Experiments

Question 1

Piano stairs

Answer 1

Scientists found that when an element of fun was present, participants were 66% more likely to take the stairs.
to increase healthy habits, people are more likely to stick to them when they are more enjoyable/ interesting

Question 2

Stanford prison

Answer 2

Subjects quickly conformed to their predetermined roles of either prisoner or guard; the situational expectations
Situational power can directly, and quickly, influence the behavior, attitudes, and values of individuals, regardless of prior intentions.

Question 3

Price Placebo

Answer 3

Despite being the same product, subjects were more likely to find the more expensive item to taste better.
Our brain links the price to a greater expectation of reward, which in turn can change our perception– in this case, taste of wine or chocolate.

Question 4

Basketball Pass

Answer 4

About 50% of people did not see the bear.
Selective attention when the mind is preoccupied with other tasks can bring into question the validity of eyewitness testimony.

Question 5

Bystander

Answer 5

The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is for any one of them to provide help to a person in distress.
People are more likely to take action in a crisis when there are few or no other witnesses present.

Question 6

Skinner’s box

Answer 6

In this experiment, he would place an animal, usually rat or a pigeon, in a box. Through either positive reinforcement (i.e. a treat) or negative reinforcement (i.e. an electric shock), he found that he could reinforce certain behaviours. The subject (rat/pigeon) would associate the behaviour and the consequence of doing or not doing the behaviour. This is called operant conditioning.