Megan CP#4

For a change of scenery, Soongyu and I sat outside to enjoy the sunny day. I was sweating by the time I had arrived since my Global Communications class was in the stadium. I told her that we were learning about the ultimate attribution error. This cognitive bias ensues when the in-group attributes the successes or positive behaviors of the out-group to particular contextual circumstances, while attributing the failures and negative behaviors of the out-group to personal characteristics. As a result, the in-group then goes further to attribute their own successes and positive behaviors to their personal characters and their failures and negative behaviors to their situations. Soongyu told me how this reminded her of a social psychology experiment she participated in which she took an Implicit Association Test (IAT). These tests are used to measure the involuntary associations between different conceptual representations in an individual’s memory. She said that her test was to differentiate between the close up profiles of men and women alternating between European and African origin. With this, also came a list of terms both negative and positive. From there she was supposed to alternate her associations of positive and negative concepts with the faces of the people as quick as possible. She said that she agreed with my class in that these kinds of biases occur in us without us even knowing. 

Although our conversations have been on serious issues, with complicated material, Soongyu is incredibly smart, and I respect how well she is able to formulate her ideas in English. She tells me that although she has improved, she still has to translate her English from Korean in her head a lot and she often forgets particular things. To assist in the process she has agreed to let me correct all beautiful mistakes for her benefit. However, I only stress them as necessary. My main focus is that she is communicating her thoughts effectively and coherently in order to improve her fluency.