Code of the Course:
In my first paper, I gave an insight into the social norms in a market place. The research was experimental; I made observations on marketplace for two days after which I drew up conclusions about the social norms in the social setting. The data collected was mainly qualitative hence inferences and logical comparisons were used to come up with the conclusions. On my second paper, I will review an article by Jacqueline Lindenfeld titled ‘Cognitive Processes and Social Norms in Natural Discourse at the Marketplace’. The aim of the article is to find out how two views of natural discourse which seem to be opposite where one is aligned to cognitive processes and associated knowledge structures while the other one is aligned to the participant’s social construction of what reality is via an ongoing interactive process (Lindenfeld, 1994).
The main objective of Lindenfeld’s article is to identify the interface between social norms and cognitive processes. It aims at identifying the influence of cognitive and social constructivism in a specific social setting in addition to its influence on the language behaviors in the specific social situation (Lindenfeld, 1994).The article does not have a clear hypothesis but it is geared towards proving that social constructivism and cognitive processes have an influence on the social norms of a specific social setting. The article is based on the cognitive and social constructivism sociology theories. The cognitive theory holds that the behavior of human beings is based on a thought process; one in which a person makes decisions which are deemed most appropriate in a particular setting. In the cognitive theory lies the social cognitive theory which holds that people engaging each other in a social platform learn from each other; they influence each other to develop shared/ common social values/ norms. On the other hand, the social constructivism theory holds that human beings are due to create/ construct a specific set of behaviors, norms whenever they engage each other in a social environment. According to the theory, common / shared meanings, practices and beliefs come out as a result of the shared learning which takes place whenever people engage each other on social platforms (Lindenfeld, 1994). Linking the two theories with my first paper, it can be concluded that the language and behaviors in the market place where I did my study are a result of the cognitive and social constructivism learning. As the people engage with each other in trade, they develop a common language of trade. On this point, it is important to give reference to the bargaining language used in the market place. The language is meant to ensure that the customer gets value for his or her money and on the other hand, ensure that the seller gets maximum profits from sales.
Lindenfeld’s research is divided into two parts. The first part is a literature review on the previous research publications and articles which give detailed discussions on the connection between social norms and cognitive and social constructivism learning processes. The aim of the literature review is to come identify how the social norms in a market place come to be. The author analyses the data and information in the secondary sources which he uses in the literature review systematically and concludes that communication competency in the marketplace comes about when the people involved are able to deal with variable goals (bargaining) in a conversation (Lindenfeld, 1994). This ensures that that the engagement continues. This s in accordance with the findings of my first paper where I identified that the bargaining engagements between sellers and buyers continuously aimed at ensuring that e ach one of them had the best deal, hence each tried to ensure that the engagement continued until a deal was struck. The statistical analysis of data ensures that the conclusions were credible as per the arguments of Earl Babbie which indicate that scientific conclusions should make sense and be related to the phenomenon observed which result from appropriate data collection and analysis (Babbie, 1986).
The second part of the research by Lindenfeld is experimental. The author gives an account of several research studies which he had conducted in several markets located in urban centers. In the second part, Lindenfeld indicates that the social norms in a market place are set by the participants. The author notes that the main participant in the market social setting is the seller who has to stay in the market all through the day and every other market day in order to sell his/ her products. The minor participant is the buyer who only goes to the market to purchase specific products at specific times (Lindenfeld, 1994). However, Lindenfeld notes that the interaction between the two is what leads to the development of social norms which I earlier observed in my first paper. In this section, the author tries to give the interconnection between constructivism and cognitive processes and the development of social norms in the market place.
The information and data which the author uses in the presentation of the findings of his research is qualitative. It comprises of conversations between venders and buyers in addition o observations made by him in the various market places where he did his research on. There are no dependent or independent variables in the research since each one of them is stand alone. The research study can be referred to as being empirical or logical. This is due to the fact that the conclusions made in the article can be supported by information / observations which were actually made by Lindenfeld. Secondly, the conclusions make since since there is a correlation and causation relationship which can deduced from the observations made (Babbie, 1986). With respect to the measuring of the variables, the author indicates that relationships between the various sets of information were made out after a systematic analysis aimed at identifying cognitive and social constructivism aspects in the social norms in the market place.
The research found out that cognitive processes and social constructivism have a major role to play in the development of social norms which are associated with the market place (Lindenfeld, 1994). This conclusion can be linked with the observations which I initially made in my first paper where I can conclude that the social norms in the market place were developed from the vendor - buyer interactions. The paper concludes by indicating that social constructivism and cognitive processes have a direct influence on the development of discourse in varying communication interactions. Lindenfeld’s article is a great research piece whose conclusions are based on statistics, hence making it credible. From the review of this article, I can be able to identify a close relationship between it and my previous paper.
References
Babbie, E., (1986). Concepts, Indicators and Reality in Exploring the Architecture of Everyday life. Newman, D. (ed) Thousand Oak: Pine Forge Press. ISBN 978-1-4129-7813-2.
Lindenfeld, J., (1994). Cognitive Processes and Social Norms in Natural Discourse at the Marketplace, Journal of Pragmatics, 22 (1); 465-476
