sop 3004 - assignments
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Advertisement Assignment Name Marco Fiorentino Panther ID 3167420
Find a print advertisement and analyze the ad from a psychological point of view. Answerthe following questions. Staple your ad to your answers (or vividly describe the ad).
1. What product does this ad attempt to market and where is the ad from?
The Ad attempts to sell the idea of the Marines as a strong and successful way of life.
The Ad is from Game Informer magazine, Issue 209, September 2010.
2. To which component(s) of attitudes (e.g., affective, behavioral, cognitive) does this adappeal? How can you tell? Was this a good strategy for this product/audience?
It appeals to the Affective and Cognitive components of Attitudes, because, this is clearly
propaganda. I will detail each and every phrase the ad describes so I can illustrate betterhow the ad appeals to each one of the attitudes.
1) "You will possess a towering sense of honor."
Honor is an intangible thing to obtain, and is strongly related to emotions in thisparticular context. Honor is something that the armies around the world wantedto portray at all times, and the Marines reflect this notion in its slogan "The few.
The Proud," and appeals to the popular belief that the person who actually madethe Marine Corps should be proud, or honored. This part of the Ad appeals to
the affective component, and also to the Cognitive component.
2) "You will develop a relentless will to succeed."
This is like promising that you will stand on two legs next morning. Everybody
has a relentless will to succeed, because every human being searches forhappiness. This appeals to the Cognitive component, because citizens in general
tend to think that the Marines are "successful patriots giving their life to defendthe United States and its interests," when in reality are underpaid for the job
they are performing.
3) "You will become a part of our nation's impenetrable shield."
Nationalism in its best: this phrase shouldn't be used especially after 9/11,because it could be considered faux advertisement. However, appeals to the
citizen's sentimental heart, which wants to demonstrate the world why they lovethis land. The belief of an "impenetrable shield" is part of the Cognitive
component, and the whole message appeals to the Affective component.
4) "If you have what it takes to make it."
This is clearly defying the reader, who's not yet convinced to 'face the challengeof joining such a prestigious organization,' and needs a little inverse psychology
in order to realize that he or she need to fill up the form. This appeals directly tothe Affective component of attitudes, promoting a behavior.
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3. What route of persuasion do the advertisers seem to use (e.g., central/systematic routevs. peripheral/heuristic)? Was that a good choice? Specifically, what central or peripheral
cues are used?
They have clearly used the Peripheral Route, because:
The message contains few lines to read and interpret the reason of the ad.
The messages written are vague, and need to specify a better reason to become astrong argument.
The messages written represent less than the 30% of the content of the ad.
The ad was placed in a gaming magazine; more than the 60% of the videogamesavailable on the market today are army or shooting related, which provide
immediate virtual experience recall to the users of these type of games, makingthem more accessible to the idea of joining the Marines, because the game
"cannot be that far from reality" and if "you are good on the game, why youshouldn't in the real world?".
Most of the readers of such magazines, are in the middle range economical
resources and middle-lower classes. They are also in the range between 15-25years of age, which is the most prone range to join the forces.
The image of the marine on the ad, is hard to relate to a specific sector of thepopulation, because the reader cannot infer if the marine in the picture isAfrican American, Latino or even Caucasian. This is used to relate with the
readers. You cannot tell the age of the Marine as well, but he looks between thereaders margins.
The eyes of the marine of the picture are in line with the first line of text. This iscaused to create a shock, and require immediate attention from the reader.
This is an outstanding choice, because the readers of the magazine that the ad is place
on, have no interest whatsoever on reading any ad. The fact that is a peripheral orientedad, helps the reader to read it without thinking, which is extremely productive at thetime of getting new pledges for the institution.
4. Does the ad attempt to describe the source of its product information (e.g., "dentists
agree that _____" or "experts suggest ____?" Do these sources come off as credible and/orattractive?
No. All the words in the text part, all the statements made, are not backed by any source.
They might not be credible for a person who is in the central processing route, but theycould be very attractive to the person who's in the peripheral route.
5. What about the communication itself - are the arguments weak/strong, one-sided/two-sided, overt/implied, or not present at all? Were these good choices?
The arguments are weak and not backed up with any source. They are not really arguments,
they are just statements that intent to portray an idea which would fail for the person on thecentral route, and might succeed for the ones that are on the peripheral route. It appeals to
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nationalism, affective reactions and beliefs; yes, the lines were properly crafted to suit thecontext of the ad.
