Schacter & Singer Study Guide - AICE Psych Midterm 2022

Two-Factor-Theory of Emotions study.

Sample

* 185 white male college students.
* They were psychology students.

Research Design

* Lab Experiment
* Independent Measures

Procedure

* P’s arrive at lab, told the experiment was for vision.
* They were lied to! (Deception)
* P’s injected with epinephrine, told about different side effects
* Epi-Informed told actual side effects, Epi-Misinformed told wrong side effects, Epi-Ignorant told there would be no side effects.
* Placebo group told nothing, injected with a saline solution.
* At this point, the P either went into the euphoric or anger conditions.

Procedure (cont’d.)

EUPHORIC:

* Stooge arrives! Doctor tells P and Stooge to help themselves to the items in the room.
* P makes icebreaker comments, plays with items.

\
ANGER:

* Doctor told P and Stooge to complete a questionnaire.
* Stooge attempted to create an angry environment through irate/annoyed comments.

Procedure (cont’d.)

* The questionnaire became increasingly more personal as it progressed, and the Stooge became more angry.
* After they finished, the doctor returned.
* Took P’s pulses, gave one last questionnaire (the self report).
* Experimenters came at the end and debriefed P’s.

Results

EUPHORIC:

* Epi-Misinformed was the happiest of all conditions.
* Second happiest was Epi-Ignorant. Informed felt the least happy.
* This makes sense!! The misinformed and ignorant felt the happiest because they didn’t have an explanation as to why they were physiologically aroused (increased heart rate etc.).

ANGER:

* Ignorant was the angriest. Second angriest was the Placebo. The least angry were the Informed.
* The Informed group actually __*reported*__ feeling the angriest.
* Self fulfilling prophecy: They were “told” they were angry by the questionnaire, so they felt the angriest.

Conditions/Groups

EUPHORIC:

* Epi-Informed, Epi-Misinformed, Epi-Ignorant, Placebo

ANGER:

* Epi-Informed, Epi-Ignorant, Placebo

\
(7 conditions total)

Things Stooges Did

EUPHORIC:

* Stooge made icebreaker comments, suggested the P play with the items in the room with them.
* Items = Paper, rubber bands, pencils, folders, hula hoops.

ANGER:

* Stooge made angry comments like:
* “It’s unfair for them to give you shots”
* “This really irritates me”
* “The hell with it”
* “I’m not wasting any more time.”

Application of Study

* Findings can help hospital patients who are given medicine that has negative side effects.
* Patients can engage in activities that induce euphoria.