PSYC 260, Spring, 2015

Paper Assignment #2: Breaking a Social Norm

(30 points; Due on Thursday, April 9, at 5pm)
As you know, numerous social norms affect our everyday behavior. Your assignment is to pair up
with someone else in the class and act contrary to a social norm. You will then each write
separate papers about how your experiences relate to concepts that were discussed in class or in
the text. That is, the project will be done in pairs, but each person will submit their own
separate paper. You may not do the project in groups larger than two people. Please read the
instructions below carefully.
Choosing a Norm
Meet with your partner and decide what norm you will break. Try to think of a clear norm
violation that meets the criteria below. It doesnt have to be anything silly or funny, like a Candid
Camera episode. Rather, it should be something that clearly goes against a descriptive and/or
injunctive norm. Please follow these guidelines:

You may not do anything illegal or unethical, or anything that will cause harm, distress,
or embarrassment to other people.

Avoid things that would be bothersome to others. For example, you may not break a
norm in the library that would bother people while they are studying. We also prefer that
you not break a norm on a bus or a commercial establishment, unless you can make a
good case for it (doing so at UVa locations is best).

Please do not target one individual, because that might make him or her uncomfortable.
Choose something that you can do in front of a crowd (e.g., at a bus stop or in a dining
hall), or which involves approaching people who are in pairs or groups.

Here are some examples of norm violations students have done in the past: Wear
inappropriate clothing while working out at the gym; go to a bar on a Saturday night and
sit by yourself studying for a test; bring a blanket to a dining hall and have a picnic on the
floor (as long as you are not in the way of others).
Getting Approval

You MUST get approval from Prof. Wilson or one of the TAs BEFORE you actually break a
norm. Failure to do so will result in a failing grade. The approval process will take part as
follows:

Each pair of students should send one email with your idea to UVApsych260@gmail.com
by Monday, March 16. Be sure that both members of the pair are copied on the
message. The email should contain one detailed paragraph about what you plan to do,
the names of both partners, and the computing IDs of both partners. You will receive a
reply that says Approved, Approved with these changes, or Not approved, see us.

If your project is approved or approved with changes, you may begin. If it is not
approved, you must see one of us to come up with another idea or refine the one you
started with. Please do NOT do so by writing another email to the address above. Instead,
you can do so as follows:
o See the TAs or Prof. Wilson during their office hours
o See Prof. Wilson after class

o If you are in a discussion section, see your TA

Breaking the Norm
The two members of each pair should take turns violating the norm while the other observes
peoples reactions. You may need to do the activity several times in order to see how people
react. You may want to try it in different situations or with different types of people. In essence,
you are conducting an observational experiment, and you need sufficient data to draw
conclusions. A typical number is for each member of the pair to break the norm 2-3 times, but
this can vary; for example, you wont be able to do it this often if the event you are targeting
occurs infrequently. When you are done, please explain to people why you acted the way you
did, if appropriate.
Feel free to talk to people afterwards. You do not need to conduct extensive interviews, but it
can be helpful to chat with people to learn what they thought you were doing and why.
Writing the Paper
Your paper must not be longer than 2 pages, double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman font, with
1-inch margins. The TAs will not be able to read anything you submit that is longer than two
pages in this format (note: if you use a different format, we will reformat it, take points off, and
read only the first two pages). There should be a third page with references (following the
instructions for the first paper). Please use direct quotes sparingly; we are interested in what you
have to say. Do include citations, though, even if you are paraphrasing from the readings.
Paper Content
(a) The Type of Norm You Broke and Why People Usually Conform to It: Describe what
norm you broke and how. Did you break a descriptive norm, injunctive norm, or both? Why do
people typically conform to this normfor informational reasons, normative reasons, or both?
(You dont have to define these terms at length but make it clear that you understand them.)
(b) Your experience: What happened when you broke the norm? How did other people actually
react? Were peoples reactions consistent or inconsistent with what you thought would happen,
and with what you said in Part A about the type of norm you broke and the reasons why people
usually conform to it?
(c) Relevant Research Study: Compare your experience to at least one experiment discussed in
the readings and/or lectures. You probably wont find a study that is exactly like your project, but
pick one that is as similar as you can find, in terms of the theory or principles it addressed, and
discuss how it is the same and how it is different from your experiences
(d) Integration and Critical Analysis: Was your experience consistent or inconsistent with the
research and theories on conformity? Why or why not? What did you learn from this
experience?
Please sign this pledge on the third page: On my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor
received help on this paper, other than discussing it with my partner. I pledge that my project
was approved in advance by Prof. Wilson or one of the Psych 2600 TAs.
Note that you do not need to do extra readings for this paper. Everything you need is in the
textbook and lectures.
Submitting the Paper Please submit an electronic version of your paper on Collab by 5pm on
Thursday, April 9.

Please save your paper in MSWord format and give your paper a file name according to the
following form:
emailid.Paper2 (Example: jes5tx.Paper2)
NOTE: Collab will only allow you to submit the paper once! Do not submit until you are sure
that it is your final draft. And, check to make sure that you actually pressed the Submit button.
Late Papers
If papers are late, they will be penalized 5 points per day, beginning at 5PM on April 9.