Week 4 dis 1-2 psy 110

Social Cognition and Person Perception Nonverbal communication has a wide influence on our social environment, performing the role of a tacit infiltrator. It is a means of communication which uses symbols, signs, actions, expressions instead of verbal language for conveying messages. Emotions can be inferred by us through nonverbal communication influencing other’s opinion of our aptitude, power and susceptibility. Three instances where nonverbal communication indicates negative behavior is described below:
Avoiding eye contact or gazing away is a sign of negative or unfriendly body behavior and even, criminal behavior. According to experts, if a person is looking away or avoiding eye contact he/she may be deceitful or fearing confrontation. Most of the criminals have the tendency of gazing away from the police patrol or CCTU cameras prior to committing a crime (“ Nonverbal communication”, n. d).
Some nonverbal communications tend to become negative when used in a different culture. For example, the gesture of ‘ thumbs up’ indicates positive signal in America but if used in other countries it will mean something negative. In Nigeria, this gesture is considered a rude insult and in Australia it is an obscene insult (Keegan, n. d).
Individuals tend to convey messages nonverbally while listening to others especially in a job interview or a meeting. Sitting crossed arms during a conversation is interpreted as a negative behavior by the other person. This gesture might indicate that the person is either disagreeing with the speaker, or feels threatened by the speaker, or is disinterested in the speaker’s message. (“ Nonverbal communication”, n. d).
Once an eminent researcher had defined attribution biases as ‘ the bedrock of contemporary social psychology’ that is omnipresent in psychology (Anissimov, n. d). Two such examples – one positive and one negative – are reproduced below to explain the concept of attribution bias:
Attributions shown by contented couples tend to reveal a positive attribution bias. For example, a callous and rude behavior by the husband is also handled optimistically by the wife who defends him by saying, “ He spoke nasty words because he is so strained at work this week” (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, n. d).
On the other hand, some attribution biases misguide a person in making the correct judgment. People tend to think that a person is generous and has good intentions simply because he/she is good looking and well-dressed. Because of this attribution bias, con men are able to prosper successfully convincing people with their good attire and false pretension of sincerity (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, n. d).
Cognitive Disability
Students with cognitive disabilities should be mainstreamed into regular classes. I totally agree with this statement since I firmly believe that every disabled student has the right to get educated in the least restraining and the most apposite setting. The primary reason behind this stand is to enable every individual with a disability to become productive adults, who can live, work and be erudite in their own communities. According to researchers, if such people are allowed to learn in the same environment as normal people of their age, it might enhance their ability to attain paying jobs effortlessly, work autonomously and live more assertively. This is the reason all schools must include children with special needs in the regular classes and provide them the opportunity to grow along with their nondisabled peers. According to Julia Landau, senior project director for Massachusetts Advocates for Children, these required skills in disabled students can solitarily be honed through inclusionary programs since such programs enhance the consciousness and perception of individual disparities in every student (Schorm, 2007).
A pilot program was initiated by the state of Massachusetts for the first time which gave permission to disabled students to attend regular community college classes and proved successful. The parents and special coaches of these students assist them in selecting the course they have the will to study as well as that can be coped intellectually, and which will enable them to gain employment in future. It is firmly believed by the parents and coaches of the disabled parents that this college experience will prove to be catalyst for these students just as it does for the normal college students to a fuller and prosperous life. The organizers of the Massachusetts initiative have asserted that students with cognitive disabilities have surprised them with the latter’s capability to make strong academic developments when given such complicated exposure. They further added that the college campus has not only provided them with academic skills but also taught them to trek alone from home to college and vice versa, steer the way to their own classes and teaching sessions in a crowded campus, and communicate with their teachers and peers. Some skills such as maintaining their own agenda, timely achievement of their assigned tasks and living independently has solely been boosted by this inclusion program as this wouldn’t have been possible to accomplish in any high school life-skill classes. Inclusion of disabled students in regular classes is not just an educational perspective but also a matter of social justice as every child has the civil right to gain proper education. Therefore, I truly support the inclusion of cognitive disabled students in regular classes so as to enable them to live a life of respect and dignity (Schorm, 2007).
Most often it has been seen that a person’s cognitive disability such as ADHD, mental impairment, dyslexia, conduct disorder, influence the person to indulge in negative behavior and even criminal activities. ADHD or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is a disability in which a person lacks the ability to concentrate, and easily become hyperactive. Traumatic events occurred during childhood such as forced separation at a very early stage in life from the primary caregiver, inadequate relationship with parents, and physical or mental illness gives birth to ADHD. This disease represents a major risk factor for the onset and development of an addiction in adults. Several studies have revealed that 35% of ADHD adults’ patients are addicted to alcohol and nicotine consumption is also significantly high amongst them as it is considered to enhance the abilities of attention, concentration and impulse control in ADHD patients. Additionally, it has revealed that childhood ADHD is highly responsible for getting addicted to alcohol and drugs like nicotine (Ohlmeier et al., 2007).
Another disability that has been often related to negative behavior is dyslexia, a disability associated with reading problems. The strong connection between juvenile delinquency and learning disability has been acknowledged by many scholars. This learning disability leads to poor academic outcomes which shatters students’ self confidence. Moreover, it has been often seen that academically poor students become victims of rejection and mental harassment by their peers. Such situational factors discourages the academic interests of these disabled students and escalates frustration in them most often forcing them to relent to adolescent detachment, school failure, alcohol and substance use, and criminal activities. Most of the researches’ have clearly established that dyslexia is a major reason behind crime and delinquency (Park, 2010).
References
Anissimov, M. (n. d). What is Attribution Bias? In Bronwyn Harris (Eds.), Wise Geek. Retrieved from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-attribution-bias. htm
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., & Akert, R. M. (n. d.). Social Psychology [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from www. ppt2txt. com/sppt_social-psychology-elliot-aronson. html
Keegan (n. d). Nonverbal communication. Oracle Think Quest. Retrieved from http://library. thinkquest. org/04oct/00451/nonverbalcom. htm
Nonverbal communication (n. d.). Encyclopedia. com. Retrieved from http://www. encyclopedia. com/topic/Nonverbal_communication. aspx
Ohlmeier, M. D., Karsten, P., Kordon, A., Seifert, J., Wildt, B. T., Wiese, B., Ziegenbein, M., Hinderk, E. M., & Schneider, U. (2007, Aug. 31). Nicotine and alcohol dependence in patients with comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Alcohol & Alcoholism, 42(6), 539-543. Doi : 10. 1093/alcalc/agm069. Retrieved from http://alcalc. oxfordjournals. org/content/42/6/539. full. pdf
Park, D. E. (2010, Sep.). Learning Disability. In Economic Aspects of the Development and Prevention of Criminality among Children and Youth (pp. 23-25). Retrieved from http://www. jibc. ca/sites/default/files/research/pdf/FINAL-EconomicAspectsof%20KidsN%20Crime%20APPENDIX%20SEPT%2010. pdf
Schorm, P. (2007, Dec. 10). Campuses widen the mainstream: Program welcomes some with cognitive disabilities. The Boston Globe. Retrieved from
http://www. boston. com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/12/10/campuses_widen_the_mainstream/? page= full