Psy240 Article Analysis Format

For each article analysis you turn in provide the following information at the top of the page:

a. Your name

b. The title of the article

c. The date

For each article analysis complete the following evaluation items. You MUST use the numbering and lettering system shown below. Failure to do so will result in an automatic two point deduction from your score on the analysis. The number of points each section is worth is noted in parentheses. Partial credit will be given for incomplete information.

1. Read the brief summary of the article that opens the article and then:

A. List two or three of your own views on the topic of the article that you had before reading the article.

One view I have on the subject is that I think it is true that if a lot of people are doing something, then other people will start doing it also because they think that it is okay if everyone else is doing it. Another view I have is that I think it is true that if you isolate a group from the outside world, then whatever they do in the group is considered right because they have no way of comparing or witnessing other people in the same act.

B. Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the main themes of the article (and why).

I agree with the summary of this article because it is what I believe to be true also. It just makes sense that people will follow along with others that are similar to them.

C. List the reasons why you hold these views.

In other classes we discussed conformity, so I know a little about it. Also, I have seen people around me who have followed along when they see others doing something. For example, at a recent football game fans began throwing objects on the field. It wasn't long before others joined in.

2. List three important points raised in the article. Identify whether each point you chose was supported or not supported by some kind of evidence (e. g., either data from a study conducted or other research). Describe the nature of the evidence cited in the article that supports the points made

A. Point 1

The first important point made by the article is that "when people are uncertain, they are more likely to use others' actions to decide how they themselves should act."

1. Specific support

There was no evidence presented in the article to support this assertion.

B. Point 2

The second point made by the article is that "the principle of social proof operates most powerfully when we are observing the behavior of people just like us."

1. Specific support

No evidence was provided to support this statement.

C. Point 3

The third point raised by the article is that immediately following certain kinds of publicized suicide stories, the number of people who die in commercial-airline crashes or automobile fatalities increases by 1,000 percent.

1. Specific support

This point made by the article is very well supported with four graphs and many people cited. Figure 3.2 shows that the number of airplane fatalities and auto accident fatalities increase after about two days after a suicide story is published.

3. Identify one or two major conclusions drawn by the author(s). Do you agree or disagree with those conclusions. Indicate what caused you to agree or disagree.

A. Conclusion 1

The one major conclusion drawn by the author I found was that people will fallow other people if they are like them. They will look to people like them to see what to do if they cannot decide on their own what to do. By doing this it make them feel better about what they are doing.

1. Agree/disagree and why

I agree with the author because I sometimes look at what other people are doing to see how they are reacting to something or what they are doing, And I mostly do this because I don't know how to react and it makes me feel like I am normal and that I am not sticking out.

4. How has the information in the article helped you better understand social behavior and the factors that control it?

This article suggests that people don't do things on their own- They do things that other people are doing. People do this because they don't want to be left out and to not feel that they are "weird." An example would be like the latest fads in clothing or toys. If you aren't wearing the latest styles or if you don't have the "Furby" then you are not "cool" or you then don't fit in with the rest of society if you don't do what everyone else is doing. The article really helped me understand why in many situations people just follow along with others.

5. A. How does the social psychological phenomenon discussed in the article apply to current events or past historical events?

Many times throughout history there have been instances where large groups of people follow others, almost blindly. At Christmas time everybody seems to need the "hot toy" for their kids. Before World War II Germans followed Hitler and other Nazi leaders.

B. Choose an example from current events or past history (one other than examples given in the article) and show how the article illuminates that event.

A past event would be the "gold rush" in the old days. Someone found gold in California so then everyone wanted to come there, even if they lived on the East coast. An example in the present would be the clothing and toys example in question 4, and also I think with Sport Utility Vehicles. These trucks are seen as "high society" vehicles. If you are Mone with money, then you must have a SUV.

6. A. Describe any new perspectives on the social behavior discussed in the article

I have developed a new perspective on this topic because I never knew that some airplane crashes and car crashes were related to suicide headlines in the newspaper. I think it is really weird to think that they can be related in any way, but the way the author described it, helped me understand it better. It is just amazing to me that people can justify their death just because someone else killed themself.

B. Describe why you developed a new perspective or why you did not develop a new perspective.

Most of the evidence presented in the article was pretty convincing. I started out believing that people are basically followers. The research presented in the article reinforced this belief.

C. Write down two questions that came to mind while reading the article.

How did Jim Jones get all of those people to move to Guyana?

How did some people of the People's Temple escape?

Why do people look towards other people for reactions on how they should act themselves?