Post 1- Correlation vs Causation

Correlation does NOT prove causation. Correlation could be defined by any correlation, (a positive relationship, negative relationship, inverted relationship) between any two variables. For example, when A increases, so does B. Causation, however, states that A caused B. That the increase in A actually was responsible for the increase in B. This can be a BIG problem in psychology. We make that leap between correlation and causation, this logically fallacy get us into all kinds of trouble.

Some examples of this include:

Example 1

Sleeping with one’s shoes on is strongly correlated with waking up with a headache.

Therefore, sleeping with one’s shoes on causes headache.

The above example commits the correlation-implies-causation fallacy, as it prematurely concludes that sleeping with one’s shoes on causes headache. A more plausible explanation is that both are caused by a third factor, in this case going to bed drunk, which thereby gives rise to a correlation. So the conclusion is false.

Example 2

Young children who sleep with the light on are much more likely to develop myopia in later life.

Therefore, sleeping with the light on causes myopia.

This is a scientific example that resulted from a study at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Published in the May 13, 1999 issue of Nature,^[5] the study received much coverage at the time in the popular press.^[6] However, a later study at Ohio State University did not find that infants sleeping with the light on caused the development of myopia. It did find a strong link between parental myopia and the development of child myopia, also noting that myopic parents were more likely to leave a light on in their children’s bedroom.^{[7][8][9][10]} In this case, the cause of both conditions is parental myopia, and the above-stated conclusion is false.

Example 3

As ice cream sales increase, the rate of drowning deaths increases sharply.

Therefore, ice cream consumption causes drowning.

The aforementioned example fails to recognize the importance of time and temperature in relationship to ice cream sales. Ice cream is sold during the hot summer months at a much greater rate than during colder times, and it is during these hot summer months that people are more likely to engage in activities involving water, such as swimming. The increased drowning deaths are simply caused by more exposure to water-based activities, not ice cream. The stated conclusion is false.

Example 4

A hypothetical study shows a relationship between test anxiety scores and shyness scores, with a statistical r value (strength of correlation) of +.59.^[11]

Therefore, it may be simply concluded that shyness, in some part, causally influences test anxiety.

However, as encountered in many psychological studies, another variable, a “self-consciousness score,” is discovered which has a sharper correlation (+.73) with shyness. This suggests a possible “third variable” problem, however, when three such closely related measures are found, it further suggests that each may have bidirectional tendencies (see “bidirectional variable,” above), being a cluster of correlated values each influencing one another to some extent. Therefore, the simple conclusion above may be false.

Example 5

Since the 1950s, both the atmospheric CO₂ level and obesity levels have increased sharply.

Hence, atmospheric CO₂ causes obesity.

As car sales increase, carbon dioxide levels increase as well as obesity as people do less walking and biking.

Example 6

HDL (“good”) cholesterol is negatively correlated with incidence of heart attack.

Therefore, taking medication to raise HDL will decrease the chance of having a heart attack.

Further research^[12] has called this conclusion into question. Instead, it may be that other underlying factors, like genes, diet and exercise, affect both HDL levels and the likelihood of having a heart attack; it is possible that medicines may affect the directly measurable factor, HDL levels, without affecting the chance of heart attack.

 Coincidence

With a decrease in the number of pirates, there has been an increase in global warming over the same period.

Therefore, global warming is caused by a lack of pirates.

This example is used satirically by the parody religion Pastafarianism to illustrate the logical fallacy of assuming that correlation equals causation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation

In conclusion, ice cream does not cause drowning, but summer and the increase of swimmers might. We need to critically evaluate when we are making this drastic jump from correlation to causation. In experimental studies, we do our very best to eliminate other intervening factors.

 

(I turned this in on time but I wasn’t yet part of the blog group)

Blog Entry 13- Amy Jennings

The excitation transfer theory applies to situations when people attribute arousal from fear or excitement to attraction for the person they were with. In class, we talked about the example of the men who crossed the high, scary bridge who were more likely to call the researcher later. This theory really applies to all adventure stories and fairy tales. For example: Tangled.

She starts out hating him, but after running away from sword-yielding horses, bad guys, and palace guards, they suddenly find a strong connection. I think every girl secretly wishes that she will experience something like this. Something crazy happens, an amazing boy sweeps in and saves the day and suddenly you have enough connection to be in love for time and all eternity.

Entry 5-Amy Jennings

Natural selection is the natural process by which heritable traits are passed generation to generation. In natural selection, the traits that enable survival and reproduction are the ones that are passed on. It is the traits that enable the survival that then enable the reproduction and therefore future generations survive.

Mean Girls exemplifies survival of the fittest or Natural Selection in high school. The Queen Bee and her posse believe that if you’re not pretty enough or social adept enough to survive high school, you really don’t belong and therefore we should take you down socially.

