Perceptions of Homeless Youth
Social psychology has shown that people are often quick to judge others simply on prejudices based on group membership. Appearance affects people’s first impressions of and attitudes towards others. The goal of present study was to investigate how people’s perception of a homeless youth varied based on information provided about the individual. Perceptions based on snap judgments to a photograph of a homeless teenager were compared with impressions of the homeless teenager when the photograph was accompanied with her background story. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group or control group. The experimental group read an autobiographical story about a homeless youth and were shown a photograph. The control group was only shown the photograph. Both groups answered questions about attitudes towards and willingness to help the homeless youth. It is expected that those who read her story will feel more empathy and be more willing to help her than those who only see a photograph. It is important to determine whether knowing the background story of someone affects impressions.
PSY 350 Research Methods
Nani Skaggs
1:00 – 3:00 PM