Social Psychology - S320
Living Lab - Altruism
Purpose
To further stimulate personal exploration and understanding related to
the
issue of altruism
What You Will Do:
First and foremost, don't tell anyone what you are doing! Doing
so
would create a bias in the experiment, which will undermine the intent
of
this unique endeavor!
On the day of the Living Lab you will attempt to live
out an entire day in which all of your actions are determined by a
motivation
to help. That means that every activity you participate in will
need
to be done in view of how that activity might be a way to help another.
In
essence this is a day to truly "put others first".
Be sure to evaluate every activity you participate in. Ask, "Why
do
I do the things I do, the way I do?" Analyze everything.
Always
be asking, "How can I demonstrate altruism by the action I am about to
take."
What You Will Turn In:
An 1 -Page, APA formatted reaction paper.
Specifics:
- APA formatted
- Typed
- Double-spaced
- 1 inch margins
- Cover page (No Name)
Possible questions to address:
- When preparing for the Living Lab, how did you mentally define
altruism?
- How did this definition affect how you acted during the duration
of
the Living Lab?
- What were the psychological and/or psychosocial pros and cons of
this
experiment?
- How did others respond to your actions?
- What attributions did people make to explain your behavior?
- Was your behavior different from normal?
- What activities did you need to adjust and which stayed the same?
- Describe ways in which your own level of altruism was revealed
through
this experiment.
- What are the psychological and/or psychosocial factors that cause
you
to be altruistic or not be altruistic?
- What are the differences between the "normal" you and the "Living
Lab"
you?
- Which "you" did you like better? Why?
- How do you believe this experiment might affect your behavior in
the
future?