Tag: PSY 350

Janieve Boyles

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

Banquet Room, Poster #1

1:00 – 3:00 PM

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Ruben Carmona & Emily Sutherland

The Affects of Gender on Following Directions

An individual’s ability to keep on task when doing a task is important for performance and learning. Many times  minds wander to something else while completing  a task.  In the present study  it was hypothesized that female participants would follow the instructions  as compared to male participants.. Each participant was given a worksheet with 10 questions.  They were instructed to read all of the questions before completing the worksheet. The last item on the worksheet instructed the students to complete questions number one, three, and seven. The number of questions each person answered was counted. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in males and females and the number of questions that were answered.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room, Poster #11

10:00 AM – Noon

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Sarah Hooker, Geoffrey Sloan, Chelsea Stone

Prune Juice or Plum Juice? A Study on the Effects of Word Framing

Researchers suggest that people, when faced with varying choices, are more likely to select more appealing choices over those that seem less desirable. The way in which a selection is presented, or framed, has an influence on the decision maker. The purpose of the present study was to explore the impact of word framing on decision making when choosing between identical juices labeled either “prune” or “plum.” It was hypothesized that the majority of participants would favor the juice labeled “plum” as the word “prune” may seem less appealing. Traditional undergraduate students at Northwest Christian University were asked to taste both juices and select the juice that they preferred. The results of this study allow for a greater understanding of the impact that framing has on the decision making process.

PSY 350 Research Methods

Nani Skaggs

Banquet Room, Poster #12

10:00 AM – Noon

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