2ISP: INTRODUCTION TO

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Assignment 2:

Social Experiment

Done By: Brandon Wang

Benjamin Chew Koh Soo Kuan Jacqueline Lee

Lee An Hui Toh Soh Teng

HYPOTHESISforeigners are more open-minded when it comes to taking photographs with a total stranger as compared to Singaporeans.

ONE:

WHY: Increase in foreigners.

foreigners are more ‘open’ in terms of behavior & thinking. unsure of how liberal they are.

HYPOTHESISopposite gender will attract or the other way round.

TWO:

WHY: find out if opposite genders attract, if they

are approached “suddenly” on the streets.if rejected, what are the reasons behind it.

HYPOTHESISfemales are more responsive to taking photographs with strangers as compared to males.

THREE:

WHY: if females/males are camera shy when asked to

take photographs with strangers.if females/males are more responsive when approached.

CHOSEN CONTEXTS

social cognitionsocial perceptionsocial influenceschemasautomatic and controlled thinking non-verbal behaviour.

TARGET GROUPSSingaporeans vs. Foreigners.Females vs. Males. Age groups: 16 to 60 years old.

WHY: getting more and more ‘open’ in their thinking.

make up a large percentage of the population. can be found easily on the streets of Orchard.cover a wider range for fairness & accuracy.

CONSTANTSAreas to conduct experiment. Similar dress code.Method of approaching samples.

WHY: to get samples of our target group.

to avoid biasness due to dressing.to get accurate responses,without revealing our purposeto ensure fairness & accuracy.

VARIABLESGender of respondentsNationality of respondents

WHY: necessary to test out hypothesis

observe the differences in response when approached by different genders.

EXPERIMENTMEMBERS’ ROLES:Name Team Role Things to take note of:

Jacqueline A interviewer/observer/photographer. • observe samples’ behaviours• dress code: smart casual

An Hui A to take pictures with samples • approaching samples• dress code: formal wear

Soh Teng B interviewer/observer/photographer • observe samples’ behaviours• dress code: smart casual

Soo Kuan B interviewer/observer/photographer • observe samples’ behaviours • dress code: smart casual

Brandon B to take pictures with samples • approaching samples• dress code: formal wear

**There was a slight change in our plan the day before our execution as Benjamin was sick that day. Originally, Benjamin was the model whereas Brandon had the role of observer and photographer.

EXPERIMENTareas outside: i) ION ORCHARD iii)TAKASHIMAYA ii)WISMA ATRIA iv)PARAGON v) CINELEISURE.

LOCATION:

TIME:

1.30pm to 3.30pm.

WHY: peak hour; heavy human traffic.popular hangout place for locals & foreigners.availability of a large number of both genders.

EXPERIMENTTHE PROCESS: divided into 2 groups.

along the streets of Orchard road approaching samples from different age, gender and nationalities.

question asked to samples: “Do you mind taking a photograph with me?’

EXPERIMENTTHE PROCESS: other team members pretended to be passers-by. at the same time, they would observe the non-verbal behavior discreetly when subjects were approached.

interviewer explained to them the entire project, conducted the interview and thanked them for their time at the end.

EXPERIMENTCREATIVE ELEMENT:

approaching samples in a slightly unusual way. Eg: when being asked for the reasons, the reply would be: “You are very photogenic, so can I take a photo with you as a memento? ”only explain the real reason after they reject/accept.

to ensure an accurate experiment is being conducted to avoid samples being influenced by the actual reason.to avoid a biased decision

WHY:

EXPERIMENTDIFFICULTIES MET:

wet weather. many were shopping in the malls/hurrying off for shelter. got chased off by the security guard in Paragon. samples were given a choice. But low responses received.

SOLUTIONS:

decided to go further down Orchard Street.waited outside malls with higher human traffic.made slight changes in experiment’s process.

RESULTS [AN HUI]

Male: 20 Female: 20TOTAL ACCEPTED 7 20TOTAL REJECTED 13 0

FOREIGNERS 10 10SINGAPOREANS 10 10

FOREIGNERS WHO ACCEPTED:

5 10

SINGAPOREANS WHO ACCEPTED

2 10

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PH

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AN

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RESULTS [BRANDON]

Male: 20 Female: 20TOTAL ACCEPTED 9 4TOTAL REJECTED 11 16

FOREIGNERS 10 10SINGAPOREANS 10 10

FOREIGNERS WHO ACCEPTED:

5 3

SINGAPOREANS WHO ACCEPTED

4 1

PH

OTO

S (W

ITH

B

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)

FINDINGS+ANALYSISQUESTION 1:

QUESTION ANALYSIS:

What is your first impression of us when you are being approached to take a photo with our model? Why?

to find out the samples’ first thoughts.to show how people use low-effort thinking in forming(Schemas)to show how people observe physical appearances &non-verbal behavior (Social Perception)

FINDINGS+ANALYSISFINDINGS :

FINDINGS ANALYSIS:

Singaporeans & Foreigners of both genders:65%: a project. About 20%: it was normal & accepted our request. 15%: unclear or purposeless intentions.

different reactions; based on past experiences & current mood.judged by physical appearance & tone of voice(Social Perception).immediately inferred us as scammers(Automatic, Low-Effort Thinking) deduced that we were doing a project - Xue Ting holding a plastic file (Controlled, High-Effort Thinking). well-dressed people are decent(Schemas).

FINDINGS+ANALYSISQUESTION 2 :

QUESTION ANALYSIS:

Why are you willing/not willing to help him or her?

to find out how their mental image formed about us affected their decision(Social Cognition)

FINDINGS+ANALYSISFINDINGS :

FINDINGS ANALYSIS:

for a good cause. there was no harm to help out. HOWEVER!some assumed we had ulterior motives/to scam them.a weird request propsed.showed concern of this being posted on the internet.

wide variety of reasons given for their decisions.interpreted the limited information & translated them into actions.passed a mental judgment on us. (Social Cognition) helped formulate their responses towards us.

FINDINGS+ANALYSISQUESTION 3 :

QUESTION ANALYSIS:

Have you encounter this kind of situation before?1) No2) Yes3) If yes, when/where?

to find out if their decision made was affected by any prior good/bad experiences.demonstrates how past experiences affect our system of beliefs, which would ultimately translate to our actions.

FINDINGS+ANALYSISFINDINGS :

FINDINGS ANALYSIS:

58%(23 of the 40) of the local respondents answered no. 42%(17 of the 40)of the foreign respondents answered no. HOWEVER!majority who answered yes had their encounters overseas, in cities like Sydney; Australia & Tokyo; Japan.

previous experiences would have influenced their decisions.a large portion of our behavior is influenced by (Social Cognition)

FINDINGS+ANALYSISQUESTION 4 :

QUESTION ANALYSIS:

Would you still take the photo with our model if your friends rejected/accepted (done the opposite to) us? Why or Why not?

to determining if friends’ opinions affect decisions made (Social Influence)

FINDINGS+ANALYSISFINDINGS :

FINDINGS ANALYSIS:

majority of about 75% would change their decisions, based on what their friends’ opinions. felt more comfortable with friends; more familiarity when taking the photo.HOWEVER!a handful would stick to their decisions.

*most of the group photographs were due to social influence.

most of the people would let their friends influence their decisions.with friends agreeing they would be more comfortable & enthusiastic.(Social Influence), especially among bigger groups, is strong & important in making decisions.

FINDINGS+ANALYSISQUESTION 5 :

QUESTION ANALYSIS:

Do you think it is alright for strangers to be approaching others for help?

quite similar to that of question #2 by comparing the various results, we can determine if there was any changes by letting the samples see things from a third person’s perspective.

FINDINGS+ANALYSISQUESTION 6 :

QUESTION ANALYSIS:

How would you respond? Why?

determine if samples would answer differently if they were encouraged to use high effort thinking.”why “forces them to think by placing them in a hypothetical scenario (Social Cognition).

FINDINGS+ANALYSISFINDINGS :

FINDINGS ANALYSIS:

almost all would depend on the situation.foreigners commented that they would help if is within their means.HOWEVER!if it was a minor problem, the stranger should avoid asking others. A handful completely disagreed, saying that they have no rightsto disrupt others.

would only agree to assist if person was in dire need of help, or was dressed nicely (schemas)social cognition and social perception varied substantially between Singaporeans and foreigners.Singaporeans seem to tend to judge others more harshly

CONCLUSIONForeigners are more open and willing when it comes to taking photographs with a total stranger as compared to Singaporeans.* in addition, from the way they take photographs , such as having close contact, further proves our hypothesis.

CONCLUSIONHypothesis of “opposite gender attracs” is proven wrong *more females took photograph with Anhui, as compared to our Brandon. The same applies to Brandon, where more male respondents took photographs with him, as compared to Anhui.

CONCLUSIONFemales are indeed more responsive to taking photographs as compared to males.*many female respondents agreed shortly after we state our request, whereas the male respondents asked for the reasons before deciding whether to help or not to help.*in addition, more working adults took photographs with Brandon as compared to AnHui.

THANK

YOU!