Tutorial Letter 101/3/2014: Psychology in Society

PYC1502/101/3/2014
Tutorial letter 101/3/2014
Psychology in Society
PYC1502
Semesters 1 & 2
Department of Psychology
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your module.
CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE............................................................... 4
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 4
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS ..................................................................................... 4
3.1 Lecturers....................................................................................................................................... 4
3.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 4
3.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 5
4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 6
4.1 Prescribed books .......................................................................................................................... 6
4.2 Recommended books ................................................................................................................... 7
4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)................................................................................................. 7
5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ............................................................... 7
5.1 Contact with fellow students.......................................................................................................... 7
5.2 myUnisa........................................................................................................................................ 7
6 MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................. 8
7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING .................................. 12
8 ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................... 12
8.1 Assessment plan ........................................................................................................................ 12
8.2 General assignment numbers ..................................................................................................... 12
8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers ...................................................................................................... 13
8.2.2 Due dates for assignments ......................................................................................................... 14
8.3 Submission of assignments ........................................................................................................ 14
8.4 Assignments ............................................................................................................................... 15
9 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................................... 41
10 EXAMINATION ........................................................................................................................... 41
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 41
12 SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 41
13 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................ 41
14 ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 41
15 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION .................................................................................................... 42
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PYC1502/101
1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student
Welcome to the module Psychology in Society (PYC1502). We hope you will enjoy studying the
topics we offer here, and we hope you will find the information useful. Please do not hesitate to
let us know what you like and what you do not like about this module. We need your input to
improve the subject material we offer to our students.
Please note / important notes:
Read this tutorial letter first. It contains the compulsory assignments.
When you register, you receive an Inventory letter containing information about your tutorial
matter. More details are contained in the document entitled my Studies @ Unisa which you
receive with your tutorial matter. Tutorial matter that is not available when you register will be
posted to you as soon as possible, but is also available on myUnisa.
The Despatch department should supply you with the following study material for this module:
• Tutorial Letter 101 - General information and assignments

• Tutorial Letter 201 (contains feedback on Assignment 01 - to be supplied later)
• Tutorial Letter 202 (contains feedback on Assignment 02, Assignment 92 (self-test) and
further feedback on the self-test and, exam preparation - to be supplied later)
• Study Guide (PYC1502).
Please note that your lecturers cannot help you with the missing study material.
You can also access study guides and tutorial letters for all modules on myUnisa at
http://my.unisa.ac.za. These materials will be available here long before you can
possibly receive it by post. We suggest that you check the site on a regular basis.
Apart from the tutorial letters mentioned above, you will receive other tutorial letters during the
semester. These will be despatched to you as soon as they are available or needed (for
instance for feedback on assignments).
This tutorial letter deals with the work covered in the module PYC1502. We urge you to read it
carefully and to keep it at hand when working through the study material, preparing for the
assignments, preparing for the examination and addressing questions to your lecturers. In this
tutorial letter you will find the assignments as well as instructions on the preparation and
submission of the assignments. This tutorial letter also provides all the information you need
with regard to the prescribed study material and other resources and how to obtain it. Please
study this information carefully and make sure that you obtain the prescribed material as soon
as possible.
We have also included certain general and administrative information about this module. Please
study this section of the tutorial letter carefully. Right from the start we would like to point out
that you must read all the tutorial letters you receive during the semester immediately and
carefully, as they always contain important and sometimes, urgent information.
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We hope that you will enjoy this module and wish you all the best!
The Teaching Team
2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

2.1 Purpose
Students who complete the module can demonstrate introductory knowledge about a variety of
topics from the intrapersonal and health domains of Psychology, and assess the acquisition,
presentation and application of psychological knowledge for selected purposes. The knowledge,
skills and values required for successful completion of the module are fundamental to further
studies in Psychology.
2.2 Outcomes
The course material will enable the students to:
Demonstrate a critical understanding of interpersonal, group and societal psychology.

Demonstrate a critical understanding of the acquisition of psychological knowledge.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the presentation of information.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the application of psychological knowledge.
3 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS

3.1 Lecturers
The following lecturers are responsible for this module:
Dr E.M. Mojapelo-Batka (Module Leader)

Ms C. Laidlaw
Mr Khuze G. Skosana
Mrs L. Makobe-Rabothata
Mr A. Fynn
All enquiries related to category A and C must be directed to Mrs Endriette Meyer:
Tel: (012) 429 - 8307
Office: Theo Van Wijk Building (5 -100)

E-mail: meyerew@unisa.ac.za
3.2 Department
You can contact the teaching team for Psychology in Society per telephone, letter, fax, and by
e-mail. We handle three different kinds of enquiries about Psychology in Society. As the
different kinds of enquiries are handled in different ways, it is important that you decide before
you contact us which category your enquiry belongs to. The categories are:
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PYC1502/101
Three Category A: Category A: General administrative questions - in other words

categories any matter addressed in this Tutorial Letter 101 for Psychology
of enquiries in Society.
Category B: Administrative questions about the assignments for
Psychology in Society.
Category C: General academic questions about the content of Psychology
in Society.
By telephone You can phone the University between 08:00 and 16:00 on weekdays. The
contact numbers are as follows:
Category A and C enquiries: Mrs Endriette Meyer (012) 429-8307

Category B enquiries: Ms Thandeka Thwala 012) 429-8088.
By e-mail You can contact the teaching team for Psychology in Society on the
following e-mail addresses:
Category A and C enquiries: Mrs Endriette Meyer: meyerew@unisa.ac.za

Category B enquiries: Ms Thandeka Thwala: thwaltn1@unisa.ac.za
When you submit an e-mail letter please write one of the following codes in
the subject line space of your e-mail:
PYC1502+Category+A or PYC1502+Category+B or PYC1502+Category+C
The subject line code is used to route your e-mail to the proper folder for
quick attention.
By Fax The fax number for Psychology in Society is: (012) 429-3414.
Please indicate in the upper left hand corner of all facsimiles whether your
enquiry is a Category A or Category B or Category C enquiry.
By letter The postal address for Psychology in Society is:
The Course Organiser PYC1502

Department of Psychology, UNISA, PO Box 392, Unisa 0003
Please indicate in the upper left hand corner of the envelope as well as in
the upper left hand corner of the first page of your letter whether your
enquiry is a Category A or Category B or Category C enquiry.
3.3 University
If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of this module,
please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material.
This booklet contains information on how to contact the University (e.g. to whom you can write
for different queries, important telephone and fax numbers, addresses and details of the times
certain facilities are open).
Always have your student number at hand when you contact the University.
5
4 MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES
4.1 Prescribed books
There is only one prescribed textbook for this module that you have to buy. The textbook is
also prescribed for another module in psychology, namely Basic Psychology (PYC1501).
The prescribed textbook is: Van Deventer, V. & Mojapelo-Batka, M. (2013). A student’s A-Z of
Psychology. Juta: Cape Town.
OR
Grieve, K., Van Deventer, V., & Mojapelo-Batka, M. (2005). A student’s A-Z of Psychology. Juta:
Cape Town.
Prescribed books can be obtained from the University‟s official booksellers. Please refer to the
list of official booksellers and their addresses in my Studies @ Unisa brochure. If you have
difficulty in locating your book(s) at these booksellers, please contact the Prescribed Book
Section at Tel: (012) 429-4152 or email vospresc@unisa.ac.za.
Only the 2013 revised edition of the prescribed book will be available in the book stores. To
avoid confusion, please use the table below to locate the specific sections of the chapters from
the resources materials.
STUDY GUIDE PYC1502 OLD A-Z BOOKS NEW A-Z BOOKS REFER
REFERS TO: REFER TO: TO:
EMOTION SECTION 1 EMOTION EMOTION : Concept of

