Psych 270 Fall Mid-term Grade Distribution:

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Psych 270 Fall Mid-term Grade Distribution
Mean 71 Range 41.7-96.7
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Lecture 6 The Nature of Human Values

• To be used in conjunction with notes from class
  demo

• Richard M. Sorrentino
• UWO

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Rokeachs Value Survey
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I. Background

• A. Definition A value is an enduring belief
  that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of
  existence is personally or socially preferable to
  an opposite or converse mode of conduct or
  end-state of existence.
• 1. Terminal Values End states of existence,
  e.g., a comfortable life. Note there are 18 or
  - 2 Terminal Values
• 2. Instrumental Values Specific modes of
  conduct, e.g., honesty. Note There are 36 or so
  of these, but the 18 here are the most important.

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II. Overview

• A. Measurement Rank Order, No ties.
• B. Comparisons with other samples (performed in
  class).
• C. Research
• 1. Rokeach (1968), Reactions to Assassination of
  Martin Luther King.
• a. Question When you heard the news of the
  assassination, which one of these was your
  strongest reaction?
• 1) 52 said sadness, anger, shame
• 2) 48 said fear or he brought it on himself
• 3) equality and salvation best predictors

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• Those who valued equality showed the most
  compassionate responses sadness, anger, shame.
• Those who valued salvation showed the least
  compassionate responses fear, he brought it on
  himself.

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• 2. Civil Rights Students asked to join the NAACP
  and agreed were higher in equality, world of
  peace, and world of beauty then non-joiners.
• 3. Church Attendance Salvation best
  discriminator. University students who attended
  weekly ranked it 1st, Adult population ranked it
  5th. It was 18th for students never attending
  and 15th for Adults never attending.
• 4. Prison Inmates Compared to general
  population, inmates rate honesty and salvation
  lower.
• but they rate wisdom higher

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• 5. Homosexuals UWO Homophile Association
  Members mostly identical to rest of student
  population, but value true friendship higher and
  family security lower. Mature love is about the
  same.
• 6. Michigan State Police rate equality lower
  than general population (14th, or same as Wallace
  supporters in 1968 election). However, they rate
  sense of accomplishment, capable, intellectual,
  and logical, higher than the general population.

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III. Freedom vs. Equality What is your Political
Philosophy?

• A. What would you be if you valued
• Freedom High and Equality Low ?
• A capitalist
• Freedom Low and Equality High ?
• A communist
• Freedom High and Equality High ?
• A Socialist
• Freedom Low and Equality Low ?
• A Fascist

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• B. Rokeach Found that
• Speeches of capitalists such as Barry Goldwater
  and George Wallace had high frequencies of
  freedom but low equality
• Writings of Karl Marx had low freedom and high
  equality frequencies
• Norman Thomas and other socialists had high
  frequencies of both in their speeches
• Hitlers Mein Kampf had low frequencies of both

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IV Self Confrontation Discovering
Inconsistencies in the Self and Behaviour

• e.g. 1. Students who discover they are fascists
  or communists and thought they werent
• e.g. 2. Rokeach and the minister who valued a
  comfortable life over salvation

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A. Rokeachs Study on Civil Rights Attitudes,
Values, and Behaviour Change

• 1. Ps fill out value survey
• 2. Self confrontation manipulation takes place
• a) First Ps asked if they are sympathetic
  towards civil rights demonstrators.
• b) Then are told MSU students value Freedom over
  equality.
• c) Then showed Table

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Sympathetic with Civil Rights Demonstrators?

• Yes
• Freedom Rank 6
• Equality Rank 5
• Difference 1

• No
• Freedom Rank 2
• Equality Rank 17
• Difference -15

d) Then says This raises the question whether
those who are against civil rights are really
saying that they care a great deal about their
own freedom but are indifferent to other peoples
freedom. Those who are for civil rights are
saying they not only want freedom for themselves,
but for other people too.
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• 3. Control Group Only fills out Values.
• 4. Results
• a) attitudes and values gradually changed over
  time. First values increased in Equality and
  decreased in Freedom as much as 17 months later.
• b) behaviour most interesting
• 1) Asked to join NAACP and/or make a contribution
  3 to 5 months after, and a year later.
  Experimental group significantly more likely than
  Control to do this.

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• 2) Behaviour Change Career Choices
• Ethnic and Intergroup Relations
• International Relations
• Justice, Morality, and Democracy
• Welfare Policy Problems
• Urban Community Problems
• After 5 months no change values still
  consolidating
• After 21 months, Experimental Group
  Significantly more likely to sign up for Ethnic
  and Intergroup Relations than Control Group.
• Note Attitude change studies typically change
  attitudes for a couple of weeks

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B. Smoking Study (Conroy, 1971)

• 1. Ps signed up for a Behavioural Modification
  Clinic to Quit Smoking. Paid 50.00 deposit they
  would get back if they completed the 5 day
  program.
• 2. E and C group both recorded number of
  cigarettes they smoked per day.
• 3. E group also given self confrontation
• a. filled out value survey and shown table

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• The Difference Between Smokers and Quitters seems
  to be
• Smokers ranked Quitters ranked
• Broad-minded 3 8
• Self-Controlled 8 1
• b. Then told Apparently Quitters value their
  own control over smoking more than being
  easy-going as broad-minded suggests. Smokers
  value easy going more than their sense of
  self-control.

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• 4. Results
• a) 5 days later, Control group was back to 15
  cigarettes per day, Experimental group, less than
  1.
• b) 6 months later 10 of Control Group had quit
  smoking, 40 of Experimental Group had quit
  smoking.
• c) Rokeach Skinner would role over, one trial
  learning better than behaviour modification

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c. Teacher Study

• Student Teachers E got mature love vs. sense of
  accomplishment, C, no confrontation. E received
  significantly better teacher ratings in
  classroom.

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Conclusions

• Self confrontation works
• 1. long lasting behavioural change
• 2. better than behaviour modification
• 3. one trial learning
• 4. but for whom?
• Would this work for the CO?
• Maybe not, but it may work for you.

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And now for a great movie, or at least a movie.