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JoVE Science Education Experimental Psychology
Manipulating an Independent Variable through Embodiment
  • 00:00Overview
  • 01:04Experimental Design
  • 02:13Running the Experiment
  • 03:08Representative Results
  • 03:43Applications
  • 04:46Summary

실구현를 통한 독립 변수 조작

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Overview

출처: 게리 레반도프스키,데이브 스트로메츠, 나탈리 시아로코-몬머스 대학교 의 연구소

어떤 실험에서, 연구원은 연구 결과에 있는 그밖 단 보다는 다른 생각, 경험, 또는 감정을 갖기 위하여 한 단에 있는 참가자를 조작하는 것을 시도합니다.  일부 조작은 과장된 반면, 다른 조작은 매우 미묘할 수 있습니다. 실시예는 미묘한 신체 적 경험이 무의식적으로 사람의 생각에 영향을 미칠 수 있다는 이론에 초점을 맞춘 성장 연구 영역입니다. 예를 들어 사람이 육체적으로 미소 짓는 경우 종종 높은 분위기로 이어집니다. 즉, 미소의 물리적 경험은 사람이 느끼는 방식을 변화시다.

이 비디오는 2그룹 실험을 통해 체중의 신체적 감각이 캠퍼스 정책을 위반한 동료 학생들에게 가혹한 형태의 징계를 제공함으로써 사람들을 더 엄격하게 이끌 수 있는지 확인합니다.

Procedure

1. 주요 변수를 정의합니다. 구현된 인식의 운영정의(즉,연구자가 개념에 의해 정확히 무엇을 의미하는지에 대한 명확한 설명)를 만듭니다. 이 실험의 목적을 위해, 실시예, 또는 구현된 인식은, 참가자가 무의식적으로 인식에 영향을 미칠 수 있는 명백한 방법으로 체중의 물리적 감각을 직접 경험하는 것을 포함한다. 운영정의(즉,연구원이 개념에 의해 …

Results

The data were collected from 122 participants. Recall that the discipline scale is calculated on the number assigned to each of the levels of discipline (e.g., 1 = verbal warning, etc.). To determine if there were differences between the heavy and light clipboard conditions on discipline levels, we performed a t-test for independent means.

The results indicated that participants who held the heavy clipboard gave stricter levels of discipline for 6 of the 7 violations (Figure 2). The only exception was for illegal downloading of copyrighted material, which did not demonstrate a significant difference between conditions. 

Figure 2
Figure 2: Discipline level for common violations by weight condition.

Applications and Summary

This two-group experiment shows how researchers can manipulate participants’ cognition in a subtle way that participants are not aware of through embodiment. 

This study replicates and extends previous research on embodiment by Jostman et al., which showed that holding a weighted clipboard made participants think that fair decision-making through listening to students’ opinions was more important.1 

Embodiment effects are increasingly popular and have been studied in a variety of contexts. For example, a recent study by Kille et al. in Psychological Science found that participants who sat at a wobbly desk (which the researchers created by sawing two of the legs short) sought romantic relationship partners who were more stable (i.e., reliable and trustworthy).2

References

  1. Jostmann, N. B., Lakens, D., & Schubert, T. W. Weight as an embodiment of importance. Psychological Science. 20(9), 1169-1174. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02426.x (2009).
  2. Kille, D. R., Forest, A. L., & Wood, J. V. Tall, dark, and stable: Embodiment motivates mate selection preferences. Psychological Science. 24(1), 112-114. doi:10.1177/0956797612457392 (2013).

Transcript

Embodiment is a growing research area focused on the theory that subtle physical experiences can unconsciously influence a person’s thoughts and feelings.

Embodiment, or embodied cognition, establishes the connection that bodily actions influence the mind, just as the mind influences actions.

For example, if a person manipulates facial muscles to form a smile, the motor action of smiling unintentionally leads to an elevated mood. That is, the physical experience of smiling changes the way a person feels.

This video will demonstrate how to setup and perform an experiment on embodiment, as well as how to analyze and interpret data investigating whether the physical sensation of weight influences thoughts about disciplinary actions for fellow students.

In this two-group experiment, half of the participants are unknowingly handed a standard clipboard, whereas the other half are unsuspectingly given a weighted clipboard.

While holding one of the clipboards, participants are asked to complete a survey regarding their thoughts on an appropriate level of discipline for various campus violations, which include: cheating on a test, underage drinking, excessive noise, and vandalism.

In this case, the dependent variable is the discipline level. There are five possible levels for each violation, ranging from a verbal warning to expulsion.

It is hypothesized that participants in the heavy clipboard condition will give harsher penalties than those handed the normal clipboard. For instance, a participant holding the heavy clipboard might feel that a student who causes excessive noise should be expelled from school.

Thus, the physical action of holding an object influences subsequent decision-making.

To begin the experiment, meet the participant at the lab.

Provide the participant with informed consent, a brief description of the research, a sense of the procedure, an indication of potential risks/benefits, and the right to withdrawal at any time.

Without the participant realizing it, hand them either a normal or heavy clipboard to hold and take 10 sec to look for the proper survey.

After searching for 10 sec, hand the survey to each participant and ask them to provide feedback regarding how students should be disciplined for campus violations.

After participants have completed and returned the survey, debrief them and explain why deception was necessary for the experiment.

To analyze how the action of holding different clipboards influenced disciplinary decisions, average the numbers from the discipline scale by condition and type of violation.

Graph the mean discipline levels and compare the conditions in each of the violations. After applying a t-test for independent means, notice that participants who held the heavy clipboard significantly gave stricter levels of discipline for six of the seven violations.

Now that you are familiar with how experimental psychologists demonstrate embodiment, let’s look at how other researchers manipulate the body to unknowingly influence the mind.

For example, researchers have used embodiment to study interpersonal relationships and mate selection. They found that participants who sat at a wobbly desk to answer questions sought romantic relationship partners who were more stable, reliable, and trustworthy.

In another study, researchers examined how the brain constructs body representations using a rubber hand illusion. Synchronous brushing of the rubber and hidden hand caused the participant to think that the rubber hand was in fact their hand.

By varying the tactile and visual stimuli, researchers determined what information was important to the brain for determining what a body part is.

You’ve just watched JoVE’s introduction to embodiment. Now you should have a good understanding of how to setup and perform an experiment, as well as analyze and assess the results.

Thanks for watching! 

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JoVE Science Education Database. JoVE Science Education. Manipulating an Independent Variable through Embodiment. JoVE, Cambridge, MA, (2023).