Wk 5 - Adults

Question 1

Mesoudi et al (2006) conducted a study into social transmission chains, involving…(x6)
Finding…(x3)

Answer 1

4 different paragraphs:
• Gossip (Nancy had an illicit affair and became pregnant)
• Social (Nancy got lost and had to ask directions)
• Individual information about a character (Nancy waking up late and missing her lecture)
• Physical info about a city
10 chains, each containing 4 participants
Transmission along chains is much better/more detailed for social info
Wasn’t gossip itself, but both forms of social information
Somewhat contrary to evidence of the import of survival info

Question 2

Nairne and colleagues argue for survival information bias, in that…(x3)
Which is…(x1)

Answer 2

Human memory is evolved, so must be shaped by selection pressures – therefor should display functional specialisation
Evolved to be ‘tuned’ to encoding and recalling fitness-related info better than other
Arguing that social info is important, but survival details are prioritised above all others
Intuitively sensible, but no

Question 3

Stubbersfield et al 2014 tested the transfer of urban legends, in study involving…(x2)
Finding…(x2)
Concluding that the study…(x2)

Answer 3

20 chains of three Ps, three types of legends (social, survival, combo)
Looking for the information retention down the chain
Social and combined recall at much higher rate
Survival info retention better than control
Supports argument for social motivation, and attention to social info, and
Concept of a content bias for social information in cultural transmission

Question 4

Platow et al (2005) tested a highly social and contagious behaviour, laughter, in a study involving…(x5)
Finding…(x2)
Concluding…(x20

Answer 4

5 tapes:
• 1 woman reading 400-word passage on Baroque music
• 2 ‘recorded’ with university audience (1 with laughter dubbed on end)
• 2 with One Nation Audience (1 with laughter dubbed on end)
Rate whether funny, plus coding of video
Ingroup laughter condition significantly higher than all other conditions –
Not just laughter in itself, needs to be along with an ingroup
We do what others do to show we’re part of the ingroup, or want to be

Question 5

Chartrand and Bargh (1999) measured non-conscious behavioural mimicry in a study involving…(x2)
Finding…(x2)
Concluding…(x1)

Answer 5

ID of actions with high possibility of occurring, but not inevitable
Eg rub face, shake foot
If confederate rubs face, much higher likelihood of Ps doing that than shaking foot, and vice versa
Quizzed ps afterwards re awareness, found they weren’t conscious of it
This shows the social function of mimicry

Question 6

van Baaren et al (2003) conducted study into tipping, involving…(x1)
Finding…(x2)

Answer 6

Got waitresses to convey that they’d head the order, or repeat back the order verbatim
Better tips for mimicry –
Engenders the feeling of bonding/ I like you/ you like me

Question 7

van Baaren et al (2004) Conducted study into mimicry and its impact on helping behaviour, involving…(x2)
Finding…(x1)
Concluding…(x1)
With a follow up study showing…(x1)

Answer 7

E copying certain actions of the Ps, or not
Then tells Ps experiment is over, drops pen
Ps who’ve been mimicked all pick it up (1/3 of others)
Affiliation formed by subtle copying is sufficient to change behaviour
When given post-experiment opportunity to donate money, affiliation formed led to more donators, and higher amount

Question 8

Kavanagh et al (2011) conducted a study of the effect of mimicry on perceived competence, involving…(x2)
Finding…(x2)

Answer 8

Cordial interviewer, or not, crossed with applicant mimicking/not
Ps rate trustworthiness, likeability, competence of applicant
When interviewer is condescending and interviewee mimicked them, they are rated as less competent
If you copy someone rude, you look incompetent

Question 9

Kavanagh (2013) conducted study into effects of perceptions of good/nasty interviewer affect trustworthiness of interviewee, involving…(x2)
Finding…(x2)
Concluding…(x1)

Answer 9

Ps gets ‘good’ or negative gossip about interviewer
Then watches them interview confederate who either knows this info, or is ignorant
If interviewee is ignorant, and mimics, they’re seen as more trustworthy
But knowledge of good/bad gossip correlates with perceptions of trustworthiness
Mimicking doesn’t inherently lead to liking/trusting - is context-dependent

Question 10

A trait is…(x1)

Answer 10

An automatic perception of behaviour that is present and observed in the current environment

Question 11

The relationship between traits and behavioural mimicry is…(x3)
Which means that…(x1)

Answer 11

When we see a person, we automatically categorise that person as a member of their group, and
We activate stereotypes associated with that group
Activated traits and stereotypes lead to imitation
We can be primed to imitate the smart and the dumb, as shown in tutorial

Question 12

Dijksterhuis and Van Knipppenberg showed the effects of priming on perceptions of intelligence in a study involving…(x2)
Finding…(x2)
Concluding…(x1)

Answer 12

Soccer hooligans – write everything you can about soccer hooligans, or university professors, with secretaries as a control
Then gave Ps trivial pursuit questions
More correct for professor priming, then secretaries, then hooligans
Poorer results if negatively primedPrimed to think about being smart = thinking you might be

Question 13

Nelso and Norton (2005) showed differing impacts of category/exemplar priming in study involving…(x1)
Finding…(x1)
Concluding that…(x2)

Answer 13

Primed to think about superheroes or superman specifically, or control condition
Order of likelihood to help – superheroes, control, superman
Participants assimilated information from category prime and judged themselves as more helpful,
While others contrasted with exemplar prime, and judged themselves less helpful

Question 14

Two follow-up studies to Nelso and Norton (2005) finding of differing impacts of category/exemplar priming involved…(x2)
Finding…(x2)

Answer 14

Offering superhero/Superman primed Ps volunteering opportunities immediately after study,
Then emailing the ‘yes’s’ 90 days later
Superhero Ps much more likely to volunteer, and effect held (but lessened) over three months

Question 15

van Baaren et al (2009) have argued that we take over the behaviour of others to a greater or lesser extent when we…(x4)

Answer 15

Are concerned about them
Depend more on them
Feel closer to them
Want to be liked by them

Question 16

McGuigan et al (2010) tested overimitation in adults in study involving…(x1)
Finding…(x3)
But replication showed that adults…(x1)

Answer 16

3yo, 5yo and adults with ‘use the stick to open the box’ paradigm
70% of adults fully imitated when demonstrated by an adult, and 40% when by child
3yo – 8% copied other child, over 20% copied adult
5yo – 18% copied child,45% copied adult
Who’ve seen the box opened without irrelevant actions will stop doing them

Question 17

Flynn and Smith (2012) conducted a series of experiments into what conditions were required to stop adult overimitation, involving…(x1)
Finding…(x1)
With effects holding when…(x3)
With real drops in overimitation only found when…(x1)

Answer 17

First experiment - whether adults copied more whether box was clear or opaque -
88% produced the exact number of taps
Social pressure removed by E leaving room
Speed requirements imposed
Financial reward offered for speed
Expert was removed, confederate got first go at task, and financial incentive combined

Question 18

Priming studies into the effects of mimicry and social motivations have been criticised over…(x4)

Answer 18

Activation of traits and stereotypes does not so much elicit behaviour as affect the parameters of ongoing behaviour
Contentions over data – Nature article targeting Dijskerhuis
Replication is dodgy, some saying they’re chance effects
PLOSOne publishing research that doesn’t replicate priming effects