fashioned’ racism, which essentially involved segregation of dark-skinned individuals, however the ‘modernisation’ of racism suggests that we want equality for all, yet still have negative connotations toward others not of our own race. “. The following, recent study by Plant and Peruche in 2005 examined police officers responses to criminal suspects based on race. Initial responses to the computer simulation of criminal suspects revealed that officers were more likely to ‘mistakenly’ shoot unarmed black compared to unarmed white suspects. Other studies using everyday participants have concluded that “when viewing an ambiguous scene with a possibly dangerous man who may or may not be armed, a person is more likely to shoot a black man than a white man”. It is therefore obvious that there really hasn’t been much of a decline in racist attitudes, perhaps it is just that these attitudes are no longer as strongly verbalised as they once were. This discussion could roll on and on, hence the reason I will move onto a very prominent issue in society- obesity.

Obesity- In Australia, in 2000, there were approximately 19.3% of men and 22.2% of women classed as obese. This problem is of high health concern as the chronic diseases that accompany it, such as: Type 2 diabetes- which can lead to further medical ramifications, including retinopathy (blindness), nephropathy (kidney failure), heart disease, and it is also associated with peripheral vascular disease, which often results in ulceration, gangrene, possible amputation and death; Heart disease- Contributing  factors leading to the development of heart disease include obesity and diabetes, as well as high blood pressure and high cholesterol (which are prominent in those overweight); Some cancers- including breast (post-menopausal), colon, endometrial, esophageal, kidney  and prostate; and finally, ailing mental health is attributed to obesity. With all of this considered- we still divert attention from these important health issues and judge the overweight solely on appearance, stereotyping those even slightly overweight as ‘lazy and slow’, ‘always hungry or eating too much’, ‘and unhappy because they’re fat’. This has been exacerbated by the media and fashion industry- who always show prejudice against even ‘normal’ sized men and women (the average size woman wears a size 12-14), let alone the overweight. This is demonstrated with magazine titles dishing ‘Fat Celebrities” and by not having models that wear anything over a size 6. This causes and endless bound of problems for those who are ‘overweight’ in respect to this unrealistic image with which we are constantly presented. These problems include crash dieting- which is also harmful to long term health. Digressing- In a bid to change this Kate Ellis- the minister for youth- proposes to bring in a code of conduct requiring fashion magazines to feature normal-sized models and disclose the use of enhanced photos. It’s about time!

Finally- here’s a video of a man discussing intolerance toward the obese. He makes some very valid and interesting points, including the quote “No human condition, not race, religion, gender, ethnicity or disease state compares to obesity in prevalence and prejudice, mortality and morbidity, sickness and stigma”.

Tegan H (02/09/08)

Relationships
This topic seems quite straight forward to me- especially when observing the first principle presented in the text, “The need to belong”. Affiliation- or the need to belong- is a defining human characteristic that involves forming and maintaining close lasting relationships with other individuals. This belongingness consists of the perception that we have quality contact with others. We seek balance, regularity and stability in out contact with others. Those who ‘do not belong’ suffer consequences such as increased mental and physical health problems. The subject of ‘not belonging’ can also be related to school bullying- as those who have few friends at school (whether it is for lack of those who share the same interests or shyness) are often ridiculed for being outcasts.

Attraction- What makes someone attractive to you? People often say they have little or no regard for appearance of a partner, however, how do u initially know if u are attracted to someone- of course it’s all about appearance. As stated by Bjorn Carey (2005) “To figure out how we pick mates, scientists have measured every shape and angle of the human face, studied the symmetry of dancers, crafted formulas from the measurements of Playboy models, and had both men and women rank attractiveness based on smelling armpit sweat”. This article provides a condensation of a few scientific findings- it’s quite interesting! Beyond that, once you have an understanding of a person’s characteristics and traits- and you are attracted to them of course- I believe each individual seeks something difference from a relationship (based on personal history- which could include upbringing and previous relationships). I guess this then also stems back to attachment styles and personality. As for the principle of similarity in attractiveness- and speaking from personal experience- I’m not necessarily convinced you must be overly similar to your partner in order to stay together.

Love- The way you love a friend is different to the way you love your mother which is different again to the way to you your partner. A question I have on the two types of love- those being passionate and companionate- is when does the former turn into the latter? Does this depend on the couple? On how and when and what age they met? Can you not combine these two? Why does passion ‘die’? More importantly, why does it have to ‘die’?

Types of Relationships- The distinction made between Exchange v. Communal relationships was very interesting to me. Having seen both in action I definitely agree that A communal relationship-based on love which disregards concern of the expectation of repayment, reciprocity and fairness- is more desirable, however, can this induce problems as well, i.e. one partner doting on another constantly and not receiving a single thing in return- surely there has to a degree of give and take! For more on this see:

Tegan H (25/09/08)

Groups and Leadership
''A group is a collection of people who are doing or being something together. This includes sharing a common identity or definition and acting in accordance with that definition''.

Every group has a unique personality of its own. This is due to the individuals that come together to form it, each often having different skills and interests. The group then takes on an identity of its own as these individuals come together, exchanging ideas and learning from each other. This then makes it difficult for social psychology to define groups on a specific level; rather, it must define groups using the larger more obvious traits and actions.

Think of your family. I’m sure you can identify some unique ideas skills and roles that makes yours different from all other families. When one of you is away, the group dynamic changes which affects functioning of the group. For example, another member of the family will have to compensate for your absence by, say, completing one of your chores. So in this light, groups influence and are dependent on every member to function as usual. As you would know from working in a group at some point, as well all must do it, it can be a painful experience rather than a positive one. Loafing suggests that people often decrease effort when working in a group. Are you the person that often ‘picks up the slack’ for the loafer; are you the ‘sucker’? Some helpful pointers for reducing the incidence of social loafing include: making everyone accountable, placing a value on the task, giving everyone something unique to contribute and keeping group cohesiveness by holding regularly meetings.

