Social psychology deals with the ways in which people think, feel, and act in social situations-how they are influenced by others and how they in turn influence those around them. Many of the fundamental theories in social psychology have their roots in classic experiments that exposed the hidden forces that shape behavior.
In practice, as a high school student, you wouldn't need a laboratory to gain insight into these phenomena. With some creativity and preparation, you should be able to safely and ethically conduct many of these experiments in a school setting. Experimentation is bound to go long in providing a sharper understanding of human behavior. Here are 10 cool social psychology experiments for you to try right at school with a description of what each teaches.
1. Asch's Conformity Experiment
Solomon Asch's famous experiments on conformity illustrated how great peer pressure can indeed be. The original experiment consisted of individuals comparing the length of lines on posters and choosing the correct one. During the trials, group members, who were actually confederates of the experiment, would give the same incorrect response, and far too many times the real participant would follow group judgment, even when the response was obviously incorrect.
To replicate this within a school, give a group of students a pretty simple math series or visual comparison multiple-choice questions. Confederates in the group would choose an incorrect answer on purpose, before the unsuspecting subject gives their answer. See if the subject follows in giving the same incorrect answer like in Asch's initial study. This experiment demonstrates how people may conform to group standards and will thus facilitate useful classroom discussions on identity, independence, and peer pressure.
2. The Bystander Effect
According to the bystander effect, people will help less in an emergency situation with more people around. This draws attention to diffusion of responsibility. Psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley first conducted their tests with respect to this issue after the infamous Kitty Genovese case from 1964.
You can do this in an ethical manner with a ''dropping items'' type of scenario which would have certain students purposefully drop books or spill pencils in a crowded hallway and record how many people assist them. Next stage the same event in a less crowded area and where there are fewer other people more likely to intervene-indicating the power of social dynamics in a group.
3. False Consensus Effect
The false consensus effect indicates that we tend to believe, more than is true, that our opinions, beliefs, and behaviors are widely shared. Thereafter it became the title of some studies by the social psychologist Lee Ross.
In an attempt to study, something like a short questionnaire with opinion-based questions on things like, school uniforms, social media, or climate change, could be distributed. After students take the form, each participant is then asked to estimate the number of their peers that they feel agree with their statements. Compare this with the actual survey results. That is, most students will exaggerate considerably. In reproducing this study, students become aware of cognitive biases that distort our perception of consensus and group behavior.
4. In-Group-Out-group Bias
The experiment is based on the research of Henry Tajfel about social identity theory. Tajfel showed that people will very quickly begin to feel attached to random groups and be biased in favor of their group, even when there are no real existent differences between these groups.
To replicate it, split students into groups using some abstract criteria like favorite color, location of desk, or month of birth. Get them to do a team-building exercise or a friendly competition (e.g., flag design or team chant creation) and engage them in a conversation afterwards about why their team is the best. Even in such a limited timeframe, you may observe group pride, bias against other groups, or playful rivalry. This experiment elucidates how we form in-groups and outgroups and how fast stereotypes may emerge.
5. The Foot-in-the-Door Effect
If someone agrees with a little request, they are likely to agree with a larger request after a while. An approach which is quite often used in sales and persuasion was studied for the first time by Freedman and Fraser back in the 1960s.
To test it, begin with asking classmates for a little thing—perhaps signing a petition or answering a one-question survey. Return later to request a larger favor, maybe filling out a longer questionnaire or undergoing a brief interview. Then compare compliance rates between those who did the smaller task first and those who received the larger request only. Most times, people say "yes" to the first request and do not want to seem inconsistent, so they say "yes" again.
6. The Halo Effect
The Halo effect is a cognitive bias in which our overall impression about a person affects our judgments regarding other traits of that person. For instance, we think someone is probably physically beautiful; therefore, he is smart, kind, or talented-unless proved otherwise.
Replicate the same by showing your classmates photos of an actor, celebrity, or maybe fictional student profile, then ask them to rate every person according to characteristics such as intelligence, friendliness, reliability, and honesty based on pure impressions. Then compare how the ratings diverge depending on attractiveness or some other single traits. Students are most likely to realize how shallow impressions can alter perception.
7. The Primacy Effect
First effects are referred to as the tendency of people to remember better things that come first in the sequence. It would be part of a larger finding called serial position effects-another part being the recency effect.
To investigate this, read anonymously a list of 15 unrelated words to your class or group, one at a time. Ask the students to note down as many words as they could remember after that. Most will recall first one's words better than those in between; the experiment would serve as a good starter for a discussion on memory, attention, and learning strategies, all very pertinent in a school setting.
8. The Spotlight Effect
The spotlight effect is the feeling that other people pay really close attention to what one does when they do not notice it. Teenagers, in particular, usually find it easy to relate to this phenomenon since they often worry about making a fool of themselves in front of their peers.
You could even have a willing student wear bright or otherwise strange articles of clothing for a little while (e.g. a silly hat or mismatched socks) and then approach everyone else after to ask how many have paid attention to the piece of clothing. Most people would not even notice it, to the dismay of the student concerned. Students learn mostly that other people are caught up in themselves: they realize that most are more concerned about themselves than other people.
9. Social Facilitation
Social facilitation refers to how a person would perform simple or well-practiced tasks better while under observation but would not perform as well on new or complex tasks that are performed while under observation. The concept was initially researched by Norman TriPleTT and then elaborated by Robert Zajonc. It's also easily applied in a school setting.
Thus replicate from there. Have the students complete an easy task like simple math problems, and then give them a more difficult task, such as a complex logic puzzle, to complete both alone and with the group. Compare their performances. You will see improvement of performance on the simple task and an increased number of mistakes on the complex task when the audience is present. This shows how the presence of peers affects performance.
10. The Pygmalion Effect
The phenomenon of higher expectations leading to better results is called the Pygmalion effect. Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson did some testing at schools where teachers were made to believe that students were going to excel, after which they often improved their performance by minor changes in their attitude and behavior.
True replication is long term and involves ethical oversight; however, a briefer version can be attempted to observe the effect of encouragement or positive expectations on student performance in group games or presentations. Take stock of effects on outcomes when a student, for example, is made more confident a priori through positive reinforcement as opposed to neutral or no comments. Even a brief demonstration would trigger debates regarding how teacher and peer expectations translate into student success.
Final Thoughts
By replicating those social psychology experiments in school, then those psychological theories come to life and students understand how human behavior is affected by perceptions, social norms, biases, and context. These experiments by all means attractive, often eye-opening, and important insight into everyday behaviors won't require fancy equipment-just some creativity along with awareness and willingness to observe how people behave.
Experiment ethically. Participation should by all means be voluntary and no one should feel embarrassed, excluded, or deceived in any harmful way. Make it clear to the participants afterward what the activity is about and reflection encouraged. Social psychology is not merely observing-the field is made of empathy, awareness, and learning how to relate to each other more meaningfully. Experiment, explore, and enjoy discovering the fascinating dynamics of human behavior-right in your school hallways.
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