Paper Instructions
(Summer, 2004)

General Instructions:

• This assignment involves reading four "classics" in social psychology (that are listed in the second section below) and answering three "critical thinking" essay questions about each reading. To dowload the articles, go to this page on the web (http://homepages.utoledo.edu/mcaruso/social/ and click on "Writing Assignment" from the menu) and then click on the titles of the articles below. Note: The articles are in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format and you will need the Acrobat Reader to view the files. If your computer does not have the acrobat reader, you can download it here for free. I have also placed a copy of the four articles on reserve at Carlson library.
• The articles are from scientific journals, and the reading in places may be more difficult than what you are used to. Realize that these studies are discussed in the textbook and in class as well. Try your best and ask me questions if you wish.
• The paper must be typed, double-spaced, with 1" margins. Divide the paper into four sections - one for each article. Put the title of the article you are addressing at the beginning of each section of your paper. For each essay under each section, put the number of the question before each answer.
• Your paper will be graded for both content (Were the essays well written, did they thoroughly address the issues in the question, were your arguments logical, etc.) and form (Spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.).
• I suggest that you write a draft a few days before it is due and have me review it so that you can make changes, if necessary, before you turn the paper in to me to be graded.
• The paper is due on Tuesday, July 27. The paper is worth 100 points maximum. Late papers will be accepted until Thursday, July 29, but 10 points will be deducted from your score. Be sure to make or save a copy of your paper (either on paper or on comuter disk) for yourself as a backup before you turn it in to me.

The Articles and the Essay Questions:

• The first article is Teacher Expectations for the Disadvantaged by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson. (Note: the chapter references made in the introduction of the article may be wrong. Self-fulfilling prophecies are discussed in chapter 4, experimenter expectations in chapter 2, and stereotypes in chapter 5, of the 5th edition of the textbook.) Answer these questions about the article:
  
  
  • Rosenthal #1 - Rosenthal and Jacobson argue that under most circumstances if students confirm teacher expectations it is difficult to know whether or not this is truly a self-fulfilling prophecy. Why, what other interpretations are there? How did they set up their study so that they could clearly tell if self-fulfulling prophecies were operating? Explain how the results confirmed this.
    
    Rosenthal #2 - Even the control subjects (students whose teachers were not given any expectations) showed gains in I.Q. What interpretation of this result is suggested by Rosenthal and Jacobson? What other possible interpretations can you think of? What other conditions or control groups could have been added to this study?
    
    Rosenthal #3 - In what other circumstances besides teacher-student relationships might we expect self-fulfilling prophecies to operate? Give examples. Share personal experiences if you wish.
    

  
  

• The second article is Reconstruction of Automobile Destruction: An Example of the Interaction Between Language and Memory by Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer. (Note: memory and reconstruction is discussed in chapter 12 of the 5th edition of the textbook.) Answer these questions about the article:
  
  
  • Loftus #1 - Chapter 12 of your textbook mentions the debate as to whether post-event questioning actually effects the witnesses memory of the event or just the witnesses response to the question. Describe each side of the debate. What do you think Loftus and Palmer think about thes issue and why? What is your personal feeling about this issue?
    
    Loftus #2 - What are the practical implications of the of the issues raised in this article? How might the processes described affect various aspects of our legal justice system? What safeguards should be taken to help prevent this bias in eyewitness accounts?
    
    Loftus #3 - Apart from the wording of a question, what other post-event information might have a biasing effect on a witness's memory or testimony, and what can be done to avoid these biases?
    

  
  

• The third article is Cognitive Consequences of Forced Compliance by Leon Festinger and James Carlsmith. (Note: the chapter references made in the introduction of the article may be wrong. Cognitive dissonance theory is discussed in chapter 6 of the 5th edition of the textbook.) Answer these questions about the article:
  
  
  • Festinger #1 - According to Festinger and Carlsmith, why did paying subjects $1.00 lead to cognitive dissonance? How did these subjects reduce the dissonance? Are there other ways they could have reduced the dissonance? Why didn't the subjects who were paid $20.00 experience dissonance?
    
    Festinger #2 - How would self-perception theory (covered in chapters 3 and 6) explain the results of this experiment? How would self-affirmation theory (covered in chapter 6) explain the results of this experiment? How would impression management theory (covered in chapter 6) explain the results of this experiment?
    
    Festinger #3 - Do people often experience cognitive dissonance in their everyday lives? Give examples. How do they tend to resolve the cognitive dissonance? Share personal experiences if you wish.
    

  
  

• The fourth article is Behavioral Study of Obedience by Stanley Milgram. (Note: the chapter references made in the introduction of the article may be wrong. Obedience to authority is discussed in chapter 7 of the 5th edition of the textbook.) Answer these questions about the article:
  
  
  • Milgram #1 - What aspects of the situation faced by the subjects in the Milgram study do you think were most influential in causing the subjects to obey? Why? Would you have been vunerable to these factors? Do you think most people today would show similar levels of obedience? Why or why not? What if the authority in a situation is a team coach or an employer? Would you expect high levels of obedience?
    
    Milgram #2 - When Milgram asked people to predict what percentage of subjects in his study would obey all the way to the 450 volt level, estimates were around 2-3%. Yet in the study milgarm found that 65% of the subjects actually obeyed all the way to 450 volts. How can you explain this discrepancy between the predictions and the actual findings? Explain how the fundamental attribution error (see chapter 4) might play a role in these very inaccurate predictions.
    
    Milgram #3 - Chapter 2 of the book discusses ethics in research. What are the pros and cons of research such as Milgram's? If you were an experimenter in Milgram's study how would you have handled the debriefing of the subjects at the end of the study? If you were on a review board that was deciding whether or not to allow Milgram to conduct his study, how would you vote? Why?

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