One example of this loafing on a larger scale is global warming – the climate change initiative. We wish to do our part but do not want to be a ‘sucker’ and do as much as possible, spending all available funds, when other countries do nothing. This brings about what is known as a ‘commons dilemma’ which states that if all cooperate then all gain, whereas if all compete, all will lose. The latter represents the climate change initiative perfectly. We are doing the minimal amount (or nothing) to get the short term gains and recognition, but this is in disregard to future consequences with which we will suffer. As stated on A Current Affair “Of Course, it’s all our fault. If we don’t act now, if we don’t change our way of life, the world as we know it is finished....can we afford to sit back, do nothing and hope for the best?” This is a perfect example of the disadvantages of groups, the ultimate social dilemma and competition that will lead to disastrous consequences for the human race.

Another disadvantage of groups is deindividuation. This term signifies loss of individuality, including individual accountability and reduction of self awareness, mainly due to the presence of others. Being anonymous makes people more willing to violate social norms. Thus, deindivduation makes people more willing to behave badly and they cease worrying what others think of them. Holding people accountable for their actions is one way to stop this behaviour. A fictitious example is played out in a scene from Law and Order

Tutorial-

The tutorial this week was very interesting! Firstly we discussed a few ‘fuzzy concepts’:

Social Capital- We discussed this as being the quality of social networks, community involvement and positive connections. My question is...has this somewhat disintegrated as we are now more technology centred? We would rather sit at home emailing someone or a collective group of people instead of meeting them as discussing issues face-to-face. Social capital is meant to be about building and facilitating healthy social contact- are we forgoing this now? Or are we changing the way in which it occurs?

Zeitgeist- We discussed this as meaning ‘spirit of the times’, the general culture, education and morals of a given era. This effectively answers my question above. The general culture is a technological one, hence, it can be seen that zeitgeist has influence on social capital.

Social Disengagement- Meaning social isolation from society and disconnection. This again links with my questioning above. Yes, zeitgeist influences social capital, but does it do this positively or in a negative fashion, inducing social disengagement? I agree with the negative effects, as does Bassuk, Glass & Berkman (1999) who examined social ties and cognitive decline. They found that those with fewer ties were at increased risk for incident cognitive decline

We were then asked to outline what we believed to be the three most prominent social issues in society today. Mine were as follows:
 * Isolation
 * Materialism
 * Lack of ‘Community’

Of these I am most passionate about the ‘lack of community’. I often reminisce of times when I was younger. I remember our somewhat small estate used to have a huge Christmas party every year. We would have a visit from Santa and all the kids would get a toy, the parents would chat and everyone would enjoy themselves immensely. The most exciting part was the ride-on mower race which all fathers took part in. This no longer happens and hasn’t for some time. I believe our community has suffered as a consequence as our streets are in desperate need to re-taring (among other things) and we have little or no contact with others in our street, let alone our estate. I’m sure there are many reasons why we can’t and aren’t taking the time to get together for a laugh and to discuss issues within our community, the main reason I believe pertains to the interlinked topics above- social capital, zeitgeist and social disengagement.

Finally- I found this inspiring video on Youtube - alittle corny, but it gets you thinking!

Tegan H (03/10/08)

Pro-social Behaviour
Probably the most interesting topic for me – Also my essay topic!

"In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us" - Flora Edwards

Firstly- what is Pro-social behaviour?

An example of such pro-social behaviour is the site you are visiting right now, Wikiversity! Relating to the previous post, this is a prime example of building ‘social capital’ through our current zeitgeist, technology.

Definition:

Pro-social behaviour is a category of helping and a broad term that cites multiple motivations. These include the intent to improve the situation of the help recipient, to uphold moral values, to prevent damage to an object (practical concerns) and for self- reward which involves the desire for reciprocity or a reward (either concrete or based on social approval). As stated by Frey & Meier (2004) those acting in the interest of pro-sociality not only care about the utility of others but take their own utility into account.

A prime example of such behaviour, as given by Beirhoff (2002), is of a father who in teaching his daughter to use a new computer avoids aggravation of her incessant questioning over what steps to take next when attempting to complete a task. Acting out of personal distress, rather than empathetic unease, the motivation to instruct his daughter is self-centred, primarily assisting him.

This brings about the notion of helping for personal egotistic needs, a very prominently discussed issue around this topic. The debate supporting this egotistically centred viewpoint is only exacerbated by the notion of Altruism.

Altruism comprises the idea of a selfless act of providing aid to another that has no beneficial ramifications for one-self, often occurring at the expense of one’s own interests. In other words, it entails complete selflessness and the dedication to the welfare of others in a rather inspirational self-sacrifice (Mastain, 2006).

The question here is ‘does altruism exist’? Is all behaviour more pro-social in that we always receive some personal reward for helping another (even if it is just a positive emotion)?

Some points against altruism:
 * Egoism is indeed a part of human nature and possibly part of helping another
 * Human beings often help others because in doing so they are exposed to positive self-esteem or praise from their peers, reciprocity, a good reputation or even evasion of the guilt they would later feel if they avoided helping (as explained by the negative-state relief theory)
 * An interesting study conducted by Clary & Snyder (1999) noted most motivations to volunteer were egotistic in nature. These included: The need to learn more about the world, psychologically bettering oneself, to gain career related experience and ‘get a foot in the door, to strengthen social relationships and volunteering as a way to reduce negative feelings such as guilt

Some points in favour of altruism:
 * The fact that human beings are sometimes motivated to help other human beings in an attempt to satisfy their own egotistic needs does not prove that altruism does not exist
 * Altruism does indeed exist (as shown by the theory known as the empathy-altruism hypothesis) especially in situations of kin involvement and when the helper is highly empathetically aroused
 * An altruistic individual in a suitably stable environment will find themselves in the presence of other altruistic individuals
 * A lesser number of individuals in a group will promote cooperation and thus altruism- this relates to the bystander effect
 * Altruism will occur when the cost of an act is less than the benefit multiplied by relation to the one in need
 * Altruistic helping increases in high need situations such as in raising money for cancer sufferers and in robbery situations where the victim appears poor

Drawing conclusions on this debate has proven very difficult over time. The conclusion I myself have drawn is that the debate over the existence of genuine altruism is a strong one (and it would definitely be a shame to disregard all helping as selfish); however the egotistical perspective of behaviour still makes many fine points. Therefore, it can be said that while in agreeance with the existence of altruism, a restriction in arguing in its favour is that the only one who truly knows the motivation for an act that has benefit for another is the actor.

Have you ever acted altruistically?

