Core Studies Flashcards
Describe the ‘Eyes Task’ created by Baron Cohen
A test of Theory of Mind in adults
Involves looking at a photo of the eye region and choosing between two descriptive words.
State 4 controls used within Baron-Cohens ‘Eyes Task’
- 15 x 10 cm
- Black and white
- All taken from magazines
- All from above the eyebrow to the bridge of the nose
What was the aim of Baron-Cohens study?
To investigate a new test for Theory of Mind in adults as all previous tests were created for children.
Describe the 3 conditions in Baron-Cohens study
- Autism
- Tourettes
- No condition
Describe the sample used in Baron-Cohens study
- 16 Participants in the Autism group
- 50 Participants in the ‘Normal’ group
- 10 Participants in the Tourettes group
Describe the procedure used in Baron-Cohens stud
Participants completed the ‘Eyes task’ where they were shown 25 images for 3 seconds each, they had to choose between the 2 descriptive words for each photo.
Define Concurrent Validity is and how this was checked in Baron-Cohens study
- indicates agreement between 2 different assessments
- Participants completed an existing task (Strange Stories) to check whether the results were similar
State and explain the 2 control tasks used in Baron-Cohens study
Gender Recognition task:
- Tested whether participants could identify the gender of the eyes.
Basic Emotion Recognition task:
- Tested whether participants could identify the 6 basic emotions in pictures of whole faces
State the results found in Baron-Cohens study
There was no significant difference in mean score on the Eyes Task between the ‘Normal’ (20.3) and tourette’s (20.4) conditions
The Autism condition scored significantly lower with a mean score of 16.3
There was no significant difference between genders on the Eyes Task
What did Baron-Cohen find in relation to the ‘Strange Stories task’?
The findings correlated with the results of the ‘Eyes task’, proving concurrent validity and indicating that the ‘Eyes task’ is a suitable test.
What was the conclusion from Baron-Cohens study?
The Eyes Task is a valid advanced Theory of Mind test
What is meant by ‘Bystander effect’?
When the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening
What is meant by pluralistic ignorance?
If one person doesnt help in a situation, the next person isnt likely to help either
What is diffusion of responsibility?
The more people in an emergency situation, the less responsibility each individual feels. Therefore making them less likely to help.
What was the aim of Piliavin’s study?
To investigate situational factors affecting helping behaviour such as the type of victim (drunk/cane) or the race of the victim.
What was the sample in Piliavin’s study?
About 4,450 participants both male and female in New York
45% Black 55% White
Who gathered the data in Piliavin’s study?
4 students/ confederates per team 4 teams 1 x male model helper 2 x female observers 1 x victim (always dressed the same, 1 was black, 3 were white)
Over how long was Piliavin’s data gathered?
2 months
Describe the train journey in Piliavin’s study
- New York subway
- 7.5 min journey with no stops
What is meant by the ‘critical’ and ‘adjacent’ area in Piliavin’s study?
Critical: where the victim falls
Adjacent: where the observers sit at the opposite end of the carriage to the critical area
Explin the Procedure used in Piliavins study
- 4 confederates would board the subway
- 1 was playing either a drunk or using a cane (Victim)
- The victim would stumble and collapse 70 seconds into the journey
- The 2 observers would record behaviour such as Time taken to help the victim, The number of people that helped and the total number of bystanders in the carriage
Explain the role of the model in Piliavin’s study
The model would help the victim after either 70 or 150 seconds to see if this encouraged other bystanders to help too.
On some trials the model did not intervene.
What are the 4 IV’s of Piliavin’s study?
- Type of victim
- Race of victim
- Early or late model intervention
- Number of bystanders
What type of experiment was Piliavin’s study?
Field experiment
Give 4 results of Piliavin’s study
1) The cane victim received spontaneous help 95% of the time as opposed to 50% for the drunk victim
2) White bystanders were more likely to help than black bystanders but there was evidence of same race helping with the black victim
3) The earlier model (70secs) received more help from other bystanders than the late model
4) Diffusion of responsibility was NOT found, the more people present, the more people would help
5) 90% of first helpers were male
What conclusions can be made from Piliavin’s study?
The appearance of a victim can influence helping behaviour - it is influenced by the environment and people around us as suggested by the social area of psychology
When was Piliavin’s study conducted?
The 60’s
What is meant by a ‘Captive audience’ in Piliavins study and how is this unethical?
- The participants could not leave the carriage for the 7.5 minute duration
- They were unable to withdraw
Give 4 ways Piliavin’s study could be considered unethical
- No consent
- Unable to withdraw
- No debrief was given
- Participants were not protected from psychological harm or given help if they had been affected by the study
What is the difference between collectivism and individualism?
(Levines study)
Colectivists focus on the needs of the group the belong to, individualists focus on themselves
What were the 3 aims of Levine’s study?
- To see if tendency to help was stable across 3 different situations
- To see if helping strangers varies across cultures
- To identify characteristics of communities more/less likely to help a stranger
What was the method and design of Levine’s study?
Field experiment
Independent measures
Describe the confederates in Levine’s study
All male, college age, dressed neatly and casually
What were the 3 IV’s in Levine’s study and how were these carried out?
- Dropping a pen: Confederate would walk towards a solitary pedestrian and when 10-15ft away would ‘drop’ a pen
- Victim with an injured leg: Confederate walked with a heavy limp and leg brace, would drop magazines within 20ft of a pedestrian
- Blind victim trying to cross the street:
Wore dark glasses and carried a white cane, just before the light turned green they would step up to the road and hold out the cane
Describe the sample used in Levine’s study
Individuals in each of the cities at the time of the experiment.
Carried out in 23 countries
In the dropped pen and hurt leg scenario, only people walking on their own were selected.
Give examples of controls used in Levine’s study
- Children, disabled/old and people carrying packages were excluded
- Participants were selected by approaching the 2nd appropriate person who crossed a predetermined line
- All confederates were given an instruction sheet and on-site training to learn how to approach and score participants
What results were found in levines study?
Overall helping index ranged from 40.3%(Kuala Lumpur) to 93.3% (Rio de Janeiro)
How can each of the 3 aims of Levine’s study be concluded?
1) Results suggested a modest level of consistency across the three helping measures
2) Amount of help offered differed greatly between countries
3) Cities with lower purchasing power parity (economic well-being) were more helpful
What did Levine find in terms of helping behaviour and gender?
No significant difference between males and females
What is Simpatia?
A cultural Value where being friendly, agreeable and good-natured is prioritised over achievements
What 2 main conclusions can be made from Levine’s study?
Helping behaviour is inversely related to a countries economic productivity.
Countries with Simpatia are more helpful than those without (83% with, 65% without)