PSYC 2P30 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: American Exceptionalism
21 Mar 2015
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Rational model of science: formulate theoretical problem (e. g. too much group conflict, translate into a testable hypothesis (e. g. groups compete with each other for distinct identities, analyze and interpret results, based on results, confirm, deny, or modify the theory. Esch (2010) examined 50+ official government texts for 2 political myths: a) american exceptionalism (us is unique, rules don"t apply to us), b) civilization vs. barbarism (conflict over culture, not politics/economy) [why we fight]; results: these myths were used to justify, normalize the war on terror: observational analysis: when we observe and record behaviour systematically (as it is happening); must clearly define variables and behaviours a priori, in advanced; can be done from a distance (unobtrusive) or as participant observer (interact, but do not alter the situation) festinger: famous social psychologist; him and colleagues infiltrated a doomsday cult and took part in the discussions.