 

Breaking Social Norms-Amy Jennings

At the very beginning of the semester, my friends and I went to the mall and just started talking with random people. Making conversation out of the blue is not exactly something people expect. Each time, as we walked toward them, they would begin to stare. “What is she doing?” was the question in their eyes. I felt a little bit uncomfortable, especially at first. Their stares clearly said “STAY BACK” but I approached anyways and just started talking. It was amazing how some people didn’t really know what to say but others just jumped right into a conversation and we talked for a while. One woman and her elderly mother wouldn’t let us leave! They just wanted to talk and talk. The norm we violated was to only converse with people you know or the people you are with. We violated it by, well, talking to complete strangers. I was surprised at how much easier it got, and by the end of the night, it felt almost natural.

Breaking Social Norms-Amy Jennings

At the very beginning of the semester, my friends and I went to the mall and just started talking with random people. Making conversation out of the blue is not exactly something people expect. Each time, as we walked toward them, they would begin to stare. “What is she doing?” was the question in their eyes. I felt a little bit uncomfortable, especially at first. Their stares clearly said “STAY BACK” but I approached anyways and just started talking. It was amazing how some people didn’t really know what to say but others just jumped right into a conversation and we talked for a while. One woman and her elderly mother wouldn’t let us leave! They just wanted to talk and talk. The norm we violated was to only converse with people you know or the people you are with. We violated it by, well, talking to complete strangers. I was surprised at how much easier it got, and by the end of the night, it felt almost natural.

Post 10-Amy Jennings

Egoism is the exact opposite of altruism. Instead of working for the well-being of others, you work only for your own well-being. In many ways, my economics professor would support this kind of a world. He said that when we all work for our own good, our economy grows. But it doesn’t seem very Christian. One great example of an Egoist is Algernon from Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” He does whatever he can to shirk all responsibility, help no one and pursue his own pleasures. Here’s just one quote from him:

Algernon: You have invented a very useful younger brother called Ernest, in order that you may be able to come up to town as often as you like. I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order that I may be able to go down into the country whenever I choose. Bunbury is perfectly invaluable. If it wasn’t for Bunbury’s extraordinary bad health, for instance, I wouldn’t be able to dine with you at Willis’s to- night, for I have been really engaged to Aunt Augusta for more than a week. (I.88)

Through lies and deceit, Algernon, along with his friend Jack both pursue their personal desires, helping no one but themselves. In the end, it all somehow works out, but I am grateful that not everyone in our world is like that. Given, there are many people who behave in that way but there is also a good number of people who sacrifice and work for the good of others.

Blog Entry 9 -Amy Jennings

Catharsis is defined as an emotional release. It’s the idea that punching your brother when he made you mad will make you feel better. Honestly, sometimes I feel like it works. Your brother is being an idiot, you punch him and you feel better. Here’s one example of catharsis.

Lilo and her sister separate and scream into pillows. We like to think that somehow, letting out all of this aggressive energy will make us more ready to deal with the actual situation. Unfortunately, most theorists agree that catharsis is a myth. Rather than decreasing your need to aggress, letting out a little bit of that energy actually increases your desire to aggress.

 

Following a Social Script by Austin Peterson (Blog Entry 9)

We have all been there. We are going to meet the parents of someone we are currently dating. Its a nervous time because we want to give a good first impression and dont want to do anything stupid or embarressing. For most of us the hype is far greater than reality and it goes smoothly because we just play into a social script. A social script is a culturally provided mental instructions for how to act in various situations. We know how to pass the meet the parents test and we stick to basics to just get through and not risk it.

Passing the test doesn’t go perfectly smooth for everyone though. In this clip from the TV show Friends Phoebe is going over to meet mikes parents and throughout she is trying very hard to follow the social script she thinks she needs too to impress Mike parents. It goes okay (subtitles in foreign language)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbnwDWPkw_I&feature=related

Phoebe struggles to keep with the social script. Her efforts at the start though when she just arrives is a perfect example of a social script. What she wears and how she acts is nothing like she does throughout the show but she changes what she does to try and follow what she thinks is needed in that situation. May we all learn from phoebe and see that we dont always have to follow a social script.

Field Research by Austin Peterson (Blog Entry 1)

We have all been apart of a research project where lots of information needs to be gathered. And many times the gathering of information is not the funnest thing in the world to do so we look for an out. And often that out comes in the form of field research. Field research is research done in natural, real life settings outside the labratory. Field Research is the fun part of research when you get to go out into real life and actually see if what your studying works!

A great example of field research comes from Pepsi in the form of the Pepsi Challenge. Pepsi set out evey where and had two cups of liquid in front of the contestant and had them drink from each cup and then tell them which one was better. The field research was being done everywhere in society to help get a random sample and see if the people liked the Pepsi they had created. Here is a link from a way old school commercial involving the Pepsi Challenge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7lw_vhxtNc

This commercial shows the guy being told what to do and drinking each cup and then picking his favorite. This commercial show Pepsi field research they did when promoting their product. Field Research is typically the fun part of research and Pepsi found a way to make worth filming!

