Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Nonverbal Communication Flashcards
What is the story of Clever Hans?
A: Clever Hans was a horse that could do math – but how? They brought in a psychologist who quickly realized it wasn’t a circus trick. He discovered the horse responded to social signals from the questioner. Nonverbal behavior of the person asking the questions influenced the horse’s answers. He performed an experiment with people who knew the answers and those who didn’t. When the questioner knew the answer, the horse got it right 90% of the time; when they didn’t, it only got it right 6% of the time. Subtle nonverbal signals were being exchanged between the person and the horse.
B: Clever Hans was a horse that could do math – but how? They brought in a team of scientists who quickly realized it was a clever trick. They discovered the horse responded to the trainer’s subtle physical cues, like slight movements or changes in posture, to get the correct answers. When the trainer was not present, the horse could not perform the tasks accurately, revealing that the horse relied on these subtle cues to provide the correct answers.
C: Clever Hans was a horse that could understand human speech – but how? They brought in a linguist who quickly realized it wasn’t true. He discovered the horse responded to vocal inflections in the questioner’s speech. The tone and pitch of the person’s voice influenced the horse’s answers. He performed an experiment with monotone voices, and the horse got it right 50% of the time, showing that vocal cues were crucial for its performance.
A: Clever Hans was a horse that could do math – but how? They brought in a psychologist who quickly realized it wasn’t a circus trick. He discovered the horse responded to social signals from the questioner. Nonverbal behavior of the person asking the questions influenced the horse’s answers. He performed an experiment with people who knew the answers and those who didn’t. When the questioner knew the answer, the horse got it right 90% of the time; when they didn’t, it only got it right 6% of the time. Subtle nonverbal signals were being exchanged between the person and the horse.
What is the story of Clever Hans a good example of?
A: Confirmation Bias
B: Nonverbal Communication
C: Groupthink
B: Nonverbal Communication
What is the Black Wednesday Last National Bank story about?
A: During the Great Depression, a man saw a long line at a bank and assumed it meant everyone had lost their jobs. Rumors spread, causing people to rush and withdraw their money, fearing bank closures. These false rumors led to the banks actually failing. The rumors created reality.
B: During the Great Depression, a bank manager decided to close the bank for a day to conduct an audit. People saw the closed doors and assumed the bank had failed. Panic ensued, causing people to withdraw their money from other banks, leading to widespread bank failures. The mistaken assumption led to a financial crisis.
C: During the Great Depression, a wealthy individual decided to withdraw a large sum of money from the Last National Bank. Seeing this, other customers assumed the bank was about to collapse and rushed to withdraw their funds as well. This sudden mass withdrawal caused the bank to fail, illustrating how collective behavior driven by assumptions can lead to real economic consequences.
A: During the Great Depression, a man saw a long line at a bank and assumed it meant everyone had lost their jobs. Rumors spread, causing people to rush and withdraw their money, fearing bank closures. These false rumors led to the banks actually failing. The rumors created reality.
What is the Black Wednesday Last National story a good example of?
A: Groupthink & Decision Making
B: Social Influence & Collective Behavior
C: Self-Fulfilling Prophecies & Nonverbal Communication
C: Self-Fulfilling Prophecies & Nonverbal Communication
Another example is the lipstick experiment. People believed they would be treated differently, so they acted differently, causing others to react accordingly. Their fear of being treated differently created the situation.
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?
A: When an originally false social belief leads to its own fulfillment
B: When people change their behavior based on accurate predictions about future events
C: When an individual changes their behavior to match their true self-perception
A: When an originally false social belief leads to its own fulfillment
Self-fulfilling prophecies are driven by nonverbal communication (IQ, rats, implicit prejudice). We are unconsciously and significantly impacted by nonverbal behavior without realizing it. Nonverbal communication is evolutionarily ancient.
What 3 steps are involved in the self-fulfilling prophecy?
A: Step 1: The perceiver has an expectation about the target and behaves accordingly.
Step 2: This causes the target’s behavior to align with the perceiver’s expectation.
Step 3: The perceiver’s initially incorrect expectations become true.
B: Step 1: The perceiver observes the target’s behavior and forms an accurate belief.
Step 2: The perceiver communicates this belief to others.
Step 3: The target’s behavior remains unchanged because the belief was accurate.
