Give an advantage and a disadvantage to our ability to compartmentalize information by categories. Then, give at least two examples that demonstrate how compartmentalization works. Finally, apply one of these to research.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: Our ability to compartmentalize results in the formation of schemas as well as stereotypes. The former is an advantage, while the second is a disadvantage if doing so limits our thinking. Forming schemas helps us to minimize the cognitive load and leaves our brains available to respond to incoming information. That is, we make predictions about the world around us such as the idea that, generally, faculty members give tests every 3 to 4 weeks, and if I have not been paying attention for the first 2 weeks, I better get to work studying. Also, we can predict that the car coming to our right is going too fast to be able to stop at the red light, so we pause before going through our own green light. So, forming categories and making predictions can help us survive. On the other hand, our ability to compartmentalize leads us to form stereotypes and overgeneralize. For example, just because most faculty give tests every 3 to 4 weeks does not mean your instructor will do so. In fact, your professor might only give a midterm and a final or give quizzes every week. Another example would be if you make a prediction based on being in the Southeastern United States, that all Southern men are gentlemen and therefore will let you, a female, go first at a four-way stop sign. Then, when the male in question does not wait for you to go through the intersection, you are involved in a wreck because you engaged in stereotyping. Finally, our tendency to compartmentalize can affect our research questions. At a conference several years ago, a speaker lectured about her research that drew from a sample of high schoolers in Los Angeles, California. She stated that the number one goal for adolescents today is to become famous. It was apparent to several audience members that she had overgeneralized from her local sample to the rest of the nation’s adolescents. This led her to a false conclusion and as students, we can learn from her example.