In one well-known study on empathy, participants had to watc…
In one well-known study on empathy, participants had to watch a confederate (“Elaine”) receive electric shocks. They were told either that they had to watch 10 full trials of shocks, or that they could leave after watching the first two trials only. They were also told that their values and interests were similar to those of the confederate (similar group), or that their values and interests were different from those of the confederate (dissimilar group). After the first two trials had been completed, participants were asked whether they would switch places with the confederate—she was apparently very upset by the shocks due to a negative childhood experience with electricity. The researchers found that, in the dissimilar group, ____ agreed to switch places.
Read DetailsJennifer is a student at UCLA. When asked to describe the a…
Jennifer is a student at UCLA. When asked to describe the average UCLA student, she says it is almost impossible to do so because “there are so many different kinds of people at UCLA; the diversity is really amazing.” By contrast, when asked to describe the average USC student, Jennifer says: “That’s easy; they’re all almost exactly the same.” Social psychologists would say that Jennifer is displaying what is known as the ____.
Read DetailsAs discussed in the text, the sociologist Phil Kunz once per…
As discussed in the text, the sociologist Phil Kunz once performed a study in which he sent 578 Christmas cards to a sample of complete strangers living in Chicago, Illinois. He received a total of 117 cards in return, as well as several phone calls—despite the fact that he did not know any of these people. Kunz’s findings provide good evidence of ____.
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