Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The Lucifer Effect: Halloween Experiment
In the Halloween Experiment explained in Chapter 13 of the Lucifer Effect, kids were given games to play against each other at a Halloween party. At first, the kids played without costumes. However, in the second phase, the students wore costumes, keeping their identities secret from their peers. This second phase resulted in an increase of aggression while playing. Then for the third phase, the students took off the costumes and continued to play. This third phase showed that there was no carryover of the aggressive behavior displayed in phase two. These results show the power of anonymity. I also believe this is similar to diffusion of responsibility. Since the children are in costume and no one knows who they are, they feel less responsible for their actions. This causes them to do things uncharacteristic to their normal behavior. What are your thoughts on this experiment?
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I completely agree with everything you are saying about masks being like diffusion of responsibility. People act differently than they normally do when they are wearing masks because people don't know who they are so they experiment and try to do things that they would never want people to know that they are doing. People are more likely to express their true emotions or act a way that they truly want to when they are wearing a mask, because they won't be embarrassed of their actions and other won't be angry at them for their actions because no one know who they are. They do not have to take responsibility for their actions.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Plus it's interesting to think about compared to little kids and grown adults playing this game. It shows a dark side a child has under the influence of a mask.
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