C: Step 1: The perceiver has no expectations about the target and behaves neutrally.
Step 2: The target’s behavior is influenced by external factors, unrelated to the perceiver’s behavior.
Step 3: The target’s behavior is unaffected by the perceiver’s initial neutrality.
A: Step 1: The perceiver has an expectation about the target and behaves accordingly.
Step 2: This causes the target’s behavior to align with the perceiver’s expectation.
Step 3: The perceiver’s initially incorrect expectations become true.
STUDY: Self-Fulfilling Prophecies (Rosenthal & Jacobsen, 1966):
A: Experimenters told teachers they had a test to identify “underachievers,” but the test was accurate, and “underachievers” were chosen based on their actual performance. IQs were measured at the beginning and end of the year. “Non-underachievers” increased IQ by 4 points (standard), while “underachievers” decreased by 16 points (significant). The teachers believed the test predicted, not caused, the “underachievers.” This self-fulfilling prophecy likely occurred because teachers treated “underachievers” differently, giving them less attention, involvement, reassurance, and positive feedback, which demotivated them to work and led to poorer performance.
B: Experimenters told teachers they had a test to identify “late bloomers,” but the test was bogus, and “bloomers” were chosen randomly. IQs were measured at the beginning and end of the year. “Non-bloomers” increased IQ by 4 points (standard), while “bloomers” increased by 16 points (significant). The teachers believed the test predicted, not caused, the “bloomers.” This self-fulfilling prophecy likely occurred because teachers treated “bloomers” differently, giving them more attention, involvement, reassurance, and positive feedback (mostly nonverbal), which motivated them to work harder and improve.
C: Experimenters told teachers they had a test to identify “gifted students,” but the test was reliable, and “gifted students” were chosen based on their actual performance. IQs were measured at the beginning and end of the year. “Non-gifted students” increased IQ by 4 points (standard), while “gifted students” increased by 8 points (moderate). The teachers believed the test predicted, not caused, the “gifted students.” This self-fulfilling prophecy likely occurred because teachers treated “gifted students” differently, giving them special assignments, advanced materials, and more challenging tasks, which stimulated their intellectual growth and led to moderate improvement.
B: Experimenters told teachers they had a test to identify “late bloomers,” but the test was bogus, and “bloomers” were chosen randomly. IQs were measured at the beginning and end of the year. “Non-bloomers” increased IQ by 4 points (standard), while “bloomers” increased by 16 points (significant). The teachers believed the test predicted, not caused, the “bloomers.” This self-fulfilling prophecy likely occurred because teachers treated “bloomers” differently, giving them more attention, involvement, reassurance, and positive feedback (mostly nonverbal), which motivated them to work harder and improve.
STUDY: Maze-Dull & Maze-Bright Rats (Rosenthal & Fode,1963):
A: Graduate students were told they had either “maze bright” (good at running mazes) or “maze dull” (bad at running mazes) rats. They cared for and worked with these rats, then tested them in mazes. Surprisingly, rats labeled “maze bright” and “maze dull” performed equally well, indicating that the students’ expectations had no impact on the rats’ performance. This outcome suggests that the labels did not influence the students’ treatment of the rats, and therefore did not create a self-fulfilling prophecy.
B: Graduate students were told they had either “maze bright” (good at running mazes) or “maze dull” (bad at running mazes) rats. They cared for and worked with these rats, then tested them in mazes. Surprisingly, rats labeled “maze dull” performed better, even though the labels were made up. This outcome mirrors the self-fulfilling prophecy seen in Rosenthal & Jacobsen (1966). The students’ expectations likely influenced how they treated the rats, causing the “maze dull” rats to perform better.
C: Graduate students were told they had either “maze bright” (good at running mazes) or “maze dull” (bad at running mazes) rats. They cared for and worked with these rats, then tested them in mazes. Predictably, the “maze bright” rats outperformed the “maze dull” rats, even though the labels were made up. This outcome supports the typical self-fulfilling prophecy seen in Rosenthal & Jacobsen (1966). The students’ expectations likely influenced how they treated the rats, causing the “maze bright” rats to perform better.
B: Graduate students were told they had either “maze bright” (good at running mazes) or “maze dull” (bad at running mazes) rats. They cared for and worked with these rats, then tested them in mazes. Surprisingly, rats labeled “maze dull” performed better, even though the labels were made up. This outcome mirrors the self-fulfilling prophecy seen in Rosenthal & Jacobsen (1966). The students’ expectations likely influenced how they treated the rats, causing the “maze dull” rats to perform better.
