Name:____________________
SOCIAL VIOLATION: EXPERIMENTING WITH FOLKWAYS
Unlike formal laws, folkways are not usually written down. Still, we learn the
“acceptable” ways of doing things in social situations so well that they often become
“second nature” to us. To highlight how such folkways operate, it is sometimes useful to
break the rules intentionally. Once a folkway is violated, its function in the regulation of
everyday interaction can become clearer. We will use the following two exercises to
understand the social phenomenon of norms. Note that Exercise #1 is in two steps.
Also note that for Exercise #2, you may choose to violate either norm.
EXERCISE #1
STEP 1:
Select a seat in the cafeteria, library, or similar school setting and make eye contact with
a total stranger, counting the number of seconds before s/he looks away. Do this with
five female and five male strangers (recording each case). Then, calculate the amount of
time in seconds for each of the following:
Average Number of Seconds (opposite sex--sum and divide by 5) _______
Average Number of Seconds (same sex--sum and divide by 5)
_______
Average Number of Seconds (both sexes--sum and divide by 10) _______
Important: It may be hard to measure because people will usually break eye contact very
quickly. Accordingly, you should try counting at about two beats per second: in other
words, 1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 Mississippi…(include “half” seconds, ex. 1.5 secs).
STEP 2:
Once you have engaged in the experiment above, ask a sample of any ten students (it is
fine to use friends or peers not in this class) to respond to the following question and
record their responses:
For how many seconds is it normally permissible to maintain eye contact
with a total stranger? That is, how long would you expect eye contact to be
tolerated before the person being looked at looks away?
Calculate the average amount of time (in seconds) based on your sample:
Average Amount of Time Estimate (to tolerate staring): _______ seconds
(OVER à )
(2013)
EXERCISE #2
(adapted from O’Brien in Newman 2002:97)
Directions:
Choose ONE of the following norm violating behaviors to engage in, and then answer the
questions below. After you have engaged in the behavior and made mental note of your
observations, be sure to tell your “research subjects” why you engaged in the behavior, in
order to get their responses to question #4.
a) Eat a meal in a public place wearing a coat and gloves—and a scarf or winter
hat—the entire time. Be sure to talk to your food server and at least one other
employee, customer, or someone you are sitting with.
or
b) While standing in line (for a movie, at the grocery check-out, in a store or
restaurant, etc.), sing out loud to yourself or talk relatively loudly on your cell
phone.
Note: Please don’t clown around, and do use common sense to avoid trouble. I will not
be responsible for any immoral, illegal, or otherwise uncalled for behavior. Do, however,
have fun learning about violating one of these norms.
Questions (Please answer each of the following in a thorough paragraph):
1. What were people’s initial reactions?
2. What did they do to try to “normalize” your behavior?
3. How did you feel breaching this norm? (e.g., was it uncomfortable, why, etc.)
4. After telling your “research subjects” why you engaged in the behavior, ask them to
tell you about how they felt or interpreted the experience.
In other words, how did the research subject experience the violation?
(2013)