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Experiments With People summary
Robert P. Abelson
Kurt P. Frey
Aiden P. Gregg
Revelations From Social Psychology
24 mins
Brief summary
Experiments With People by Robert P. Abelson, Kurt P. Frey, and Aiden P. Gregg explores the ethical and practical implications of conducting experiments on human subjects. It explores how research in the social sciences can lead to both progress and unintended consequences, and advocates for responsible and transparent practices.
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Experiments With People
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Key idea 1 of 10
People often have misconceptions about their inner lives.
Have you ever screamed at your partner in the heat of the moment, only to apologize later, saying you were stressed out about work?
Well, while you might think that stress explains your behavior, chances are you’re wrong. The truth is that people are much less aware of their inner emotions than they think.
That being said, people often find justifications for their actions by taking a deeper look at their thoughts and feelings. This practice is known as introspection but, unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well. Just take a study done in 1977 by Richard E. Nisbett and Nancy Bellows. In this experiment, participants were asked to rate a hypothetical job applicant named “Jill” based on characteristics like flexibility and likability.
Each participant received a file containing information about Jill, with some files stating that she had recently been in a car accident. Perhaps surprisingly, the experimenters found that knowledge of the car accident had no significant effect on the average likability scores given to Jill by the participants.
However, when the participants were subsequently asked about the factors upon which they based their likability scores – that is, when they were asked to be introspective – they mentioned the car accident as one reason for finding Jill likable. The fact that this self-assessment didn’t match the statistical data shows that introspection can lead us to erroneous conclusions about our behavior.
Beyond that, people just aren’t very good at remembering things. When we have a memory, we don’t just replay a past event; we transform it based on our present beliefs.
A study done by Cathy McFarland, Michael Ross and Nancy DeCourville in 1993 offers a good illustration of this. The participants in this experiment wrote daily reports about their menstrual cycles. Then, when they were asked two weeks later to recall how they had felt, they consistently described having been in more pain and suffering more negative emotions than they actually had.
Why? Most people believe that menstruation is a painful process, or at least supposed to be, and the participants here were no exception. Holding this belief led the participants to retrospectively add more pain to their memories of menstruation.
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What is Experiments With People about?
Experiments With People (2003) is a survey of social psychology throughout the twentieth century, and everything we have come to learn from it. These blinks will teach you about yourself, the hidden sides of human nature, why we make the choices we do and how altruistic humans really are.
Experiments With People Review
Experiments With People (2007) explores the fascinating world of social psychology by delving into various studies and experiments. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It provides insightful analysis of key experiments, helping readers understand human behavior and the factors that influence it.
- Through real-life case studies and thought-provoking examples, the book sheds light on the complexities of social interactions and their implications.
- By uncovering surprising and counterintuitive findings, it challenges common assumptions and stimulates critical thinking about human behavior.
Best quote from Experiments With People
...we are more of a mystery to ourselves than we realize.
—Robert P. Abelson, Kurt P. Frey and Aiden P. Gregg
Who should read Experiments With People?
- Students of psychology and the social sciences
- Impulsive people looking to include more rationality in their daily lives
- Highly social people interested in the intricacies human nature
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Experiments With People FAQs
What is the main message of Experiments With People?
Understanding human behavior through psychological experiments.
How long does it take to read Experiments With People?
The reading time for Experiments With People varies, but you can read the Blinkist summary in just 15 minutes.
Is Experiments With People a good book? Is it worth reading?
Experiments With People offers valuable insights into human behavior. It's a worthwhile read.
Who is the author of Experiments With People?
The authors of Experiments With People are Robert P. Abelson, Kurt P. Frey, and Aiden P. Gregg.
What to read after Experiments With People?
If you're wondering what to read next after Experiments With People, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Psych by Paul Bloom
- Psychological Types by Carl Jung
- Toward a Psychology of Being by Abraham H. Maslow
- The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
- Mastery by George Leonard
- Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari
- Workstyle by Lizzie Penny and Alex Hirst
- Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
- In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Maté