The Human Zoo – Following the Herd STUDENT’S NAME:______
KEY CONCEPTS AT A GLANCEUSE THESE CONCEPTS TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS
Group Membership / Groups can be established easily. Groups can be temporary. Groups can exist even when members don’t interact. According to psychologists, groups meet individual’s needs.
Conformity / When people “go along” with a group to either show loyalty or to avoid conflict. Most of our own conformity doesn’t seem, to us, like we’re trying to “fit in,” however, group memberships have great power over us.
Social Script / The behaviour we decide to act out depending on the environment. Eg., whispering in a library; nodding respectfully to an authority; not swearing around our grandmothers.
In-group vs. Out-group / Belonging to any group means that we will see all other competing groups as less valuable or lacking something. Examples: Ridgemont vs. St. Pat’s, religions, groups of friends in the hallways. We see ourselves as “legit” and others as less than “legit.”
Social Rules / Can be well established when a situation is well known. When we are in a new situation (or “novel” situation), we look to others to know what to do. The social rules we follow make us part of an “in-group.”
4 Scenes:The Express Station, The Human Zoo, Experiments, & The School Yard (FIND THE QUESTIONS BELOW WHEN THE SCENE CHANGES IN THE VIDEO)
SCENE: The Express Station
Why did the woman in the “Express Station” give the same answers as everyone else, even though she did not know the answers?---
What are people’s reactions to Charlie breaking the social rules at the Express Station? (when he offers to buy strangers food, and when he reverses the older man’s directions)
SCENE: The Human Zoo (with the Red Team and the Blue Team)
What factors made one team in the Human Zoo feel superior to the other?What did you notice about how they acted right after being separated?
Since there were no rewards for winning, what created a strong sense of competition?
What happened when a member of the blue team sat at the red table? (From the reds? From the blues?)
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What #1 rule of groups did Catherine break after kayaking? Be ______
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What are the teams’ reactions to Catherine’s alone time spent with George (a blue).
How does Catherine feel after the team’s reactions?
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How does Catherine (red team) change her behaviour after the conflict?
SCENE: The Experiments
The Fire in the Corner / Using the Key Concepts at the beginning of this handout ...Why did people not leave when there was a group?
Why did people die at the Woolworth’s fire?
Zimbardo Prison Experiment
(described by Zimbardo) / What happened when random ordinary people were assigned roles to enact?
What happened when a prisoner protested what was going on?
Pick-Pocket (at the Express Station) / Why does the man in the blue shirt not say anything about the pick pocket?
People in Need of Help on the Street / Why do people not help someone in trouble on the street?
When do people help someone in trouble on the street?
What rules are quickly established as people walk by and do nothing to help?
SCENE: The School Yard
Describe the characteristics of the groups on the school yard:The Indie Girls
The Tarts
The Grungers
The Garys
The Loners
How do people that are very similar (ie, the students) divide themselves?
Why do people feel the need to divide themselves, even though they’re so similar?
Is there such a thing as a loner? Why or why not?
APPLICATION:
How can these concepts explain how things work in your own social groups?
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When have you seen people in trouble that don’t get help? Why didn’t they get help? Why didn’t you help them?
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How do Social Scripts, In-groups & Out-Groups, Conformity, and Social Rules impact how we behave?
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