MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'experiments'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:09:08 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169573&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F27%2Fzimbardos-infamous-prison-experiment-where-the-key-players-are-now%2F It’s arguably one of the most controversial experiments. It all started in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford University on August 17, 1971 after psychologist Phil Zimbardo and colleagues took an ad out in the paper stating: “Male college students needed for psychological study of prison life. $15 per day for 1-2 weeks.” Over 70 people volunteered for the Stanford Prison Experiment. Twenty-four healthy, smart college-aged men were picked and randomly assigned either to be a guard or a prisoner. The aim of the study was to explore the psychology of prison life and how specific situations affect people’s behavior. But the experiment didn’t last very long — six days to be exact. Zimbardo was forced to pull the plug because of the disturbing behavior of the guard... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169573 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 12:04:17 +0100 5169573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008324&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F07%2Fthe-situation-of-heroism%2F From NPR’s Morning Edition: In 1971, at Stanford University, a young psychology professor created a simulated prison. Some of the young men playing the guards became sadistic, even violent, and the experiment had to be stopped. The results of the Stanford Prison Experiment showed that people tend to conform — even when that means otherwise good people doing terrible things. Since then, the experiment has been used to help explain everything from Nazi Germany to Abu Ghraib. Now, in a new project, [Situationist Contributor] Philip Zimbardo, the psychologist who created the prison experiment, is trying to show that people can learn to bring out the best in themselves rather than the worst. An Unwanted Legacy Four decades after he created the Stanford Prison Experiment, Zimbardo says h... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008324 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:01:39 +0100 5008324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893578&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2Fgroup-influence%2F From the instructional video series Psychology: The Human Experience: Influence explains individuality, group behavior, and deindividuation. Related Situationist posts: The Power of the Situation “Video on the Original Milgram Experiment,” Gender Conformity “Solomon Asch’s Classic Group-Influence Experiment,” “The Situational Effect of Groups,” Milgram-Inspired Movie “The Situation of Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiments,” “Milgram Replicated on French TV – ‘The Game of Death’,” “A Shocking Situation,” “Zimbardo on Milgram and Obedience – Part I,” “The Case for Obedience,” “Replicating Milgram’s Obedience Experiment – Yet Again,” “Jonestown (The Situation of Evil) Revisited,” “Milgram Remake,” “The Situation... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893578 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 23:44:16 +0100 4893578 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693341&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F08%2Fshocking-for-money%2F From Science News: When faced with a thorny moral dilemma, what people say they would do and what people actually do are two very different things, a new study finds. In a hypothetical scenario, most people said they would never subject another person to a painful electric shock, just to make a little bit of money. But for people given a real-world choice, the sparks flew. The results . . . serve as a reminder that hypothetical scenarios don’t capture the complexities of real decisions. Morality studies in the lab almost always rely on asking participants to imagine how they’d behave in a certain situation, study coauthor Oriel FeldmanHall of Cambridge University said in her presentation. But these imagined situations are missing teeth: “Whatever you choose, it’s not going to happe... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693341 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 04:43:14 +0100 4693341 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642690&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F28%2Fthe-power-of-the-situation%2F From Discovering Psychology: This program explores psychologists’ attempts to understand human behavior within its broader social context. It also examines how beliefs and behavior can be influenced and manipulated by other people and subtle situational forces. Related Situationist posts: “Video on the Original Milgram Experiment,” “The Situation of Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiments,” “Milgram Replicated on French TV – ‘The Game of Death’,” “A Shocking Situation,” “Zimbardo on Milgram and Obedience – Part I,” “The Case for Obedience,” “Replicating Milgram’s Obedience Experiment – Yet Again,” “Jonestown (The Situation of Evil) Revisited,” “Milgram Remake,” and “The Milgram Experiment Today?.” (Source: The Situatio... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642690 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 05:59:50 +0100 4642690 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592463&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F15%2Fmilgram-inspired-movie%2F For those of you who missed this 1975 CBS movie, inspired by Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments, here’s your chance to watch “The Tenth Level.” * * * * * * * * * * * * Related Situationist posts: “Video on the Original Milgram Experiment,” “The Situation of Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiments,” “Milgram Replicated on French TV – ‘The Game of Death’,” “A Shocking Situation,” “Zimbardo on Milgram and Obedience – Part I,” “The Case for Obedience,” “Replicating Milgram’s Obedience Experiment – Yet Again,” “Jonestown (The Situation of Evil) Revisited,” “Milgram Remake,” and “The Milgram Experiment Today?.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592463 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 04:01:34 +0100 4592463 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338035&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F12%2Fthe-power-of-suggestion%2F In the wake of the massacre in Tucson one of the debates has been over whether a toxic environment might have contributed to the assailant’s behavior.  Social psychology has demonstrated countless times the power of seemingly trivial situatonal forces to encourage hostility and violence.  One of the classics is a 1975 study of the effects of dehumanization. Here is a 1999 summary of that study by Situationist Contributor Phil Zimbardo. * * * My colleague, Albert Bandura, and his students contnued this line of research by extending the basic paradigm here to study the minimal conditions necessary to create dehumanization (Bandura, Underwood, & Fromson, 1975). What they manipulated was only the actors’ perceptioin of their victims–no authority pressures, no induced an... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338035 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:17:15 +0100 4338035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4105775&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F25%2Fsituationist-phil-zimbardo-takes-over-the-dr-phil-show%2F Here is a brief promotional piece to highlight the Heroic Imagination Project and Situationist Contributor Phil Zimbardo’s upcoming appearances on Dr. Phil. Visit www.heroicimagination.org to learn more. www.drphil.com for show times. You can watch video clips from today’s show here. (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105775 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 04:01:04 +0100 4105775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3772213&cid=t_105944_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fdouglas-adams-on-experiments%2F If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a non-working cat. – Douglas Adams Post from: BlissTree Douglas Adams on Experiments (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3) Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3772213 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:00:38 +0100 3772213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3652485&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F10%2Frebecca-saxe-on-situationism%2F From the National Science Foundation: Rebecca Saxe (Carole Middleton Career Development Professor in the department of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT) discusses the under-appreciated power of situation. * * * * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Zimbardo on Milgram and Obedience – Part II,” “Jon Hanson on Situationism and Dispositionism,” “Hanson’s Chair Lecture on Situationism,” “‘Situation’ Trumps ‘Disposition’ – Part I,” and ““Situation” Trumps “Disposition”- Part II.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3652485 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:11:59 +0100 3652485 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3556155&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F05%2F12%2Fa-womans-touch-increases-risk-taking%2F We all know the value of human touch. It’s one of the defining cornerstones of our existence since our birth — the connection between mother and infant. The importance of maternal physical contact and nurturing has been demonstrated time and time again in previous research. But what we don’t always realize is the impact simple human touch has on another person. A handshake, a touch of the shoulder — these things matter in more ways than we may realize. Could human touch increase our sense of security, as prior studies have suggested, which in turn could make us to make more risky decisions? That’s what two researchers (Levav & Argo, 2010) set to find out in a series of three experiments… The main hypothesis we tested is that certain forms of physi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3556155 Wed, 12 May 2010 15:05:23 +0100 3556155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526812&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F03%2Fthe-situation-of-bystanders%2F ABC News‘s “What Would You Do?” series recently conducted a series of experiments testing the bystander effect. * * * * * * Most readers of The Situationist have likely seen the grainy video of Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax‘s final moments on a street in Jamaica, Queens.  He was stabbed while saving a woman from a knife-wielding attacker and fell to the sidewalk, where he lay dying in a pool of his own blood for more than an hour while dozens of pedestrians passed by without calling for help. A.G. Sulzberger and Mick Meenan wrote an excellent piece, titled “Questions Surround a Delay in Help for a Dying Man” last week in The New York Times.  The article quotes Situationist Contributor John Darley whose now classic research on the bystander effects which, unf... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526812 Mon, 03 May 2010 04:01:21 +0100 3526812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3522686&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F01%2Femily-pronin-reviews-whistling-vivaldi%2F One of the great social psychologists of our time, Claude Steele, was recently on NPR discussing his new book Whistling Vivaldi and Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us. The book is a moving personal account and a compelling scientific discussion of how stereotypes shape the thoughts, feelings, and actions of those whom they target. Steele is the originator of “stereotype threat,” an idea that has spawned countless experiments around the world and profoundly impacted the way that we think about the racial achievement gap in American schooling. Stereotype threat is a situationist concept if ever there was one. The idea goes like this:  In certain situations, all of us are subject to negative stereotypes because of identities we have (as a professor, we might be stereotyped as absen... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3522686 Sat, 01 May 2010 04:01:02 +0100 3522686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3504970&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F26%2Fthe-original-milgram-experiment-1961-%25e2%2580%25a2-videosift-online-video-quality-control%2F From Wikipedia: The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures was a series of social psychologyexperiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram, which measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience. Milgram first described his research in 1963 in an article published in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, and later discussed his findings in greater depth in his 1974 book, Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. The experiments began in July 1961, three months after the start of the trial of German Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Milgram devised his psychological study to answer the question: “Was it that Eichman... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3504970 Mon, 26 Apr 2010 04:01:14 +0100 3504970 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487150&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F20%2Fmbb-distinguished-lectures-with-michael-gazzaniga%2F Harvard Mind, Brain & Behavior will hold its 2010 Distinguished Lecture Series this week, featuring three evening lectures with Dr. Michael Gazzaniga, psychology professor and director of the SAGE Center for the Study of Mind at the University of California Santa Barbara. All three events look interesting, and the final event has particular relevance to law and mind sciences. All events will be held in Harvard’s Yenching Auditorium, 2 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA. Tuesday, April 20, 4 to 6 pm Building the Parallel Distributed Brain, How Do We Know? From Hebb, Lashley, and Sperry, and through modern research, the basics of brain organization are reviewed at both the cellular and neurological level, including a personal history of split-brain research that all lead up to the view o... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487150 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:01:32 +0100 3487150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3471820&cid=t_105944_107_f&fid=35026&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTheTreeOfLife%2F%7E3%2FOwvxXHdTiVY%2Fexperiments-in-scientific-sharing-contd.html In this study we present BioTorrents, a website that allows open access sharing of scientific data and uses the popular BitTorrent peer-to-peer file sharing technology. BioTorrents allows files to be transferred rapidly due to the sharing of bandwidth across multiple institutions and provides more reliable file transfers due to the built-in error checking of the file sharing technology. BioTorrents contains multiple features, including keyword searching, category browsing, RSS feeds, torrent comments, and a discussion forum. BioTorrents is available at http://www.biotorrents.net.Personally, I am not sure if Biotorrents is going to end up being used extensively. I hope so. I think it is a great idea of Morgan's. But more importantly, I believe it represents something we need more and more o... The Tree of Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3471820 Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:12:03 +0100 3471820 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3435097&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F04%2F03%2Fthe-situation-of-situationist-stanley-milgram%2F Nestar John Charles Russell is publishing an article, titled “Milgram’s obedience to authority experiments: Origins and early evolution.”  