One question raised during this debate is whether an act can be originally altruistic - in that at the time you are only concerned for another – but can turn into something more of a pro-social nature - as after the activity you receive praise and are thus egotistically satisfied ? Should this then be classified as an altruistic act or a pro-social act? Or should it be categorised as something completely different?

An example around this question is of those that help another without thinking about it initially yet later receive praise in the form of a bravery award. There are many examples of such bravery, including the case of Grafton teenagers Corey Warburton and Michael Bethune who were awarded a NSW Police Force commendation for their bravery in saving an elderly Grafton woman, Joylyn Peneder, from drowning. Corey happened to be walking over the Grafton Bridge when he noticed Ms Peneder struggling in the water below. With no regard for his own safety, Corey jumped from the bridge into the Clarence River 15 meters below to save her. Michael, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, noticed the rescue from the banks of the river and entered the icy waters to help a tiring Corey and Ms Peneder back to shore. Corey said: "I saw her move her hand towards her face and I kind of, without hesitation, ripped me shirt off and me shoes and dove in". Chief Inspector Paul Klievens said "The boys appear to have acted distinctively and decidedly and haven't really thought about the possible consequences to themselves. They've just gone in with the aim of rescuing this woman"

References-

Frey, B.S., & Meier, S. (2004). Pro-social behavior in a natural setting. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 54, 65–88.

Beirhoff, H.W. (2002). Prosocial behaviour. New York: Psychology Press.

Mastain, L. (2006). The lived experience of spontaneous altruism: A phenomenological study. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 37, 25-52.

Clary, E.G., & Synder, M. (1999). The motivations to volunteer: Theoretical and practical considerations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 156-159.

Tegan H (13/10/08)

Environmental Psychology
“We shape our environments and our environments shape us”

Environmental psychology examines the interactions between humans and their environments specifying two types of investigation: Between humans and artificial (built) environments and also between humans and the natural environment. Originally environmental psychology only focused on how the environment effects human thoughts, feelings and behaviors, now however, it also outlines the effects human actions have on the environment. The latter has developed to the extent that it now has assumed greater importance. This has grown to such an extent that suburbs are now being designed to be environmentally sound- this indicates the recent impact environmental psychology has had on our society.

I have always been an advocate for ‘getting out there amongst it’. By this I mean outside, in nature! The idea that humans have an innate tendency to prefer natural environments over artificial ones and that these natural environments have positive psychological effects is most definitely something I believe in. The natural environment has many positive outcomes for human health. These include mood elevation. When was the last time you stepped out and ‘smelt the roses’, I mean literally smelt the roses?! If doing this doesn’t leave you with a smile on your face, I’m not sure what would!. An ‘out of the ordinary’, relevant study concerned with the effect of flowers on mood conducted by Haviland-Jones, Rosario, Wilson & McGuire (2005) found that flowers have instantaneous and enduring effects on emotional reactions, mood, social behaviors and even memory for both females and males.

The idea of a so called ‘Green Prescription’ was an eye opener for me. Stepping out of a dingy, dark, uninviting office and taking clients ‘walking and talking’ is a very inviting concept. Effectively you would be treating a patient as you consult them, with thanks to the environment. As for general practitioners merely prescribing outdoor activity such as exercise, one study by Swinburn et al. (1998), suggested that sedentary patients who receive a ‘green prescription’ significantly increased their outdoor physical activity. However, I’m not entirely convinced that this would be as effective as actually ‘taking the consultation outside’ as a psychologist could.

Tegan H (21/10/08)

title: User:Tegan H


text:
Assistant teacher course/Individual curriculum/Logic

Logic
A course in logic can cover topics from mathematics, computer science@undefined and philosophy and all types of logical puzzles. A special emphasis can be on exercises where common sense errs, which implies a focus on logical fallacies, cognitive biases and the field of stochastics. A possible mode for a voluntary course is to invite pupils to gather and to prepare logical puzzles for presentation in the course.


text: Portal:Social entrepreneurship/Curriculum/General/Understanding Developing Communities


text:
User:Rinna

Corinna's E-Portfolio
Welcome to my social psychology e-portfolio. My name is Corinna. I am in my final semester of a psychology degree at the University of Canberra. Currently I am undertaking a unit, social psychology that requires me to record my learning in an e-portfolio. My aim for my e-portfolio is to create a record of my learning that is unique to my personal opinion and experience. I do not want my e-portfolio to simply be a regurgitation of definitions from the textbook and examples already used in lectures, as I think that would be the most painful piece of writing for my lecturer to read, and it really does not prove my engagement with the various topics and theories. I plan to document theories that I personally find most interesting and ideas that are applicable to my own life experience, that can serve as real-life examples to these social psychological concepts.

Before I get into it, I just want to mention how much I am looking forward to engaging in this unit. I actually took psychology as a major in college, where we spend a semester studying social psychology, and I need to say that it was my absolutely most favourite course ever. I find the theories so interesting. I believe it is an understudied area and I think there is a lot that can still be learned about people and why they behave the way they do in the social world that we live in.

Topic One: Introduction
•	Social psychology- “a branch of psychology that seeks a broad understanding of how human beings think, act, and feel” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p. 8).

A Career in Social Psychology
When reading chapter one, I was surprised to see all of the different ways that social psychologists can work in other branches of psychology, such as clinical psychology and developmental psychology. As I am in my final year of the bachelors program, I am seriously trying to narrow down my specialised psychology interests, so that I have an idea about where I want to go from here. Social psychology is an area that I find very appealing, however to be honest, up until this point I have been unsure how what sort of work they actually do in their field, besides from research, so it was good to see that there are other areas where their knowledge and skills can be utilised.

Social Comparison and Performance
I found the Norman Triplett cycling experiment, believed to be the first recorded social psychology experiment interesting and very applicable. I myself, used to be a very competitive dancer, and from a very young age I became aware of the huge difference in my performance between when I was dancing in a competition or even at class amongst my peers, compared to when I practiced alone at home. In fact, one year our teacher caught onto this phenomenon and scheduled more classes so that we would get in more hours of dance practice where we were actually dancing to our potential, and not simply practicing sloppy, bad habits when nobody was watching.

