Talk:Breaching experiment
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I'm not allowed to edit articles but some mention of Harold Garfinkel and his theory of Ethnomethodology. A large part of his work was dedicated to breaching experiments which he used to highlight the hidden method we use to create sense and order in our lifes.
The example 'The literalist' in the article was used often by him too. Other examples that come to mind include getting students to act as a lodger in their parents house, and breaching games of tic-tac-toe.
- added a mention and link both to Garfinkel and to ethnomethodology
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[edit] Earl R. Babbie cite
Could we please get a cite for the Babbie point? Tarheelcoxn 00:10, 17 October 2006 (UTC)
[edit] "Boiling Points"
Should the Boiling Points reference be deleted? There seem to be many examples that could be offered to illustrate the experiment as well; this one seems as though it could be more a promotion than is necessary.--Plaidfury 23:30, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
- Boiling Points is interesting, but only tangentially related. Maybe we need to add 'A stream of consciousness' to what Wikipedia is not ... and it does look promotional, as you mention. eritain 22:53, 24 October 2005 (UTC)
- I agree that Boiling Points should probably be removed. It is sensationalistic -- it's not really what breaching experiments are about. Katxena.
[edit] literalist and elevator
I removed two "examples" of breaching experiments because I am somewhat doubtful that they have actually been conducted. (Well, the elevator one possibly, but the "literalist" one seems very dubious.) I think we need to have some sources here referring to particular, actual experiments conducted by psychologists, and not just "hey, that would be a cool experiment" ideas. Has anyone actually done the "literalist" experiment? How would you possibly set that up (since we don't say "hi how are you" to strangers, it seems like it would be very hard to control.) Sdedeo 15:35, 17 November 2005 (UTC)
(Re: Garfinkel -- I haven't been able to find any evidence that Garfinkel conducted a "literalist" breaching experiment, or indeed ever talked about it in a significant manner. Indeed, the only hits for a goole of Garfinkel's name and the term "literalist" point back to the earlier versions of this page -- sigh.) Sdedeo 15:39, 17 November 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Example 1 in Action
"The inexplicable do-gooder": Social science researcher Earl R. Babbie writes that "it is a social rule that ordinary citizens should not pick up garbage from the street, or mend street signs, or otherwise fix problems." So, umm, does anyone know when it will be revealed that Wikipedia is one giant Breaching experiment? -HiFiGuy 23:14, 17 January 2006 (UTC)
[edit] References
I added a references section to this entry, but I wasn't certain how to format it. Also, I wanted to note that in my experience (I'm a sociologist) breaching experiments are not commonly done anymore by psychologists or sociologists. However, they are an important teaching tool -- they are often used to teach students about social norms. I'm not certain how to include any of this in the article, since it's just my own experience. I don't have any references for this. Advice? Ideas? Katxena.
- The concept of "personal space" is still taught via breaching experiments, and from what I've seen of printed enclopedias it qualifies as a relevant example QEF. The broader sociological field of interpersonal creative capacity is still being investigated by behaviorists, isn't it? As such, you might want to work downwards if standardised references are difficult to find (I realise that the bulk of studies into breaching social norms were conducted in the 1970s, and that scientific journals typically disclude any research conducted prior to the late 1980s as a point of order) --Ottre (talk) 17:08, 6 December 2007 (UTC)