STUDY: Snyder, Tanke & Berscheid (1977):
A: Men were led to believe they would talk to a woman who was either highly intelligent or less intelligent. During phone conversations, the women were unaware of this manipulation. Judges, blind to the study, rated ‘highly intelligent’ women as more articulate, confident, and engaging. The men’s expectations about intelligence influenced their behavior, which in turn affected the women’s responses. If the men thought they were talking to a highly intelligent woman, they were more engaged in the conversation, and the women responded more confidently. Thus, the men’s expectations changed the behavior of both parties.
B: Men were led to believe they would talk to a woman who was either very wealthy or of average economic status. During phone conversations, the women were unaware of this manipulation. Judges, blind to the study, rated ‘wealthy’ women as more confident, assertive, and persuasive. The men’s expectations about wealth influenced their behavior, which in turn affected the women’s responses. If the men thought they were talking to a wealthy woman, they were more respectful and attentive, and the women responded more assertively. Thus, the men’s expectations changed the behavior of both parties.
C: Men were led to believe they would talk to an attractive or unattractive woman. During phone conversations, the women were unaware of this manipulation. Judges, blind to the study, rated ‘attractive’ women as more friendly, likable, and sociable. The men’s expectations about attractiveness influenced their behavior, which in turn affected the women’s responses. If the men thought they were talking to an attractive woman, they were nicer, and the women responded positively. Thus, the men’s expectations changed the behavior of both parties.
C: Men were led to believe they would talk to an attractive or unattractive woman. During phone conversations, the women were unaware of this manipulation. Judges, blind to the study, rated ‘attractive’ women as more friendly, likable, and sociable. The men’s expectations about attractiveness influenced their behavior, which in turn affected the women’s responses. If the men thought they were talking to an attractive woman, they were nicer, and the women responded positively. Thus, the men’s expectations changed the behavior of both parties.
What is nonverbal communication?
A: The use of written symbols and punctuation to convey emotions and emphasize points in text-based communication, such as using exclamation marks to show excitement.
B: The transmission of information through spoken language that includes tone and pitch, focusing primarily on vocal inflections and sound patterns.
C: Anything but the words themselves, and it is very powerful. This encompasses appearance, facial expressions, tone of voice (prosody), gestures, and posture. These elements tie back to hypothesis 4.
C: Anything but the words themselves, and it is very powerful. This encompasses appearance, facial expressions, tone of voice (prosody), gestures, and posture. These elements tie back to hypothesis 4.
Why is nonverbal communication important?
A: Nonverbal communication, our most basic mode of conveying social and emotional information, is older than verbal communication. We rarely say “I don’t like you” verbally, but our nonverbal cues often reveal our true feelings because they are harder to control. Jane Jenkins’ demo on “backchanneling” highlights the power of nonverbal cues like nodding or saying “uh-huh.” Nonverbal mimicry, where we unconsciously mirror others’ behaviors, begins at birth. Even when we don’t want to communicate, our feelings leak out through nonverbal behavior, making it a powerful form of communication.
B: Nonverbal communication is important primarily for conveying complex scientific information, where verbal communication alone is insufficient. It helps in presenting data through graphs and charts, making it easier for people to understand intricate details and statistical relationships.
C: Nonverbal communication is only relevant in formal settings, such as business meetings or academic presentations, where it is used to complement verbal communication. It is not significant in casual or personal interactions, where verbal communication is sufficient to convey all necessary information.
A: Nonverbal communication, our most basic mode of conveying social and emotional information, is older than verbal communication. We rarely say “I don’t like you” verbally, but our nonverbal cues often reveal our true feelings because they are harder to control. Jane Jenkins’ demo on “backchanneling” highlights the power of nonverbal cues like nodding or saying “uh-huh.” Nonverbal mimicry, where we unconsciously mirror others’ behaviors, begins at birth. Even when we don’t want to communicate, our feelings leak out through nonverbal behavior, making it a powerful form of communication.
Oliver Sack’s “The President’s Speech:”
A: Aphasic patients (unable to understand words) were completely unable to comprehend any part of the President’s speech. They could not understand the words, gestures, tone, or expressions, which illustrated the importance of verbal communication over nonverbal cues.
