DEPARTMENT OF kjh

Empirical Projects

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DEPARTMENT OF Psychology

Empirical Projects

Grothaus, Maria R.. Prejudice and Discrimination: Does a mindset perpetuate behavior?.

This study looks at the correlation between prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory actions. The participants within this study were students given a paper and pencil test in which they responded whether or not they agreed with and/or would act on the situation given in each of the seven questions. The results of the study show that there was a significant correlation between prejudicial attitudes and negative behaviors, however within the questions there is no significant relationship. The purpose of this study was to determine whether prejudicial thoughts had an influence over discriminatory actions or behaviors.
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Mowers, Mindy. Does the Media Influence a Child`s Behavior?.

There has been an on-going debate whether or not television influences a child’s behavior. There isn’t a doubt that the media has an impact on a child, but is it so influential that it can make a child do something that they would have never thought of doing until they say it on the television? According to Dr. Susan Villani (1999), there is a significant amount of evidence linking behavioral effects of repeated exposure to media violence. The purpose of this study is to determine if in fact the media does influence a child’s behavior. A total of 25 Pershing Elementary School students in the before and after school program, participated in this study. They were observed prior, during, and post a Tom & Jerry video clip. After observing their behaviors post the video clip, each child was asked 2 questions based on their everyday television watching habits. It was found that television does influence a child’s behavior. Although, the results indicate that there wasn’t a significant difference between the pre-video and during-video behaviors. Further implications of these results are to be found in the paper. One limitation in this study would be the length of time the children were observed during the video clip. This limitation may limit the generality. If this study were to be replicated, I would suggest that all parts of the observations be equal in length. In order to get a better idea of how much the media influences a child’s behavior, more children needed to be observed and surveyed.
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