Here’s the abstract. Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority experiments remain one of the most inspired contributions in the field of social psychology. Although Milgram undertook more than 20 experimental variations, his most (in)famous result was the first official trial run–the remote condition and its 65% completion rate. Drawing on many unpublished documents from Milgram’s personal archive at Yale University, this article traces the historical origins and early evolution of the obedience experiments. Part 1 presents the previous experiences that led to Milgram’s conception of his rudimentary research idea and then... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3435097 Sat, 03 Apr 2010 04:01:30 +0100 3435097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3399001&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F24%2Fbbc-news-row-over-torture-on-french-tv%2F From NPR: France is reeling from a documentary about a psychological experiment disguised as a game show. Researchers staged a fictitious reality show to see how far people would go in obeying authority, especially if television reinforces that authority. The disturbing results have alarmed the French. * * * From the BBC, “Row over ‘torture’ on French TV“: * * * The hugely controversial Game of Death was broadcast in prime-time on a major terrestrial channel, France 2, on Wednesday. It showed 80 people taking part in what they thought was a game show pilot. As it was only a trial, they were told they wouldn’t win anything, but they were given a nominal 40 euro fee. Before the show, they signed contracts agreeing to inflict electric shocks on other contestants... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3399001 Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:01:35 +0100 3399001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3342718&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F03%2F07%2Fsheena-iyengars-situation-and-the-situation-of-choosing%2F Last week, Situationist friend, Sheena Iyengar, was interviewed on the Diane Rehm Show (American University Radio) about her new book, “The Art of Choosing.” The show’s description is as follows:  “The power of choice: Understanding the motivations, biases, and cultural influences that determine the choices, large and small, we make in our lives.”  As interesting as those issues are, the interview itself is at its best when Sheena discusses her own remarkable situation and how that influenced her research. You can listen to the entire podcast here. * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Sheena Iyengar on ‘The Multiple Choice Problem,’”“Can’t Get No Satisfaction!: The Law Student’s Job Hunt – Part II,” “Da... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3342718 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:34:07 +0100 3342718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3327027&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F02%2Fmore-top-ten-online-psychology-experiments%2F After the publication of our 2008 top ten online psychology experiments list — which detailed the best psychological science research projects seeking online participants — we’re back with a follow-up. At any given time, hundreds of online psychology experiments are going on. They are a great, cost-efficient method to gather experimental data from the multitudes of people online. These experiments can be fun to try, but also provide researchers with valuable data that future research may be based upon. Here are all-new experiments as well as a couple of classics: 10. Sexual Infidelity. Can you guess who cheats, from listening to their voices? New research, with voices speaking vowels, and some facial images, too. Unfortunately, no results shared. 9. Daily News Memory Test... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3327027 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:10:34 +0100 3327027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3224889&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F31%2Fsituationist-podcasting-2%2F For some interesting listening, here is an excellent BBC podcast looking at the 1920s experiment in a Chicago factory that gave rise to the phenomenon known as the Hawthorne Effect. From the BBC MindChangers Series: Hawthorne Effect: (30 minutes) Claudia Hammond presents a series looking at the development of the science of psychology during the 20th century. * * * In the 1920s, at the enormous Western Electric Hawthorne Factory in Cicero outside Chicago, management began an experiment which was to improve the working life of millions and give rise to a phenomenon that anyone planning a psychology experiment would have to take into account in their design. * * * Keen to improve productivity at a time when the telephone industry was growing and Western Electric was building the component... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3224889 Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:34:38 +0100 3224889 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208466&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F26%2Fthe-situation-of-mental-illness%2F From Wikipedia: The Rosenhan experiment was a famous experiment into the validity of psychiatric diagnosis conducted by psychologist David Rosenhan in 1973.  It was published in the journal Science under the title “On being sane in insane places.” The study is considered an important and influential criticism of psychiatric diagnosis. Rosenhan’s study consisted of two parts. The first part involved the use of healthy associates or “pseudopatients” who briefly simulated auditory hallucinations in an attempt to gain admission to 12 different psychiatric hospitals in five different states in various locations in the United States. All were admitted and diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. After admission, the pseudopatients acted normally and told staff that th... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208466 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:01:03 +0100 3208466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3189217&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F20%2Frevisiting-arden-house-and-the-situation-of-aging%2F For those of you who would like to do some interesting listening, here is an excellent podcast featuring Situationist friend Ellen Langer. From the BBC MindChangers Series: Arden House: (30 minutes) Claudia Hammond presents a series looking at the development of the science of psychology during the 20th century. * * * She re-visits Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin’s 1976 study, conducted in a New England nursing home, Arden House. * * * When the two psychologists set up the experiment so that residents on two floors of the 360-bed home for the elderly would experience some changes in their everyday life, they had no idea that they were introducing factors which could prolong life. * * * While residents on both floors were given plants and film shows, only those on the fourth floor ha... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3189217 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 04:01:26 +0100 3189217 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092759&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F16%2Fmarc-hauser-on-the-situation-of-morality-2%2F Below you will find three parts of an edited lecture by Harvard Professor Marc Hauser. The first part moves from various philosophical theories of morality to social science research into moral dilemmas, leading up to the philosopher’s classic, the “trolley problem.” * * * * * * In the second part, below, Professor Hauser completes his description of the trolley problem and conclusions based on his research into how humans make moral decisions. * * * * * * In the final part, below, Professor Hauser discusses the impact of religious belief on moral decision-making. * * * * * * For a collection of related Situationist posts, see “Marc Hauser on the Situation of Morality,” “The Situation of Innate Morality,” “Moral Psychology Primer,” “Pinker on ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092759 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:01:23 +0100 3092759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3048193&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F12%2F02%2Fthe-situation-of-violence%2F From BBC’s Horizon: What makes ordinary people commit extreme acts of violence? In a thought-provoking and disturbing journey, Michael Portillo investigates one of the darker sides of human nature. He discovers what it is like to inflict pain and is driven to the edge of violence himself in an extreme sleep deprivation study. He meets men for whom violence has become an addiction and ultimately discovers that each of us could be inherently more violent than we think, and watches a replication of one of the most controversial studies in history, the Milgram study. Will study participants be willing to administer a seemingly lethal electric shock to someone they think is an innocent bystander? * * * * * * * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts about the situation of violenc... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3048193 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:01:10 +0100 3048193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2958929&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F04%2Fthe-interior-situation-of-honesty-and-dishonesty%2F Seed magazine recently provided a terrific summary of fascinating research on the situation of honesty (here). Here are some excerpts. * * * In a famous set of experiments in the 1970s, children were observed trick-or-treating in the suburbs. Some were asked their names and addresses upon arriving at a door, while some were asked nothing. All were instructed to take just one piece of candy from the bowl, but as soon as the owner of the home retreated into the kitchen, the children who hadn’t provided their names and addresses shoveled the candy into their bags, sometimes taking everything in the bowl. Psychologists posited that anonymity made the children feel safe from the repercussions of their actions, an effect they call deindividuation. Moral psychologists have since constructed myr... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2958929 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:01:15 +0100 2958929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923326&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F10%2F24%2Fjane-elliots-situationist-pedagogy%2F From Wikipedia: “Steven Armstrong was the first child to arrive to Elliot’s classroom on that day, asking why “a King” (referring to Martin Luther King Jr.) was murdered the day before. After the rest of the class arrived, Elliot asked them what they knew about Negros. The children responded with various racial stereotypes such as Negros were dumb or could not hold jobs. She then asked these children if they would like to find out what it was like to be a Negro child and they agreed.” * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To read a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Leaving the Past,” “Why Race May Influence Us Even When We “Know” It Doesn’t,” “Black History is Now,” “Jennifer Eberhardt’s “Policing Racial Bias” - Video,”... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923326 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:56:17 +0100 2923326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2800482&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F16%2Fsolomon-aschs-famous-compliance-experiment%2F From Wikipedia: Solomon Asch . . . . became famous in the 1950s, following experiments which showed that social pressure can make a person say something that is obviously incorrect. This experiment was conducted using 123 male participants. Each participant was put into a group with 5 to 7 “confederates” (People who knew the true aims of the experiment, but were introduced as participants to the naive “real” participant). The participants were shown a card with a line on it, followed by another card with 3 lines on it labeled a, b, and c. The participants were then asked to say which line matched the line on the first card in length. Each line question was called a “trial”. The “real” participant answered last or penultimately. For the first ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2800482 Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:01:59 +0100 2800482 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2782089&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F10%2Freplicating-milgrams-obedience-experiment-yet-again%2F Milgram’s experiment was again repeated — this time as part of the BBC documentary “How violent are you?” first shown in May 2009.  It’s another remarkable rendition.  Of the 12 participants, only 3 refused to continue to the end of the experiment.   The relevant portions of that documentary are below. * * * * * * * * * * * * For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “Milgram Remake,” “The Milgram Experiment Today?.” “Gender Conformity,” “The Case for Obedience,” “A Shocking Situation,” “Zimbardo on Milgram and Obedience – Part I,”  “The Case for Obedience,” “Virtual Worlds, Learning, and Virtual Milgram,” “Solomon Asch’s Conformity Experiment . . . Today,” and “Solomon Asch’s Classic G... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2782089 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:01:03 +0100 2782089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2770141&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F09%2F06%2Fzimbardo-interview-at-the-believer%2F Philosopher Tamler Sommers was kind enough to post a link over at the Garden of Forking Paths to an interview he did with Situationist contributor Philip Zimbardo that appears in the latest edition of The Believer.  Here is the first question and answer from the interview: *** THE BELIEVER: I take it that one of the goals of the Stanford Prison Experiment was to build on Milgram’s results that demonstrated the power of situational elements. Is that right? PHILIP ZIMBARDO: It was really to broaden his message and put it to a higher-level test. In Milgram’s study, we don’t know about those thousand people who answered the ad. His subjects were not Yale students, although he did it at Yale. They were a thousand ordinary citizens from New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut, ages twenty t... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2770141 Sun, 06 Sep 2009 04:01:32 +0100 2770141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741423&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F28%2Fmilgrams-obedience-to-authority-study-parts-1-5-searching-videos-for-milgram-veoh%2F From ABC via Veoh: “The video below describes a remake of Milgram’s famous study originally done in the ’60’s. Until recently, no one was authorized to replicate it due to ethical considerations. However, in 2007, ABC News was granted such permission and did so with many of the original researchers and some of the actual partipants. New data was also added.” For a sample of related Situationist posts, see “The Milgram Experiment Today?.” “Gender Conformity,” “The Case for Obedience,” “A Shocking Situation,” “Zimbardo on Milgram and Obedience – Part I,”  “The Case for Obedience,” “Virtual Worlds, Learning, and Virtual Milgram,” “Solomon Asch’s Conformity Experiment . . . Today,” and �... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741423 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 04:01:45 +0100 2741423 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2741428&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F08%2F27%2Fcan-you-multitask-probably-not-well%2F Everyone multitasks to some degree or another. Whether you watch TV while cooking dinner, or talk on your phone while browsing through a website, we all do it sometimes and feel fairly comfortable with it. I’d hazard to guess that most of us even think we deal with it pretty well. For things that don’t really matter much, we’re probably right. But multitasking has shown to affect our ability to learn new information. And the more we multitask, the more stressed we generally become. New evidence published this week adds more evidence to the downsides of multitasking, especially if you multitask a lot. The researchers conducted a series of three experiments on 100 college students. (Yes, take the study’s results with a grain of salt since college students may not be r... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2741428 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:26:30 +0100 2741428 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730131&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F25%2Faps-observer-sharpening-the-focus-on-brain-function%2F For Observer, publisehd by the Association for Psychological Science, Ann Conkle wrote a nice summary of Nancy Kanwisher’s fascinating keynote address at this years APS Annual Convention in San Francisco.  Here are some excerpts of Conkle’s article, titled “Sharpening the Focus on Brain Function.” * * * Is your brain like a Swiss Army knife? . . . Is it jam-packed with specialized tools that are unfolded only when a specific situation arises? Or is it more all-purpose, with a few parts that tackle many different situations? Convention Keynoter and APS Fellow Nancy Kanwisher (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) is attempting to find out. Following centuries of debate about specialized brain regions — from the phrenologists to Broca — the development of fMRI t... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730131 Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:01:40 +0100 2730131 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2699648&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F08%2F14%2Frobert-cialdini-explains-social-psychology-%25e2%2580%2594-big-think%2F From the excellent Big Think, here’s a worthwhile video of social psychologist Robert Cialdini talking about some of the social psychologists who influenced his work, including Situationist contributor Phil Zimbardo. * * * * * * For a sample of other Situationist posts discussing Robert Cialdini’s research, see “The Situationist Overwhelmed with Visitors, Return Later if Necessary,” “Journalists as Social Psychologists & Social Psychologists as Entertainers,” and “The Situation of Interrogation and Marketing.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2699648 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:01:41 +0100 2699648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2561306&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F07%2F01%2F7257%2F Most of our readers are familiar with Walter Mischel’s landmark experiment on marshmallows, delayed gratification, and success. For the rest of you, here are a couple of videos, including one by Situationist Contributor Philip Zimbardo, summarizing the study. * * * (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2561306 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 04:01:18 +0100 2561306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2441357&cid=t_105944_88_f&fid=35612&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheknifeman.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fif-you-should-chance-to-meet-me.html Sorry, I've been away too long; I see some of you still checking in regular, like, and I have a feeling others get updates thru' the mastery of the Interweb wot I don't really understand.I am always curious to see how people get here, and somewhat disappointed that it's mainly from other blogs, or by direct url. AlrightTit has an host of humourous keywords leading people to land on her blog. If you aren't among them, you should be.Go, now, and seek her out from my sidebar.But be sure and come back.So far, some poor bugger has landed up here after searching for "Tom Jerry hose burst / swell"; I'm fairly sure this slightly bitter rant is not what he was hoping for, as there can't be said to be a great deal of similarity between these words and the light-hearted comedy of the infamous cat/mou... The KnifeMan blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2441357 Wed, 27 May 2009 21:09:00 +0100 2441357 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405353&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F05%2F14%2Fvirtual-milgram%2F From ICT Results: Despite advances in computer graphics, few people would think virtual characters or objects are real. Yet placed in a virtual reality environment most people will interact with them as if they are really there. European researchers are finding out why. In trying to understand presence – the propensity of humans to respond to fake stimuli as if they are real – the researchers are not just gaining insights into how the human brain functions. They are also learning how to create more intense and realistic virtual experiences, opening the door to myriad applications for healthcare, training, social research and entertainment. “Virtual environments could be used by psychiatrists to help people overcome anxiety disorders and phobias . . . by researchers to study social ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405353 Thu, 14 May 2009 05:06:27 +0100 2405353 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2380867&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F30%2Fthe-justice-department-milgram-torture%2F From Situationist friend Michael Cross, we received the following message regarding Tuesday night’s John Stewart interview of Cliff May on The Daily Show (below). * * * * * * In the beginning of the interview, May says that he doesn’t believe anyone in the current or previous administration was “pro-torture.”  He then explains that what have traditionally been called the “Torture Memos” are really “Anti-Torture Memos” because they draw lines regarding what are acceptable and unacceptable interrogation techniques. * * * What is interesting from a Situational perspective is that he then describes the intent of these memos as to lay out a complex set of rules and requirements that are intended to prevent torture from occurring. What he fail... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2380867 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:03:41 +0100 2380867 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348436&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F17%2Fthe-situational-effect-of-groups%2F In his Guardian article, “Hands up if you’re an individual,” Stuart Jeffries offers a brief summary of some social psychology classics.  Below, we have included excerpts.  