perry et al. (oxytocin drops) Flashcards
what was the aim of the study?
to investigate how oxytocin influences individuals’ preferred interpersonal distances and how it correlates with their levels of empathy
what is oxytocin?
it is a hormone associated with love which is a misconception
it plays a role in social bonding and influences behaviors like trust, empathy and interpersonal relationships
how does adding oxytocin influence human interactions?
it strengthens our previous opinions/relationships with people
e.g.: if we don’t like someone oxytocin will only strengthen that
what research method was used?
it was a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment
what experimental design was used?
repeated measures design
what were the IVs? (2)
- type of nasal spray administered: placebo or oxytocin
- participants’ level of empathy
what was the DV?
preferred interpersonal distance maintained during different social scenarios
describe the participants
56 males
undergrad students from uni of Haifa
19-32 years old
what was the sampling method?
volunteer sampling
students participated in exchange for course credit or payment
how was a empathy measured among participants?
interpersonal reactivity index (IRI)
28-item questionnaire assessing diff aspects of empathy
how was oxytocin administered to the participants?
through nasal spray - either contained oxytocin or just saline solution (placebo)
TWO SEPARATE SESSIONS
what task did participants complete to assess interpersonal distance?
the comfortable interpersonal distance (CID) task
it determined the preferred physical interpersonal distance in various scenarios
how were participants divided on interpersonal distance
participants scoring 40 and above on the IRI were classified as HIGH EMPATHY
participants scoring 33 and below were classified as LOW EMPATHY
what were the conditions of the CID test?
close friend, family, authority figure, stranger, ball
how did oxytocin affect individuals w high empathy?
led them to prefer closer interpersonal distances
how did oxytocin influence those with low empathy?
led them to prefer greater interpersonal distances
what do the results tell us about the role of oxytocin in social interactions?
oxytocin’s effect on social behaviors depends on context
it is influenced by individual levels of empathy
what was concluded from the study?
the impacts of oxytocin are dependent on individual levels of empathy
name two strengths prof the study
the procedure was highly controlled: double-blind procedure, placebo-controlled approach minimized researcher bias and lowered social desirability effects
use of standardized tests: the IRI and CID (comfortable interpersonal distance) ensured reliable data collection
lab experiment: standardized, controlled extraneous variables, reliable ad replicable
name two weaknesses of the study
sample bias: the researchers and sample knew each other before the study was conducted - researcher bias could be present
low generalizability:sample used only men from one specific university in a small age range so they do not provide a representative enough sample
were any ethics broken in this study?
no or at least not severely as all participants had the right to withdraw, signed an informed consent, all information was kept confidential
only deception was present with the room layout test
