Instruction
1. Summarize the Bobo Doll Experiment, with attention to the following:
a. Why was the experiment done? That is, what psychological questions was Bandura trying to answer?
b. What purpose was served by each of the three main groups of children in the experiment?
c. What sex differences were seen in the behavior of boys and girls?
d. What consequences of having male and female role models were observed?
2. What was at least one step that Bandura and his colleagues took to strengthen the design of the Bobo Doll Experiment scientifically?
3. Summarize Milgram’s experiment on obedience to authority, with attention to the following:
a. Explain the roles of the three people in the experimental situation. Which of these was the real subject, whose behavior was of interest to Milgram?
b. Do you think Milgram’s experiment explains the behavior of a war criminal who pleads not guilty on the grounds that he was just following orders? Explain your answer.
4. Summarize Burger’s partial replication of Milgram’s experiment.
a. What did Burger find? Did it agree with Milgram’s results?
b. What are the ethical considerations addressed (or not) by Burger?
5. Briefly reflect on your own experiences with peer pressure. How do your thoughts about peer pressure connect to Brett Laursen’s ideas in his podcast?
6. Summarize Robert Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion by naming and briefly defining each one. When you are the persuader, which principle do you rely on the most? When you are the one being persuaded, which principle is most likely to work on you?