Sociocultural Context Domain: Performance Indicators

Content Standards

After concluding this unit, students understand:

1. Social cognition.
2. Social influence.
3. Social relations.

Content Standards with Performance Standards

Content Standard 1: Social cognition

Students are able to (performance standards):

1.1: Describe attributional explanations of behavior.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing attribution theory.
b. Explaining the fundamental attribution error and the role that culture (both individualistic and collectivistic) plays in assigning attributions.
c. Describing how the halo effect influences perception of other people.
d. Describing how cultural socialization determines social schema development.
e. Discussing social, political and economic effects of attribution theory.
f. Drawing conclusions about the effects of actor-observer bias and self-serving bias.

1.2: Describe the relationship between attitudes (implicit and explicit) and behavior.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Defining attitudes.
b. Describing the attitude/behavior relationship.
c. Describing the factors that increase or inhibit the attitude-behavior relationship.
d. Providing examples of how behavior can facilitate attitude change (e.g., foot in the door, door in the face, low ball).
e. Discussing the role of cognitive dissonance in attitude change.

1.3: Identify persuasive methods used to change attitudes.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Providing examples of the central and peripheral routes to persuasion.
b. Discussing the effects of the media on attitude change, both positive and negative (e.g., advertising and persuasion).

Content Standard 2: Social influence

Students are able to (performance standards):

2.1: Describe the power of the situation.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing how aspects of a social situation would affect cognition and behavior.
b. Discussing the significance of classic psychological studies on the power of the situation (e.g., Milgram, Zimbardo, Asch, Sherif).
c. Comparing Abu Ghraib prison or other recent event to the Stanford Prison Experiment with regards to the power of the situation.

2.2: Describe effects of others' presence on individuals' behavior.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing the Hawthorne effect.
b. Differentiating between normative and informational social influences.
c. Providing examples of deindividuation.
d. Examining situations in which social loafing is likely to occur.
e. Describing factors that make conformity more likely to occur (e.g., the Asch line experiment, Darley and Latané smoke filled room experiment).
f. Describing factors that increase the likelihood of social facilitation or social inhibition or interference.
g. Providing an example of the bystander effect and the phenomenon of diffusion of responsibility.

2.3: Describe how group dynamics influence behavior.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Analyzing the effects of groupthink using contemporary and historic events (e.g., Challenger disaster, Bay of Pigs).
b. Providing positive and negative outcomes of group polarization.
c. Giving examples of how a superordinate goal can increase cooperation between groups (e.g., Sherif study).
d. Explaining the importance of group size as a predictor of conformity.
e. Examining how information processing biases, such as the outgroup homogeneity effect, lead to stereotypic beliefs about outgroup members.

2.4: Discuss how an individual influences group behavior.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Explaining how minority influence (e.g., an individual or a small group) can alter a group's original position.
b. Identifying the circumstances under which individuals can be swayed by social influence (e.g., obedience, conformity).
c. Discussing the implications of Asch, Milgram and Zimbardo's studies on human behavior in real world applications (e.g., Jonestown, blood donations following a disaster).

Content Standard 3: Social relations

Students are able to (performance standards):

3.1: Discuss the nature and effects of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination.Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing the effects of social bias on the observer and the observed.
b. Distinguishing among stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination.
c. Describing examples from early research on prejudice and discrimination (e.g. the Clark doll studies).
d. Comparing and contrasting ethnocentrism and cultural relativism.
e. Developing strategies to promote tolerance, cooperation and equality.
f. Exploring students' individual biases through activities such as the Implicit Association Test.

3.2: Describe determinants of prosocial behavior.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Distinguishing between altruism and prosocial behavior.
b. Discussing the factors that increase or decrease altruism (e.g., feel-good, do-good phenomenon).
c. Creating a day of compassion.
d. Describing altruism from the psychological perspectives.

3.3: Discuss influences upon aggression and conflict.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Explaining aggression from several theoretical orientations (e.g., biomedical, evolutionary, psychodynamic and social-learning perspectives).
b. Providing evidence that media can influence aggressive acts.
c. Discussing ways to reduce aggression and violence in schools and/or in society at large.

3.4: Discuss factors influencing attraction and relationships.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Discussing factors that establish and maintain relationships.
b. Discussing gender and cultural differences in the criteria for, and the process of, mate selection (e.g. social scripts and schema theory).
c. Describing how the norm of reciprocity relates to attraction.
d. Describing Sternberg's triangular theory of love.
e. Describing the perception of physical attraction and its role in interpersonal relationships (e.g., Halo effect).
f. Describing how stereotypes based on physical appearance (lookism, weight bias) benefit some people and disadvantage others.

Content Standards

After concluding this unit, students understand:

1. Social and cultural diversity.
2. Diversity among individuals.

Content Standards with Performance Standards

Content Standard 1: Social and cultural diversity

Students are able to (performance standards):

1.1: Define culture and diversity.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Identifying major social categories in U.S. culture (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social class and disability).
b. Describing the components of culture (e.g., symbols, language, norms and values).
c. Differentiating between culture and society/social structure.