(Section 1)
EMOTION SECTION 2 EMOTION EMOTION : Concept of
EMOTION SECTION 3 EMOTION EMOTION: Theories of
EMOTION SECTION 4 EMOTION EMOTION: Classification of
EMOTION SECTION 4.4 EMOTION EMOTION: Classification of

(Section 1)
EMOTION SECTION 5 EMOTION EMOTIONS: Interpretation of
EMOTION SECTION 6 EMOTION Emotional intelligence:

Concept of
EMOTION SECTION 7 EMOTION EMOTIONS AND
MOTIVATION
The new 2013 revised prescribed book is more detailed than the older editions. However, the
older editions of the prescribed book are equally relevant and adequate as the module resource
materials.
Code of Ethics: Please note that the prescribed book is authored by a Unisa employee. The
Unisa School Tuition Committee has considered the ethical implication of prescribing the book
(as informed by the Unisa Code of Ethics and Conduct) and has approved it. The ethical
clearance is based on the following principles: The process of prescribing the book is
transparent and impartial; the book is peer reviewed; published by a recognised academic
publisher; forms part of a study package containing a wraparound guide; is the best book
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PYC1502/101
available on the market, given the learning outcomes of the module, contextualisation,
appropriate language level and the expertise of the author; and it is prescribed at various other
higher education institutions.
4.2 Recommended books

There are no recommended books for this module.
4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

There are no e-reserves for this module.
5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE

For information on the various student support systems and services available at Unisa (e.g.
student counselling, tutorial classes, language support), please consult the publication my
Studies @ Unisa, which you received with your study material.
5.1 Contact with fellow students

Study groups: It is advisable to have contact with fellow students. One way to do this is to form
study groups. The addresses of students in your area may be obtained from the following
department:
Directorate: Student Administration and Registration

P O Box 392
UNISA
0003
5.2 myUnisa
If you have access to a computer that is linked to the internet, you can quickly access resources
and information at the University. The myUnisa system is Unisa‟s online campus that will help
you communicate with other students, your lecturers and the administrative departments of the
University.
To go to the myUnisa website, start at the main Unisa website, http://www.unisa.ac.za and then
click on the „Login to myUnisa‟ link on the right-hand side of the screen. This should take you to
myUnisa website. You can also go there directly by typing in http://my.unisa.ac.za. Please
consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa which you received with you study material for more
information on myUnisa.
5.3 Discussion classes
If discussion classes are arranged for this module, you will receive a separate tutorial letter with
the relevant information soon after registration.
5.4 Tutorial classes
Face-to-face tutorial classes are offered for student support at various Unisa learning centres
(please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa, which you received with your study
material).
UNISA is committed to supporting you in your studies. E-tutors have been appointed to assist
you to achieve your educational goals. This module is one of those which has e-tutors available.
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The e-tutors will provide online support and guidance on the myUnisa portal. Please interact
actively and participate on the tutor site as this has the dual function of providing tutorial
guidance and opportunities for you to engage meaningfully with fellow students. Activate your
myLife account to make use of this added advantage.
6 MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN

Refer to my Studies @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.
Module Name Psychology in Society

Module Code PYC1502
A-Z Prescribed book: A student’s A-Z of Psychology
SG Study Guide: Only Study Guide for PYC1502
LO Learning opportunity (provided in the Study Guide)
Learning Task Time (hours)

Opportunity
LO A1502-HCW Learn how this course works 2
LO A1502-RIG Learn to chart the field of study 3
LO A1502-PPR Learn to prepare a presentation 10
LO A1502 -POP Learn to provide an expert opinion 10
LO A1502-DPP Learn to develop a psychological programme 40
LO A1502-DRP Learn to research a psychological topic 30
You always start with learning opportunities for application of psychological knowledge. In other
words, you always begin with learning opportunities from the Study Guide Section A. These
learning opportunities refer you to relevant resource material and also to learning opportunities
in the Study Guide Section B for exploring the required resource material. The first learning
opportunity you should study is learning opportunity LO A1502-HCW from the Study Guide.
This learning opportunity shows you how the module works.
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PYC1502/101
Resource
A-Z
Application Knowledge Resource

(Section A) (Section B) Material
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Module components t
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The module that you are about to study is called Psychology in Society. The r module has a
unique module identifier. The module identifier for Psychology in Society is PYC1502.
i You will
notice that modules presented by the Department of Psychology start with the letters PYC. The
a
first-year level modules are numbered in the 100 series. Thus, module identifiers for first-year
level modules in psychology begin with PYC1. Modules presented during thel second-year level
of study are numbered in the 200 series. Therefore the module identifiers for second-year
e
level modules begin with PYC2, and the third-year level modules begin with PYC3.
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` The module has three main components
1. The administrative component

2. The assessment component and,
3. The instructional component.
The administrative and assessment components of the module consist of:
Tutorial Letter 101: This tutorial letter explains administrative processes and procedures
important for studying the module. It also contains Assignments 01, 02
and 91.
Tutorial Letter 201: This tutorial letter contains the answers to and further feedback
discussion on Assignment 01.
Tutorial Letter 202: This tutorial letter contains the answers to and further feedback on
Assignment 02 and the self-test. It also contains information on exam
preparation.
The instructional component of the module consists of:
Study Guide: Section A and B
Section A is an application guide. It offers learning opportunities to develop application skills in

the field of psychology. Section B is a fundamental knowledge guide. It offers learning
opportunities for exploring topics in the field of psychology. Knowledge about these topics is
required for developing application skills. The learning opportunities offered in the Study Guide,
Section A are supported by the learning opportunities in Section B. All the learning
opportunities are supported by the prescribed textbook (A-Z).
Prescribed textbook: The prescribed textbook contains resource material required for
executing the learning opportunities presented in the Study Guide (PYC1502).
Module learning method

Learning The module learning method is the process that the learner should follow to
process achieve the module outcomes. The learning process is guided by the idea
that learning happens in a more efficient and effective way if information is
studied for the purpose of practical application. One learns best if knowledge
is selected and applied in particular situations. One should not sit with the
prescribed textbook for hours trying to learn one chapter after another without
a particular goal in mind because this is not how people learn in real life. In
real life people learn new things because they need to know those things in
order to do something.
Learning Learning opportunities for the application of psychological knowledge are

opportunities provided in Study Guide Section A. This is where the learning process starts.
in the Study These learning opportunities help learners master practical skills. However,
Guide- these skills require knowledge of psychology. Therefore each learning
Section A opportunity refers the learner to relevant resources where the required
knowledge can be found. The resource material is provided in the prescribed
textbook (A-Z).
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PYC1502/101
Learning Sometimes the learner has to work through a substantial amount of resource
opportunities material to complete an application task. When this is the case further
in the Study learning opportunities are provided to help the learner work through the
Guide- resource material. These learning opportunities are provided in the Study
Section B Guide Section B.
Outcome Every learning opportunity has an outcome product and a method of

products producing the outcome product. The production method is divided into one or
more tasks, each consisting of one or more activities. Activities tell the
Methods learners what to do, and in some cases they provide feedback to allow the
learners to collaborate their own answers. It is a good idea to execute an
Tasks activity before consulting the feedback (if provided) because this approach
promotes active learning. It is a very bad idea not to do these activities and
Activities to simply try to memorise the feedback because doing so promotes passive
learning. Learners who try to learn passively will not be able to achieve the
competency level required to pass the module examination.
Module learning opportunity
What is a A learning opportunity is a collection of activities aimed at achieving a