Androgynous, Ash Chambers

Androgyny refers to a quality of mixed feminine and masculine (traditionally speaking) traits in a single person.

A good example of andgrogyny is my boyfriend and I. We both have quite a few masculine and feminine traits. For example, I love to do extreme sports. I get filthy, risk my limbs, and don’t bother with ‘dressing up’ when I go do these sports. I also love to play video games and often ‘hang with the boys’ playing call of duty. I also have feminine traits of enjoying hair and make up when I go out with friends, reading romance, and talking about my feelings. My boyfriend is a great communicator and often asks me to be more forthcoming with my emotions. He also hasn’t cried himself in years and enjoys every sport you can think of.

We make good examples of androgyny because we illustrate a mixture of gender traits. While these traits are more gender typed because of culture than sex, they are still considered gender traits. And we exhibit a good mix of both.

Movie Theater by Jamie Rhoten

So there is a social norm in movie theaters. If it is not a sold out movie theater where there is plenty of available seating you NEVER sit next to a stranger. There is a social norm to sit at least one seat away from the stranger next to you. I broke this social norm on accident last weekend. My husband and I went to a movie and were excited to see it not full and a good seat was available next to some teenagers in the middle. I sat down a seat away and things started feeling uncomfortable when the other girls started looking and talking about me.  Then, a boy came and took his seat again right next to me! He had just stepped out for a moment. I felt SO uncomfortable as I sat right next to a complete stranger. I felt uncomfortable because there were so many other open seats. This guy probably thought I was a weirdo. I told my husband about the situation and how I would be paranoid the entire movie if I stayed braking this social norm. Finally we ended up pretending to get popcorn and moving to another seat. This seams like a small social norm to break, but I am a shy person so that was enough to make me feel the social repercussions from violating that norm.

Retelling, Ash Chambers

Retelling is when a person relates a previous experience, often adding embellishments or other changes to enhance the story. 

My personal experience with this is when I accidentally broke my boyfriend’s nose. It was a complete accident. He tickled me, I slipped, and I elbowed him in the face. I play ice hockey, as does he, but this means I have strong elbows. So, when I hit it, blood gushed out and it’s been crooked ever since. However, when he retells this story with the added changes such as how I ‘abuse him’ or ‘was mad’ or some other way to make me look bad. He usually tells the truth after having a laugh about it, but it drives me nuts that he always does this. 

This is a good example of retelling because my boyfriend clearly is making changes to an event that he remembers clearly. He knows it’s not true, but he does it anyway. This is different than misinformation. 

Loneliness and Gender- Christine Sellers

One thing that caught my eye in the book was what I read about loneliness and gender. For men to feel lonely, they have been isolated from group interactions. For women to feel lonely, they lack one-on-one time with someone they feel close to. This is something I think is SO true.

My husband and I are very different, and we both get our emotional “fill” in different ways. In order to not feel lonely, I need to have good conversations and quality time with people I have strong relationships with. For Collin to not feel lonely, he just needs to be next to someone… even if they’re not really doing anything with each other.

If we are both in the living room but I’m typing something up on the computer and he is playing a game on his phone, that’s good enough for him to feel like he is included. For me… I need us to actually have a conversation with each other. Even if I am with a group of people, if I’m not interacting I can still feel lonely.

It never ceases to amaze me how much genders differ with so many thing, loneliness being another one I can add to the list.

I broke the norm by Matthew Landeen

Most people have a bubble or a personal space  that they do not like violated.  I would definately include myself in this category.  I was really hoping to make a video of my encounters, but like a typical college student my roomates and I never could find the time to get together and do it, so I did it on my own with out a camera.

Typically when you meet a person you shake hands.  Jerry Seinfeld explains this social norm perfectly so take a look at the video.

http://youtu.be/AFUEerAJXRM

So with these handshake norms, I put some to the test to see how I felt and how the others reacted.  I experimented with people who I already knew and random people that I met for the first time.  Typically I would introduce myself and offer to shake their hands, or just say hi and stick my hand out.  I would try my best not to let them go until our conversation was done.  At first it was hard trying to act completely confortable and come up with things to ask them while trying to note my behavior as well as their behavior, but it got a little easier after doing it a few times.

If there were other people around, most would look around them to see if anyone else though it a little strange that I had not let go of their hand.  This is a perfect example of some of the things we have talked about in class.  Oftem times people will look to those around them for information (conformity, social learning, helping and perceived emergency, etc.)  It was very hard for them to focus on the conversation I was trying to have with them, and in some cases some people forcefully pulled away.