After reviewing Milgram’s famous experiments on obedience, Jeffries writes: * * * This was one of the classic experiments of group psychology, though not all have involved duping volunteers into believing they had electrocuted victims. Group psychology has often involved experiments to explain how individuals’ behaviours, thoughts and feelings are changed by group pressures. It is generally thought to have originated in 1898 when Indiana University psychologist Norman Triplett asked children to spin a fishing reel as fast as they could. He found that when the children were doing the task ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348436 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:01:30 +0100 2348436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348437&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F16%2Fzimbardo-on-milgram-and-obedience-part-ii%2F Situationist Contributer Philip Zimbardo has authored the preface to a new edition of social psychologist Stanley Milgram’s seminal book Obedience to Authority. This is the second of a two-part series derived from that preface. In Part I of the post, Zimbardo describes the inculcation of obedience and Milgram’s role as a research pioneer. In this part, Zimbardo answers challenges to Milgram’s work and locates its legacy. * * * Unfortunately, many psychologists, students, and lay people who believe that they know the “Milgram Shock” study, know only one version of it, most likely from seeing his influential movie Obedience or reading a textbook summary. He has been challenged for using only male participants, which was true initially, but later he replicated his findi... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348437 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:01:00 +0100 2348437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348438&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F15%2Fthe-situation-of-reason-2%2F In the mid-1970s, Situationist contributor Timothy Wilson with Richard Nisbett conducted one of the best known social psychology experiments of all time. It was strikingly simple and involved asking subjects to assess the quality of hosiery. Situationist contributors Jon Hanson and David Yosifon have described the experiment this way: Subjects were asked in a bargain store to judge which one of four nylon stocking pantyhose was the best quality. The subjects were not told that the stockings were in fact identical. Wilson and Nisbett presented the stockings to the subjects hanging on racks spaced equal distances apart. As situation would have it, the position of the stockings had a significant effect on the subjects’ quality judgments. In particular, moving from left to right, 12% of th... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348438 Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:57:56 +0100 2348438 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348439&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F14%2Fzimbardo-milgram-and-obedience-part-i%2F Situationist contributer Philip Zimbardo has authored the preface to a new edition of social psychologist Stanley Milgram’s pathbreaking and now-classic book Obedience to Authority.  This is the first of a two-part series derived from that preface.  In this post, Zimbardo describes the inculcation of obedience and Milgram’s role as a research pioneer.  In Part II, Zimbardo answers challenges to Milgram’s work and locates its legacy. * * * What is common about two of the most profound narratives in Western culture—Lucifer’s descent into Hell and Adam and Eve’s loss of Paradise—is the lesson of the dreadful consequences of one’s failure to obey authority. . . [T]hey are designed, as all parables are, to send a powerful message to all those who hear and read the... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348439 Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:01:25 +0100 2348439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2258107&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F09%2Fthe-case-for-obedience%2F Author David Berreby had an excellent article, The Case for Fitting In, in the New York Times Magazine last year.  Here are some excerpts. * * * When Eliot Spitzer resigned his governorship for committing the very crimes he’d publicly denounced only a few months before, he seemed mystifyingly inconsistent. Yet one character trait does shine through the separate, supposedly incompatible compartments of his life. A self-described “steamroller,” he had that self-confident drive to do what he’d decided needed doing, never mind others’ expectations, never mind who or what gets hurt. In politics, and in his sexual life, he embodied nonconformity. Voters ate it up when he ran for governor, because Americans have a prejudice in favor of lone wolves. Moral superiority, we like to think, ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2258107 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 04:01:59 +0100 2258107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2201225&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F20%2Fsituationism-in-the-blogosphere-february-2009%2F Below, we’ve posted titles and a brief quotation from some of our favorite non-Situationist situationist blogging during February 2009. (They are listed in alphabetical order by source.) * * * From 3 Quarks Daily: “Amazonian Indigenous Culture Demonstrates a Universal Mapping of Numbers onto Space” “The ability to map numbers onto a line, a foundation of all mathematics, is universal, says a study published this week in the journal Science, but the form of this universal mapping is not linear but logarithmic. The findings illuminate both the nature and the limits of the human predisposition to measurement, a foundation for science, engineering, and much of our modern culture.” Read more . . . From BPS Research Digest blog: “Would you give way at the photocopier?” “Back in ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2201225 Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:01:31 +0100 2201225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2202570&cid=t_105944_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F02%2F20%2Fcontinuing-professional-education-videos-online%2F It’s been a while since I put up some links to good free online video material, so today’s the day! University of Maryland has a range of medical videos on manytopics.  There is a heavy bias towards medical and surgical options, and little on ‘allied health’.  The information on spine disorders and ‘oh my aching back’ is focused on surgical and peripheral disorders, and little attention is paid to the limited relationship between ‘ruptured discs’ and pain.  No matter, there are some nice podcasts on ‘forgiveness’, ‘medical crisis counselling’, and ‘depression’, and the series under ‘preventive medicine’ has a nice one on ‘walking for wellness’. PBS website NOVA has some really int... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2202570 Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:09:32 +0100 2202570 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2098189&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F01%2F13%2Fmahzarin-banajis-situation%2F From the Harvard Crimson, by Weiqi Zhang, here is a fascinating article titled “A Chance Road to Harvard” about the remarkable journey of Situationist contributor Mahzarin Banaji. * * * Fifteen-year-old Mahzarin R. Banaji says she dreamed of living the adventurous life of a secretary upon graduating from high school because she believed that further academic pursuit was useless and was thirsting for an independent life away from her home in Secunderabad, India. But a little less than a decade later—after a series of self-described “fortuitous” events—Banaji found herself a student at Ohio State University, studying for a Ph.D. in social psychology. And in 2002 she became a Harvard professor at the invitation of University President Drew G. Faust, then-dean of the newly-... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2098189 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:21:05 +0100 2098189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2065692&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F26%2Fdisobedience-at-150-volts%2F For our many readers interested in the Milgram obedience experiments, Dominic J. Packer published a valuable paper, “Identifying Systematic Disobedience in Milgram’s Obedience Experiments: A Meta-Analytic Review” (3 Perspectives on Psychol. Sci. 3-1 (2008)).  Here’s the abstract. * * * A meta-analysis of data from eight of Milgram’s obedience experiments reveals previously undocumented systematicity in the behavior of disobedient participants. In all studies, disobedience was most likely at 150 v, the point at which the shocked “learner” first requested to be released. Further illustrating the importance of the 150-v point, obedience rates across studies covaried with rates of disobedience at 150 v, but not at any other point; as obedience decrea... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2065692 Fri, 26 Dec 2008 04:01:15 +0100 2065692 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056465&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F22%2Fa-shocking-situation%2F Lisa M. Krieger recently published a nice summary of Jerry Burger’s replications of Milgram’s obedience experiment.  Her article in the San Jose Mercury News is titled “Shocking Revelation: Santa Clara University Professor Mirrors Famous Torture Studay.”  Here are some excerpts. * * * Replicating one of the most controversial behavioral experiments in history, a Santa Clara University psychologist has found that people will follow orders from an authority figure to administer what they believe are painful electric shocks. More than two-thirds of volunteers in the research study had to be stopped from administering 150 volt shocks of electricity, despite hearing a person’s cries of pain, professor Jerry M. Burger concluded in a study published in the January ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056465 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:01:36 +0100 2056465 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2033885&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F11%2Fsad-news%2F From Stanford Report, by Adam Gorlick (December 11, 2009): * * * Robert Zajonc, pioneer of social psychology, dies at 85 He witnessed and survived some of the worst of human behavior to become one of the world’s leading experts on how people behave. And during the 85 years between his birth in Poland and death Dec. 3 in Palo Alto—a span that led him through Nazi bombings and prisons before winding toward a life in academia—Robert Zajonc laid the foundation for the field of social psychology by exploring the connections between how people feel and how they think. As an emeritus professor of psychology at Stanford since 1994, Zajonc (his name rhymes with “science”), focused his research on genocide, racism and terrorism. He had already made a name for himself while teaching at t... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2033885 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:49:15 +0100 2033885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1999416&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F12%2F01%2Fsituationism-in-the-blogosphere-october-part-iii%2F Discussion with Robert Burton” “In On Being Certain, neurologist Robert Burton challenges his readers to ask one of the most basic—and crucial—of questions: how do we know what we know? With an engaging, conversational style, he tackles the neuropsychological underpinnings of belief and certainty, carefully examining these ubiquitous dynamics in light of what is known about how the mind works.” Read more . . . From Nueronarrative: “The Lucifer Effect: An Interview with Dr. Philip Zimbardo” “Social psychologist [and Situationist contributor] Philip Zimbardo has been studying the anatomy of human psychology for nearly four decades. In the summer of 1971, Dr. Zimbardo created the classic Stanford Prison Experiment, a simulation of prison life that investigated a provocative... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1999416 Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:01:55 +0100 1999416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1964451&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F11%2F17%2Fjonestown-the-situation-of-evil-revisited%2F With the 30th Anniversary of the Jonestown Mass Suicide upon us, now is a good time to republish the three-part Situationist series from 2007 on the “Situational Sources of Evil” — which was based my  book, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (Random House, March 2007). * * * Imagine that you have responded to an advertisement in the New Haven newspaper seeking subjects for a study of memory. A researcher whose serious demeanor and laboratory coat convey scientific importance greets you and another applicant at your arrival at a Yale laboratory in Linsly-Chittenden Hall. You are here to help science find ways to improve people’s learning and memory through the use of punishment. The researcher tells you why this work may have important cons... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1964451 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:01:08 +0100 1964451 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1791758&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F15%2Fthe-situationist-overwhelmed-with-visitors-return-later-if-necessary%2F Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin, and Robert B. Cialdini have a new book, titled “Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive.”  As you might have guessed, it makes a compelling case for itself.  Here’s an excerpt. * * * How can inconveniencing your audience increase your persuasiveness? Colleen Szot is one of the most successful writers in the paid programming industry. And for good reason: In addition to penning several well-known “infomercials” for the famed and fast-selling NordicTrac exercise machine, she recently authored a program that shattered a nearly twenty-year sales record for a home-shopping channel. Although her programs retain many of the elements common to most infomercials, including flashy catchphrases, an unrealistically enthus... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1791758 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 04:01:13 +0100 1791758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1773355&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F09%2F08%2Fthe-situation-of-trust%2F Drake Benefit recently had a great Boston Globe piece, titled “The Confidence Game,” examining the situation of trust. In it, he examines some of the techniques employed by Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (aka Clark Rockefeller) in his constructed life as Clark Rockefeller. * * * Human beings are social animals, and our first instinct is to trust others. Con men, of course, have long known this - their craft consists largely of playing on this predilection, and turning it to their advantage. But recently, behavioral scientists have also begun to unravel the inner workings of trust. Their aim is to decode the subtle signals that we send out and pick up, the cues that, often without our knowledge, shape our sense of someone’s reliability. Researchers have discovered that surp... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1773355 Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:01:30 +0100 1773355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1734347&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F08%2F26%2Fthe-split-brain-and-the-interior-situation-of-theories-of-the-self%2F The following (5 minute) video demonstrates the effects of split brain surgery where the corpus collusum is severed. The effects are explained by Dr. Michael Gazzaniga. From Youtube: “To reduce the severity of his seizures, Joe had the bridge between his left and right cerebral hemisphers (the corpus callosum) severed. As a result, his left and right brains no longer communicate through that pathway. Here’s what happens as a result.” * * * To watch a (3.5 minute) clip from Situationist contributor Phil Zimbardo’s program, Discovering Psychology, in whcih Michael Gazzaniga discusses the essential role of the “interpreter” in creating in each of us a unique sense of self. * * * Below you can watch an vintage (11 minute) video in which a very young Dr. G... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1734347 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:01:16 +0100 1734347 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1708966&cid=t_105944_132_f&fid=35006&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnsaunders.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F08%2F17%2Fvindication-for-video%2F Announced first via FriendFeed (of course), Moshe from JoVE is circulating an email with exciting news. I can’t do better than to quote it here: JoVE, the video-publication for biological research, was accepted for indexing in PubMed and MEDLINE. JoVE is the first and only video-publication to be included in these databases maintained by the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The decision was made by the NLM advisory committee, Literature Selection Technical Review Committee, which is composed of the authorities in the field of biomedicine, such as researchers, physicians, editors, health science librarians and historians. This committee evaluates the scientific quality of publications and typically approves only 20-25% of the applications. Inclusion in PubMed/MEDLINE is a big mile... What You're Doing Is Rather Desperate blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1708966 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 08:08:24 +0100 1708966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1512395&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F06%2F11%2Fsolomon-aschs-conformity-experiment-today%2F (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1512395 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:36 +0100 1512395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1464324&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F23%2Fsolomon-aschs-classic-group-influence-experiment%2F (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1464324 Fri, 23 May 2008 13:01:01 +0100 1464324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1418624&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F03%2Fbf-skinner-on-schedules-of-reinforcement%2F This one-minute video discusses schedules of reinforcement in B.F. Skinner’s experiments. Reinforcement is delivered to different animals on a schedule that states the contingencies on which reinforcement depends. Interval schedule is contingent upon the passage of time. Ratio schedule is contingent upon the number of responses emitted. A variable ratio schedule (contingent upon an unpredictable number of responses) produces a very high and stable rate of responding. (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1418624 Sat, 03 May 2008 18:00:33 +0100 1418624 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1410040&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F04%2F30%2Fbf-skinners-turning-pigeon%2F In this 85-second video, B.F. Skinner conditions a pigeon to make a complete turn (narrated by B.F. Skinner). (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1410040 Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:00:02 +0100 1410040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1407419&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F04%2F29%2Fpigeon-ping-pong%2F B.F. Skinner trains two pigeons to perform a chain of behaviors for the classroom demonstration. As a result, pigeons engage in a competition, the so-called “pigeon Ping Pong” (narrated by B.F. Skinner). (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1407419 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:44:19 +0100 1407419 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1403043&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F04%2F28%2Flessons-learned-from-the-abu-ghraib-horrors%2F On April 28, 2004, four years ago, our nation, and the world, was shocked by the revelation of the abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers. More surprising than the fact of the abuse, for soldiers often abuse their enemies in wartime, was the nature of the “trophy photos.” Both male and female Military Police posed smilingly, giving high fives over a pyramid of naked detainees; dragging some around on dog leashes; and forcing others into sexually degrading poses. An iconic image of torture emerged from the digitally documented depravity which was shown in a helpless prisoner standing on a cardboard box, head hooded, electrodes attached to his fingers, fearing that when his body weakened and he fell off the stress box, he would electrocute himself. Recall that the imme... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1403043 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:01:24 +0100 1403043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1382681&cid=t_105944_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F04%2F18%2Falbert-banduras-bobo-doll-experiments%2F From Wikipedia: The Bobo doll experiment was conducted by Albert Bandura in 1961 and studied patterns of behaviour associated with aggression. Additional studies of this type were conducted by Bandura in 1963 and 1965. A Bobo doll is an inflatable toy that is approximately the same size as a prepubescent child.  This experiment is important to psychology because it was a precedent that sparked many more studies about the effects of viewing violence on children.  For details, click here.  For another post about Albert Bandura’s research, see “The Need for a Situationist Morality.” (Source: The Situationist) The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1382681 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:00:36 +0100 1382681 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1098832&cid=t_105944_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomensbioethics.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F12%2Fcreation-of-new-life-forms-next-step.html (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1098832 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:47:00 +0100 1098832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=490792&cid=t_105944_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F103597586%2F After all the painstaking work of recruiting study participants, taking their blood samples, extracting the DNA, and storing the samples in a freezer, did you think about splitting the samples and keeping one set offsite? What about emergency power backup systems? The UNLV Biotechnology Center experienced a 36-minute power outage that could have taken down the entire center and caused a disruption in experiments except that their backup “instrumentation-grade” power protection system kicked into gear. One specific experiment involved mitochondrial DNA analysis that, if interrupted, would have resulted in lost samples and weeks of delay. Walter Goldstein, coordinator of the UNLV Biotechnology Center: Any lab running sensitive instrumentation needs to understand that this level ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=490792 Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:13:07 +0100 490792