Applying Social Psychological Concepts to a Norm-Violation Experience

Abstract

To experience the strength of social constraints, 341 social psychology students chose to either enact or imagine enacting an assigned norm violation. Students then explored in writing how text material accounted for their norm-violation experiences (or imagined experiences) and for the experiences (or imagined experiences) of the targets of the violations. A large majority of students, whether they enacted a violation or merely imagined enacting one, reported discomfort about doing the violation. They also evaluated the assignment as interesting, effective in getting them to think about how course concepts apply to their experiences, a valuable learning experience, and worth recommending for future classes.

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