1.2: Identify how cultures change over time and vary within nations as well as internationally.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing how norms have changed in students’ own culture.
b. Providing an example of a cultural change over time.

1.3: Discuss the relationship between culture and conceptions of self and identity.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing the different concepts of self and identity that are associated with individualistic and collectivist cultures.
b. Describing social roles in individualistic and collectivist cultures.
c. Distinguishing between self-serving bias and modesty bias in individualistic and collectivists cultures.

1.4: Discuss psychological research examining race and ethnicity.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Citing research on racial and ethnic differences (e.g. the Clark doll studies).
b. Describing Devine’s Two-Step Model of the cognitive processing of stereotypes.
c. Explaining how psychologists attempt to account for racial and ethnic diversity in their research designs to improve external validity (e.g., correcting for “WEIRD” samples: Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic).
d. Explaining how illusory correlations facilitate stereotypes of racial and ethnic groups.
e. Describing the work of Claude Steele and Joshua Aronson in reference to stereotype threat.
f. Examining genome research which indicates very few genetic differences among people regardless of skin color and ethnicity.

1.5: Discuss psychological research examining socioeconomic status.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing research about the relationship between socioeconomic status and mental illness.
b. Citing research-supported correlates of socioeconomic status.
c. Examining how socioeconomic status impacts stress levels.
d. Discussing the link between rates of obesity and low income status.
e. Describing how failing to account for socioeconomic status can lead to sampling errors.
f. Providing examples of how socioeconomic status impacts development (e.g., language development) and of research-supported interventions to provide assistance to children in poverty (e.g., Head Start, nutrition programs, etc.).
g. Discussing children’s literacy competence with their home literacy environment.
h. Discussing research about socioeconomic status and the absence or presence of fathers in the home.

1.6: Discuss how privilege and social power structures relate to stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Discussing the powerful influence of in-groups and out-groups.
b. Discussing institutional discrimination and its effects by examining Jane Elliott’s blue-eyed/brown-eyed activity.
c. Distinguishing between personal, institutional and organizational discrimination.   
d. Identifying historical examples of discrimination.
e. Explaining the concept of the “Just-World Phenomenon” and accompanying research.
f. Describing the cognitive processes that contribute to victim-blaming, especially of groups and individuals that lack power and resources.
g. Explaining how cognitive dissonance contributes to self-justification of privilege.

Content Standard 2: Diversity among individuals

Students are able to (performance standards): 

2.1: Discuss psychological research examining gender identity.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Discussing societal changes in people’s understanding of gender identity.
b. Explaining the development of gender identity utilizing the psychological perspectives.
c. Summarizing DSM diagnostic criteria for Gender Dysphoria, and explain why this diagnosis can be controversial.

2.2: Discuss psychological research examining diversity in sexual orientation.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Discussing behavior genetics research that examines genetic influences on sexual orientation.
b. Tracing the historical changes in the definition of homosexuality, bisexuality and heterosexuality.

2.3: Compare and contrast gender identity and sexual orientation.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Defining the terms gender identity and sexual orientation.
b. Discussing reasons why these concepts may be confused or misleading.
c. Discussing the nature versus nurture controversy in the acquisition of gender identity (e.g., Bruce Reimer, hijras in South Asia).

2.4: Discuss psychological research examining gender similarities and differences and the impact of gender discrimination.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing gender differences and similarities according to the major psychological perspectives.
b. Using gender schema theory to explain the cognitive basis of gender-typing.
c. Explaining how stereotype threat may lead males and females to underperform in certain situations.
d. Explaining how beliefs about stereotype fit or gender role congruity may lead to gender-based discrimination (e.g., Role Congruity Hypothesis).
e. Explaining the factors that discourage males and females from pursuing nontraditional occupations (e.g., males in nursing, females in engineering).

2.5: Discuss the psychological research on gender and how the roles of women and men in societies are perceived.   
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Differentiating between gender schemas and gender roles.
b. Providing examples of how gender roles may differ from culture to culture and across time.

2.6: Examine how perspectives affect stereotypes and treatment of minority and majority groups in society.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Describing research on implicit/unconscious reactions to individuals, and how this may affect behavior (e.g., Project Implicit).
b. Discussing how the correspondence bias may contribute to strengthening stereotypes and prejudice.
c. Describing how perspectives affect a bicultural individual who tries to successfully establish a bicultural identity.

2.7: Discuss psychological research examining differences in individual cognitive and physical abilities.
Students may indicate this by (performance indicators):

a. Discussing heritability studies.
b. Describing how genetic conditions can lead to developmental disabilities (such as Down syndrome).
c. Explaining how environmental factors (such as exposure to teratogens) can impact cognitive development.
d. Discussing controversies about the administration and evaluation of intelligence tests.
e. Summarizing research about the stability of intelligence across the lifespan (e.g., crystallized vs. fluid intelligence).
f. Describing cross-cultural studies such as the Lewis Terman study.

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