Nature Says Go, Culture Says Stop
I found chapter two of the text quite interesting, which looked at nature and culture. There was a section of the chapter entitled 'nature says go, culture says stop', which made the point that there are many behaviours that we as humans are compelled to engage in (the prime example being sex out of marriage/ at a young age/ with multiple partners) that our cultural norms are opposed to. This made me realise how strong our need to be accepted in society is. If each person deep down wants to behave in these 'culturally deviant' ways, then why do they too perpetuate the norms that influence others not to engage in these behaviours, almost like they are holding themselves back? I guess I wonder what it would take to break down some of these cultural ideals, whether the answer lies in numbers, religion or beliefs etc.

Topic Two: Social Self
•	Social (interpersonal) self- “the image of the self that is conveyed to others” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.72).

Self-Presentation
I really do not know how to comment on the 'self-esteem, self-deception, positive illusion, and self-presentation concepts outlined in the text. To be honest they make me feel strange inside. I know that I myself am also guilty of trying to present myself in a particular way to make an impression or convey some image, but I really wish that I did not. I really do not like the idea of this kind of behaviour, but I understand that it is inevitable, and it does serve as a function of our social world. It immediately makes me think of those awful years of mid-adolescence, where kids will do anything to be liked by others, often harming themselves either physically or emotionally, which is really scary.

Topic Three: Social Thinking
•	Social Thinking- “any sort of thinking by people about people and about social relationships” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.147).

People Thinking About People
I enjoyed reading the textbook chapter about social cognition. It was interesting to read that people think about other people more than they think about any other topic. I too am very guilty of this, and it is a major part of why I chose to study psychology at university. My mum recalls that from a very young age I was interested in finding out everything I could about people. I was very big on ‘staring’, and would ask the most embarrassing questions related to people (often in front of them). Even today I will catch myself trying to use clues (clothing, friends, textbooks) to decipher people’s personalities. I suppose I use schemas and heuristics to make these assumptions, which can be correct, but will often result in stereotyping people.

Self-Serving Bias
I found the concept of the ‘self-serving bias’ really funny, as I know so many people who do take so much credit for their success, but cannot accept their failure. One of my really close friends always implements a self-serving bias every time he receives university work back. Whenever he does really well he will gloat about how intelligent he is or how much effort he put into the assignment or exam study. However, when he does poorly, he attributes his low grades to really unfair marking, a tutor that doesn’t like him, or an exceptionally hard piece of assessment. I however know him well enough to see the real patterns in his scores, and I can assure that they result solely from the effort he puts into the assessment item, because contrary to what he believes, he does put excessive amounts of effort into some assignments (usually for topics that he’s interested in), but will cram others. I just wonder whether people are aware when they do this and are simply trying to make themselves feel better, or whether they genuinely fool themselves, and cannot see this phenomenon.

Topic Four: Aggression
•	Aggression- “any behaviour intended to harm another person who is motivated to avoid the harm” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.292).

•	Anti-social behaviour- "behaviour that either damages interpersonal relationships or is culturally undesirable" (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.294).

Domestic Violence and Gender
I came across a section of the textbook entitled, 'domestic and relationship violence'. It was very interesting to read that women actully abuse their partners more than men do. I am sure this is a fact that the majority of Australians are oblivious to, except for the poor vctims of the abuse. It is outlined that they do not cause as much harm, so I woud be interested to find out what actually are the effects of this abuse, and if some men even realise that it is occurring. On reflection, I know that once in a while I give my partner a litte slap or push, but always in a joking, friendly way, and it is seen as cute or playful by thosse around me. But I wonder how a teeny little slap or push would go down if the roles were reversed. I defintely know that the public and my friends wouldn't approve of it, and it would take me by suprise. It's just so strange that society has different norms about this form of aggressive behaviour for different genders. We examined the issue of women beating their husbands in one of my other classes this semester, and it was amazing to find that there are few (if any) services available that offer to assist with this problem. In fact, there have been many reports of men being turned any from domestic abuse shelters by services that do not yet see this issue as a problem.

Topic Five: Prejudice
•	Prejudice- “a negative feeling toward an individual based solely on his or her membership in a particular group” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.403).

The Australian Eye
We watched Jane Elliot’s, 'The Australian Eye' in our tutorial this week, which I just love. I first saw this experiment in year 12, and I still enjoy watching it. My tutorial class did not take to the DVD very well, and I can understand that a lot of people cannot cope with Jane’s confrontational way of proving a point. I personally think that her methods are very effective at teaching people about prejudice as she gives them a first hand feel to it. Some members of my class were shocked to witness the way that Jane treated the elderly man who wanted a seat. I myself understood the point Jane was making by kicking him out of the class. People who are victims of prejudice are almost always also victims of unjustified stereotypes. They virtually go hand in hand. Indigenous Australians are victims of a wide range of stereotypes, and are treated as a whole, not as individuals. Very rarely do people make room for individual exceptions with Indigenous Australians, which is the point the Jane was making in her interactions with the elderly man. I believe that white Australians have a very ‘get over it and get on with it’ approach towards Indigenous Australians, and most attempts to improve their wellbeing has been a result of what white Australians think they need and want, and not facilitated by the needs and wants of Indigenous Australian’s themselves.

Ghosts of Rwanda
We also watched the movie ‘Ghosts of Rwanda’, which was just so sad. What stood out to me most was that there was no substantial difference between the Tutsi's and the Hutu's. The two groups were formed based solely on a minor physical feature. Initially I thought this was just a one off phenomenon, but then it occurred to me how often if actually occurs. When it comes down to it, most prejudice is a result of a minor difference between two groups of people, often a physical feature. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people could just see this and realise that their prejudice is unsubstantiated.

Topic Six: Relationships
Close relationships are really strange things, and I never understand the norms and ideals that are attached to relationships. For example, my boyfriend and I have been together for almost 5 years, since we were 16, and we receive such mixed reactions about it from people. Some people think it is so sweet and believe that we are a great match and should work hard to maintain our relationship, and other people think we are crazy (particularly because we are each others first serious partners) and should not be in a serious relationship until we ‘try’ other people first. The most frustrating thing is having people tell you that your relationship will not last. I personally believe that every relationship is different because every individual is different, and when two people are joined through a relationship, they bring unique qualities to the table, not found in any other relationship.

Topic Seven: Groups
•	Group- “a collection of at least two people who are doing or being something together” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.480).