learning specific outcome. A learning opportunity consists of:
opportunity? - a title
- a unique identifier
- an outcome product definition and,
- a method definition.
Title The title is a short heading indicating the meaning and/or content of the
learning opportunity.
Unique The learning opportunity‟s unique identifier enables the learner to locate the
identifier learning opportunity. The first part of the learning opportunity‟s identifier is
the section of the Study Guide in which the learning opportunity appears.
The second part is a unique combination of three letters. Learning
opportunities are arranged alphabetically (except in section A of the Study
Guide PYC1502, where they are arranged in the sequence required by the
study programme). The letter combination determines the alphabetical
order. For example, LO B1502-HCW comes before LO B1502-POW in
Section B of the Study Guide PYC1502. Note: LO is the abbreviation for the
term, learning opportunity.
Outcome The outcome product definition of the learning opportunity has the following
product components:
definition a description that indicates the expected outcome of the learning efforts
a standard that indicates the minimum standards that the outcome
product must comply with and,
assessment criteria that indicate what the learner has to do to prove
his/her competency with regard to the outcome product.
Method The method definition indicates a way to achieve the outcome product.
definition The method definition of a learning opportunity has the following components:
one or more tasks, each consisting of one or more activities and, references
to the resources required for the execution of the tasks.
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Study Guide and its sections
You receive the Study Guide (PYC1502) for Psychology in Society.
SG CONTENT
Section A Learning opportunities for the application of psychological
knowledge
Section B Learning opportunities for exploring topics in the field of
psychology
7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

There are no practicals for this module.
8 ASSESSMENT
8.1 Assessment plan
Criteria for Marking of Assignments
The marking of the assignments is computerised. Assignments are seen as part of the learning
material for this module. Looking at the assessment criteria given for each assignment will help
you understand what is required of you more clearly.
8.2 General assignment numbers

There are three assignments for Psychology in Society. You will find these assignments in this
tutorial letter 101. Please refer to the assignment info in my Studies @ Unisa for general
assignment information and rules.
Assignment 01: This assignment consists of 25 multiple-choice questions covering the

following:
From Study Guide PYC1502, Section A: LO A1502-HCW and LO A1502-CFS
From Study Guide PYC1502, Section B: LO B1502-NGF and LO B1502-NSP
From A-Z:
- Consultation interviews (Section 3: Summary)

- Information modelling: Expandable tree structures
- Information modelling: Flow charts
- Information modelling: Visiograms
- Psychology: What is it all about?
- Research essays (Section 2.3: Construct proper paragraphs)
- Societal issues
Note that you have to submit the first assignment, and at least one of the remaining
assignments to receive examination admission.
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Assignment 02: This assignment consists of 25 multiple-choice questions covering part of the
following course material:
From Study Guide PYC1502, Section A: A1502-PPR, A1502-POP, A1502-DPP and A1502-
DRP
From Study Guide PYC1502, Section B: B1502-COS, B1502-HMB, B1502-POW and B1502-
SOP
From A-Z:
- Consultation interviews
- Information analysis: Correlation between variables
- Information analysis: Difference between groups
- Stress: The effects of stress
- Stress: The process of stress
- Stress: The psychophysiology of stress
- Motivation: The process of motivated behaviour
- Presentations
- Psychological programmes
- Psychological science
- Work: The ethic of work
- Work: Motivation in the workplace
Assignment 91: This assignment consists of 50 questions concerning your experience of the
course material. The aim of the assignment is to reflect on what you have learned and why you
enjoyed (or why you did not enjoy) certain learning experiences.
Assignment 92: Apart from the assignments you also receive a self-test. You cannot submit
the self-test for evaluation. The self-test covers the entire syllabus. Please use the self-test to
determine how well you are prepared for the examination.
Year-mark: An average of Assignments 01 and 02 counts 20% towards the year mark. This
year mark will contribute towards the final mark. Assignment 91 does not contribute towards the
year mark.
You receive feedback on your assignments as well as the self-test. Feedback on Assignment 01
is provided in Tutorial Letter 201. Feedback on Assignment 02 and the self-test is provided in
Tutorial Letter 202. You get the answers to the questions, as well as further discussion of these
answers. You receive two kinds of feedback: (1) A computer printout showing your own
answers, the correct answers, and the mark you obtained, (2) a tutorial letter with detailed
feedback about each question. Assignment 91 does not have any feedback.
8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers
Each assignment has a unique number. Please make sure that you indicate this number
according to the assignment that you have to submit.
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Assignments Unique number Semester
Assignment 01 783499 1
872025 2
776684 2
890593 2
8.2.2 Due dates for assignments
Do your assignments while you study, and submit them well before the closing dates. Do not
contact the Department of Psychology to request an extension of time. This is because the
marking has to resume on a set date. Credits are automatically deducted for late submissions of
assignments.
Assignments Due date Semester

Assignment 01 12 March 2014 1
03 September 2014 2
Assignment 02 10 April 2014 1
01 October 2014 2
Assignment 91 23 April 2014 1
08 October 2014 2
8.3 Submission of assignments

Students may submit assignments completed on mark-reading sheets either by post or
electronically on myUnisa.
Assignment submission by post: The postal address is: Assignments (PYC1502), The
Registrar (Academic), UNISA, PO Box 392, Unisa 0003.
Assignment submission via myUnisa: Visit the Unisa home page at http://www.unisa.ac.za and
go to myUnisa for a detailed explanation. Please note: assignments may not be submitted
by fax or e-mail. Should you encounter problems in submitting an assignment on myUnisa, you
may contact the help line at: myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za
For detailed information on assignments, please refer to my Studies @ Unisa

brochure, which you received with your study package.
To submit an assignment via myUnisa:
Go to myUnisa.
Log in with your student number and password.
Select the module.
Click on assignments in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.
Click on the assignment number you wish to submit.
Follow the instructions.
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8.4 Assignments
Assignment 01
Note: This assignment is compulsory. You have to submit this assignment to gain
examination admission.
The Assignment Case Scenario

You are a psychologist in the Strategic Planning and Development Department of a large
organisation. The department has three main functions. It manages the organisation‟s
research, assists various departments with strategic planning, and carries the responsibility for
information and communication skills development inside the organisation.
At a strategic planning session with the marketing division it was decided to put more emphasis
on the organisation‟s social responsibility programmes. Not only would this allow the
organisation to contribute to society in real terms, but it would also improve the company‟s
public image as a caring and responsible organisation. The marketing people were excited
about the marking prospects, but they realised that they needed to gather and model
information about society in order to understand the world in which they wanted to position the
organisation. The lack of information modelling skills was quickly identified as a major
obstacle. It was clear that workshops about information modelling techniques were required to
address the problem.
A student psychologist just joined your department for her three month practical placement.
You ask her to research the topic and to compile a manual about information modelling
techniques that can be used as a resource document for the workshops. After completing the
task she gives you the manual to read through, for corrections and editorial changes.
In the introduction of the manual the student psychologist wrote the following paragraph (the
letters have been added to identify the individual sentences):
(a) The problem is not to get information but rather to make sense of the vast amounts of
information that surround us. (b) Visiograms, expandable trees structures and flow charts are
examples of information modelling techniques. (c) We require techniques that could help us
structure information. (d) We live in an information age - an age in which information is copied
and distributed cheaply.
Clearly this paragraph is ill-formed - it does not make much sense, and needs to be edited. To
construct a well-formed paragraph you have to try to determine what the student psychologist
intended with the paragraph, and then see whether you can rearrange the sentences to
construct a better formed paragraph.
15
Question 1
Which one of the following statements offers the best description of the paragraph?
1. The paragraph explains a concept

2. The paragraph justifies the use of particular techniques
3. The paragraph states a concern and offers a solution
4. The paragraph evaluates a course of action.
Question 2
Which sentence indicates a concern?
1. a
2. b
3. c
4. d
Question 3
Which sentence indicates a need?
1. a
2. b
3. c
4. d
Question 4
Which sentence indicates a solution?

