In the asch experiment students viewed four lines. One line was by itself and the other three were labeled A, B, and C. The students were asked to decide which line, a b or c, was the same length as the line by itself. In the experiment one student had no clue of the experiment and the others knew. At one point in the experiment the students who knew about the experiment purposely guessed the wrong line. So when it came the one student's turn he to guessed wrong even though he probably knew what the correct answer was. It is interesting how people's answers and thoughts can be changed just because of what majority says.
The prison experiment was also very interesting. It's mind blowing how people can get into their roles so much that they become their roles. I was shocked to learn that the students pretending to be prison guards actually started to be like real guards. It was surprising to learn that the guards humiliated and tortured their fellow students. It's crazy how people can become what they are pretending to be.
The milgram experiment was interesting because it showed how some people do things just because an authority figure told them to. I guess it depends on what the figure asks you to do. I like to think that I wouldn't do anything outrageous, but who knows until an authority figure asks.
Social influence occurs when an individual's thoughts or actions are affected by other people. This happens to everybody one way or another. I know that I am socially influenced all the time. Sometimes a bunch of people will guess one answer and I will have another one, but of course I change mine just because the majority says otherwise. I like to think that I would stand up and say my own answer but I just want to blend in with the other people so I take their answers.
One of the most interesting things I learned during this class was learning more about myself. This class gave me an opportunity to understand why I do many of the things that I do. I now understand more about my social behaviors for example. I understand more about why I choose the answers that other people choose even if they are not the answers that I believe. I am glad that I could learn more about the mind and why we do the things we do.
Thank You for teaching me.
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In the Stanford Prison experiment, I was also intrigued at how much the participants actually became the roles that they were supposed to play. I was especially surprised that the prison guards actually totured and humiliated their fellow students! This experiment greatly reminds me of the movie "Mean Girls." In the movie the main character acts like she is a plastic to sabotage the leader, but in the end her own friend tells her that she IS a plastic. She was not just pretending anymore. I love relating things like this to what we are learning!
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