6. What about the target of the communication? Who are the advertisers targeting, how
can you tell, and was that a good decision? How might this ad be different if directed
towards an audience from a more collectivist culture?
As I already mentioned on point 3 of this assignment:
The ad was placed in a gaming magazine; more than the 60% of the videogames
available on the market today are army or shooting related, which provideimmediate virtual experience recall to the users of these type of games, making
them more accessible to the idea of joining the Marines, because the game"cannot be that far from reality" and if "you are good on the game, why you
shouldn't in the real world?".
Most of the readers of such magazines, are in the middle range economical
resources and middle-lower classes. They are also in the range between 15-25years of age, which is the most prone range to join the forces.
The image of the marine on the ad, is hard to relate to a specific sector of thepopulation, because the reader cannot infer if the marine in the picture is
African American, Latino or even Caucasian. This is used to relate with thereaders. You cannot tell the age of the Marine as well, but he looks between the
readers margins.
The eyes of the marine of the picture are in line with the first line of text. This iscaused to create a shock, and require immediate attention from the reader.
This ad is a good decision on individualistic terms.
However, in more Collectivistic societies, the messages and statements related to this ad,should demonstrate more social concern, and appeal to a nation more than just what an
individual can achieve by joining the Marines.
7. How are other concepts, like dissonance or emotions, relevant to your analysis?
Emotional reactions are the most relevant pusher for this analysis, because the beliefs andideas of the marines are based on emotional attachment. That's why people talk about
"brainwashing" when they see a friend coming back from the Army. Their technique isbased on psychologically tear you down, and then rebuild you the way that they pretend
you to be.
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Practice Assignment
SOP 3004-U01: Social Psychology Fall 2010 Prof. Strubler
Congratulations! You successfully downloaded this Word document. Below, type your
name and panther ID and then save this document as a Word file.
“I hereby acknowledge receipt of the syllabus and understand what is expected of me in
this course.”
Name: Marco Fiorentino (Mark Fiore) Panther ID: 3167420
Date: 27th
of August, 2010.
Now, save this document. When you save, label the document with your last name andthe word Practice. In other words, I would save mine as: StrublerPractice.docx.
Next, upload the document back to Blackboard. First, close this word document file, and
then go to Blackboard. In the Assignments tab click on the Practice Assignment link.
This will bring up a page with the following three sections: Instructions, Submission, and
Add Comments. Just below the Submission section is a box that says “Add attachments”.Click that box, and browse your computer for the file you just saved (e.g.
StrublerPractice.docx). When you find it, click to add the file and upload it to blackboard.
Hit okay, and the document should be on the way!
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SOP3004 – INTRO TO SOCIAL PSY – SECTION U01-1108
The Social Psychology of
False Confessions:Compliance,
Internalization and
Confabulation.By Saul M Kassin and Katherine L. KiechelAn Experimental Paper on Article Summary and Critique, prepared by
Marco Fiorentino – PID# 3167420
11/29/2010
An experiment demonstrated that false incriminating evidence can lead people to accept guilt for acrime they did not commit. Article summarized and critiqued.
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Overview
The article is about the lab study performed by Kassin and Kiechel, which in 1996, responded
to the following hypothesis: The presentation of false evidence, can lead individuals who are
vulnerable (i.e., in a heightened state of uncertainty) to confess to an act they did not commit
and, more important, to internalize the confession and perhaps confabulate details in memory
consistent with that new belief.
The method used was the following: 79 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of
four groups; one subject per session and a female confederate. The Independent variables on
the exercise were:
o The typing pace: either fast typing or slow typing paces.
o The witness participation: no witness (who didn't see anything) and witness
(who falsely accuses the subject).
The four groups were divided into: Slow paced typing -No witness, High paced typing - No
witness, Slow paced typing - Witness, High paced typing-Witness. The type of study was
experimental, because the researchers would manipulate the independent variable while
leaving the other variables constant.
The confederate was to read aloud a list of letters and the subject was to type these letters on
the keyboard. The subjects were warned not to press the "ALT" key, because doing so would
cause the program to crash and data to be lost. After 60 seconds, the computer ceased
functioning, and the experimenter acted distressfully, accusing the subjects of pressing the
ALT key. When each of the subjects denied initially pressing the key, the experimenter
pointed at the computer indicating that the data was lost, and asked again "did you pressed
the ALT key?"
After each subject denied having pressed the ALT key again, the experimenter would ask the
confederate if she saw anything.
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The answer was always no, in the No Witness mode.
The answer was always yes, in Witness mode.