1. a
2. b
3. c
4. d
Question 5
Which sentence indicates contextual information?
1. a
2. b
3. c
4. d
Question 6
Which one of the following sentence arrangements constitutes the best formed paragraph?
1. (b) => (c) => (a) => (d)

2. (d) => (a) => (c) => (b)
3. (c) => (b) => (d) => (a)
4. (a) => (c) => (d) => (b)
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Scenario continues ...
The student psychologist began a section entitled “The need for information modelling” with the
following paragraph (the letters have been added to identify the individual sentences):
(a) There are different ways to organise information. (b) Information can be organised
sequentially or non-sequentially. (c) Information is organised non-sequentially if bits of
information have to be accessed one after the other. (d) Written texts are examples of non-
sequentially organised information. (e) Information is organised sequentially if one can access
any bit of information without first having to work one’s way through other bits of information. (f)
An example is the use of headings in texts - they increase the sequential nature of the texts.
(g) There are different techniques for modelling information. (h) Visiograms, expandable tree
structures and flow charts are examples of information modelling techniques. (i) Visiograms are
used to model process, flow charts help us to understand hierarchical information, and
expandable tree structures help to reveal basic structure.
Question 7
What do you think about the section title and the paragraph?
1. I think the title is correct for a section that begins with the indicated paragraph
2. I think the title is incorrect; the indicated paragraph should probably be the second or third
paragraph in the section
3. I think the indicated paragraph is in order provided the title is expanded to read: The need
for information modelling and modelling techniques
4. I think the indicated paragraph is in order provided the title is shortened to read: Information
modelling
Question 8
What do you think about the validity and form of the paragraph? The paragraph is:
1. valid and well-formed

2. valid but ill-formed
3. invalid but well-formed
4. invalid and ill-formed
Question 9
If you think the paragraph is invalid, why do you think so?
1. The student psychologist had a poor understanding of the subject material

2. The student psychologist structured the paragraph poorly
3. Both 1 and 2
4. I do not think the paragraph is invalid
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Question 10
If you think the paragraph is ill-formed, why do you think so?
1. The student psychologist had a poor understanding of the subject material

2. The student psychologist structured the paragraph poorly
3. Both 1 and 2
4. I do not think the paragraph is ill-formed
Question 11
Do you think the paragraph should be split into more than one paragraph? If so, where would
you split it?
1. Between (d) and (e)

2. Between (f) and (g)
3. Between (g) and (h)
4. I do not think the paragraph should be split into more than one paragraph
Question 12
If you think the student psychologist had a poor understanding of the subject material, which
concepts did she not understand properly?
1. The nature of sequentially and non-sequentially organised information

2. The nature of the various information modelling techniques
3. Both 1 and 2
4. I do not think the student psychologist had a poor understanding of the subject material.
Question 13
The student psychologist used a visiogram to demonstrate how the ideas presented in the
paragraph can be modelled. Which one of the following comments would you write in the
margin?
1. “Well done! The visiogram is a good technique to model the ideas presented in this
paragraph”
2. “A good idea, but maybe you should rather use an expandable tree structure to model the
ideas presented in this paragraph”
3. “A good idea, but maybe you should rather use a flow chart to model the ideas presented in
this paragraph”
4. “Not a good idea. One cannot model ideas presented in a written paragraph”.
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The resource manual contains chapters called “Societal issues”, and “Groups: attributes,
differentiation and interaction”. In the introduction to the manual the student psychologist wrote:
The purpose of these chapters is to provide psychological facts and theories. Psychological
knowledge is important to help workshop participants understand real world phenomenon. As
the workshop focuses on modelling the organisation’s social context it was decided to include
information about societal issues and group functioning in the resource manual. The
underpinning psychological knowledge should help the marketing people understand the
issues they observe in their organisation’s societal context, and should also enable them to
comprehend how groups form and function in society.
The information provided in the chapter of the resource manual comes from a book called: A
student’s A-Z of Psychology.
Question 14
You write the following question in the margin next to this paragraph: “Do you have permission
from the authors of the book?” Why would you ask this question?
1. You would ask the question because it is not clear what the student psychologist means
with “... comes from a book ...”
2. You would ask the question because authors have copy right on the material they write.
3. You would ask the question for both reasons 1 and 2
4. Thinking about this again, you realised that it was not necessary to ask the question
because the authors of the book do not have anything to do with the manual.
Question 15
In the chapter on Societal issues you come across the following statement: “Even the most
peaceful society is not without violence”. You write the following in the margin:
1. “Be careful. Peacefulness and violence are two mutually exclusive concepts. Therefore
one cannot have peace and violence at the same time”
2. “You cannot say this. According to the observational learning approaches to violence there
is no violence in peaceful societies because there is not violent behaviour to imitate”
3. You write both 1 and 2
4. You do not write anything, because you agree with the statement.
19
The flow chart indicated below appears in the resource manual.
Adjusted Fails to server

behaviour purpose
Culture of violence
Maladjusted Succeeds to
behaviour serve purpose
Question 16
In a side note to you the student psychologist explains that this model of the effect of a culture
of violence comes from an internet source. She was not quite sure how to interpret the model,
and is asking you to indicate which one of the following statements offers the best interpretation
of the model.
1. A culture of violence leads to maladjusted behaviour that either serves it purpose, or does
not serve its purpose.
2. A culture of violence leads to adjusted behaviour that ultimately fails to serve its purpose.
3. A culture of violence leads to adjusted behaviour that may fail to serve its purpose.
However, the adjusted behaviour may also result in maladjusted behaviour that may
succeed to serve the purpose of the behaviour.
4. A culture of violence leads to maladjusted behaviour that may or may not result in adjusted
behaviour that fails to serve its purpose. However, maladjusted behaviour always succeeds
to serve its purpose.
Question 17
You write the following comment on the effect-of-a-culture-of-violence model that the student
psychologist included in the manual: “One should be careful with information provided on the
internet. You always have to check the quality of the source you get the information from. You
probably used a poor source because the model presented here is not correct. It needs to be
edited”. According to your knowledge, which of the following models would be the most
accurate model of the effects of a culture of violence?
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1 Adjusted Succeeds
behaviour to serve
purpose
Culture of
violence
Fails to
Maladjusted
serve
behaviour
purpose
2 Maladjusted Fails to serve

behaviour purpose
Culture of
violence
3 Adjusted Fails to
behaviour serve
purpose
Culture of
violence
Succceeds
Maladjusted
to serve
behaviour
purpose
4 Adjusted Fails to
behaviour serve
purpose
Culture of
violence
Maladjusted
behaviour
21
In a section on discrimination the student psychologist writes: “Modern societies moved

beyond racism. Traditionally black people were described as inferior to white people, but
modern discursive practice uses racially neutral and impersonal language to distinguish
between white in-groups and black out-groups”. Although there is merit in what she
wrote, you feel the paragraph needs to be rewritten.
Question 18
In your comment you want to bring the distinction between the form and the content of the
paragraph to the student psychologist‟s attention. So, you begin your comment by indicating
that the paragraph consists of:
1. a statement followed by a description

2. a statement followed by a justification
3. a statement followed by an evaluation
4. a statement followed by an explanation
Question 19
Referring to the content of the paragraph you write: “Your statement is not necessarily correct
because ...
1. you do not differentiate between traditional racism and modern racism.”

