Lecture 3 Flashcards
Kim and Markus (1999) study on culture and preference: independent self vs. interdependent self. White Americans vs Asian people had to choose a pen as a present after filling in questionnaire. All had black ink, conditions were either 4 green pens and 1 orange (unique), or 3 green pens and 2 orange.
Results: Americans (independent self, value uniqueness), more often chose the unique pen than Asians (interdependent self, value conformity). The cultures did not differ when they believed the pen choice may remove options for another person.
Gilbert et al (1998) on happiness after relationship break-up or lost election to demonstrate impact bias.
Results: for break-ups, people reported much higher happiness than predicted. For elections, winners actually were less happy than predicted, whilst losers were more happy than predicted.
Bushman and Baumeister (1998) on narcissism and aggression: Participants had to fill in NPI and then write an essay about abortion. Essay would be deemed wonderfull or worthless. As a second task, participants had to give noise blasts to others and determine the number of decibels.
Results: those that scored high on narcissism and received criticism gave more and harder noise blasts (due to ego-threat)
Study by Brown et al (1992) on social comparison: pictures of attractive/unattractive men or women were shown to women who then had to rate their own attractiveness
Results: after seeing pictures of the men, there was little difference in how attractive women rated themselves. However, after seeing pictures of attractive women, many more women rated themself unattractive than after seeing pictures of unattractive women.
Study to demonstrate spotlight effect: Participants had to sit in a room with other students, wearing a Barry Manilow T-shirt. The participant had to predict how many others would remember the T-shirt and who was on it.
Results: Participants predicted that half of the others would remember the T-shirt, in reality, less than a quarter did (demonstrates people pay less attention to you than you think).
