Wednesday, September 24, 2014

SA21 - A Group BFF Fries Breaching Experiment

Group BFF Fries (Castillo, Dela Cruz, Rodriguez, Sanqui, Sundiam)
SA21 A
"Talk-line Experiment"

1) What norm did you violate?
There are a couple of norms that were violated in this experiment. First and foremost, the (1) invasion of personal space. For the design of the experiment, 2 people were assigned to talk to each other, with the intention of having a certain amount of distance between them. In line with that, they had the said discussion with people in the middle, to see how they would react to this experimentation. This is actually rude because the people in between them could hear what they are talking about. Also, it is not polite to have people in the middle when there is a conversation going on between people. It is most distasteful when those people don’t know what you are talking about, when they are not included in the conversation at all (you do not intend for them to hear what you are talking about) or worse, if they don’t even know who you are. Correspondingly, in the experiment shown, there was a lot of room in the area where the 2 people talking could communicate more privately and intimately with each other however, they chose to talk with a large amount of distance between them, with people in between.  (2) There is also the issue of the lack of politeness between the two people who are communicating because there is a chance that they won’t be able to deliver an effective communication with each other, wherein they will fail to carry out what they really want to say to the other person. 

There is this document on the Internet that compares the communication norms between different countries. One of the things stated there was: “In the United States, we stand about 18 inches from the people to whom we are speaking. Latino and Indian cultures stand closer.” It said that in the US, they stand 18 inches from each other, but other countries prefer to be closer to one another when interacting. This shows how proximity actually displays respect in communication. It shows that the nearer two people are, the more respect they have for each other to actually give enough contact while interacting. It can be said in the statement that no one would choose to have a bigger distance from the person they are talking to as a sign of respect and sensitivity.

2) Describe the breaching experiment in detail. What was the activity? Where did you do it?

The mechanics of the experiment was to have two group members (Bianca and Joshua) talk to each other as casually and normally as possible. However, they were to talk to each other a few feet apart from each other, with people within that small distance, no matter how crowded the area may be.

They were to go to different areas of the cafeteria. In one trial, Bianca is already sitting at a table where there is a group of friends, and Joshua suddenly starts a conversation with her. In another, Bianca went to stand next to a person who is ordering something at a stall, while Joshua is at his other side and a few feet away from the guy. In the third trial, Bianca was at one end of the table talking with her friends, and suddenly Joshua, who is at the other end of the table, talks to her from his position. In the last trial, Bianca is already sitting at a table with a friend, when Joshua suddenly goes to her and talks to her with the friend in between them eating quietly.

As these trials were happening, another member was recording everything in a video. The experiment was done in the Gonzaga cafeteria, since it is a very crowded and noisy place, and there were also a lot of people who could be approached.

3) What were the different reactions of the people? List all possible reactions you observed. Why do you think they reacted this way? What caused these reactions? Did the deviant act re-affirm/reinforce the existing norms based on these reactions?

In the first trial, it is noticeable that the guys looked back and forth at Bianca and Joshua as they started talking. However, they continued to mind their own business - or at least they tried to. It is obviously difficult to continue talking in your own circle of friends when you could hear another ongoing conversation nearby. Another reaction we noted was the annoyed look the guy had in the third trial. He was reading a book, and Bianca and Joshua were half-shouting at each other due to the noise in Gonzaga. He glanced at Bianca and Joshua, seeing if they were seriously going to talk to each other with him in between them. However, he did not do anything to stop them; he just continued reading his book.

In addition to this, in the last trial, Bianca’s friend suddenly went quiet when Joshua came over to talk to Bianca. It is noticeable how he respected Bianca and Joshua’s conversation by staying quiet and literally keeping to himself.

The trial that elicited almost no reaction was the second one, when the guy in between them just glanced at Bianca and stayed put, since he was waiting for his food.
In some reactions, the deviant act re-affirm the existing norms since some of the people involved in the experiment tried to mind their own business and not listen or eavesdrop in Bianca and Joshua’s conversation, thus showing a sign of respect. On the other hand, the people who probably got annoyed in the experiment reinforced their right of personal space, since they stayed in their position and did not move for Bianca and Joshua as they talked to each other. This was seen in the second trial.

4) Aside from the norms, what sociological themes are at play for people to react in a certain way? Is it a function of gender (gender norms, roles), social class (norms of the rich & the poor), values/beliefs of institutions (religion, family, peer group, etc.).

It is possible that the people involved in the experiment reacted the way they did because of the values and beliefs instilled in them from the past, most probably from their family and their school. Some reactions of the people showed their respect to Joshua and Bianca by staying quiet and minding their own business. In addition, it also showed shame with regard to the person in between Bianca and Joshua. However, it should also be noted how some of them stood their ground and refused to move aside to let Bianca and Joshua talk to each other. This was seen in trial 2, when the guy did not even bother to duck or get out of the Bianca and Joshua’s way. In line with that, there is also a feeling of guilt on the part of the experimenters because they are not accustomed to this kind of practice, where in they had to carry out a communication involving people who are not part of the said conversation.

As said, the reactions of people vary because of their own beliefs and the beliefs that were imparted to them when they were still young. Hence, these beliefs are carried out until they grow old which actually form how they actually deal with certain types of situations or things.  One may have a mindset that is different from other people. As can be seen in the videos, the reactions of the people were not really similar. There were people who felt uncomfortable that they were in the way of the two people communicating, and there was a person who seemed to stand his ground and didn’t seem to mind that he was in the middle of something that didn’t involve him.

 5) How did you feel when you did this experiment? How does it feel to deviate from the norms? Were you hesitant to do the activity?

Danica: Initially, there was hesitation in the plan because of the atmosphere in Gonzaga (too noisy) which could result to the experiment’s failure. However, we made adjustments in order to compensate with the problem: we made our voices louder and went to the quieter areas of the cafeteria.

Deviating from the norms obviously made us feel shy and somewhat shameful and awkward since the people might judge us. In addition, it also feels new since it is not what we normally do in our daily lives and because we had to make everything seem realistic and genuine.

Joshua: There are feelings of guilt and shame during the experiment, since we were deviating from the norms of personal space and privacy. The feeling of being judged by the people around us was present as well. I felt guilty due to the fact that we were invading other people’s privacy. On the other hand, it was comforting to think that I was not alone in doing the experiment; I had someone to share the shame and burden with.

Bianca: I found it okay and not that awkward, because it does happen, and it happens a lot to me. Sometimes I'm the one who would bend down, because there are two people talking to one another, and sometimes I'm the one who's talking and people have to duck, and let the conversation continue without interruption.

6) Other observations and analysis that you may have on the activity and on deviance in general.

This activity actually showed how norms become part of our daily lives. In these experiments, the main point was to stray away from the things that the people are already used to, and see how they would react and adapt to them. For example, in this experiment, we chose to leave the “good manners” that were taught to us in school and by our parents, wherein you should excuse yourself from the people you are with if you want or need to have a conversation with another person who is not originally included in the people you are with. Although there isn’t really a rule on this, we have become so used to it that it has already become a mark of politeness and sensitivity when you consider the distance you have from the person you are talking to. 


Also, we have learned that there are some things that are normal for some cultures but disrespectful for others. The norms aren’t always the same for every culture. For example, for us Filipinos, we have been taught to say “po” and “opo” and ask for blessing from our aunts and uncles. For other cultures, they don’t have these kinds of practices, but that does not mean that they are being disrespectful. As said, these things are socially constructed, however, these things are also different of varying sets of people, and the skepticism of one does not make that certain belief or practice incorrect.

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