2. you do not differentiate between in-groups and out-groups.”
3. you probably do not seem to understand the concept of discursive practice correctly.”
4. you include all three these comments.
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After finalising the resource manual you organise and conduct the workshop with the
marketing division. At the workshop they study and consider the psychological
information provided in the two appendices, and decide that a good initial focus of the
organisation‟s social responsibility programme would be to select one of the poor
communities in the vicinity for various improvement projects. In order to help them
focus and ground their ideas and actions in psychological theory you ask them to
compile a model of the community‟s social issues. In a group discussion they come up
with the following model:
Violenc e in
Env ironment the D ev elopment
as phy s ic al c ommunity of c ommunity
plac e
D is c rimintation
in the
Phy s ic al
c ommunity Community env ironment
Env ironment
Effec ts of N o prev entiv e as s oc ial
v iolenc e meas ures s y s tem
Question 20
What would be your comment on this model?
1. “Not a bad model, but you should check the validity of the model.”
2. “Not a bad model, but you may check the form of the model.”
3. “Sorry folks! Not a good model. It is neither valid nor well-formed.”
4. “A good model that is both valid and well formed.”
Question 21
Not all the workshop participants agree about the model. In the end they add three additional
models to the one they already have. Which model would you advise them to use?
1. Violence in Violence in
Environment the Development the Effects of
as physical community of community Community community violence
place
Discrimination in
2. No preventive
the measures Physical Environment
Physical
community Community environment environment as physical
place
Development Discrimination in
Environment Environment
Effects of No preventive of community the
as social as social
violence measures community
system system
23
Violence in
No preventive Violence in Effects of
the
measures the Effects of Community community violence
community violence
3. 4.
Community No preventive Physical Environment
Physical Environment measures environment as physical
environment as physical place
place
Development Discrimination in
Environment
Discrimination in Development of community the
Environment as social
the of community community
as social system
community
system
You ask the workshop participants to describe their observations of the community‟s social
issues. They produce the following paragraph (labels added to sentences to enable the
identification):
(a) Bascaville is a community about 5 km out of town. (b) Although the community has been
in existence for close to 15 years, it is not signposted and the name has not been formerly
recognised by the local authorities. (c) The town is situated on a flat, dry area of land, and
has a desolate feel to it. (d) There is no proper town planning, and many houses are
crammed together on small pieces of land. (e) Although water is available for both drinking
and irrigation purposes there are very little signs of planting and gardening demarcating areas
around the houses. (f) It is a tight knit community in which everybody knows each other’s
business. (g) One constantly gets the feeling that there are too many people living in the
community. (h) The only minibus taxi rank is at the entrance to the community next to the
passing main road. (i) The only garbage collection point serving the community is located in a
clearing next to the taxi rank. (j) The community suffers from the ills often associated with
very poor communities, namely (k) gangsters and high levels of crime, (l) problems among
different cultural and racial groupings,(m) domestic violence, (n) poor hygienic and health
conditions. These problems impact negatively on community life. (o) People avoid to walk
alone and to go to the taxi rank on their own. (p) This is especially bad for white and coloured
people who are forced to live in the south-eastern section of the community far from the taxi
rank.
You ask them to link this description to their model of the community‟s social issues. They
struggle with some points, and you have to help them.
Question 22
Which of the following statement groups would you associate with “the environment as social
system”?
1. (k) (m) (n)

2. (b) (c) (d)
3. (a) (h) (i)
4. (e) (f) (g)
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Question 23
“Poor hygiene and health conditions” is an example of:
1. Discrimination in the community

2. Violence in the community
3. The environment as social system
4. 1 and 3
*Scenario continues ...
After finalising their model of the community‟s social issues the workshop participants turn to
implementation. In a group discussion they come up with the following ideas:
1. Establish a clean-up-the-garbage project and organise a tree planting day

2. Try to convince the authorities to increase police patrols in the community
3. Conduct information sessions on basic hygiene practices
4. Install road signs that indicate the place name.
You ask the workshop participants to write a paragraph in which they explain why they think
their suggested actions would work. As expected they struggle to link their actions to theory.
Right from the start they differ about where the clean-up-the-garbage and the tree planting
activities fit into the theory. You have to help them.
Question 24
The clean-up-the-garbage project and the tree planting day are attempts to:
1. improve the environment as physical place

2. improve the environment as social system
3. improve the environment as extension of self
4. improve the environment as personal space
Finally they come up with the following paragraph to explain the theory behind their suggested
actions:
The suggested activities are aimed at breaking the cyclic dynamic of poverty. People caught
up in poverty become passive. They learn to become helpless, and they cease to take
responsibility for anything because they believe nothing can be done about their situation. The
cycle of passivity can be broken by getting the members of the community of Bascaville to
perform particular activities. If these activities are carefully chosen they contribute to
community membership which in turn contributes to the development of a sense of community.
For example, the cleaning up of garbage is not simply a physical activity but also an activity
that leads to a clean environment that people feel they have contributed to. In this way sense
of community is developed.
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Question 25
What would be your comment on this paragraph?
1. “You do not seem to understand the passivity associated with cyclic poverty”
2. “I am not sure you understand what community contribution means”
3. Both comments 1 and 2
4. “Good. It looks like you have a programme of action that is based on proper theory”.
End of Assignment 01
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Assignment 02
Note: You have to submit Assignment 01 before you can submit this assignment.
The Assignment Case Scenario
You own a small consulting company, called SocioTech. Your company offers a range of
psychological services to various organisations. Although most of your employees are
registered psychologists you also employ psychology students on a temporary basis.
You are approached by a company that produces computer software. The company is called
ProSoft International. Their director of human resources, Dr Joan Selesho, has contacted you
because they experience problems with employee absenteeism.
In the first consulting interview you are told that during the last three years the average number
of days employees take sick leave has risen from 0,5 to 4,6 days per employee. Because most
of these individuals perform tasks that are highly specialised their tasks cannot be taken over
by colleagues, and because they work in teams an entire team is slowed down when one of the
team members is absent. Production has suffered and the company‟s profits have tumbled.
According to Dr Selesho the effects of employee absenteeism should be addressed because
the company is in danger of losing its competitive edge in the market.
According to Dr Selesho the company‟s board of directors decided to bring in a consultant to

develop a skills transfer program. They want each employee to be able to do the work of at
least one other employee so that teams are not slowed down when one of its team members is
absent. The objective of the program should be to teach employees how to train each other.
Asking Dr Selesho about the general climate of the organisation you learn that employees at
ProSoft International work in a high-stress environment. The company competes in
international markets and is constantly under pressure to produce products in the shortest
possible time and at the lowest possible cost. Employees work long hours to meet deadlines.
Work hours are irregular because the company has to maintain a 24-hour-seven-day-week
service.
Based on what you learned during the interview with Dr Selesho you realise that the skills
transfer program would not solve the problem of employee absenteeism. Therefore you offer
the suggestion that it may be a good idea to first investigate the degree of stress that
employees experience in the company, and that a stress management programme and a work
motivation programme should perhaps be implemented before employees are subjected to a
skills transfer program.
Dr Selesho agrees, and suggests that she would like to table your suggestion at the next board
meeting. She thinks it would be a good idea if you could attend the meeting and inform the
board of directors about stress and motivation in the work environment.
27
Scenario continues …
Back at the office you ask the student psychologist who accompanied you to the
consultation interview to summarise the interview. She does so promptly and within an
hour after getting back to the office she brings you the summary for comment.
The Assignment Questions

Question 1
In her summary the student psychologist refers to the client as: The Director of Human
Resources, Dr Selesho. You write the following comment in the margin:
1. No, the client is ProSoft‟s board of directors