In-Groups and Out-Groups
Back in the very first tutorial we completed an exercise where James called out different attributes such as birth order and where we live, and we had to form groups with other people who has the same attribute as us. It was interesting as people began to get very competitive about which attributes were better and very subtly would make others feel very much like an outsider. This is interesting as it shows that in-goups and out-groups can form  almost instantly, even when people know that the next minute they will reform into a new group with members of the current out-group.

One of the groups that we had to split into was blue eyes and brown eyes. As my eyes are a crazy hazel that will change with the weather, I was a little unsure which group to join. First I tried the brown eye group, but they said my eyes were too light and I should join the blue eyed group, which I attempted until members of that group believed that my eyes did not fit the blue/green criteria and I didn't belong. I was torn between two group that didn't want me. After reflecting on this for a few weeks, I realised how common this event must be for some people. I could imagine that there must be people who don't feel a part of certain racial categories or sexual orientation categories as an example, which must be very hard for people. A great example of this is my best friend from high school who was born in India but raised in Australia. Once I asked her what cricket team she cheers for. What she went on to tll me was suprising. She claimed that when she's in Australia people see her as an outsider because of her appearance, so she sees herself as very much Indian. However, when she visits India, locals can easily tell that she is a foreigner due to her accent and mannerisms, so she is again treated differently, and sees herself as Australian. If only we didn't have such strict and defined rules about membership of certain groups, people would feel more like they belong.

Topic Eight: Pro-social
•	Pro-social behaviour- “doing something that is good for other people or for society as a whole” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.254).

Charitable Behaviours
Pro-social behaviour is an interesting topic. The textbook puts forward the question, ‘is altruism possible?’ I have often wondered if it is. I personally feel that a lot of people here in Australia donate money to charities purely because they feel pressure to, they want to look good in front of other people, or some may even wish to receive ‘good karma’ from doing good deeds. I myself have done this. I went to catholic schools for all of my schooling where almost every week we held cake stalls or raffles to raise money for charities. I honestly cannot remember a time when I donated my time or money to the cause simply for altruistic reasons. It was always to gain some sort of reward or status, whether it was gaining something such as a cake or sausage, or to win points for my house group, or to look good in front of teachers and friends. This was all very different however, at the beginning of this year when my boyfriend and I went on a trip to China. We traveled all around the country from the well known cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, to less Westernised cities such as Xian, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. We saw some amazing sights, but boy did we see some poverty. We saw everything from beggars with no legs wheeling themselves around on homemade skateboards, to a young woman trying to entertain and educate her little boys whilst begging for their next meal, to a teenage boy being physically beaten out of a McDonalds for eating scraps out of the bins, to a teenage girl pleading for money to pay for the removal of her brain tumor (and she had the CAT scans laid out on the ground to prove it). Oh it makes me sick just thinking about it, and the extent to which we are sheltered from it here in Australia. Innately, I knew that I had to help. It was like everything that my Catholic schooling had taught me about helping those in need came out all at once, but I did not even realise it. Not once did I think about how I looked in front of others, or what I was gaining. I didn’t even worry about what I was losing. Perhaps deep down I felt like I needed to ‘pay it forward’ because I come from such a privileged country, but whatever the reason, I just needed to help them. So I donated money toward the young girls operation, and bought biscuits and water for the little boys and their mother, and paid for a McDonald’s meal for the teenage boy. Anyway, in summary I think that altruism is possible. Sometimes I think it just may take an overwhelming or tragic situation to bring out this quality in people, otherwise they are willing to sit back and watch it all go by.

The Bystander Effect
This leads me to the bystander effect, which I personally think is so powerful. Why do I think it is powerful?...because I have seen it in action myself. In year 12 sociology, my classmate did an assignment on altruism, focusing on the bystander effect. She wanted to test this phenomenon in our own community. So she set up an experiment (psychology ethics comities will not be happy) and used me as a dummy. I had to walk around alone in Garema Place in Civic with a cardigan hanging over my shoulder bag, and eventually drop the cardigan pretending not to notice. We completed 10 trials where I dropped the cardigan when only 1 or 2 people were around. The results found that every time the person would kindly pick up my cardigan or point out that I had dropped it. We also completed 10 trials where I dropped the cardigan around lunchtime where dozens of people were walking around, and only in 3 out of the 10 trials did people assist me with my cardigan. My classmate watched the experiments from distance and could see that on the 7 other trials, at least a few people would notice my cardigan but where happy to let me walk away without it. This example really shows that there is a diffusion of responsibility among groups of people when a helping situation arises.

Topic Nine: Environment
•	Environmental Psychology- "environmental psychology studies the interactions between people and their envoronments" (Oskamp & Schultz, 1998, p.206).

I had never actually heard about environmental psychology until now, however I can see why it should be studied as I can believe that the environment would play a huge role in influencing human behaviour. I visited Hong Kong earlier this year and was amazed to see how differently people live there. Most families live in tiny two bedroom apartments, which has to sleep parents, children, and more often than not, elderly grandparents. As well as this, a lot of fmilies share communal kitchens and living quarters with other families in the complex. I truly wonder what effect these environmental conditions have on individuals over the years, and whether it shapes them as human beings. Perhaps these residents do not see this matter as an environmental issue, but rather a cultural phenomenon, that is very normal and perhaps 'sought out' by the people of Hong Kong. Either way, I know the conditions are very different to what we are used to here in Australia, and just wonder what imapact it may have.

Topic Ten: Review
Well that pretty much wraps up my e-portfolio. I just had a look on wikiversity at what everyone else has done and realised mine is very different (Ha! There I go making a social comparison). My e-portfolio is very informal, and does not present a lot of substantial content such as definitions and theories like most other people have done. I really hope I didn’t have the wrong idea! My portfolio is very much like a personal journal…the social psychology of my own life, including personal thoughts and experiences, which I suppose is the reason why I was hesitant to post at first, and only posted my e-portfolio at the very last minute. For those of you who have had the chance to read my portfolio, I hope you enjoyed some of my stories, and have a better understanding of some of the concepts of social psychology through these real-life examples.

I have learned a lot throughout the semester. I really liked the textbook. It was very informative, however explained concepts and theories through really great examples, not just definitions. The tutorials were great to attend and the movies we watched as a part of the unit were really relevant and interesting.

