Case studies Flashcards
Phineas gage
-Pre-frontal cortex (Left side of the frontal lobe) The left frontal lobe is involved in controlling language related movement
- before- calm, reliable, friendly, organised
- after- Rude, selfish, disorganised, short tempered
Speerys experiment
Sperry discovered that the left hemisphere of the brain was responsible for language understanding and articulation, while the right hemisphere could recognize a word, but could not articulate it
Harlow’s Experiment
Aim: To investigate whether contact or the provision of food was more important when forming infant-mother attachment in rhesus monkeys.
-The monkey’s spent more time on the cloth covered surrogate mother than the wire surrogate. Contact comfort is more important then food in the development of attachment between the infant and mother rhesus monkey.
-Harlow’s experiment made significant contributions to our understanding of early attachment experiences and the role of physical comfort in attachment behaviour.
Limitations
1. Generalisation:
2. Ethical concerns:
3. Artificial environment
Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg
Aim- To investigate the types of attachment across cultures and to see how the 3 main attachment styles applied.
To investigate if attachment styles (secure and insecure) are the same across cultures, or culturally specific.
-analysed data from other studies using a method called meta analysis- 32 studies in 8 different countries was analysed.
-they calculated the average percentage for the different attachment styles (e.g. secure, avoidant, resistant) in each country.
Findings- It was found that secure attachment was the most common type of attachment in all cultures. The lowest percentage of secure attachments was shown in China, and the highest in Great Britain.
Conclusion- The overall consistency in secure attachment types leads to the conclusion that there may be universal (innate) characteristics that underpin infant and caregiver interactions.
strength- A large sample produces more valid results.
We can be confident that their main findings reflect the distribution of secure, insecure- avoidant and insecure-resistant across a range of countries.
limitations- Within a culture there are many sub-cultures, all with their own way of rearing children.
This may affect the attachment type of children.
Social influence theory (Kelman, 1958)
According to psychologist Herbert Kelman, people change their attitudes and beliefs, and consequently their behaviour, due to social influence.
Strengths of theory
- Kelman’s processes of social influence (compliance, identification and internalisation) can be tested experimentally, and its effects can be observed and provide empirical evidence (information gathered through observation or through an experiment).
- Kelman went on to apply his theory to therapy and was able to explain how processes of influence can be directed to the patient’s behaviour both within the therapy situation and applied to real-life situations outside of therapy.
Limitations of theory
- Close observation of behaviour and analysis of the interactions that people have in society is required for this model.
- Kelman’s model is not intended to apply to all changes in attitude resulting from social interaction. For instance, acquiring new skills in a social learning environment is not an example of social influence, however any changes in attitude that come along with acquiring the skills would count as social influence.
Application of theory to a real-world context
- Developing policies for educational institutions such as universities.
- Students can be designated a highly experienced tutor or lecturer to be their mentor and provide advice and support during their time at university (identification and internalisation).
- Administrators can produce an assessment policy that states students will have consequences for plagiarism and cheating in assessments (compliance).
Study: Behavioural study of obedience (Milgram, 1963)
Aim- Investigating the lengths that people will go to obey direct commands from an authority figure.
Participants- Forty male participants between twenty and fifty years of age
Key findings
- All participants administered a minimum of 300 volts.
- Sixty five percent of participants obeyed orders all the way through until administering the maximum 450 volts.
- fourteen participants eventually refused to obey the experimenter and stopped administering shocks.
Study: Line judgment task (Asch, 1951)
Aim- To explore the conditions that would cause individuals to either resist or succumb to group pressures.
Participants- Eighty-seven male college students.
independent variable- whether or not there was group pressure caused by unanimity
dependent variable- the level of conformity measured by the number of errors made.
Key findings
75% of participants agreed with the confederates on at least one of the critical trials, 25% of participants never conformed. In the control group, 5.4% of participants conformed
STUDK: ENCIES - SMOKE FILLED MSTANDER INTERVENTION IN SMERGENCIES - SMOKE FILLED ROOM (LATANE AND DARLEY, 1968) ,
The study aimed to investigate bystander behavior in emergency situations, particularly examining whether a passive crowd might respond minimally to a perceived emergency compared to a panicked crowd.
Eighty-seven male college students from Columbia University were selected through convenience sampling.
The study utilized a preliminary questionnaire and titanium dioxide to simulate smoke.
Participants were assigned to three conditions: alone, in a group with other participants, or in a group with confederates. The time participants stayed in the room before reporting the smoke was the dependent variable.
Participants were interviewed about urban university disadvantages (deception), then placed in one of the three conditions. Smoke was simulated, and confederates were instructed to react minimally. The experiment concluded when participants reported the smoke or after six minutes.
Key Findings:
- 75% of participants alone reported the smoke.
- 10% in a group with passive confederates reported the smoke.
- No participants in a group of three reported the smoke.
- During interviews, most participants claimed they did not notice others and did not believe there was an emergency.
Contribution to Psychology:
The study expanded research beyond victim-bystander relationships, emphasizing the importance of understanding how the presence of others influences bystander behavior in emergencies.
Criticisms and Limitations:
- The study focused on American males; results might differ for females or other cultures.
- The inclusion of confederates who did not respond to smoke may not reflect real-world scenarios.
- The use of titanium dioxide, now classified as a carcinogen, raised concerns about participant safety.
Study: Cognitive consequences of forced compliance (Festinger and Carlsmith, 1959)
Forced compliance paradigm.
1. Wooden peg task
2. Spools of thread task
Method of the experiment- Participants have to tell next participants entering the task that task was really interesting (3 conditions): C1: paid $1, C2: paid $20, C3: Control (not paid at all)
Aim of the experiment- The aim of this experiment was to investigate if making people perform a dull task would create cognitive dissonance through forced compliance behaviour.
Independent variable- The amount of money paid to participants.
Dependent variable-
Conclusion of the study
It was easier to justify promoting such a boring task for $20, that is the justification for the behaviour that doesn’t agree with your beliefs. You have to convince yourself that the experiment was fun because $1 is not enough to justify it.
Study: Robbers Cave Experiment (Sherif et al., 1961)
objective - Muzafer Sherif aimed to investigate how intergroup competition could lead to prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination among boys attending a summer camp.
- Participants: Twenty-two boys aged eleven and twelve, unknown to each other previously.
- Materials: Questionnaires measuring attitudes.
- Design: Varied between competitive and cooperative environments, measuring attitudes towards ingroup and outgroup members.
Procedure:
- Group Formation: Boys initially kept separate, later shared experiences to develop teamwork.
- Intergroup Competition: Competitive activities led to negative intergroup attitudes and conflict.
- Intergroup Cooperation: Efforts to reduce friction included contact situations and superordinate goals (shared tasks).
Key Findings:
- Group Formation: Separate groups developed teamwork, solidarity, and formed positive ingroup attitudes.
- Intergroup Competition: Competition created conflict, prejudice, and negative stereotypes.
- Intergroup Cooperation: Superordinate goals reduced prejudice, fostering positive relationships.
Contribution to Psychology:
- Social Identity Theory: Group membership significantly influenced behavior and identity.
- Realistic Conflict Theory: Hostility between groups due to competition for limited resources.
- Contact Hypothesis: Alone insufficient; superordinate goals effective in reducing conflict and prejudice.
Criticisms and Limitations:
- Limited Generalizability: Participants were white, middle-class males, limiting generalization to other demographics.
- Reliability Issues: Mixed results between camps; one camp showed reduced conflict, while another did not.
- Ethical Concerns: Participants were unaware of the study’s purpose, impacting informed consent and withdrawal.