It was kind of fun to violate a social norm, but I can imagine that it wouldnt be as fun if I was the one receiving the experiment.

“Breaking Bathroom Barriers” by Brigham Larimer

Today I broke a social norm in what I thought was a funny way. When people use public restrooms, they generally have as private of an experience as they can, as normally such happenings are done in a small, private room. It seems uncommon to see people greet one another or even make much eye contact with anyone else. But today was an exception.

I had seen a guy enter a public restroom at the testing center, and I followed in after him to find that he was in one of the two stalls. I took the one next to him and greeted him. Immediately I heard a nervous chuckle that seemed to say “What the…? This is weird.” He then responded in a normal way. I then decided to take it one step further and commented that I liked his shoes, which I could see from under the stall wall. Again, the nervous chuckle! It was clear that these responses indicated a perceived abnormality of the situation to this guy. I asked him why he was wearing the nice shoes that he was, to which he responded that he works at the MTC.

We then got into a pretty interesting conversation from those toilet stalls. I wasn’t awkward at all about the whole thing, and I think he caught on pretty quick, and was pulled toward my attitude as well, so the conversation was pretty natural after his initial nervous chuckles. This brings up an interesting point: violating a social norm may quickly feel less awkward or even normal if a person has someone else to do it with (who isn’t awkward about it). The abrupt introduction seemed to throw Preston (that’s his name) off only in the very beginning, but after seeing my casualness about the whole thing, he really didn’t show any other signs of discomfort. I left the stall first, and commented that it was nice talking, and that if I see him again I won’t even know that it’s him since I never saw his face, to which he replied, “well, maybe if you see my shoes.”

I had a fun time with this, and honestly it wasn’t very difficult or awkward, but it was interesting to think about the experience and put the pieces into psychological context.

“Breaking Social Norms – Eating on the floor”by Samuel Ramos

I actually did this right in the beginning of this term. I wasn’t really thinking about breaking any social norms when I realized during lunch time the cougarette food court was actually very crowded, considering it was spring term. I then bought spaghetti with alfredo sauce from the italian fast food restaurant and decided to eat it on the floor. To make it more interesting, I sat on a table where there was two other guys chatting. I asked them if I could join them, but instead of sitting on the chair, I sat on the floor and pulled out a chair to set my food on it. In order to make this more fancy I dumped my spaghetti on a tin foil paper and started eating with my hands. 

I didn’t try to talk to any of the guys. Not that they really would want to do that, since I proved to be a weirdo after that. They were looking at me a lot, and clearly laughing and making comment about me. People around my table also couldn’t hide their smiles (or laughs). No one approached me, or joined our table. For me, I confess I was kind of nervous at first, but after the first five minutes I didn’t really care anymore. I ate happily and slowly. Although I never received so many funny or weird looks with such frequency in my entire life, I found it interesting to notice how people expect the normal and want to be adequate to avoid feeling left out. 

Oh before I forget, at the end of my meal I former mission companion saw me and came over to chat, I could see his confused eyes as he greeted me. At first I didn’t say anything and chatted normally for a couple of minutes, then I told him ” by the way, I usually eat seated on a chair and use a table and plate.”He responded “oh, thats great”. I explained to him the purpose of this but I’m not sure he believed me. Maybe he actually thinks I’m a weirdo. But that’s okay, I guess. After all, wasn’t this the purpose of this experiment anyways (it even rhymed)?

Social Norm Violation by Tatiana Herman

Social Norm Violation by Tatiana Herman

I go to the gym about two to five times a week and have been doing so for the last two years. It’s an unwritten rule that you exercise only in attire made specifically for exercise. This includes sneakers, sweatpants, basketball shorts, yoga pants, baggy shirts, tank tops, and sports bras.

I decided to violate this norm by wearing my sunday clothes to the gym. I wore a nice blouse, a skirt, and yes- heels. I also had my hair curled and unrestrained. I proceeded to walk and then jog (lightly for safety reasons) on the treadmill. After a few minutes of that, I walked over to the machines and used the ones that I could manage while remaining modestly covered by my skirt. I finally left fifteen minutes later as I couldn’t take the embarrassment any longer (and I was worried about injuring myself due to restricted range of motion).

As I went through this ordeal, I was hard-pressed to make eye contact with anyone. I couldn’t bring myself to look at anyone directly at first and just relied on my peripheral vision. Some people were either so absorbed in what they were doing or trying to be polite that they didn’t stare at me. However, there were also plenty of strange looks that came my way from other people. In fact, for a moment as I was stepping off the treadmill, one of the trainers looked like he was about to come over and say something but then changed his mind when I got off. I eventually looked at someone and they just gave me a bewildered look and looked around to see if anyone else was seeing the same thing.

