A Tentative Study in Experimental Social Psychology

A simple classroom experiment in social psychology was conducted to illustrate certain difficulties in experimental sociology and to investigate in a tentative way (1) the distortion that takes place with the social transmission of rumor, (2) the reports of students in regard to pleasant as compared with unpleasant rumors, (3) the influence of a precautionary phrase such as "it is rumored that," and (4) the influence of sex and intelligence upon belief verbalizations. A written record of versions of alleged news items orally transmitted revealed ahigh degree of distortion, especially in regard to condensation and transportation of the precautionary phrase. Belief ratings apparently showed a more general expression of belief in the unpleasant news, but when plausibility ratings of the items were taken into account the good news received relatively higher belief ratings.