However, an in situ experiment by Nicolas Gérguen of the Université de Bretagne-Sud explored a new topic in social psychology by having his confederate wear different-sized falsies!
http://transport.dna.fr/IMG/pdf/gueguen.pdf
The test stimulus used was a twenty year-old woman rated as of only average looks and a smaller than average frame (as assessed by ungallant raters). She was positioned on a busy road in Brittany (Bretagne) attempting ro hitchhike during the hours between 2 PM and 6 PM. (Hitchhiking is legal in France, and widely done.) She wore different bras on different trials: one unpadded, one with latex padding to fill a "B" cup (the average size of a young woman in France), and one with latex padding to fill a "C" cup (the next size above average). Two observers were placed within viewing distance to observe the sex of the motorist, and whether he or she stopped to offer her a ride.. Here are the results:
Sex of Motorist Number A Cup % B Cup % C Cup %
Males 774 14.92 17.72 24.00
Females 426 9.09 7.64 9.33
Of those who offered The data indicate that men were more likely to stop if the woman displayed "C" sized breasts as opposed to "A" sized ones; but the likelihood of the woman being offered a lift was not greater if she wore a B cup bra with latex falsies. It's amazing and somewhat reassuring the different ways people can make their own contributions to science!
An unanswered question, however, if whether this young confederate of the principal researcher was allowed to keep her bras with their latex figure enhancers!
It would also be amusing to see how an American Institutional Research Board (IRB) would react to a research proposal of this type. The IRB's reaction might be hilarious! Also, if a paper using this methodology were to be read at a convention, it would generate more interest if the research assistant would demonstrate how the independent variable was manipulated through a live example, preferably by wearing the larger-sized stimulus! As a matter of fact, doing this would be a sure way of getting media exposure, both print and film!
15 comments:
I'll guess that sort of experiment would not be approved in p.c. United States.
I find it fascinating what some people get paid to research. And to what end??
Nice sly humor with the illustration!
I noticed that women didn't pick up female hitchhikers with slightly above average boobs, but it picked up again with the super sized boobs.
i have no intelligent comment to add - just liked the barred owls. :)
So wearing fake boobs garners attention at meetings. What about for job interviews?
This type of research is meaningful with regard to the dimensions of interpersonal attraction. It is interesting, has a simple design, and probably was not expensive to do. Nicolas Gerguen's research gets cited often.
That sounds like quirkey research! I am of the same opinion as TexWisGirl.
I'm surprised all the percentages for the guys were so low.
Women are less likely than guys to pick up women hitchhikers.
boobs are like magnets - the bigger they are the more pulling power.
i like the owls too.
(and is hitchhiking illegal there?)
for science!
ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
=^..^=
I'll bet they had fun doing that experiment!
I always appreciate a well-rounded experiment.
Fake tits for the pursuit of science' what a good idea!
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