B: Aphasic patients (unable to understand words) comprehended the President’s gestures, tone, and expressions. They didn’t understand the words but grasped the nonverbal communication, allowing them to perfectly understand the speech. This illustrates that natural speech consists of more than just words; nonverbal communication plays a crucial role.
C: Aphasic patients (unable to understand words) misinterpreted the President’s gestures, tone, and expressions, leading to a complete misunderstanding of the speech. This demonstrated that nonverbal communication can often be misleading and unreliable compared to verbal communication.
B: Aphasic patients (unable to understand words) comprehended the President’s gestures, tone, and expressions. They didn’t understand the words but grasped the nonverbal communication, allowing them to perfectly understand the speech. This illustrates that natural speech consists of more than just words; nonverbal communication plays a crucial role.
Are we accurate?
A: No, we are generally inaccurate in interpreting both verbal and nonverbal communication, often misunderstanding the true intentions and emotions of others. Our perceptions are usually flawed and unreliable.
B: Yes, specifically with verbal communication, as we are better at understanding spoken words and the explicit content of a message. Nonverbal cues are often confusing and difficult to interpret accurately.
C: Yes, specifically with nonverbal communication, tying back to hypothesis 4. Bill Swann’s Circumscribed Accuracy from the Attribution lecture also ties back to this idea, noting we predict behavior well in familiar situations. Ambady & Rosenthal (1993) show we can “read a book by its cover,” particularly when not overthinking. We’re built to understand nonverbal cues, often accurately but without confidence.
C: Yes, specifically with nonverbal communication, tying back to hypothesis 4. Bill Swann’s Circumscribed Accuracy from the Attribution lecture also ties back to this idea, noting we predict behavior well in familiar situations. Ambady & Rosenthal (1993) show we can “read a book by its cover,” particularly when not overthinking. We’re built to understand nonverbal cues, often accurately but without confidence.
STUDY: Thin Slices of Nonverbal Behavior (Ambady & Rosenthal, 1992):
A: Participants watched three silent 2-second clips (totaling 6 seconds) of a professor teaching and rated their effectiveness. Another group watched three silent 10-second clips (totaling 30 seconds). These ratings were compared to evaluations from students who attended the entire 16-week semester with the professor. They found a strong correlation between the ratings from those who watched 6 and 30-second clips and the students’ evaluations after a 16-week semester. This was due to the professor’s holistic, nonverbal presence. However, judgments must be made while the professor is teaching, not in unrelated activities. This is not a conscious reflective process - we know this because they also tested people under cognitive load. Even under cognitive load, there was still a strong correlation with the evaluations from students who attended the class, proving the automatic nature of nonverbal judgments. We’re highly accurate at interpreting nonverbal cues, often without realizing it. Therefore, be mindful of first impressions, as people make judgments unconsciously.
B: Participants watched three silent 2-second clips of a professor engaging in unrelated activities like eating and walking, and rated their effectiveness. These ratings were found to have no correlation with the evaluations from students who attended the entire 16-week semester with the professor. This indicates that nonverbal cues in unrelated activities are not effective in predicting teaching effectiveness.
C: Participants watched three silent 2-second clips of a professor teaching and rated their effectiveness. Another group watched three silent 10-second clips of the professor in casual settings. These ratings were found to have a weak correlation with the evaluations from students who attended the entire 16-week semester with the professor, suggesting that context matters significantly in nonverbal judgments.
A: Participants watched three silent 2-second clips (totaling 6 seconds) of a professor teaching and rated their effectiveness. Another group watched three silent 10-second clips (totaling 30 seconds). These ratings were compared to evaluations from students who attended the entire 16-week semester with the professor. They found a strong correlation between the ratings from those who watched 6 and 30-second clips and the students’ evaluations after a 16-week semester. This was due to the professor’s holistic, nonverbal presence. However, judgments must be made while the professor is teaching, not in unrelated activities. This is not a conscious reflective process - we know this because they also tested people under cognitive load. Even under cognitive load, there was still a strong correlation with the evaluations from students who attended the class, proving the automatic nature of nonverbal judgments. We’re highly accurate at interpreting nonverbal cues, often without realizing it. Therefore, be mindful of first impressions, as people make judgments unconsciously.
