This makes me wonder if TIPSters might have suggestions for a list of some of the most ethically questionable procedures in the history of psychology. I would like to stop rounding up the usual suspects (Milgram, Zimbardo, Watson & Rayner, yada yada) in my discussion of ethical issues in research. I am sure there are some such lists online but I expect that a TIPS list might pick up some of the more obscure examples. Thanks,
Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Box 3055 x7295 [email protected] http://tinyurl.com/DrFroman Proverbs 14:15 "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 9:08 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Anger manipulations On 12 Nov 2009 at 5:03, Bourgeois, Dr. Martin wrote[concerning Schachter and Singer's experiment]: However, I don't recall that they provided the entire questionnaire, at least in their published article in Psychological Review, but just gave examples from it. It seemed to me that it was so over-the-top that I had difficulty believing it would make subjects angry. More likely, I would think it would elicit giggling. And, if I recall correctly, they did not get strong effects, and the subjects did not actually get angry (their ad hoc explanation being that they subjects really were angry but didn't want to show it for fearing of losing marks, or points, or something]. There was an even more over-the-top attempt to manipulate emotions some years earlier. Ax (1953) attempted to induce anger by having subjects who arrived for the experiment be verbally and physically abused by the (confederate) lab technician, berated for being late, and handled roughly. One of the subjects was reported to have said something like "I was so angry I wanted to punch him in the nose". Fear manipulation was even worse. The subjects were hooked up to a fake polygraph and given a small electric shock. When the subject reported this, the confederate flipped a switch which caused a shower of flying sparks, and shouted "Don't move! There's a dangerous short-circuit". One subjected reportedly said that he thought he was going to die. Ax obtained only minor physiological differences between anger and fear as a result of all this. The good old days indeed. Stephen Ax, AF(1953). The physiological differentiation between fear and anger in humans.Psychosom Med. 1953 Sep- Oct;15(5):433-4 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University e-mail: [email protected] 2600 College St. Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7 Canada ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
