Psychology - Social Area + Core Studies - OCR

To understand why students obey orders off teachers

To understand if Nazis were fundamentally different to normal people

To understand if an experiment is conducted in a prestigious setting, such as a university, that the likelihood of obeying an authority figure will increase.

To investigate what level of obedience would be shown when participants were told by a figure of authority to administer electric shocks to another person.

To see whether a prestigious setting alters the participants obey rate when testing and then punishing another person by electric shocks and then isolation

To determine if an authority figure can persuade the participants to attempt to kill another person

40 male volunteers from New Haven, ages 20-50

25 males and 15 female volunteers from New York, ages 18-34

18 males and 6 female volunteers from Florida, ages 38-56

The learners task was complete

The experiment got to 15 minutes

The participant was in too much distress

The participant reached 400 volts 2x in a row

The participant reached 500 volts 3x in a row

The participant reached 450 volts 3x in a row

All 40 of them

None of them

22

38

27

65%

48%

100%

29%

9%

84%

To investigate why Kitty Genoveses death went unreported as a result of diffusion of responsibility, by conducting a field experiment in New York subway.

Conduct a field experiment to investigate the effect of several different variables on who responded to help, the speed of responding and the likelihood of responding

To investigate whether individuals from New York are less likely to help in a social situation

The experiment took place on one 7.5 minute journey between two stations on the New York Subway. In total there were 6 researchers of different ages who would come into the train and pretend to be nearby passengers who actually observed and took notes. The female researchers sat by the victim and by the pole of the train whilst the males were scattered around the carriage.

The emergencies were staged in the short 7.5 minute journey between two stations on the New York subway. On each trial 4 researchers ( 2 males and 2 females) entered the train. Each time the female researchers took seats and kept notes while the male 'victim' and male model ( potential helper stood near a pole in the centre of the train.

Male, 3 white and 1 black, aged between 26 and 35 years. In 38 trials the victim smelled of alcohol and carried alcohol in a brown bag; In 65 trials he appeared sober and carried a cane.

2 Females and 2 males, 2 white and 2 black. Ages between 21 - 38, in 40 trials the victim smelled of alcohol and carried alcohol in a brown bag; in 63 trials they appeared sober but with an injured leg and a cane.

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim (70 seconds after collapse)

The model stood further away and waited until after the sixth station before helping

The model stood a little further away and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the sixth station before helping the victim (150 seconds after collapse)

The model stood a little further away and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the sixth station before helping the victim (150 seconds after collapse)

The model stood further away and waited until after the sixth station before helping

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim (70 seconds after collapse)

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the sixth station before helping the victim (150 seconds after collapse)

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim 970 seconds after collapse)

The model stood a little further away and waited until after the sixth station before helping

The model stood a little further away and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim.

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the sixth station before helping the victim (150 seconds after collapse)

The model stood further away and waited until after the sixth station before helping

The model stood in the critical area and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim (70 seconds after collapsed)

The model stood a little further away and waited until after the train passed the 4th station and then helped the victim.

4,500 participants in 3 months

5,000 participants in 4month

2,200 participants in 2 and a half months

1,800 participants in 1 months

Cane = 100% + Drunk = 77%

Cane = 84% + Drunk = 80%

Cane = 100% + Drunk = 100%

Cane = 70% + Drunk = 68%

Cane = 78% + Drunk = 83%

Cane = 100% + Drunk = 73%

To investigate whether different cities are kinder than others, relating to individualistic and collectivistic cultures.

To determine if a city's tendency to offer non - emergency help to strangers is stable across situations over a wide range of cultures

To determine whether people who drop certain items in different countries are more disliked in some cultures compared to others

The more collectivistic a city is, the more likely help would be offered. Also the less economically rich a city is too also affects the helping rate by also increasing it.

The helping rate is characteristic of a place. slower cities are more helpful. Collectivism and individualism of a culture is not related to helping behaviours

Economic indicator

Gender ratio

Individualism - Collectivism

Downtown walking speed

To investigate whether whistleblowing is a result of biological factors and childhood experiences

To investigate rates of obedience, disobedience and whistleblowing in a situation where instructions were clearly ethically wrong

To determine whether social situations that were ethically and morally wrong would encourage an individual to alter their behaviour to commit ethically wrong deeds as a result

Lab experiment

Lab experiment with no IV

Field experiment

Field experiment with no IV

Students given cover story about recent experiment investigating sensory deprivation on brain function- conducted on 6 participants in Rome, spent time completely isolated, unable to see or hear anything, with extreme panic and had to be stopped. The students were told experimenters want to conduct similar study but awaiting ethical approval, they were told to write a statement to convince other students to participate in the experiment. If a participant believed the proposed research was unethical he/she could anonymously challenge it by putting a form in the mail.

Students were approached and asked to help conduct a study in which they isolated 12 students at another university that eventually led to it being stopped completely due to the ethical issues and the distress caused to the students. The isolation method measured the lack of social interaction on an individual and its effects. The students in this study were tested to see whether they'd assist or volunteer themselves to become a researcher/ experimenter for this unethical study