Weekly Short Essays-Week One

This is a short essay assignment with a mixture of multiple-choice/short answer and essay questions that cite evidence or research to explain/support your answer.

Your essay answers must be in your own words with paraphrasing properly source credited. Quotes in lieu of answering in your own words will not receive points.

Please submit your responses as a Word document (.docx file). Make sure to number your responses so your instructor will know where one response ends and the next starts. It is not necessary to rewrite each question in your document. For multiple choice questions, CLEARLY indicate your response (a, b, c, or d) so that your instructor does not have to search and try to determine your response in your short answer explanation.

Each response is worth 20 possible points. Please see the attached Rubric for the grading schematic that will be used to evaluate your responses. Your responses should be approximately one-half page each (double-spaced) for a total of three pages (not including Title and References Pages if you choose to include them).

1. According to Aronson’s analysis of the Challenger disaster, which of the following most likely did NOT contribute to the disaster?

a. NASA had already conducted two dozen successful launches.

b. A schoolteacher was on board, which had created more publicity than normal.

c. At NASA, a lift-off decision was a more desirable decision than a delay.

d. NASA engineers assured management that all safety measures had been taken.

Explain why you selected this answer.

2. Aronson and O’Leary conducted a study designed to encourage water conservation among male students showering at the university field house. Under what conditions were students less likely to conserve water? Explain the conditions under which students were more likely to conserve water (by turning off the shower while soaping up).

3. Why did Milgram conduct his experiments on obedience? What features, according to Article #4 in Readings About the Social Animal, helped to account for the high levels of obedience displayed by Milgram’s subjects?

4. Define and give examples of compliance, identification, and internalization. Which of these has the most permanent influence on an individual’s behavior? Select one of these responses and describe an instance of your own behavior that might be or have been the result of this particular type of social influence.

5. Why don’t bystanders come to the aid of victims of injury or crime? Summarize the reasons for non-intervention by bystanders. Summarize the conditions under which some bystanders do respond to someone in distress.