Great Experiments

[Tron]

Friends,

I'm a Neuroscience major so I've taken a few classes about psychology and behavior. I actually started out as a Physics major (but them I performed dismally in Calculus II), so I've had exposure to more mechanical experiments as well.

Nonetheless, I think social psychology experiments are the most fun and interesting. Things like the Stanford prison experiment and the "Rat Park" are incredibly clever and awesome, as far as I'm concerned.

I know a lot of 2+2ers have some sort of scientific background, so I'm sure lots of you have experiments that you hold dear for some reason or another, so why not share them?

Word.

[Tron]

By the way... I didn't want to post this in the body of the OP because that would have been lame, but I remember reading about an experiment a couple of months ago on del.icio.us or Damn Interesting or something (if I were able to remember accurately enough, I wouldn't be asking this), but the basic premise was that people really don't pay to their environments at all. A stranger would approach a person to ask for directions, and while they were speaking, their conversation would be broken up physically by workers carrying a door or something. While the workers walked past, the stranger would be replaced by an entirely different person! Some incredible amount of people failed to notice that they were talking to two different people.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Link? Pleeeaaase!

[guids]

We watched something on the Stanford prison experiment in HS, it was pretty interesting.


I personally like the experiment, with the kids throwing the balls back and forth, and you are supposed to count the number of times they throw them, then an ape walks through the scene.

[XXXNoahXXX]

I think it has been posted on here before, but I've always liked this one. Link to Video

Rules:

1) Pay attention to only the actors in the white shirts.

2) Count the number of both aerial and bounced passes, ONLY between the white-shirt actors.


Answer below in white:

<font color="white">Did you see the gorilla? If not watch the video again. If you did, you'll probably think anyone who didn't is crazy, but in my class only 75% did </font>

[dylan's alias]

I saw the original footage in a class. It still scares me to think about it. The documentary clip here doesn't have the same impact.

From Wikipedia:

Milgram Experiment - Wikipedia

Video:

Milgram Experiment - youtube

[octopi]

Tron: You're a neuroscience major? Awesome. I just read about the prison experiment the other day in a novel and was intrigued. Coincidental you posted about it!

You're probably way more hip to many more experiments than just a lowly Bio Sci major, but I do have a special place in my heart for pharmacological and genetic-based studies. One of my favorites is this The Concord Prison experiment: Psilocybin was given to maximum security prisoners with the hopes it might break their negative thought patterns and actions and reduce their chances of returning to jail. It was a highly controversial study for a few reasons.

The researchers had high hopes, but in the end it looks like the prisoners had similar prison return rates to non treated prisoners. People often use this study as a reason for supporting 'illegal' drugs in psychological research, but often leave out the somewhat disappointing results found from the end of the 34 year study. I always find it most interesting how people use the results of studies in their arguments.

[dylan's alias]

Here's a 22 minute unedited clip.
Milgram Experiment


Edit:

Last time - here's the whole 45 minutes.

Milgram - complete video

[Oski]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way... I didn't want to post this in the body of the OP because that would have been lame, but I remember reading about an experiment a couple of months ago on del.icio.us or Damn Interesting or something (if I were able to remember accurately enough, I wouldn't be asking this), but the basic premise was that people really don't pay to their environments at all. A stranger would approach a person to ask for directions, and while they were speaking, their conversation would be broken up physically by workers carrying a door or something. While the workers walked past, the stranger would be replaced by an entirely different person! Some incredible amount of people failed to notice that they were talking to two different people.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Link? Pleeeaaase!

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know about the experiment, but I have some first-hand experience with this phenomena.

I went to the library desk to check out an audio tape. I was paying attention to the list of tapes. I did notice, however, that the clerk was an asian, college-age female. She told me that she would give me part II of the tape once I finished part I.

When I went to return the tape and get Part II, the clerk asked me why I didn't already have Part II. I looked at her and told her that she had told me to get them one at a time. I realized that I was speaking to another asian, college-age female. I quickly explained that I thought she was the first clerk.

"Oh, because we all look the same, right?" She said sarcastically.

I responded. "Well I don't believe that, especially since you look nothing like my wife!"

She apologized, and grumbled something about having a bad day.

(I didn't tell her that my wife is not asian, but I didn't appreciate her comment.)

[Earl Sleek]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way... I didn't want to post this in the body of the OP because that would have been lame, but I remember reading about an experiment a couple of months ago on del.icio.us or Damn Interesting or something (if I were able to remember accurately enough, I wouldn't be asking this), but the basic premise was that people really don't pay to their environments at all. A stranger would approach a person to ask for directions, and while they were speaking, their conversation would be broken up physically by workers carrying a door or something. While the workers walked past, the stranger would be replaced by an entirely different person! Some incredible amount of people failed to notice that they were talking to two different people.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Link? Pleeeaaase!

[/ QUOTE ]

Tron,

I haven't heard of this experiment outside of the following video, but UK "psychological illusionist" Derren Brown has used it as part of his TV show several times, as seen here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFaY3YcMg1I

Brown has also recreated the Milgram experiment as part of one of his specials, but there doesn't appear to be a video of that online.

[Tron]

Earl,

Thank you! That video was incredible. And, as a result, I figured out that this is an example of change blindness (which is somewhat similar to the example given above where you are supposed to count the number of times a person throws a ball and you don't notice a monkey walking across the screen). The wikipedia link even references a number of peer-reviewed studies on the subject... I should check and see if I have access to them through my college's network.

Thanks again! Welcome to the El Diablo General Discussion Forum!