Major Essay Topic: Real versus 3-D Virtual Worlds
I actually have to admit I was ‘socially influenced’ (mind the pun) into choosing this topic for my major essay by my beloved boyfriend. He is a media student at UC who has had to take a number of communications units as a part of his degree, where he has studied computer mediated communication thoroughly, and has done a little work on 3-D virtual worlds. On top of this, he spends approximately 5 hours (he says 2-3) a day playing online computer games such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty. So I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to do a little research into what motivates him to engage in these games instead of spending time with me!

Essay Research
I have begun doing a little bit of research, and to be honest, this is a very understudied topic. I am assuming this is because it is such a new and constantly evolving activity. I have found a multitude of journal articles that have compared real versus virtual worlds (which have actually been very interesting, and I will definitely use some of the concepts in my essay) however, they have focused only on online forums, blogs, chat sites, websites, and e-mail, and not on 3-D virtual worlds like Second Life.

I have just found a few journal articles that will really help me with my assignment. I just did general searches for Second Life and World of Warcraft and found some information that gives me some insight into how these games are actually played and what happens during play. This has really helped me to identify differences between these worlds and the real world. Yay! I am finally on track. It will still however be a long and draining weekend of essay writing.

Well I have finished my essay. It was a very different essay to write, as I think a lot of other people will also have found. I really do not know if I answered the question or have utilised the appropriate social psychological theories but anways it is done and can be viewed below:

Major Essay
Every day, millions of individuals interact in 3-D virtual worlds on the internet (Yee, Bailenson, Urbanek, Chang & Merget, 2006). Online games such as ‘Second Life’ and ‘World of Warcraft’ have become increasingly popular as new technology continues to enhance visual graphics and interactions that can occur. Motivations for engagement in these games have been found to be widespread, however the most common reason for engagement remains to be for social interaction (Cole & Griffiths, 2007; McKenna & Bargh, 1999). As 3-D virtual worlds enable individuals to communicate and interact with other individuals in real-time over the internet, social psychologists have recently become interested in the positive and negative effects that these environments have on users, and how the social psychological characteristics of 3-D virtual worlds differ to those in the real-world (Yee et al., 2007). The core characteristics that are explored include group membership, close relationships, prejudice and social norms. These factors are examined using social psychological theory and current research regarding 3-D virtual worlds.

Participation in 3-D Virtual Worlds Millions of individuals use the internet each day, as a tool for communication and social interaction (Sassenberg, Boos & Rabung, 2005). The internet is an electronic network that instantly transfers data from one network node to another all around the world. Unlike traditional modes of communication such as telephones, the internet has been referred to as a many-to-many tool of communication, allowing multiple individuals to access the same information and to communicate with a number people at one time (Flew, 2005). Computer mediated communication is quickly becoming a preferred means of communication, with many people utilising e-mail and online telephone, and choosing to spend leisure time in online games (Carter, 2004).

As the internet has advanced, so has the notion of gaming. Traditional arcade games have evolved into 3-D virtual worlds, where players interact with other players online (Smyth, 2007). These virtual worlds, also referred to as massively-multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) are becoming increasingly popular, with millions of users devoting an average of 22 hours a week to participation (Yee et al., 2007). Participation in MMORPGs is quite different to traditional games, as individuals do not need to be in a face-to-face-setting. Players can connect to these games from their own computer or console and instantly interact with other players from all over the world, directly defeating traditional barriers of proximity (Sassenberg et al., 2005). Personal physical cues are also not present in these games. In most MMORPGs, players will have the opportunity to create an avatar, which is an online identity that is seen to others and can often perform actions such as walking, flying or even shopping (Talamo & Ligorio, 2001).

Two very popular MMORPGs include Second Life and World of Warcraft. Second Life is a 3-D virtual community, where users navigate through an online world using their avatar, which is a digital representation of themselves, whether or not they correlate physically. Objects in the game can be quite lifelike, allowing avatars to purchase and live in houses and buy clothing. Interactions are also realistic as avatars communicate through text, and prerecorded conversation, as well as make friends, move in together and get married (Yee et al., 2007). Second Life has over 10 million registered users and approximately 50,000 avatars connected to the virtual world at all times (Melby, 2008). World of Warcraft is a fantasy MMORPG, where players use avatars that interact to complete quests and achieve group goals. The more time a player invests in their avatar, the more powerful it becomes, allowing the player to experience more complex quests and social interactions, and gain rewards. To advance in the game, social interaction with other players is a high necessity, as the game utilises between player trading and organisation of ‘clan’ quests, often involving many players (Chen, Sun & Hsieh, 2008). There are approximately 9.3 million users that pay monthly subscription fees to engage in World of Warcraft (Melby, 2008).

Group Membership in Virtual Worlds versus Real Worlds Baumeister and Bushman (2008) define groups as “a collection of people, usually people who are doing or being something together” (p.480). Social psychologists identify the core benefit of groups as giving a sense of belonging to its members (McKenna & Bargh, 1998). Like real groups in the community MMORPGs also give its members a sense of belonging. It could be argued that online communities may give individuals greater feelings of belonging, as these groups often cater for specialised interests that individuals may not be able to express in regular real-life community groups, such as school groups (Cole & Griffiths, 2007).

Group roles that are undertaken in MMORPGs differ widely from each virtual world. Second Life aims to replicate real-life closely by creating independent and equal members of the community. Avatars must gain respect through status that they gain through their careers and assets (Yee et al., 2007). Avatars must be males or female, and gender stereotypes such as ideal of women being young, thin and full-chested are reported to be stronger in Second Life than in real-life, suggesting that it is perhaps more socially acceptable for women to be objectified in 3-D virtual worlds than in the real world (Melby, 2008). World of Warcraft is very different to Second Life in regards to group roles. Avatars are members of different races and classes, which have specific roles through the games such as healers and warriors. Also, as players progress in level, their roles become more complex and they exert more power and influence over other avatars, such as being designated as leader during quests (Cole & Griffiths, 2007). This group role structure reflects the structure of some real-life groups such as workplaces where individuals have varying jobs, and gain more power and responsibility as they progress (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008).

Close Relationships and Attraction in Virtual Worlds versus Real Worlds Close relationships such as friendships and romantic relationships have been noted as forming through 3-D virtual worlds (Bargh & McKenna, 2004). A study by Cole and Griffiths (2007) studied a sample of MMORPG players from 45 countries (n = 912) and found that 76.2% of male and 74.7% of female participants had made what they considered to be ‘good friends’ through online game playing.

