NAME: LIM JOE ONN

ID NUMBER: 0318679

SUBJECT: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

COURSE CODE: PSY 30203

TITLE: FIRST INDIVIDUAL JOURNAL

SETTING

This event happened at Trafalgar Square, London during evening hours.

SCENE

A man used his tools to create many bubbles in the air. The children reacted by jumping,

putting their hands up and tried to pop the bubbles. The adults just stood aside and observed

the children.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY THEORIES AT WORK

When people at Trafalgar Square saw the man creating bubbles, they observed his physical

appearance first. It is natural for human beings to do so. It is shown that the man is wearing a

small Jewish kippah and brightly coloured pants, which is different from the other people in

the square. Thus, heuristics made people assume that the man is Jewish, an ethnic group

different from theirs even though they did not ask him. Availability heuristics were done

when people analyse his clothing whereas representative heuristics were applied when people

think that he looks similar to other Jewish people they had met.

At first, only one of the children tried to pop the bubbles out of curiosity. Then, the other

children followed suit. This is called mimicry. People tend to observe the actions of others

and imitate them due to mirror neurons rooted in our brains. Apart from that, the adults did

not join the fun as they think that it is embarrassing and inappropriate to do so. They assumed

that people will think that they are immature if they played with them. This is due to their

awareness of the social setting.

Moreover, the children were happy when they played with the bubbles. Hence, mood-

dependent memory will be formed as they remember Trafalgar Square as a place where they

had fun. This makes them recall that place more easily in the future. Nostalgia might occur if

they revisit Trafalgar Square.

(296 words)