2. No, the client is ProSoft‟s employees
3. No, the client is the consultation company, in this case SocioTech
4. You do not write a comment in the margin because the student psychologist‟s statement is
correct.
Question 2
In the summary the student psychologist indicates the client‟s concern as:
a. the effects of employee absenteeism

b. the high levels of employee specialisation
c. decreased production and loss of earnings
d. the possible loss of competitive edge
You write the following comment in the margin:
1. Delete concerns (a), (c) and (d) because (b) is what the client is really concerned about
2. Delete concerns (b), (c) and (d) because (b) is not a concern, and (c) and (d) are effects of
employee absenteeism
3. Delete concerns (a) and (b), because concerns (c) and (d) are the real concerns
4. These are consultation concerns, not client concerns
Question 3
In the summary the student psychologist indicates the client‟s needs as:
a. a stress management programme

b. a work motivation programme
c. a skills-transfer programme
d. the services of a consultant
You write the following comment in the margin:
1. (c) is correct, but you have to delete (a), (b) and (d)
2. (a), (b) and (d) are correct, but you have to delete (c)
3. (a) and (b) are correct, but you have to delete (c) and (d)
4. You do not write any comment, because the client‟s needs are indicated correctly
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Question 4
According to the student psychologist the client‟s request is for the consultant to develop a skills
transfer program. You write the following remark in the margin of the student psychologist‟s
summary of the consultation interview:
1. Yes, the client‟s request is for the consultant to develop a skills-transfer program.
2. Yes, but this is only partially true. You should add the fact that the consultant is requested to
attend a board meeting to inform the board of directors about stress and motivation in the
work environment
3. No, you do not seem to understand what is meant by a client request. The development of
a skills-transfer program is not a client request
4. No, a client request is not what the client explicitly asks for, but what the client implicitly
needs – for example, the lowering of employee absenteeism.
At SocioTech every workday begins with a general project discussion. The meeting is
attended by all consultants and student psychologists. You ask the student psychologist who
accompanied you to the ProSoft consultation the previous day to provide feedback to the
others. She begins by describing ProSoft International as a high-stress work environment
company typical of the kind of company that constantly has to maintain a competitive edge in
an international market. She concludes with a brief summary of the client‟s concern, need and
request.
Before the content of the presentation is discussed you ask the other student psychologists to
critique their fellow student psychologist‟s presentation. One of the student psychologists
remarks that the presentation contained irrelevant information. The description of the work
environment at ProSoft was not relevant in light of the consultation, which is concerned with
the client‟s concern, need and request
Question 5
The student psychologist who presented the material defends her position by saying that the
description of the ProSoft work environment is …
a. a client concern
b. an employee expectation
c. contextual information
Your response is:
1. Yes, you are absolutely correct

2. Yes, you are partially correct – it is a client concern
3. Yes, you are partially correct – it is an employee expectation
4. Yes, you are partially correct – it is contextual information
Question 6
Another student psychologist asks why a stress management and a work motivation programme
were suggested in the consultation. The student psychologist who accompanied you responds
by indicating that the skills transfer program would not solve the problem of employee
29
absenteeism. She continues: “We wanted to change the client‟s concern and need, and this is
known as managing the client‟s expectations.” Your response is:
1. Yes, you are absolutely correct. I wanted to change the client‟s concern and need, and, yes,
this is what we mean by managing the client‟s expectations.
2. Unfortunately I have to correct you here. I wanted to change the client‟s concern and need
but this is not what it means to manage the client‟s expectations.
3. Unfortunately I have to correct you here. I wanted to change the client‟s concern, but not
their need. But you are right - this is what it means to manage a client‟s expectations.
4. Unfortunately I have to correct you here. I wanted to change the client‟s concern, not their
need, but this is not what it means to manage a client‟s expectations.
After the presentation the consultants and student psychologists begin to brainstorm
further steps in the consultation process. The first step is to prepare the presentation
required for ProSoft‟s board of directors. The presentation is an expert opinion on stress
and work motivation. You ask the student psychologist who acts as your assistant to
prepare the presentation. Later that day she is back at your office with the presentation.
Question 7
You look at the first slide of her presentation.
The main points of the presentation
o Hygiene factors
o Job satisfaction
o Unfavourable hygiene factor
o Motivating factors
o Self-regulation theories
o Work motivation
o Self-actualisation
o Needs
o Work-centrality
o Cognitive-choice theories
Your comment is:
1. Yes, this looks like a comprehensive and properly structured outline of the topic
2. The content is in order, but I think you should work on the way the information is structured
3. The information is structured correctly but the content is not complete
4. No, the content is not complete, and I think you should also read up on how to structure
information for presentations
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A couple of days later the student psychologist test-runs her presentation at the morning
project meeting to offer the consultants and her fellow students the opportunity to criticise the
presentation.
Question 8
When the student psychologist shows the following slide one of her fellow students asks: “Is this
slide correct?” The presenting student responds: “I think so. I found this information in a book
called „A Student’s A-Z of Psychology‟.
What does work mean to people?
There are three categories of theory that

describe how people find meaning in
work:
o Need-fulfilment theories
o Cognitive-choice theories
o Self-regulation theories
Your response is:
1. The slide is correct. The indicated theories describe how people find meaning in work
2. The slide is correct but not complete. It requires a forth category of theory, namely „Socio-
political context theories‟
3. The slide is not correct. It confuses the meaning of work and work motivation.
4. The slide is not correct. It confuses primary theories and categories of theory
Dr Selesho contacts you, and organises the ProSoft Board of Directors presentation for the
next week. As the student psychologist is a specialist in the fields of stress and work motivation
you ask her to do the presentation. She does very well, and after the presentation she gets a
number of questions from various board members.
Question 9
Board member A: “So, if I understand you correctly, stress is a physical reaction of the body?”
The student psychologist answers:
1. Yes, stress is a physiological response to stressors

2. Yes, although stress has an emotional component it is primarily a physical reaction
3. Yes, stress includes a physical reaction of the body but it is more correct to call it a psycho-
physiological reaction
4. She gives all three of these answers
31
Question 10
Board member B: “One of your slides indicates that there is a relationship between stress and
performance. It is possible that we have problems with low performance levels because the
work environment here at ProSoft is quite stressful. What do you think we could do to optimise
performance in this kind of environment?” The student psychologist says: Generally speaking
you have to ….
1. increase the novelty and the complexity of the tasks people perform
2. increase the novelty, but decrease the complexity of the tasks people perform
3. decrease the novelty, but increase the complexity of the tasks people perform
4. decrease both the novelty and the complexity of the tasks people perform
Question 11
Board member C: “I do not think I quite understand how stress works. In this company we
often see how two people, who perform the same job, differ with regard to stress. One thinks
the work is stressful and the other does not. How can this be?” The student psychologist
answers:
1. People use different coping strategies

2. What one person sees as a personal event, another sees as a micro event
3. Whether or not somebody sees an event as threatening or challenging depends on the
person‟s personality
4. She provides all three of the above answers.
Question 12
Board member D: “We also see that employees are not equally dedicated to their work. Do you
have any thoughts on why this may be so?” The student psychologist nods, and says:
1. Work motivation may play a role

2. Work ethic may play a role
3. Need-fulfilment may play a role
4. She mentions both 1 and 2.
Question 13
Board member E: “I am not quite sure I followed your explanation of the relationship between
work ethic and certain psychological factors. Could you show us that slide again?” The student
psychologist selects the following slide:
Psychological factors and work ethic
Work ethic
o Protestant
o Self-development
o Personal responsibility
Psychological factors
o Need for achievement
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o Self-actualisation
o Locus of control
o Awareness of responsibility
She explains:
1. Internal locus of control is important in all forms of work ethic