In the study conducted by Cole and Griffiths (2007) it was also discovered that 31.3% of participants had found themselves romantically attracted to other players. This rejects traditional social psychological theory regarding attraction and proximity, however embraces the propinquity effect which states that simply by being around people regularly can facilitate attraction (Festinger, Schachter & Back, 1950, cited in Baumeister and Bushman, 2008). Recent evidence has shown that increasing numbers of individuals are engaging in intimate relationships with individuals that they met through virtual worlds (Leo Whang & Chang, 2004). A qualitative research study conducted by Melby (2008) examines the lifestyle of an American Second Life player, Ric Hoogestraat. Hoogestraat is married in real life, yet is also married through a Second Life avatar. The study describes him as spending hours each day connected to the game, ignoring his real wife, and investing real money and hours into his virtual wife. Hoogestraat’s real wife, Sue Hoogestraat expressed dissatisfied with the situation, claiming, “He’s just fallen down the rabbit hole” (Melby, 2008, p.1). This study highlights the notion that whilst online intimate relationships may be evolving through MMORPGs, the impact they are having on real-life relationships may actually be negative.

Social psychological theory regarding attraction reveals that ‘beautiful people’ are more popular, sought after, and thought to also be superior regarding other unrelated traits, such as intelligence, happiness, and wealth (Baumeister and Bushman, 2008). When people become attracted to others simply due to physical beauty, often these romantic relationships will fail after the partners realise that they actually have little in common regarding their beliefs and interests. A study conducted by Hill, Rubin & Peplau (1976, cited in McKenna & Bargh, 2000) examined 200 couples that declared that they were ‘in love’, over a period of 2 years. On the completion of the 2 years, 50% of the couples had broken up. The key reason that was reported as causing the separation was that they had since discovered that they had opposing attitudes and interests. As virtual worlds are played using avatars, meaning that the true identities of the players are anonymous, players often reveal more internal characteristics when communicating with others online, such as values, and interests (Sassenberg et al., 2005). When close relationships develop from these online environments, couples will tend to have a deeper understanding of each other earlier in the relationship, as opposed to focusing on superficial physical features (McKenna & Bargh, 2000). This implies that virtual worlds may have an advantage over real worlds regarding positive long-term relationships.

Many theorists have hypothesised that virtual worlds lack the ability to engage in advanced communication that can occur in the real world. The virtual communication of players of MMORPGs is not conducted face-to-face, meaning that regular body language that people normally read in the real world is hidden (McKenna & Bargh, 2000). Despite this, members of virtual worlds have developed their own unique forms of communications, which may actually strengthen group cohesion and the sense of belongingness, and assist in relationship development. 3-D virtual games like Second Life and World of Warcraft use a variety of communication methods such as text chat, prerecorded conversations and interactions, emoticons, which are suggestive of facial expressions (Derks, Bos & Von Grumberg, 2007) and more frequently through voice chat (Chen et al., 2008). Therefore, whilst communication may be lacking in virtual worlds, it could be argued that these worlds actually foster more group appropriate and specific communication that has been developed uniquely for the groups needs.

Prejudice in Virtual Worlds versus Real Worlds Prejudice has been defined as “a negative attitude or feeling toward an individual based solely on that individual’s membership in a certain group” (Baumeister and Bushman, 2008, p. 403). As a result of prejudice relating to identity, such as skin colour and weight, many individuals find themselves marginalised and lacking in social networks (McKenna & Bargh, 1998). Virtual worlds can actually be a positive environment for these individuals, as the anonymity that the internet provides allows for participation, regardless of physical cues that people are often judged on (Nowak, 2003). For individuals who are socially marginalised such as former prison inmates or homosexuals, online groups can be the perfect place to seek out friendships with similar individuals as it is less embarrassing to share these personal details with others when done using the ‘mask’ of the avatar, which is not possible in real-life (McKenna & Bargh, 1998; Talamo & Ligorio, 2001). Therefore, 3-D virtual worlds differ to real worlds in that they aim to facilitate egalitarian participation in their communities and reduce stigmatisation that can occur through the identifiability of physical features (Nowak, 2003).

Whilst virtual worlds may be considered less prejudiced than real-life worlds, MMORPGs still contain groups, many of which are built into the game, therefore between group prejudices within the game are inevitable. Baumeister and Bushman (2008) identify some of the key reasons for the development of prejudice as including in-group favouritism and competition over scarce resources. These factors are a key part of World of Warcraft, where clans frequently meet to battle other clans for desirable items and rewards, which will in turn serve to strengthen the clan for future battles (Chen et al., 2008). As World of Warcraft is such a competitive arena, much like an academic institution or a sporting group in the real-world, it is understandable from a social psychological viewpoint that stereotypes are easily formed about out-group members and often prejudiced behaviours may then been undertaken (Douglas & McGarty, 2001).

Social comparison theory states that typical group members strive to be better than the other members of a group (Lee, 2007). This is evident in MMORPGs such as Second Life, where players will spend real money on clothes and property for their online avatars to appear different or enhanced (Melby, 2008). This obsession could potentially lead to prejudice through putting other players down in an attempt to make oneself superior to other avatars in the game (Lee, 2007).

Prejudice may also be sparked by deindividuation, which refers to “the loss of self-awareness and of individual accountability in a group” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.483). McKenna and Bargh (2000) identify anonymity, feelings of close group unity, and a focus on group goals as the key factors that cause deindividuation, which often results in prejudice and aggression. These factors are all evident in World of Warcraft game play (Chen et al., 2008). Therefore, prejudice caused by deindividuation may in fact be higher in some virtual worlds, such as World of Warcraft, due to enhanced group cohesion at given times. Scientific evidence of this however is lacking.

Social Norms in Virtual Worlds versus Real Worlds Social norms can be found in any group in any part of the world. Norms can be defined as “the beliefs or behaviours that a group of people accepts as normal” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.445). Group norms usually apply to areas such as appropriate language, roles, and beliefs and values (Sassenberg et al., 2005). 3-D virtual worlds, like real words utilise social norms. These range from conduct rules that are set by the producers of the games, to specific group norms, such as the expectation of more advanced players to assist other players in the World of Warcraft, to traditional gender norms in Second Life (Chen et al., 2008; Melby, 2008).

