Fritz Heider: An Experimental Study of Apparent Behavior

An Experimental Study of Apparent Behavior by Fritz Heider & Marianne Simmel was a landmark study in the field of interpersonal perception, in particular in relation to the attribution process when making judgments of others.

You can read and download this classic article for free via the link below, but before doing so have a look at the following video which was central to the authors methodological design. What do you think is going on in the video? Try telling the story of the video in a few sentences and try to answer the following questions.

1. What kind of a person is the big triangle?
2. What kind of a person is the little triangle?
3. What kind of a person is the circle (disc)?
4. Why did the two triangles fight?
5. Why did the circle go into the house?
6. In one part of the movie the big triangle and the circle were in the house together. What did the big triangle do then? Why?
7. What did the circle do when it was in the house with the big triangle? Why?
8. In one part of the movie the big triangle was shut up in the house and tried to get out. What did the little triangle and the circle do then?
9. Why did the big triangle break the house?

By doing this it will allow you to fully appreciate the thinking behind the experiment as well as allowing you to compare your responses with the original sample of subjects from 1944!

What Do You Make of This?



You can read and download An Experimental Study of Apparent Behavior by Fritz Heider & Marianne Simmel for free via the following link.

http://www.all-about-psychology.com/fritz-heider.html

The Psychology Student Survival Guide.



A Must Have Resource. 100% Free. See following link to get your copy today.

http://www.all-about-psychology.com/psychology_student.html

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Fritz Heider: An Experimental Study of Apparent Behavior

Criminal Profiling Debate Reignites

Consultant psychologist Dr Craig Jackson has reignited the debate over the utility and effectiveness of criminal profiling.

Jackson argues that criminal profiling is unscientific and potentially harmful adding that "Behavioural profiling has never led to the direct apprehension of a serial killer or murderer, so it seems to have no real-world value." Dr. Jackson's views have received considerable press coverage (see following links).

http://bit.ly/criminalProfiling1

http://bit.ly/CriminalProfiling2

To be honest, there is nothing new in this type of criticism, particularly of the criminal profiling methodology developed by the FBI. In 2007 Malcolm Gladwell wrote a provocative article on criminal profiling entitled "Dangerous Minds" that appeared in the New Yorker. The article documents the historical roots of criminal profiling, beginning with the pioneering work of psychiatrist James Brussel and how the work of Brussel influenced FBI profiling. The article then presents a critical review of the work of prominent FBI profilers such as John Douglas; a review that clearly questions the usefulness of criminal profiling as an investigative methodology.

See following link to read Gladwell's article on criminal profiling in full.

http://nyr.kr/DangerousMinds

Learn About Criminal Profiling

A good way of enagaing with this debate is to learn more criminal profiling and there are plenty of opportunites to do just that over at the All About Forensic Psychology Website.

Criminal Profiling (First Documented Use)

Criminal Profiling (The FBI Legacy)

Criminal Profiling (Methodology)

Geographic Profiling

Criminal Profiling (A Realistic career aspiration?)



In the early 1970s, Special Agent Howard Teten and others in the FBI began to apply the insights of psychological science to violent criminal behavior. In 1972, the FBI Academy launched a Behavioral Science Unit—later called the Behavioral Analysis Unit—which began looking for patterns in the behavior of serial rapists and killers. Agents John Douglas and Robert Ressler conducted systematic interviews of serial killers like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer to gain insight into their modus operandi, motivations, and backgrounds. This collected information helped agents draw up profiles of violent criminals eluding law enforcement.

By the 1980s, the concept of criminal investigative analysis was maturing into a full-fledged investigative tool for identifying criminals and their future actions by studying their behaviors, personalities, and physical traits. Accordingly, in July 1984, the Bureau opened the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) on the campus of the FBI Academy to provide sophisticated criminal profiling services to state and local police for the first time.

The aim of Inside the Criminal Mind: A Forensic Psychology eBook Collection Special is to showcase all the major articles written by members of the Behavioral Science Units, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, at the FBI Academy. The articles added to the collection so far are:



Read Criminal Profiling : A Viable Investigative Tool Against Violent Crime



Read A Psychological Assessment of Crime Profiling



Read Criminal Profiling From Crime Scene Analysis

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Criminal Profiling Debate

Keep Your Goals To Yourself

(Photo Credit: Cristian V)

Keep Your Goals To Yourself is the title of the latest addition to the The Psychology Video Collection in which Derek Sivers presents research stretching as far back as the 1920s to show why people who talk about their ambitions may be less likely to achieve them.

You can watch this short but engaging psychology video via the following link.

Keep Your Goals To Yourself

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Keep Your Goals To Yourself

The Psychology Video Collection

Psychology Video Collection




The Psychology Video Collection is a new initiative designed to make all the videos featured here on the All About Psychology website and the Psychology facebook page available in one central location.

This is very much work in progress and more videos will be added on a regular basis, as will instructions on how to convert any of the videos to the correct size and format for popular phones, MP3 players, iPods, and other media players. A great way to watch and learn about psychology on the go. So watch this space for updates.

You can access the psychology video collection via the following link.

Psychology Video Collection

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Psychology Video Collection