For everyone My favourite things: Famous sociological experiments
There have been many famous – and infamous – psychological experiments investigating human behaviour. Here are just a few that might prompt some interesting classroom discussions.
The halo effect (1920)
This study found that people are inclined to assume global personality traits about a person based on a single personality trait, e.g. that if they are good, they are clever; or that if they are beautiful, they are also good, regardless of any evidence to back it up.
The Asch conformity study (1951)
Fifty men were asked to say which of two lines drawn on a piece of paper was longer. The experiment found that people felt pressured to agree with consensus, against their actual opinion, rather than stick with their belief.
The Milgram experiments (1961)
Participants were ordered to deliver increasingly painful electric shocks to another person. While the person on the receiving end was merely acting, participants didn’t know this and continued to administer shocks, believing them to be real. This famous experiment showed the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure, even if it conflicted with their personal conscience.
The blue eyes/brown eyes exercise (1968)
Teacher Jane Elliott first gave this lesson the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr on 5 April 1968, in response to racism in the US. The teacher divided the class of all-white students into those with blue and those with brown eyes, telling them that those with brown eyes were cleaner, better, and smarter. This had an immediate effect on the students’ behaviour, including previously smart kids being unable to do their work. She then reversed the exercise to show children how it feels to be on both sides of the equation.
Stanford prison experiment (1971)
In this now notorious experiment, 24 male students were assigned roles as prisoners or guards in a simulated prison environment. Both cohorts quickly adapted to their roles, to increasingly violent effect. The experiment was shut down after six days following the alarming mistreatment of the mock prisoners. It has become one of psychology’s most dramatic illustrations of how, given the right circumstances, otherwise healthy people can become tyrants.
The Stanford marshmallow (1972)
This famous experiment sought to find out whether children who elected to delay their gratification would have better outcomes as adults. In the study, 50 children between the ages of three and five were presented with a marshmallow. If they didn’t eat it for 15 minutes, they would be able to have two marshmallows. But if they ate it within those 15 minutes – no more!
A lot has been made of this experiment, with conclusions drawn about the link between self-control and life outcomes. It might be interesting to look at later findings about the role that class played in the outcomes, showing children from wealthier backgrounds, and therefore less fear about the scarcity of marshmallows, were more likely to pass the test.
The violinist in the metro (2007)
Acclaimed violinist Josh Bell posed as a street musician at a subway station in Washington. Even though Bell had recently performed in a sell-out solo show for $100 a ticket, when he was in the subway, people did not stop to listen. When children stopped, their parents actively pulled them away, bringing up questions about how we perceive value and art.
Further watching: Seven Up
For people fascinated by these questions, it’s hard to go past Michael Apted’s Seven Up, a documentary series inspired by Aristotle’s premise: “Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man.” Beginning in 1964, Apted follows a group of British children from different socioeconomic backgrounds every seven years of their life, offering fascinating insights into class and humanity. The latest is 63 Up (2019).
