READING SUMMARIES
PSYCH 324
2020
Table of Contents
,CHAPTER 5
Hospitality study
Chapter 5
Hospitality study: Part 2
The study aims its focus towards ethnic and racial discrimination one receives
in hotels and from their staff; however, its findings differ when it is
noticed that appearance, presentation, class and neatness impacted more on the
types of treatments received by hotels and their staff members. Throughout the
reading and the two couples’ journey, only once were they ill-treated in
hotels because of the presence of Chinese people. People were often kind
towards them, and others warmed up to them once they became aware of the
Chinese being able to converse fluently in English, especially without an
accent.
Chinese people are very well-renown all around the world and they are
particularly easily noticed as a result of their physical features which are
very distinct. The study proves that for the sake of the welfare and the
whites, most individuals will adapt to having Chinese around regardless of
their differences (i.e. Americans and Chinese). These people are not
necessarily doing it out of their generosity and kindness but rather to
1
,maintain peace and feed those who keeps their economy on its feet. It portrays
a somewhat classist and elitist system where the upper class and the Elite
have an upper hand on most and their decisions.
The study uses actual experience and questionnaires to tests its theories.
After completing the experience, the questionnaires (two of them asking the
same questions in different methods) were sent out to most of the
establishments they visited, questioning whether or not they would accept the
race into their establishments, among other races. These questionnaires
reported back almost 91.5% negative as only one person responded that she
would, and according to the results one would deduce that it is reckless and
rash for Chinese to travel to America. However actual experience differs
vastly and changed the Chinese’s mind which was filled with fear to realising
that they wouldn’t be as rejected as they feared. The questionnaires purpose
was mainly for the measurement of political attitudes, allowing for the
measurement of a verbal response to a symbolic situation. The questionnaire is
great for measuring whether or not things are efficacious (such as religion
and what a person does regardless of what he voted for, but it is not great
for assessing what can occur or be done in actual situations. Moral attitudes
are stamped into an individuals personality but adjustment results in
indeterminacy. Observance should always be the first method of reliance, only
thereafter or in the absence of it should a questionnaire’s information be
considered.
Behaviour impacts attitude, by studying attitudes one may be able to predicate
the behaviour which follows (This relationship however is inconsistent as
there is no assurance as to what the behaviour that follows will be). Only
symbolic situations can allow for genuine reaction and response. The two
methods of gathering data differs vastly, the questionnaire is easy, cheap and
mechanical, whereas the human behaviour/ observation is time consuming,
dependant on the ability of the investigator for success, and intellectually
draining. Thus, a social attitude differs from an attitude in general, for a
social attitude to be assessed, it needs to be derived from human behaviour in
2
, actual social situations… not presumed behaviours and actions in possible
situations.
CHAPTER 5 & 6
Bem debate 1967
Key position taken with regards to the debate question; Does Cognitive Dissonance Explain
Why Behaviour can Change Attitudes?
This article argues against Festinger’s Cognitive dissonance theory, suggesting that self-
perception theory is an alternative. Self-perception theory provides an alternative
interpretation of what happens when people hold 2 opposing attitudes. Self-perception, an
individual's ability to respond differentially to his own behaviour and its controlling variables, is
a product of social interaction. Self-perception theory suggests that people do not have an
aversive motivational drive towards consistency ie. They don’t feel uncomfortable and don’t
need to change their attitude to make their beliefs consistent. Thus, the author is against
cognitive dissonance theory.
Key arguments to support the position:
- The most frequently cited evidence for dissonance theory comes from an experimental
procedure known as the forced-compliance paradigm. As explained by cognitive
dissonance theorists: To reduce the resulting dissonance pressure, people change their
cognition about the task so that it is consistent with their overt behaviour: they become
more favourable toward the tasks. In contrast with this explanation, the present analysis
views these results as a case of self-perception - There is no aversive motivational
pressure postulated; the dependent variable is viewed simply as a self-judgment based
on the available evidence, evidence that includes the apparent controlling variables of
the observed behaviour.