2. The fulfilment of human needs plays a role in both the ethic of self-actualisation and the
ethic of personal responsibility
3. She makes both statements 1 and 2
4. She makes neither statement 1 nor 2, because they are incorrect.
After listing to the presentation the ProSoft‟s board of directors accepts your suggestion to first
investigate employee stress before proceeding with the implementation of any training
programmes. At SocioTech‟s next project meeting the student psychologists are assigned the
task to design a research study about how stress may influence productivity at ProSoft.
The following morning the students are ready to present their suggestions at the project
meeting.
Question 14
Before the students begin their presentation one of the psychologists asks them: “Do you really
think it is necessary to do a research project to find out whether people are experiencing too
much stress at ProSoft? We have been told by them that the work environment is stressful.
Why do we not continue with the development of stress management programme right away in
stead of spending money and time on a research project?”
Student A says: Psychology is a scientific discipline. We base our knowledge on researched

facts, not on believes
Student B says: I think we should continue with the development of a programme rather than
the research study, because this is what the client wants, and we have to
concentrate on the client‟s needs first
Student C says: I think we should continue with the development of a programme rather than
the study, as long as we make sure that we base the programme on proper
psychological concepts and theories
Your response is: I agree with …
1. Student A
2. Student B
3. Student C
4. Students B and C
33
At the meeting the student psychologists hand out the following written proposal:
Proposal for ProSoft research study
This study will be done in two phases.
Phase 1:
Eighty ProSoft employees will be selected for this study. Each employee will be asked to
complete a stress questionnaire. The stress questionnaires will be scored to determine each
individual‟s stress score. The group‟s average stress score will be calculated to determine
whether or not the group has high stress.
Phase 2:
To save costs and time the same group of employees will be used in the second phase of the
study. In this part the study the employees will be classified as those with high stress and
those with low stress, and this will be correlated with how healthy they are to determine
whether there is a relationship between stress and health.
Question 15
Psychologist A reads through the research proposal, and remarks: “I really like the
epistemological component of your study.”
Your response is: I disagree. This proposal does not refer to the epistemological component,
but to …
1. the methodological component of the study

2. the operationalisation of the key concepts of the study
3. the conceptualisation of the key concepts of the study
4. 1 and 2
Question 16
Psychologist B says: “I think there is information missing in the first part of your proposal. It is
not clear how you distinguish between high and low stress.”
Your response is:
1. I agree – you have to indicate how you will know that the group‟s average indicates high or
low stress
2. I disagree – the average clearly indicates the difference between high and low stress. If
there are more people above average than below average the group‟s stress is high, and
vice versa
3. I disagree – the average clearly indicates the difference between high and low stress.
Those above the average have high stress, and those below the average have low stress
4. 2 and 3.
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Question 17
One of the student psychologist looks puzzled, and says: “What we want to know is whether
people who experience a high degree of stress are less healthy. Is it really necessary to
determine whether the group is a high or a low stress group?
Psychologist A says: “No, we do not need to know whether this is a high or a low stress group.
To determine whether people who experience a high degree of stress are
less healthy we only need to calculate the correlation between the group‟s
stress scores and their health scores.”
Psychologist B says: “Yes, we need to know whether this is a high or a low stress group. To
determine whether people who experience a high degree of stress are less
healthy we need a high stress group that can be divided into a healthy
group and a less healthy group.”
Psychologist C says: “No, we do not need to know whether this is a high or a low stress group.
To determine whether people who experience a high degree of stress are
less healthy we only need two scores for each individual in the group,
namely a health score and a stress score.”
You agree with:
1. Psychologist A
2. Psychologist B
3. Psychologist C
4. Psychologist A and C
Question 18
You suggest to the student psychologists that they struggle to design the research study
properly because they have not …
1. identified the research topic

2. formulated the research problem
3. decided what information to collect for the study
4. decided how to analyse and interpret the collected information
After the meeting the student psychologists disappear to their meeting room to rethink their
research proposal. Later that afternoon they are back in your office with a proposal outline.
You promise to comment on the outline, and to return it to them before the end of the day.
Here is the outline:
Research problem
Productivity at ProSoft may suffer because the work environment is too stressful. One of
the main factors that contribute to loss of productivity is high levels of absenteeism. It is
well known from past research that there is a relationship between stress and health.
Absenteeism is an indicator of health problems, and therefore the high levels of
absenteeism may be due to high stress.
35
Key concepts
o productivity
o stress
o health
o absenteeism
Information to be collected
o productivity scores
o stress scores
o health scores
Psychological instruments required for information collection

o A stress questionnaire (for collecting stress scores)
Information analysis
o Calculate the correlation between productivity and health (Pearson product moment
coefficient)
o Determine whether the relationship is significant
At the end of the outline the student psychologists included an “issues still to be resolved”
section:
Issues still to be resolved

We know stress is related to performance in the sense that higher levels of stress lead to
higher performance (as indicated in Graph A below):
A B
Novel tasks
Performance Performance
Average tasks
Difficult tasks
Stress Stress
However, the tasks that people perform at ProSoft are not equally difficult, and we are not
sure how the degree of difficulty and the novelty of a task influence the relationship
between stress and performance. We think difficult tasks lead to lower performance at
lower levels of stress, and novel tasks to higher performance at higher levels of stress.
Question 19
Regarding the key concepts you write the following comment:
1. The list is correct and complete

2. Absenteeism is not a key concept – it is a way to operationalise health
3. Stress is not a key concept – it is a way to conceptualise productivity
4. The list is correct but not complete – you should add the nature of the work environment as
another key concept.
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Question 20
Regarding the information to be collected your write the following comment:
1. It is not necessary to collect information about productivity

2. You can use absenteeism instead of health scores
3. You have to operationalise absenteeism
4. 1, 2 and 3.
Question 21
Under the issues still to be resolved you write the following comment next to Graph A:
1. Yes, you graph is correct. Higher stress means higher performance

2. No, your graph should point downward. Higher stress means lower performance
3. No, your graph should be horisontal. Performance does not change as stress increases
4. No, your graph should form an inverted u. At first performance increases as stress
increases, but at a certain level of stress it starts to decrease as stress increases further.
Question 22
Under the issues still to be resolved you write the following comment next to Graph B:
1. No, the order in which you list the tasks should be average, difficult and novel
2. Switch the labels around: Performance should be stress, and stress should be replaced by
performance
3. Your graph does not illustrate a point of optimal performance
4. Average and difficult refer to task complexity, which cannot be compared to task novelty.
The research study is conducted the next month and the results show a significant correlation
between the number of days an employee is absent from work and his/her stress score. On
the basis of this result ProSoft‟s board of directors asks you to design a stress management
programme to be implemented throughout the company.
Question 23
The programme‟s target population is …
1. ProSoft‟s board of directors

2. The people in Dr Selesho‟s human resources division
3. All employees of ProSoft‟s
4. The psychologists who design the programme
37
Question 24
The target population‟s need is to …
1. obtain a stress management programme

2. implement a stress management programme
3. learn to manage stress
4. design a stress management programme
Question 25
The programme‟s objective is to …
1. decrease employee absenteeism

2. increase employees‟ ability to handle stress
3. increase productivity
4. all of these
38
PYC1502/101
Assignment 91 (Course evaluation)
Note: You have to submit Assignments 01 and 02 before you can submit this
assignment. This assignment does not have any feedback, and does not contribute
towards a year-mark.
Here follow various statements about the learning opportunities, the course in its entirety, and
the learning tasks in general. In each case indicate whether you definitely agree, agree, feel
uncertain, disagree or definitely disagree with the statement. In other words:
- Mark 1 if you definitely agree with the statement