I normally pride myself on not embarrassing easily and on not engaging in behavior that would elicit that emotion in the first place. However, this experience made me realize that as open-minded as I try to be, I have certain norms imbedded firmly in myself. By the time I left I was really glad I’d chosen a location that I don’t visit normally. While I am grateful for this eye-opening experience, I don’t plan on ever doing anything like that again.

Social Norm Violated- Christine Sellers

My social norm violation was actually something I did on accident. I had just gotten done with a photoshoot and I needed to pick something up from the store…so instead of going home and showering, I went with the same hair and make-up I had on for the shoot.

No joke, it looked something like this…. except with WAY more lipstick and HUGE fake eyelashes. Yikes.

Picture this make-up, only 10X more of it.

 

So I stroll into the store not really thinking anything of it, until I get stared at. A whole lot. Then I realized that people probably legitimately thought I did my hair and makeup like that since my outfit was completely normal. My favorite kinds of stares are the ones you get from two people mid-conversation who stop what they’re saying just to look at you, but try to do it in a very discreet manner. This one guy did a quadruple-take. Man, did that make me feel good!

Breaking this norm violation at Smith’s in Provo was an awesome experience. It made me realize that we can be caught off guard by someone who doesn’t look a certain way SO easily. Something as small as hair and make-up caused a scene! I am so aware of how I look at others, now. Allow others to embrace their individuality.

Not going to lie, it was pretty entertaining to see the reactions, though. I’m so glad I accidentally stepped into this situation.

The Misinformation Effect by Matthew Landeen

The Misinformation effect – Incorporating “misinformation” into one’s memory of the event after witnessing an event and receiving misleading information about it.

Some of us may recall an event and tell the story of what happened believing that everything we “remember” actually happened.  Memory can be misleading and manipulated.

http://youtu.be/Q8xPfJ8cPhs

In this video, the male telling the story of when he was lost as a child appears to be a true memory.  He believes that this event really occurred.  He even created specifics in his memory like the flannel shirt.

This can be interesting in a court room because a lot of what the jury can go by is “eye witnesses.”  After many studies, we understand that an eye witness may not be as accurate and reliable as we originally thought.  When someone wants to believe something so badly that person can create memories of an event that never happened or alter the true memory to match the desired memory.

“Influences: Minority Stamina and Money” by Ryan Turner

Minority influence refers to the impact that a relatively small group of people has on a larger group in making a decision of some sort.  Phrases such as, “majority rules,” or “join the crowd” lose their appeal and validity when the minority sticks together and adamantly endures peddling on an uphill course in fighting the majority influence.  The minority, whether consisting of a group of 100 people or a single individual, is most likely to gain power over the majority when it remains consistent, persistent, and self-confident.

In the movie, You’ve Got Mail, a counter example of the success of minority influence is shown in the conflict between two bookstores.  One of the bookstores – The Shop Around the Corner – is a small, family-run business while the other – Fox Books – is a new enterprise run by wealthy businessmen.  The dilemma is that the very presence of Fox Books – ironically just around the corner from The Shop Around the Corner – threatens the business and customer retention of the smaller store.  To combat this threat, The Shop Around the Corner gathers followers together in rallies and organizes strike marches around Fox Books, all the while consistently and persistently fighting and even believing in their ability to succeed.  The Shop Around the Corner, however, fails to keep their company going and eventually gets run out of business.  Given their consistency, persistency, and self-confidence, why did they not succeed?  My simple observation of the matter tells me that they were lacking one vital feature – money.

Therefore, although minority groups can exert their influence over the majority’s with sufficient stamina and conviction, in the business arena, an extra characteristic is needed.  Not only need the minority possess consistency, persistency in effort, and self-confidence, but also the adequate cash flow.  In other words, moola!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVlaur-kEds&feature=related 0:00 – 1:35 (You’ve Got Mail)

This is the best clip I could find, sorry.

adaption -level phenomenon: Clarissa

Adaption -level phenomenon: this is the tendency to judge our experiences by comparing them to past experiences.  For example, the book explains that as our income rises, or our social prestige improves we feel pleasure. But as time goes on, we adapt. What once felt good now feels just normal- and what was normal or neutral before now feels like deprivation.  This phenomenon also entails our ability to judge our adaptive capacity.  Often we underestimate our adaptive capacity.  We have a hard time predicting the intensity and duration of our future positive and negative emotions.

In the movie Home Alone, Kevin (the main character) is at first very happy when he finds himself at home alone- with the house to himself.  But as time goes on- the excitement lessens- and he finds himself missing his family.

In this movie Kevin thought he would be super happy being home alone- without his annoying family around. When Kevin is alone, the excitement of being home alone evaporates more rapidly than he had expected.  In this situation- Kevin underestimated his adaptive capacity.