Then, the three Dependent variables were used: Compliance, Internalization and
Confabulation.
o Compliance: The experimenter would extend a written confession to the subject,
ordering to sign it, and if the subject did, they would make him talk to the
principal investigator.
o Internalization: after the commotion, the subject and the confederate leave the
lab, and met with a second confederate. This second confederate plays the role of
a "regular subject" participant of the same study. The second confederate asks the
subject "What happened?" The subject was recorded verbatim, and then coded for
whether or not he or she had unambiguously internalized guilt.
o Confabulation: later, after the sessions seemed to be over, the experimenter
reappeared, brought the subjects into the lab again, and reread the letters they
typed. He asked if they could reconstruct how or when they hit the "ALT" key.
The findings were that the control group (Slow pace - No Witness) only had a 35% of
subjects who signed the false confession, but no internalization or confabulation cases were
noted. In the Fast pace - Witness group, 100% signed the confession, 65% believed
afterwards that they were guilty, and 35% experienced confabulation. This allows to see two
different revelations:
o First, that the increase of speed on the typing, exacerbated the subjects reactions
towards the accusation (vulnerability)
o Second, that the presence of a single witness was enough to increase the rates of
compliant and internalized confessions.
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According to the study, the experiment "provides strong initial support for the provocative
notion that the presentation of false incriminating evidence can induce people to internalize
blame for outcomes they did not produce. These findings also demonstrate that memory can
be altered not only for observed events and remote past experiences, but also for one's own
recent actions."
Critique
It is interesting to see, how Kassin and Kiechel arrived to the conclusion that the method used
was the proper one, in order to prove the hypothesis they tried to, but there are several things
that I’ve personally noticed that gives me the impression that the study could’ve had been
conducted on a different field, closer to reality.
I understand that the fact of suggesting a more realistic environment for the study implies that
the police force would be scrutinized by scientists on their modus operandi (a thing that
nobody likes to be part of, especially if you are a law enforcement officer and the study
conducted on you is based on ethical behavior); or that the inclusion of possible real
criminals would turn the “safe and controlled environment” of the experience into a possible
mayhem. However, I do understand that the techniques of interrogation of the police force are
not only applied to real criminals who committed real crimes; the techniques explained on the
article are used all over and all around the police force, from transit to the parking authority.
Therefore, in comparison with a real situation, where a regular person (who’s not a criminal!)
is accused of committing a crime and psychologically induced to declare and sign a false
statement, being punished because you press the ALT key, makes absolutely no connection.
There’s a lack of correspondence, in my point of view.
Another way of conducting the study would have been by soliciting on the police authorities’
offices, a permit that would allow requesting the audio and video recordings of the patrols
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(that is the reason why, when pulled over, the policeman requests the motorist to turn off the
engine: so the conversation can be recorded properly without problems), which document
when a driver gets pulled over and is forced to the same type of interrogation methods that
they mentioned on this study. Personally, I have been pulled over by the police before, and
the techniques that they use are based on psychological bullying. That’s the word: most
American police officers are bullies, and therefore, they will try to prove their point,
justifying pulling you over by any possible mean: anyways, you can fight your ticket in court!
The issue with transit infractions is that it’s the most common foul committed by citizens.
These infractions are punishable with expensive fines, points on your license or jail (if you
exceed the 90 mph.) on the worst case scenario. On the other side of the line, the police is
said to hold meetings on which the “collection” of each officer is discussed on every 15th of
the month (that’s why most of the infractions committed are after that day), apart from
discussing other issues like monthly goals, demotions, and other internal issues.
This indicates clearly that both subject and interrogator would have a real-tensioned reaction
toward the events that would unfold on every particular case. Policemen who “didn’t
collected enough for the month,” would have to go “hunting” after the 15th of every month,
causing them to try to falsely accuse a citizen to induce him or her to accept that he or she
broke the law, when in reality is innocent.
In order to avoid any factual mistakes, and to really determine who’s telling the truth, there’s
another player who enters on this field: the patrol’s radar gun. This device not only informs at
what speed the infractor is going, but at the same time, it records every second of that
reading. Hence, if the policeman claims that the infractor was driving over the limit, it would
be easily called off by the readings of the machine. After evaluating each case, anonymously
on both sides (the performance of the policeman and the reactions of the motorist), a more
accurate result that is closer to reality could be obtained.