- Mark 2 if you agree with the statement
- Mark 3 if you feel uncertain whether you agree or disagree with the statement
- Mark 4 if you disagree with the statement
- Mark 5 if you definitely disagree with the statement
A Please indicate how you feel about each of the learning opportunities listed below
1 Learn how the course works
1 I found this learning opportunity interesting 1 2 3 4 5

2 I thought most of this learning opportunity was a waste of time 1 2 3 4 5
3 I thought this learning opportunity was difficult 1 2 3 4 5
4 I think I can use in future what I have learnt in this learning opportunity 1 2 3 4 5
5 I cannot see why I had to do this learning opportunity in a psychology course 1 2 3 4 5
2 Learn to chart a field of study

3 Learn to prepare a presentation

4 Learn to provide an expert opinion

5 Learn to develop a psychological programme

39
6 Learn to research a psychological topic

B Please indicate how you feel about the course in general
31 It was difficult to figure out how the course works 1 2 3 4 5

32 After I figured out how the course was structured I coped well with my studies 1 2 3 4 5
33 I could not figure out how the course was structured, and still do not know 1 2 3 4 5
34 The course material did not explain how one should study the material 1 2 3 4 5
35 I found the course really very difficult 1 2 3 4 5
36 I though this course was well organised 1 2 3 4 5
37 I learned a lot from this course 1 2 3 4 5
38 I completed all the learning tasks 1 2 3 4 5
39 I did not have enough time to complete all the learning tasks 1 2 3 4 5
40 I can‟t see the point of the learning tasks - All I need is the prescribed book 1 2 3 4 5
C Please give us your ideas about the learning tasks in general

In general the learning tasks ...
41 ... were clear and easy to understand 1 2 3 4 5

42 ... were interesting and stimulated my thinking about things 1 2 3 4 5
43 ... were too time-consuming 1 2 3 4 5
44 ... helped me to develop practical skills 1 2 3 4 5
45 ... helped me to improve my knowledge of psychology 1 2 3 4 5
46 ... required too much reading 1 2 3 4 5
47 ... helped me to improve my problem solving and thinking skills 1 2 3 4 5
48 ... encouraged me to be creative and to develop my own ideas 1 2 3 4 5
49 ... helped me to conduct my studies in a structured and organised manner 1 2 3 4 5
50 ... were boring 1 2 3 4 5
Remember to:
- indicate your answers on a mark reading sheet

- provide the assignment‟s unique number on the mark reading sheet
- indicate your student number on the mark sheet
- submit the mark reading sheet as Assignment 91
40
PYC1502/101
9 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS

There are no other assessment methods for this module.
10 EXAMINATION
The nature of The examination is a two-hour paper consisting of 50 multiple-choice

the questions based on the information provided in the Study Guide as well as
examination the prescribed resource textbook (A-Z). You have also received a self-test
paper that can be regarded as an example of what the examination paper will be
like. Further information about the examination and the self-test is provided
in Tutorial Letter 202, which you will receive later. Refer to the my Studies @
Unisa brochure for general examination guidelines and examination
preparation guidelines.
Examination You need to submit the compulsory Assignment 01 to be allowed to sit for
the examination. We, however, strongly advise you to complete and submit
admission all the assignments because the assignments are designed to help you in
your studies.
Pass mark The marks you earn in the examination paper are converted to a percentage
point (a mark out of 100). You must obtain at least 50 percent to pass the
examination. Note that the final mark is an average of 20% year mark and
80% examination mark.
What if I fail? Examinations for first semester modules are written in May/June with the
supplementary examinations being written in October/November.
Examinations for the second semester are written in October/November with
the supplementary examinations being written in May/June of the following
year. Please see my Studies @ Unisa containing general Information and
rules for full details of examination regulations.
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The my Studies @ Unisa contains an A – Z guide of the most relevant study information. Please
refer to this brochure for any other questions.
12 SOURCES CONSULTED
The source for this module is the prescribed textbook.
13 CONCLUSION
Tutorial letters contain important information about your studies. It is, therefore, important to
read all tutorial letters when you receive them, and to keep them in a safe place. This first
tutorial letter (Tutorial Letter 101) contains valuable general information for this module. Keep
this tutorial letter at hand - you will have to use it more often. The other tutorial letters contain
information about feedback on assignments, and examination information.
14 ADDENDUM
You will be notified if any addendum is available for this module.
41
15 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Invitation to visit the website of New Voices in Psychology
New Voices in Psychology is a peer-reviewed innovative publication that is published twice a
year by the Psychology Department. It has become firmly established as a journal that
concentrates on entry-level articles, giving first-time academic authors the opportunity to publish
their work. The challenge has always been to do this without compromising on academic
quality, while fostering cutting-edge, innovative work. Apart from publishing empirical and
theoretical articles, the journal publishes conference reports, book reviews, DVD reviews as well
as essays under the heading “Tips, Tools, Reflections and Conversations”. For access to the
online publications of issues of the journal, information on how to submit manuscripts and
information about various new projects and initiatives, visit the journal‟s website:
https://sites.google.com/a/unisa.ac.za/new-voices-in-psychology/home.
42

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PYC1502/101/3/2014

Tutorial letter 101/3/2014

Please note / important notes:

Read this tutorial letter first. It contains the compulsory assignments.

• Tutorial Letter 101 - General information and assignments

The Teaching Team

2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

Demonstrate a critical understanding of interpersonal, group and societal psychology.

3 LECTURERS AND CONTACT DETAILS

Dr E.M. Mojapelo-Batka (Module Leader)

Tel: (012) 429 - 8307

Office: Theo Van Wijk Building (5 -100)

Three Category A: Category A: General administrative questions - in other words

Category A and C enquiries: Mrs Endriette Meyer (012) 429-8307

Category A and C enquiries: Mrs Endriette Meyer: meyerew@unisa.ac.za

PYC1502+Category+A or PYC1502+Category+B or PYC1502+Category+C

By letter The postal address for Psychology in Society is:

The Course Organiser PYC1502

EMOTION SECTION 1 EMOTION EMOTION : Concept of

EMOTION SECTION 4 EMOTION EMOTION: Classification of

EMOTION SECTION 4.4 EMOTION EMOTION: Classification of

EMOTION SECTION 6 EMOTION Emotional intelligence:

4.2 Recommended books

4.3 Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

5 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE

5.1 Contact with fellow students

Directorate: Student Administration and Registration

6 MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN

Module Name Psychology in Society

Learning Task Time (hours)

This learning opportunity shows you how the module works.

Application Knowledge Resource

1. The administrative component

The administrative and assessment components of the module consist of:

The instructional component of the module consists of:

Study Guide: Section A and B

Section A is an application guide. It offers learning opportunities to develop application skills in

Module learning method

Learning Learning opportunities for the application of psychological knowledge are

Outcome Every learning opportunity has an outcome product and a method of

Module learning opportunity

What is a A learning opportunity is a collection of activities aimed at achieving a

You receive the Study Guide (PYC1502) for Psychology in Society.

7 MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

8.2 General assignment numbers

Assignment 01: This assignment consists of 25 multiple-choice questions covering the

From Study Guide PYC1502, Section A: LO A1502-HCW and LO A1502-CFS

From Study Guide PYC1502, Section B: LO B1502-NGF and LO B1502-NSP

- Consultation interviews (Section 3: Summary)

8.2.2 Due dates for assignments

Assignments Due date Semester

8.3 Submission of assignments

For detailed information on assignments, please refer to my Studies @ Unisa

The Assignment Case Scenario

1. The paragraph explains a concept

Which sentence indicates a concern?

Which sentence indicates a need?

Which sentence indicates a solution?