Coe and Physics (CoePhy)

Group Name: Coe and Physics (CoePhy)

Group Members: Shawn Gabriele Cabanes, Stephen Ramos, Sean Im, Julius Ray Guillermo, Christopher Klausner

Breaching Experiment Write-up:

Link to Youtube video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oks2bhTNeYA&feature=youtu.be

Breaching Experiment # 1: Laglag Grocery Goods.

1. What norm did you you violate?

• The recognition of private and or claimed property. In our case, store goods claimed as property, even before purchase, by shoppers as indicated by the placement inside their grocery cart/basket.

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

• In this breaching experiment, we deviated from the norm of private claimed property within a supermarket setup by placing random store goods into someone else’s basket. Performed in different stores along Katipunan Avenue, our group was able to successfully perform the experiment for 8 instances on a variety of individuals. The first of whom was a young man shopping in Rustan’s who claimed to be a student of another university. Initially after picking him our first target, our group was hesitant and unsure as how to engage and follow through with the person and so we huddled awkwardly and noticeably as a group before being able to approach. In due time, our point person, Sean Im, followed by another member carrying a concealed phone camera, went near our target and plainly placed a potato in his basket. This resulted with Sean and the shopper meeting eye to eye before the shopper decided to give back the potato. With such, our group repeated this type of sequence with progressive variation as we went by and was able to collect similar yet varied responses.

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 reaffirm/reinforce the existing norms based on these reactions?

• During the execution of the breaching experiment, the researchers have observed different reactions. Specifically, the first experimentee did not react at all because he was certain that there was an experiment on going by our actions out of norm. However, most of the experimentees felt weird and shocked from the experiment. It differs in intensity but the reactions are all caused by the action of intruding personal property. These reactions proved the norm of respecting private space and property of individuals.
• We were not able to execute the experiment on some of the citizens because they immediately ran away as soon as the researcher approached their cart. Some of the experimentees also refused the interview after the experiment because they thought that the researchers were a group of snatchers. It shows that approaching strangers without consent of the other is also a form of violating the norm of the society.

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), or social class (norms of the rich & poor)?

• Based from the experiments conducted we noticed that some men simply carried on what they were doing and just accepted the object we placed in their basket or push cart, while the women that were a part of our breaching experiment reacted immediately as soon as the object was placed in their basket or push cart. However, we have to take into consideration the object that was placed in their baskets or push carts. For the males, we placed a potato for two male experimentees, and a bitter gourd for the other two males. For the women experimentees, we placed a potato for one female, a squash for two females, a honey dew for one female. We might suggest that these vegetables had an effect on the people’s reactions since some may have considered the object, that we placed, quite strange, while the others might have needed the object that we placed in their basket or push cart.
• As for the shopper who immediately evaded us and left the supermarket, she is able to show how her background influences her perceptions and actions towards us. The person can be viewed to be not part of the welloff customers inside that supermarket and therefore, as interpreted by our members, more knowledgeable and or exposed to modus operandis that may occur in any public space. Her evasion can be interpreted as an act of protecting herself by immediately trying to eject herself from a potentially dangerous situation that poses a threat to her safety and security.
• There were also instances where the responses of some shoppers were influenced by their intuition that something was amiss and that he or she was being subjected to an prank or experiment. This can be viewed as an outside influence, possibly from prior knowledge about psychology or sociology experiments conducted in locations near universities; especially along Katipunan Avenue, a road connecting the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University.

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?

• At the first attempt, the researcher was extremely hesitant to execute the experiment due to embarrassment. After the first experiment, the researcher felt guilty, shy, and regretful. However, after numerous experiment, the experimenter enjoyed the activity. It was fun not because of the confused and shocked reaction from the experimentee but it was enjoyable because of the feeling being freed from the fixed and concrete norm of the society.
• There was also a feeling of being afraid of what might happen during or after an experiment. For example, as one of our point persons was about to approach a potential target, he noticed how seemingly upset the person was and therefore avoided the encounter entirely. This stems from the idea that we were only doing a social experiment and still have to somehow respect the personal right to space of an individual.

Breaching Experiment # 2: Banana-Selfie

1. What norm did you you violate?

• People are not supposed to interact with strangers moreover, take a photo with them. We also violated the norm of how selfies are supposed to be taken. Selfies should be taken using a camera or even a cellular phone, but instead we violated this norm by using a banana as the object to take the photo and we treated the banana like a legitimate camera or cellular phone.

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

• The breaching experiment was done at a bench in the Zen Garden. The researchers waited for a student or faculty to pass by and asked permission whether they can take a selfie together. If the experimentee accepted the favor, the researchers posed in preparation of taking a selfie together, but a banana was used to take the selfie as if the banana was an actual camera or mobile phone. The video of the breaching experiment was taken about 10 meters away to get the natural reaction of the experimentee. Specifically, the researchers have recorded 8 respondents to the experiments including one student who declined the selfie. Other seven respondents were kind to accept our favor and to laugh during the execution. Thus, this breaching experiment was much easier work to do than the previous breaching experiment.     

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

• During the experiment the researchers observed the same reaction of people being very surprised. When we first asked them to take a selfie, most people were hesitant in taking the selfie, and one person just walked away when we asked for one. Once we pulled out the banana and lifted it up in the air and in front of our faces, people laughed, questioned what on earth was happening, and even starred at the researchers in a very judgemental way.
• After the experiment the researchers noticed that the experimentees walked away immediately, maybe to just escape the weirdness that they had just experienced. Some people also just laughed or giggled after walking away because of the utter unusual selfie experience they had just experienced.

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 & poor)

• We noticed after the experiment that all of the male representatives that were part of the experiment were willing to take a selfie with us while females were a little bit hesitant. Given that we were all guys we think that this is a factor of this reaction from the females. One female even denied the offer to take selfie and quickly walked away. On the other hand, males were relaxed and more open to the thought of taking a selfie.

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?

• During the experiment proper, we felt nervous because this experiment forced us to talk random strangers into taking a selfie with us. When we sat on the bench waiting for people to pass by, at first we were too nervous and shy to ask the people walking past us, but eventually we just did it and asked the people. Once that part was done, it was fairly easy asking them to pose for the selfie and taking out the banana was no problem at all since we wanted to see their reactions. After the selfie we just thanked them and watch them walk away from  the weirdness they had just taken part in.