In this episode (a reposting of the previous episode due to a technical glitch) we delve into a two by two factorial research design. Sounds dull you say? Well, I’ll try my best to make it kinda fun. You’ll see how more complex research is carried out. In this case I’ll examine the downside to being an attractive person. And you thought attractive people get all the good stuff in life. Watch to find out how it can be to your disadvantage to be attractive and along the way learn a bit about research design.

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This past week it seems like people have been talking as much about Elliot Spitzer as they have about his wife Silda. In fact, emotions may be running higher about her behavior than about his. Why did she stand by and support him when it appears that he clearly betrayed her trust? Aside from gossip, what’s the tie-in to theories in psychology? Would you believe that the “Covariation Principle” can be applied to this and many similar situations where we are trying to figure out why people do what they do? Have a listen and learn how we use consensus, consistency and distinctiveness information to make important decisions.

Resources on the Covariation Principle

• This page from psychology instructor Jeffrey Ricker, Ph.D. contains a very clear and thorough explanation of the covariation principle.
• Good website which explains the covariation principle.

And here’s another excellent explanation of the covariation principle works. This is from a site called “CROW - Course Resources on the Web” which has lots of excellent resources on psychology.

Online discussions and Video regarding Silda’s actions

• Toby Harnden wrote an interesting article that spurred a lot of discussion. Very interesting to see people’s different perspectives on Silda’s actions.
• If nothing else, this video on YouTube shows how fast people put music and images together to express their opinions on the Spitzer situation.
• The video below might be a good way to start an exploration on the topic of internal vs. external attributions for Silda’s behavior. Was she, as one woman says, “crazy” or “insecure”, did she, as another person says, “not have a choice?”.

• The Monty Python sketch I referred to in this episode is called the String Sketch and while the audio is not available online (which is really the only way to get the most from the skit), the text is available here. You can buy the audio for 99 cents (and believe me it is worth buying) here at iTunes. It’s from The Final Ripoff album.

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 Elliot Spitzer's Wife: Hero or Victim? [21:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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How many scientific studies find their inspiration from a parable in the bible? Well, this one does and for my 50th episode I’ll go over a very interesting study based on the Good Samaritan parable. We’ll take another look at the topic of bystander intervention by asking the question: are people more likely to help someone if they are thinking “pious” thoughts at the time?

After reviewing the study I’ll take a look at a couple articles that cite the good samaritan parable and ask the question: what does the results of this study imply about the value of character education, virtues programs, codes of ethics, citizenship and ethical behavior in general?

The Good Samaritan Parable (Luke 10: 27-37)

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus…”And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down the road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by the other side. but a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? He said, The one who showed him mercy” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Resources on Helping Behavior

• Darley, J. M. & Batson, C. D. (1973) From Jerusalem to Jericho: a study of situational and dispositional variables in helping behavior, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 27(1), 100–119.
• Samuels, S.M. and Casebeer, W.D. (2005). A social psychological view of morality: why knowledge of situational influences on behaviour can improve character development practices. Journal of Moral Education, 34, 73-87.
• Kotre, J. (1992). Experiments as Parables. American Psychologist, 672-673.

Episodes on Bystander Intervention and other Good Stories

• What Really Happened to Kitty Genovese?
• Leon Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance Study.
• John Watson’s study on Little Albert.
• Sherif’s Robber’s Cave study on group conflict.

Other Experiments as Parables

• Festinger, L., & Carlsmith, J. M. (1959). Cognitive consequences of forced compliance.
  Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 58, 203-210
• Milgram, S. (1963). Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology,
  67, 371-378.
• Asch, S. E. (1951). Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgment. In H. Guetzkow (ed.) Groups, leadership and men. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Press.
• Watson, J.B. & Rayner, R. (1920). Conditioned Emotional Reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 3, 1-14.

Site Search: Ethics, Social Psychology

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In this episode I continue the interview on Collaborative Problem Solving in the classroom with Dr. Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child. As I stated in the previous episode, there are a variety of classroom management techniques, all designed to help solve the issue of how to discipline children who are having behavioral problems. I think you’ll find that Dr. Green’s approach makes a lot of sense and it can be implemented in the classroom as well as at home. A fascinating interview.
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Here again are the resources on this topic that I think you’ll find useful:

Collaborative Problem Solving Books and DVDs

• The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children

• Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach

• Parenting the Explosive Child: featuring Drs. Ross Greene and Stuart Ablon

• Calming the Tempest : Helping the Explosive Child

• Check out the Thinkkids website where you can find more information on collaborative problem solving.

Related Episodes on The Psych Files

• Episode 28: Is Timeout Really Effective?

• Episode 33: Timeout Revisited - Dealing with Challenging Kids Part 1

• Episode 34: Timeout Revisited - Dealing with Challenging Kids Part 2

Site Search Tag: Development, Parenting and Childcare

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 Episode 49: Classroom Management - An Interview with Dr. Ross Green part 2 [32:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Classroom management techniques - there are a lot of strategies for dealing with behavior problems in the classroom. It’s time to add Collaborative Problem Solving to your toolkit. Learn an alternative to traditional classroom discipline techniques like timeout or sending the child to the principal. A recent Time magazine article entitled “How to Make Great Teachers” mentions that in a 2001 survey of teachers, 44% listed "student behavior problems" as the reason they left the profession. What can be done?

In this episode I interview Dr. Ross Green, author of The Explosive Child and the upcoming book "Lost in School". He’ll tell you how to use collaborative problem solving with your students. This episode is also for parents, daycare workers, babysitters - anyone who wants to help young people learn to think their way through everyday behavior problems.
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(If I sound like the “chipmunks” on your computer, try this link instead.)

Collaborative Problem Solving Books and DVDs

• The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children

• Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach

• Parenting the Explosive Child: featuring Drs. Ross Greene and Stuart Ablon

• Calming the Tempest : Helping the Explosive Child

• Check out the Thinkkids website where you can find more information on collaborative problem solving.

Related Episodes on The Psych Files

• Episode 28: Is Timeout Really Effective?

• Episode 33: Timeout Revisited - Dealing with Challenging Kids Part 1

• Episode 34: Timeout Revisited - Dealing with Challenging Kids Part 2

Site Search Tag: Development, Parenting and Childcare

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