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Another thing that I’ve noticed is that the study is conducted only using the technique of
maximization. In order to be closer to reality, a previous study should statistically evaluate,
which type of approach did the officer had at the moment of interrogating and correlate these
findings to the idea of the study suggested. I know that I’ve mentioned before that most
American police officers are bullies, but at the same time I acknowledge that there might be
good officers also. Then, to make it fair on their behalf, the statistical correlational study on
how many cops use the minimization approach will make things even on both sides, and
unbiased.
To my taste: a good hypothesis, with a poor idea to demonstrate real facts.
Summary
In 1996, Kassin and Kiechel, responded to the following hypothesis: The presentation of false
evidence, can lead individuals who are vulnerable to confess to an act they did not commit,
and to internalize the confession and perhaps confabulate details in memory consistent with
that new belief. They conducted a study with 79 students, separated in four groups that were
produced by a 2 (fast typing, slow typing) x 2(presence of a witness, absence of a witness),
on which one subject was paired with one female confederate.
The confederate was to read aloud a list of letters and the subject was to type these letters on
the keyboard. The subjects were warned not to press the "ALT" key, because it will cause the
computer to shut down. When it did, the examiner in front of them accused the subject of
pressing the ALT key. After the subject denies it, the examiner would ask the confederate if
she saw anything (Witness: accuses the subject; No Witness: didn’t see anything).
Afterwards, the examiner would give the subject a confession letter and asking the subject to
sign it. Then, the pair leaves the lab and meets at the reception with another confederate, who
asks semi- privately to the subject “What happened?” in order to see if the subject internalized
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the guilt. After meeting with the second confederate, the examiner calls the pair back into the
lab. Reads aloud the letters the subject wrote, and asks if the subject recalls how or when did
he or she pressed the ALT key. None of the subject participants pressed the ALT key.
According to the study, the experiment "provides strong initial support for the provocative
notion that the presentation of false incriminating evidence can induce people to internalize
blame for outcomes they did not produce. These findings also demonstrate that memory can
be altered not only for observed events and remote past experiences, but also for one's own
recent actions."
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Marco Fiorentino
PID: 3167420
Helping Assignment: Turn in on Blackboard (Turn in online, not this actual paper)
Instructions: Write down a story about a time when you faced an emergency. Did you help(or were you helped) in this situation? Try to remember if there were any people around withspecial skills or training. More specifically, try to think about this emergency in terms of the
Five Steps.
Write down a description of the emergency and the five steps. You may use the space below,or type it on another paper.
The emergency. I was studying on the Fourth Floor Lounge and a girl came running to
inform me that there was smoke in the hallway.
Step One: noticing. I was distracted towards the event, because I was studying for an
important test of my Social Psychology class. However, when this female approached me
desperately, I realized immediately that something was going on, and if her tale was accurate,
we might be in great danger.
Step Two: interpret. I usually have a skepticism that won't allow me to jump into
conclusions immediately, and therefore, I told her to calm down, to explain me what was
going on, and that we will see the way to solve this. Leaving my ambiguity feeling behind, I
walked with her to that wing of the hallway to corroborate that her tale was accurate. The
hallway was filled by a thick haze., and we barely could interpret what was really going on, if
it was smoke, vapor or another thing in the air.
Step Three: responsibility. As a resident I have to notify any anomalies (emergencies or
vandalism) that occur within the hallway, and beyond what might say in the residents
manual, it's my moral duty to take action. Plus, if it was something in the air, it is justified to
pull up the alarm.
Step Four: decide if you have the skills. It was 5 a.m. and nobody was in the hallway
except for the girl and myself. I saw something in the hallway that resembled smoke, and
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debated briefly what was it, so the alarm wasn't in vain. Even though I am not trained as a
fireman, I can pull a fire alarm.
Step Five: final decision. I decided that even if it wasn't smoke what was in the hallway, at
that precise moment I couldn't distinguish if it was or not. Hence there was a 50/50 chance
that the whole residence hall would burn to ashes. I was prepared to affront the consequences
of having pulled the alarm, and I was ready to reply to each and every single person who
comes to question my actions, in order to justify my position and my decision.
Additional comments. Even though I was annoyed as everybody else about the fire alarm,
and the fact that we had to evacuate the building at 5 a.m., I was congratulated by the whole
building for my action, and appointed "Resident of the Month" on my floor. Finally, after the
investigation, we discovered that there was someone who was playing with the fire
extinguishers. The use of the fire extinguishers if there's no fire is illegal, and it could be
minor felony or misdemeanor. Thanks to my declarations towards the local authority, they
were able to identify the person who committed that infraction, and he will be penalized for
it.