3
PSYCH 324
2020
Table of Contents
,CHAPTER 5
Hospitality study
Chapter 5
Hospitality study: Part 2
The study aims its focus towards ethnic and racial discrimination one receives
in hotels and from their staff; however, its findings differ when it is
noticed that appearance, presentation, class and neatness impacted more on the
types of treatments received by hotels and their staff members. Throughout the
reading and the two couples’ journey, only once were they ill-treated in
hotels because of the presence of Chinese people. People were often kind
towards them, and others warmed up to them once they became aware of the
Chinese being able to converse fluently in English, especially without an
accent.
Chinese people are very well-renown all around the world and they are
particularly easily noticed as a result of their physical features which are
very distinct. The study proves that for the sake of the welfare and the
whites, most individuals will adapt to having Chinese around regardless of
their differences (i.e. Americans and Chinese). These people are not
necessarily doing it out of their generosity and kindness but rather to
1
,maintain peace and feed those who keeps their economy on its feet. It portrays
a somewhat classist and elitist system where the upper class and the Elite
have an upper hand on most and their decisions.
The study uses actual experience and questionnaires to tests its theories.
After completing the experience, the questionnaires (two of them asking the
same questions in different methods) were sent out to most of the
establishments they visited, questioning whether or not they would accept the
race into their establishments, among other races. These questionnaires
reported back almost 91.5% negative as only one person responded that she
would, and according to the results one would deduce that it is reckless and
rash for Chinese to travel to America. However actual experience differs
vastly and changed the Chinese’s mind which was filled with fear to realising
that they wouldn’t be as rejected as they feared. The questionnaires purpose
was mainly for the measurement of political attitudes, allowing for the
measurement of a verbal response to a symbolic situation. The questionnaire is
great for measuring whether or not things are efficacious (such as religion
and what a person does regardless of what he voted for, but it is not great
for assessing what can occur or be done in actual situations. Moral attitudes
are stamped into an individuals personality but adjustment results in
indeterminacy. Observance should always be the first method of reliance, only
thereafter or in the absence of it should a questionnaire’s information be
considered.
Behaviour impacts attitude, by studying attitudes one may be able to predicate
the behaviour which follows (This relationship however is inconsistent as
there is no assurance as to what the behaviour that follows will be). Only
symbolic situations can allow for genuine reaction and response. The two
methods of gathering data differs vastly, the questionnaire is easy, cheap and
mechanical, whereas the human behaviour/ observation is time consuming,
dependant on the ability of the investigator for success, and intellectually
draining. Thus, a social attitude differs from an attitude in general, for a
social attitude to be assessed, it needs to be derived from human behaviour in
2
, actual social situations… not presumed behaviours and actions in possible
situations.
CHAPTER 5 & 6
Bem debate 1967
Key position taken with regards to the debate question; Does Cognitive Dissonance Explain
Why Behaviour can Change Attitudes?
This article argues against Festinger’s Cognitive dissonance theory, suggesting that self-
perception theory is an alternative. Self-perception theory provides an alternative
interpretation of what happens when people hold 2 opposing attitudes. Self-perception, an
individual's ability to respond differentially to his own behaviour and its controlling variables, is
a product of social interaction. Self-perception theory suggests that people do not have an
aversive motivational drive towards consistency ie. They don’t feel uncomfortable and don’t
need to change their attitude to make their beliefs consistent. Thus, the author is against
cognitive dissonance theory.
Key arguments to support the position:
- The most frequently cited evidence for dissonance theory comes from an experimental
procedure known as the forced-compliance paradigm. As explained by cognitive
dissonance theorists: To reduce the resulting dissonance pressure, people change their
cognition about the task so that it is consistent with their overt behaviour: they become
more favourable toward the tasks. In contrast with this explanation, the present analysis
views these results as a case of self-perception - There is no aversive motivational
pressure postulated; the dependent variable is viewed simply as a self-judgment based
on the available evidence, evidence that includes the apparent controlling variables of
the observed behaviour.
3
