J. Merrill

Psy 300 AH

“Blink” Assignments

 

 

Each person in the group should choose ONE question from each chapter to answer. Please be sure that ALL questions are assigned to group members (for example, not everyone in the group should answer question 2).

 

There are two exceptions: 1) everyone will complete the assignment given for chapter 3, and 2) chapter 4 questions will be discussed in class, with no written work submitted.

 

Answers must be typed, double-spaced, stapled, and should not exceed one page. When appropriate, please include page numbers.

 

 

Introduction

1. “Bllink” is a book about snap judgments. Page 11 discusses the idea of “fast and frugal” thinking. What does this mean? Please provide a personal example of when you engaged in “fast and frugal” thinking. Was it beneficial?

 

2. Gladwell discusses research that examined students’ perception of a professor’s effectiveness. Think of any class you have taken in the past (do NOT include any classes you might have had with me) and describe your first impressions of the instructor’s effectiveness. What information did you use to make this impression? Was it correct? Do you apply the same criteria to every instructor? Why or why not?

 

3. A basic premise of “Blink” is that decisions made very quickly can be just as good as those made over a long period of time after collecting volumes of information. Right now, before reading this book, do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? Please be sure to give a specific example to support your position.

 

 

Chapter 1

1. What do you think about Gottman’s research findings? Specificly, do you think it’s possible to determine the fate of a relationship in such a short period of time? If you were about to be married or could go back to before you were, would you want to see Gottman and find out his prediction?*

 

2. Thin-slicing seems like an incredibly efficient way to stream line what can be a lengthy hiring process. Do you think you could hire someone by 'thin-slicing' the candidate during a brief interview?* Would you want to be thin-sliced during an interview?

 

3. The psychologist, Samuel Gosling, shows how 'thin-slicing' can be used to judge people's personality when he uses the dorm room observers. Visualize your bedroom right now. What does it say about you?*

 

* Taken from Gladwell’s reading guide found at http://www.gladwell.com/blink/guide/chapter1.html

 

 

Chapter 2

1. Art historian Bernard Berenson or billionaire George Soros are examples of practiced 'thin-slicers' who have made highly pressured snap judgments based on nothing more than a curious ringing in the ears or a back spasm. What kind of physical, inexplicable cues have you or others you know of experienced which led to successful decision-making?*

 

2. Should we introduce priming in schools to encourage better behavior or more diligent work patterns? What about the service industry? Could employers prime their staff to be more polite to customers?  If an individual's behavior is being influenced unbeknownst to them, when can priming become manipulative?*

 

3. The Iyengar/Fisman study revealed that what the speed-daters say they want and what they were actually attracted to in the moment didn't match when compared. What does this say for on-line dating services? Can we really predict what kind of person we will 'hit it off' with? Is it better to let friends decide who is more suited for you as opposed to scanning profiles that correspond with your notion of what you think you are looking for?*

*Taken from Gladwell’s  reading guide found at http://www.gladwell.com/blink/guide/chapter2.html

Chapter 3 (EVERYONE IS TO COMPLETE THIS CHAPTERS ASSIGNMENT)

Please visit https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ and complete the test that it assigns. To begin the test, click the “Research” button. You will then need to register before you can participate. This process simply asks for some demographic, or background, information about you.

 

In a one-page paper, please include the following:

  1. Briefly describe the test you took, what it intended to measure, and your results.
  2. How might the implicit attitude the test was measuring affect interactions with others or daily living? Please try to provide a specific example.
  3. Any thoughts or comments you’d like to share about the experience.

 

 

Chapter 4 (THESE QUESTIONS WILL BE DISCUSSED IN CLASS – NO WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT WILL BE TURNED IN)

1. Information presented in this chapter suggests that you don’t need a mountain of information to make serious decisions about warfare or medical care. In short, when it comes to information, the less you have the better. Can you think of any situations in which it would be ideal to have as much information as possible?

 

2. Can one ever really prepare for decisive, rapid-fire scenarios? Is planning for the unpredictable worthwhile or a waste of time and energy?* Please provide an example that supports your opinion.

 

*Taken fromGladwell’s  reading guide found at http://www.gladwell.com/blink/guide/chapter4.html

 

Chapter 5

1. How do you feel after reading the material on market research? Are companies just doing what they need to do to make a profit or are they manipulating us? Do you consciously use the material on food packaging labels to help you decide what brand or product to buy?

 

2. In the cases of Kenna's music and the Aeron chair we see that first impressions can often lead us astray. What we initially judge as disapproval may just be a case of confusion or mistrust for something new and different. How can we distinguish a decision motivated by fear of the unknown from the ones that stem from genuine dislike towards something? Are we better off leaving it to the experts to tell us what we should like?*

 

3. On page 184 of “Blink” Gladwell states that “whenever we have something we are good at – something we care about – that experience and passion fundamentally change the nature of our first impressions.”  What do you use – athletic ability, communication skills, appearance, etc. – that might influence how you form a first impression. Did this first impression, as Gladwell poses in the previous question, lead you astray or was your impression pretty much on the mark? Please provide a specific example.

*Taken from Gladwell’s  reading guide found at http://www.gladwell.com/blink/guide/chapter5.html

 

Chapter 6

1. Have you ever experienced a 'mind-blind' moment? A moment where conditions were so stressful or confusing, your actions seemed to be the result of temporary autism? If 'mind-blindness' occurs at extreme points of arousal, could this explain why people 'lose their heads' in the heat of the moment and say something they don't mean or cheat on spouses etc?*

 

2. Can mind-blindness ever be beneficial?

 

3. Describe a situation where you have been misread or you misread someone else. What were the consequences? How can these errors be avoided, if at all?

 

*Taken from Gladwell’s  reading guide found at http://www.gladwell.com/blink/guide/chapter6.html