How Situations Affect Our Behavior

Lauren Slater’s book Openin" rel="nofollow">ing Skin" rel="nofollow">inner’s Box chapters “Obscura” and “In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landin" rel="nofollow">ing” challenge general perceptions about how we believe people will behave in" rel="nofollow">in certain" rel="nofollow">in situations. Reflect on our readin" rel="nofollow">ings in" rel="nofollow">in book and articles, along with class discussions, as you develop your research. Below are questions to help guide you; however, do not let them limit you in" rel="nofollow">in your research and arguments. 1. Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink people tend to get in" rel="nofollow">involved and do somethin" rel="nofollow">ing when they notice a problem or if someone does not seem OK? Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink it is hard for people to say no to those in" rel="nofollow">in authority, even when people thin" rel="nofollow">ink it is again" rel="nofollow">inst their conscience? Explain" rel="nofollow">in your reasonin" rel="nofollow">ing with evidence from personal experiences, history/current events and/or Openin" rel="nofollow">ing Skin" rel="nofollow">inner’s Box readin" rel="nofollow">ings. 2. Do you agree with the theory put forth by professors John Darley and Bibb Latene? Explain" rel="nofollow">in your answer with evidence from your readin" rel="nofollow">ings and research. 3. Describe some of the experiments and in" rel="nofollow">incidents in" rel="nofollow">in “In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landin" rel="nofollow">ing” and make connections to outside readin" rel="nofollow">ings or experiences. 4. Slater makes mention of Milgram from the earlier chapter “Obscura.” What kin" rel="nofollow">inds of connections do you see, if any, between the Milgram and Darley/Latene experiments? You could also make connections with Zimbardo’s experiment. Explain" rel="nofollow">in your answers. 5. Slater describes “the five stages of helper behavior” (109), and fin" rel="nofollow">inds it could be useful. What do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink about this? Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink this should be taught more in" rel="nofollow">in school and society? You could research “Good Samaritan law” and “duty to rescue” to fin" rel="nofollow">ind out how different countries legally treat this situation.