Social Psychology Network

As mentioned in the textbook, norms are prescriptions for accepted or expected behaviors. Your assignment is to violate one of the five norms listed below:

1. Sing loudly on a public bus, subway, or train.

2. Position yourself six inches from an acquaintance's nose during a conversation.

3. Stand on your chair in a restaurant and recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance.

4. Continuously jump up and down while waiting in a check-out line at a grocery store.

5. Get into an elevator crowded with strangers, and after the doors close, introduce yourself.

PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING: Before you violate a norm, write down your best prediction of how you will feel and how others will respond. You may violate a norm different than those listed above, as long as you don't risk harming yourself or others, and as long as your behavior doesn't reflect badly on the University or this class (if you're not sure, please consult with Professor Plous). For example, you should not do anything that breaks a law, disrupts a class or public event, involves sexual behavior or sexually explicit speech, hurts or threatens others, or includes taking or damaging other people's property. Such norm violations will result in a score of zero.

To receive full credit, you must submit via Moodle a two-page, double-spaced PDF report with your name, 1" margins, and 12-point font (PDF format is required because of Moodle-Acrobat limitations).

***Reports that aren't in PDF format or skip the "Outside Sources" page (see below) will receive half-credit. No time extensions will be given except in cases of a family or medical emergency, so please be sure to upload your paper well before class on the day that it's due.

On Page 1: Describe the norm you violated, the way you felt, and the reactions people had to you. For example, you might describe whether the experience was uncomfortable, fun, scary, or something else. Or you might discuss the social psychology of other people's reactions to you, and whether you accurately predicted how you would feel and how others would respond.

On Page 2: On a second page within the same document, add a section entitled "Norm Violation Report: Outside Sources" identifying any text, ideas, or images you didn't create yourself. Please use the format shown in the sample below and include this section even if you answer "No" to items 1-3.

Norm Violation Report: Outside Sources

1. Other people: Yes
   
2. Internet and/or publications: No
   
3. Artificial intelligence: Yes
4. Description: For this paper, I asked ChatGPT for ideas about social norms I might break. The norm I chose to violate (interrupting my roommate over and over while we spoke) was something ChatGPT suggested. I also got writing assistance from the Wesleyan Writing Workshop (see www.wesleyan.edu/writing/) before submitting the final draft.

This assignment is intended to be engaging and informative, but you can opt out of it if you prefer. As stated in the course syllabus: "If at any point you prefer not to complete an assignment (or if your attempt to complete it is unsuccessful), you can still receive full credit by turning in a one-page report discussing the psychological factors that prevented you from carrying out the assignment."

Also, you're welcome to discuss norm violation ideas with others, but you should violate the norm on your own—not as a group with friends or classmates—and you should be the sole author of the report.

Finally, it can be a lot of fun and quite educational to share norm violation stories with others, so Professor Plous encourages you to email him photos or videos that friends take of you violating a norm, a few of which he may share with the class if time permits. This element of the assignment is strictly optional, so please don't feel any pressure, but if you decide to send any photos or videos, the best orientation is usually landscape (horizontal) rather than portrait (vertical), and you should send the highest resolution images you can (e.g., Original or Raw size, not Medium or Small file sizes). If you choose to share any photos or videos, please email them to Professor Plous by the same deadline given for the assigned PDF report.