Social Control in Psychology (Studies)

Question 1

Sherif

Answer 1

• Propaganda/politics, e.g. Holocaust prejudice against Jewish people, refugees, etc. (results from friction phase)
  + Reduction in prejudice is a product of social control used in a positive way to reduce hostility (e.g. schools encouraging working together) and improve cohesion (results of S.O. goals)
• Could be used to encourage a ‘herd’/mob mentality which can lead to significant and dangerous prejudices (friction phase)
  + Control violence and aggression due to prejudice, e.g. football violence and racial prejudice, e.g. Jigsaw Classroom as a method to reduce prejudice

Question 2

Baddeley

Answer 2

+ Can improve lives of dementia patients - understanding how information is received can help us better communicate with those with memory difficulties (findings)
+/- Study of memory may not be a form of social control as it is more about processing in the brain as opposed to how people behave in society (not useful therefore for social control, either negative or positive) - procedure
+ Can be used for teaching strategies and revision techniques in schools - social control for good results
+ Many memory studies have been used to inform social issues such as EWT and knowledge of the limitations of memory can help to aid control through courts

Question 3

Raine

Answer 3

+ Identifying potential criminals through brain scanning could lead to interventions being put in place which could help prevent serious crimes such as murder
- The continuous performance task and being in a brain scanner in Raine et al. may not be valid compared to real life so any attempts at social control on the basis of Raine may not be useful
+/- Raine et al. found abnormal cortical and subcortical brain processes in urderers which could be used to screen the population
- Sample used in Raine et al. may lack generalisability so any form of screening may not be useful for most of the population