“Lies become Truth” by Samuel Ramos

I would like to talk about retelling. Basically, this tendency occurs whenever we retell a experience we might have had or a story we heard from someone else differently than the original event. Often times, we exaggerate to make it more believable or dramatic. That way, we get more attention and seem more interesting in the view of other people. Although, this also might happen unintentionally. In several studies, researchers found that people most of the time never accurately describe a past event in the same way after telling these stories over time. 

I fall into this trap sometimes, maybe for lack of confidence or simply to feel socially accepted, I’ve shared past experiences with added drama to get more attention from my friends and also to be seen as a funnier person than I actually am. I catch my wife doing the same thing as I hear her telling her arm injury story to friends. frequently I would I think, “my goodness, she didn’t really suffer that much”. On the other hand, I’ve already noticed that… I do the same thing! 

Finally, I honestly believe that life as it is, doesn’t produce that many fascinating and exciting story telling events to be shared around our social cycle. That’s when we thrown our own twist to it and make it sound nicer than it actually was. Now, although there are experiences that can cause people to like them, we perhaps want to ensure that others will really like the story we are telling them by putting together out own little version of what happened. 

“1st Birthday- Real or Imagined?” by Tatiana Herman

“1st Birthday- Real or Imagined?” by Tatiana Herman

The Retelling of events has to do with people repeating a story to themselves and solidifying that story in their mind. If the story is accurate, the retelling makes the narrator resistant to future misleading suggestions. However, if the story has some incorrect aspect, then the inaccurate version will eventually become truth.

About a year ago, my extended family was gathered together and exchanging stories. I decided to chime in with my earliest memory. I described my first birthday party. My mother and father were there along with my mother’s side of the family. What I remember is sitting in my high chair as my mother carried in my vanilla birthday cake singing to me with everyone else surrounding me. I remember a kitchen with dark wood paneling and dim lighting to enhance the glow from the single birthday candle.

My mother was kind enough to let me finish, but as soon as I had, she couldn’t help giggling as she corrected me on my version of the story. I had told this story to friends in the past and with each telling solidified not only the details, but even the mental images in my mind. I was so convinced that I had it right that it took me a while to admit to myself she would have the more accurate memory at 27 years old as opposed to my one year of age.

Social Norm Violation: Ian Hawkes

I decided that for my social norm violation I wanted to do something subtle, but still in violation of a norm. Though I could predict pretty easily what would happen if I were to wear something totally ludicrous or make a fool of myself, I wanted to see if I could make those around me just slightly uncomfortable.

I violated a social norm by going on a date to a very nice restaurant in a full tuxedo, and my date was wearing a stunning dress. We both looked like we were ready to go to a ball, and I even pushed my gentlemanly skills to the peak with a matching pocket silk. We went to La Jolla groves for dinner, which, though an extremely nice restaurant, does not usually serve guests in tuxedos. 

On the way to the restaurant we got sideways glances from other couples, but nothing too extreme. I’m sure many just assumed we were going to a different venue than them with a different dress standard. In the restaurant we were greeted several times, first by the woman who seated us and next by the waiter, with wide eyes and immediate questioning. They all wanted to know where we were going, and when we told them just to dinner, they were visibly confused.

The strongest reactions I got were from the other guests in the restaurant. As it was a week night, there were only several other couples in the small restaurant, and it was pretty clear that we were putting them all on edge. Men who thought that a shirt and tie was as classy as they could get on a date kept glancing at me, feeling suddenly under-dressed. The girls reacted the same way towards my date, and it was clear that we were putting several of them on edge.

I also noticed that people treated us with great more respect. The tuxedo and nice dress were associated with lost of money and high class in peoples minds, and so it seemed to me that people treated us with an extra hint of respect in their voice. I also found it interesting that though we were the only couple dressed in such a way, we did not feel very out of place. Instead, it seemed to me, that others felt they were under-dressed. If we had dressed down for the dinner, the other couples would have felt more confident, but when we over dressed, even though we were the only ones, I could tell that we were not being looked down on. 

Overall the experience was very interesting. Not only did I have a lovely date, but I was also able to witness some interesting behavior. I think that over dressing has a much different effect on those around you than under dressing does, and I would like to do more research into this interesting phenomenon. 

 

Violation of a Social Norm by Austin Peterson

When searching for an idea of things that could be done to break a social norm my thoughts went to something that is the “least risky”. I had heard stories of things people had done and although many were funny. I didn’t have the desire to ruffle as many feathers as they did. So when seeking a normal situation I came across the wilk and the terrace where everyone eats lunch and decided this would be a great spot to do it. Seeing that most people sit in groups of friends I thought it would be breaking a social norm to go sit at a table with a few people on it and talk to myself out loud so they could hear.