The amount of social influence that players in MMORPGs assert over other players is a debated topic. Some researchers hypothesise that because players of these games are generally highly absorbed in the game, they are more likely to be persuaded into participation or easily influenced in some way (Smyth, 2007). Other theorist however, believe that due to the anonymity aspect of these environments, players feel more at ease about withdrawing from the game in awkward moments, such as when they are being persuaded by group members (Bargh & McKena, 2004).

In virtual worlds, unlike real worlds, there has found to be more instances of antisocial behaviour, which refers to “behaviour that either damages interpersonal relationships or is culturally undesirable” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.294). Sessenberg et al. (2005) explain that as computer mediated communication is often anonymous, reduced self-awareness results which may lead to antisocial behaviour. The social-identity model of deindividuation effects supports this notion by suggesting that anonymity has negative behavioral consequences (Douglas & McGarty, 2001). This can be seen in MMORPGs when players post explicit comments in text chat and even display harassment towards other players (McKenna & Bargh, 2000). A proposed explanation of this is that in Western culture, aggression is often discouraged, and in the form of certain behaviours such as harassment, is illegal, therefore when individuals gain the opportunity to engage in antisocial behaviours without being identified, they are willing to do so (Jackson, Zhao, Qiu, Kolenic, Fitzgerald, Harold et al., 2007).

Whilst anti-social behaviour is common in virtual world environments, pro-social behaviour has also been demonstrated. Pro-social behaviour refers to “doing something that is good for other people or for society as a whole” (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, p.254). Pro-social behaviour is often evident in World of Warcraft, where players will donate goods to more needy or less experienced players, that they often have no connection to (Chen et al., 2008). This behaviour is particularly interesting as players will engage in pro-social behaviour online, where they can not see the player that they are helping, which is unlike pro-social behaviour in the real-world. Explanations for this include that these behaviours are built into the culture of the game, therefore players conform to this norm as they believe that they will in turn be assisted when in need, or perhaps in an attempt to look helpful in front of others (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). Both anti-social and pro-social behaviours are found in virtual worlds, however they vary greatly depending on the characteristics of the game. Further research needs to be conducted examining anti-social and pro-social behaviours in 3-D virtual worlds.

Conclusion An increasing number of people are not only connecting to the internet more frequently, however also engaging in 3-D virtual worlds, such as Second Life and World of Warcraft for social interaction. The social characteristics of these online communities have been explored and compared to the social psychology of the real world. This includes group membership characteristics such as belonging and group roles; areas concerning relationships and attraction, such as intimate relationships, types of attraction, and modes of communication; issues regarding prejudice in and out of the virtual world; social norms of virtual worlds, and levels of pro-social and anti-social behaviour. Overall, many social psychological characteristics that are found in real worlds, were also evident in virtual worlds, however often at varying degrees. Some theories of social psychology were strengthened when applied to MMORPGs, however some applied to a much lesser extent. In summary, it is clear that as an area that is very new, and is constantly evolving, more research needs to be conducted to examine the effects of 3-D virtual worlds on users, and the implications they have for the field of social psychology.

Essay References
Bargh, J. A., & McKenna, K. Y. A. (2004). The internet and social life. Annu. Rev. Psychol., 55, 573-590.

Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Social Psychology and Human Nature. Belmont: Thomson Higher Education.

Carter, D. M. (2004). Living in virtual communities: Making friends online. Journal of Urban Technology, 11(3), 109-125.

Chen, C., Sun, C., & Hsieh, J. (2008). Player guild dynamics and evolution in massively multiplayer online games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(3), 293-301.

Cole, H., & Griffiths, M. D. (2007). Social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(4), 575-583.

Derks, D., Bos, A. E. R., & Von Grumbkow, J. (2008). Emoticons in computer-mediated communication: Social motives and social context. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(1), 99-101.

Douglas, K. M., & McGarty, C. (2001). Identifiability and self-presentation: Computer-mediated communication and intergroup interaction. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 399-416.

Flew, T. (2005). New Media: An Introduction (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

Jackson, L. A., Zhao, Y., Qiu, W., Kolenic, A., Fitzgerald, H. E., Harold, R., et al. (2008). Cultural differences in morality in the real and virtual worlds: A comparison of Chinese and U.S. youth. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 11(3), 279-286.

Lee, E. (2007). Deindividuation effects on group polarization in computer-mediated communication: The role of group identification, public-self-awareness, and perceived argument quality. Journal of Communication, 57, 385-403.

Leo Whang, S. M., & Chang, G. (2004). Lifestyles of virtual world residents: Living in the on-line game "lineage". CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(5), 592-600.

McKenna, K. Y. A., & Bargh, J. A. (1998). Coming out in the age of the internet: Identity "demarginalization" through virtual group participation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(3), 681-694.

McKenna, K. Y. A., & Bargh, J. A. (1999). Causes and consequences of social interaction on the internet. Media Psychology, 1, 249-269.

McKenna, K. Y. A., & Bargh, J. A. (2000). Plan 9 from cyberspace: The implications of the internet for personality and social psychology. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4(1), 57-75.

Melby, T. (2008). How second life seeps into real life. Contemporary Sexuality, 42(1), 1-6.

Nowak, K. L. (2003). Sex categorization in computer mediated communication (CMC): Exploring the utopian promise. Media Psychology, 5, 83-103.

Sassenberg, K., Boos, M., & Rabung, S. (2005). Attitude change in face-to-face and computer-mediated communication: Private self-awareness as mediator and moderator. European Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 361-374.

Smyth, J. M. (2007). Beyond self-selection in video game play: An experimental examination of the consequences of massively multiplayer online role-playing game play. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(5), 717-721.

Talamo, A., & Ligorio, B. (2001). Strategic identities in cyberspace. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 4(1), 109-122.

Yee, N., Bailenson, J. N., Urbanek, M., Chang, F., & Merget, D. (2007). The unbearable likeness of being digital: The persistence of nonverbal social norms in online virtual environments. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(1), 115-121.

title: User:Rinna


text:
User talk:Rinna

Well done
Good job on setting up your account,. Let me know if I can do anything as you go along. 'Official' Wikiversity welcome below. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:55, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

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And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! Jtneill - Talk - c 11:55, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

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title: User talk:Rinna