Existential Dread of Absurd Social Psychology Studies

This study was conducted 3 to 6 months after a well-publicized local riot that followed the Vancouver Canucks’ loss in their bid for the Stanley Cup, and we expected that most students held a negative view of the riot. Thus, we expected that after a threat, participants would affirm this view by calling for stronger punishment for the rioters. Participants were informed that people were debating whether the rioters should be given sentences more lenient than those for comparable individual acts of vandalism, because the rioters had acted impulsively, or should be given stiffer sentences, because they had taken advantage of the city while it was vulnerable. Participants then marked a spot on a line from 0% to 200%. They were told that 0% indicated that rioters should not be fined, that 100% indicated that rioters should receive a normal fine, and that 200% indicated that rioters should receive a doubled fine.One initial critique is that the Vancouver hockey riot itself provoked MMM. It was a mob event that people could not explain rationally. The subjects were more likely to have been directly affected by this event (in comparison to the hypothetical sex worker bail), by either knowing someone who participated or who was present, or by witnessing the event live or through social media, or by having a favorite business vandalized. In addition, the assigned fines were relative, not absolute. A 150% fine out of... $100 or $1,000 or $10,000?At any rate, the authors reported tha...
Source: The Neurocritic - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Source Type: blogs