After sitting down at the table after each bite of food I would give a recap of the bite. Things like “wow, the cucumber really showed in that bite” and many other sayings revolved around my food and how it tasted. The looks I received were not very kind as many looked and pretty much scowled at me. I was clearly breaking a social norm of keeping to myself in a group I didnt know anyone in and it was not going over well. I did this for my meal and the people left at about the same time I was finishing my meal. They didn’t say anything to me directly but the awkwardness they felt was obvious in their expressions and how they would talk to each other after I got there compared with before I got there.

It felt very weird to break a social norm. I would say the weird feelings were more in general as to what was happening rather than the specific act that I was doing. I didn’t really enjoy my time breaking the norm but it did help me realize that it is not that big of a deal to do something different. I did something I would never do by choice and if I saw someone doing I would think was very weird and no one even said a word to me. They did harmless rude things like glances and such but nothing that actually mattered. Overall it was a good experience, planning it made me nervous and anxious to see how it would play out but now that its done I realized it was no big deal. While I don’t plan on being a regular social norm breaker I now realize if I need to do it occasionally its no bigs.

The Wrong Side of the Side of the Sidewalk- Tianna Freeman

Sidewalks are fairly useful things. They lay out a path for which we can walk safely. Sometimes, we choose not to use the path laid out for us, but when we do, a strange thing happens. There is a universal and unspoken agreement that you stay on your side of the sidewalk, and I’ll stay on mine. And, whether you have noticed it or not, people tend to walk on the right side of the sidewalk. When someone breaks that agreement, confusion ensues.

For two weeks I walked on the left side of the sidewalk and tried to see how people reacted. Most of the time I had someone else with me to observe the passerby’s reaction, and the responses I got were interesting. Most of the people would be walking towards me, look confused, and then just move for me. Some people would walk past, then look back with a baffled look on their faces as if to say “how dare she do that”. Once my roommate even gave me a weird look and asked me why I was being so weird. And then there were the few people who I had to have a battle of the wills with (I only lost twice).

At the end of the two weeks, I concluded that people get terribly confused and sometimes even angry if you walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk. There is definitely a mindset of “my side, your side” with a line in the middle that you shouldn’t try to cross.

Retelling in Pajama Gladiator-Ian Hawkes

Retelling is when someone recounts an experience that happened to them or they have witnessed. It was noticed that when individuals  retell a personal experience, they often fabricate or exaggerate, and as they retell it these fabrications are accepted by the individual as truths. Thus, as the story is recounted again and again it becomes more exaggerated, and these exaggerations seem more and more reasonable.

Another phenomenon of re-telling is that the ‘teller’ will often bias their story to sound more favorable depending on who they are addressing. This behavior is seen in the BYU Animation short film Pajama Gladiator. When he is caught trying to steal cookies from on top of the fridge, he begins to recount the situation to his mom. Because he knows his mother will be angry if she discovers he was trying to sneak cookies, he decides to bias his retelling, making up an elaborate story about alien abductions. As he continues with the story, he becomes more and more convinced of its authenticity. These are classic symptoms of retelling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXpP7ymgVq8&feature=relmfu

Retelling- Tianna Freeman

Retelling is when people recount events according to their own recollections. Because we usually change what we say to please those around us, we often embellish and exaggerate the facts of what really happened.

A good example of this is in the sixth Harry Potter book. Ron gets poisoned accidentally and spends a few days recovering in the hospital. For a few weeks afterward, every time Ron recounted the events, he embellished his story to make him sound more of a hero than a helpless victim. In fact, now that I think about it, Ron embellishes events a lot. One of my favorite lines from Ron is at the end of the seventh book when he tells his son that everyone in the train station is staring because he is so famous, when really they are all staring at Harry.

A good accurate retelling of events can defend us against misleading information, but more often than not, we embellish the events the more we tell a story to make us sound better, much like Ron does in Harry Potter.

Jury Selection by Caitlin Randall

As outlined in chapter 15, social psychology has no limits – especially not the courtroom. While one would expect everything within the hallowed halls of the legal kingdom to be precisely fair, that simply isn’t the case. We can make choices based on the influence of any of the individuals in the room, and essentially ignore everything we will be told by either side, blinded by any sort of variables. The chapter details how jury selection is particularly important, and most juries are formed with great consideration to any bias by potential jurors. The selection process can get very gritty, and any sort of individual predilection or prejudice can disqualify someone from serving on a jury. However, some people don’t like serving jury duty, and abuse these regulations in an attempt to get out of it – doing anything from faking strange behavior to developing sudden preferences that would inherently prefer either side, without regard to any testimony.

People like Liz Lemon, for instance:

In the above clip, Liz brings out the oddities to get off of jury duty so she can return to work. She acts like a huge Star Wars fan, talking about her planet and how she can’t serve because she’s “actually a hologram”. She was faking some sort of delusion to seem mentally unstable and therefore unfit for jury duty, as if her strange personality would have been unable to clearly decide on a verdict.

 

Social Norm Violation, Ash Chambers

One of the interesting norms of our society is how people should dress in given situations. Factors such as modesty, weather, flamboyancy, gender, and many others, all contribute towards what is ‘appropriate’ attire. So, for my social norm violation, I decided to disobey the rules of dress.

When me and my friends went out for dinner, I donned a Greek toga instead of ‘normal clothes’. I wore an over the shoulder greek toga with gladiator sandals. I also had a leaf crown, though I did not wear it the entire time (it was uncomfortable). This outfit was slightly immodest, too breezy for how cold it was, and incredibly flamboyant/out of place in the restaurant. In other words, it was a clear violation of the norms of dress.

A lot of people stared. Okay, everyone stared. Everyone who saw me shot me a questioning glance. This sometimes was followed by a chuckle, sometimes a high-five or congratulations on my clothing, or a look of disgust. Some people seemed so perplexed that they just couldn’t stop staring, with no visible reaction at all. Most of all, I was surprised by the amount of complements I got. Many people said they liked my outfit. It was not exactly the ‘violation’ I expected–I expected it to be a little more controversial.

Despite the majority of positive feedback I received, I still felt a bit uncomfortable. I have never been a big fan of many eyes on me at once. So I felt a bit hot and out of sorts throughout the evening. Every so often I would let out a nervous laugh when given a compliment. However, I eventually enjoyed it. I may not be an attention seeker, but I definitely enjoy going against the norm. It was hard to think up what to do for this project because I so often go out of my way to be ‘different’ (in a good way, I hope). I am a low social monitor, so I probably violate norms quite often. But this was such a big, intentional, and odd display, that it helped me feel that discomfort I used to feel when I was younger. When violating norms meant more to me. It got me thinking that we all have our comfort zones, and unless we push past them, violating a norm won’t bother you much. But this did push past my comfort zone, and I could not help but feel a little embarrassed.

Retelling by Cheri Hiatt

Retelling is when someone recounts a story, but change the facts of it, often through exaggeration.

example: I couldn’t find a clip of it, but in the movie Holes, Stanley writes home telling his mom how wonderful camp green lake is and how much he is loving it, when in reality it is nothing like what he describes.

conclusion: As Stanley changes his story about the events at camp green lake in his letter, he is displaying retelling.

Misinformation Effect — Haydn Jensen

The misinformation effect is when a memory becomes skewed after hearing false information about the event.

An example of this when my high school cooking teacher told the class that she watched a history channel show on Italy and how they said that Italy’s circumference was only 30 miles. She exclaimed “That’s how small Italy is! That’s from here (Carson City) to Reno! That’s the whole circumference!!”

Apart from purely being an idiot, I believe my teacher was a victim of the misinformation effect. I believe that someone, probably her husband, told her that Italy had a circumference. He then told her that the circumference was only 30 miles. Later, when Italy came up, she remembered that the man on the show told her this false information. Poor lady.

Misinformation Effect by Catherine Dodart

The Misinformation Effect is when someone feels they recall an image they didn’t really see in the beginning.

The Misinformation Effect is one that can definitely cause problems. For example, if in court a witness believes they saw something they didn’t, or if the person had a mustache when they really didn’t then it could put someone under the radar that didn’t really do anything wrong. This is why its important and more credible if there are multiple eye witnesses because then stories of what one saw can be compared.

An example in my life is one in which I was involved in a fender bender with my car and another. After the incident happened I felt that i was recalling things that may or may not have really happened but in my mind it seemed like it really did.

Personal Space by Catherine Dodart

Personal Space is the area around us that we like to keep between ourselves and others.

Many people begin to feel extremely uncomfortable if they feel others begin to invade this personal space. There is a social norm that many Americans will stick to themselves and try not to breach this area of personal space, unless extremely familiar with the person. We keep space on buses, at restaurants, at parks, and even movies. Some distance can also vary, for example adults favor personal space much more than children would. Men also keep more distance from each other than women do and in some cultures personal space doesn’t really apply. People will hug and even kiss some people they don’t know. I have tried sitting near someone I don’t know before and watching them start to be uncomfortable and wonder what I’m doing begins to make me feel awkward and unsure.

Counterfactual Thinking by Catherine Dodart

Counterfactual Thinking: is when you imagine different outcomes or endings that might have happened.

I feel that I have experienced this many times. For example, if I do poorly on a test my mind instantly goes back to some of those questions that I was unsure on and I think, “Well maybe if I would have put the other answer down I would have scored better.” Sometimes I will catch myself continually looking back at things like how could I have handled that differently, what if I would have chosen to go this way, or maybe I would have liked that other job. I never knew that there was an actual name to this type of thinking.

The text uses an example of Olympic athletes and how one who receives a bronze medal may be more positive if in his mind he had pictured leaving without a medal, as opposed to someone who won a silver medal and pictured themselves winning a gold medal.