In class, we talked about stereotypes and I mentioned an article from one of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell. Luckily, this article is featured on his website and you can access it for free. Check it out here. Since this is a lot of reading, I wanted to summarize it for the class. The basis behind the study: “Nalini Ambady, together with Robert Rosenthal, set out to examine the nonverbal aspects of good teaching.”
They found out the results on judging the teacher’s personality from a video tape was the similiar regardless of how long they watched. The study started with a ten second video, and was shortened down to a two second video. This is significant because it shows how we judge people. Everything past two seconds is irrelevant. We have already made our judgment. First impressions do matter and it depends on our own personal biases. You could argue if these biases are right or wrong, but the next part in the experiment is best said by Malcolm Gladwell.
“A person watching a two-second silent video clip of a teacher he has never met will reach conclusions about how good that teacher is that are very similar to those of a student who sits in the teacher's class for an entire semester.”
I’ll leave it at that. If this fascinates you as much as it fascinates me, then make a note to read the article. It’s a great conversation topic and its useful information based on real research.
Gladwell, Malcolm. (May 29, 2000). Gladwell.com. In The New-Boy Network. Retrieved Oct 8, 2010, from http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_05_29_a_interview.htm
This does seem like a very interesting article. I agree that people's thoughts when meeting someone "right or wrong," is mainly based on appearance and body language. There have been people I've met and even worked with that they have never said or done anything personally to me that would make me dislike them. But just by appearance and body language I just don't associate myself with those people because I feel they may be trouble and in many cases I'm right.
ReplyDeleteThis video on teachers/professors is interesting because this may be entered into the minds of many employers at schools/colleges/university. I know that at Albright College besides the whole interview process and the whole nine, the professors also teach a class where students can sign up to attend and evaluate the professor and their teaching style. They may replace that actual one-on-one interaction, and just have students watch a video and rate them that way.
First impressions are the worst sometimes if everything falls into place you may be able to correctly pinpoint someone's personality and intentions, but then there are times when that person was just not themselves and you were wrong. I guess "it all depends!"
I definitely agree with the fact that the first 2 seconds of meeting someone are the most important. Personally, something that has a huge effect on how I view a person is their handshake. I believe you can tell a lot about a person by their handshake. I think a person who has a good firm handshake automatically earns a bit of respect, while a person with a "wet noodle" handshake loses it. A soft handshake seems to lack self confidence and self esteem. Its important to make a good first impression and developing a solid handshake is an easy way to do that.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the first 2 seconds are important but I also feel that first impressions are not always right. As Sonya said sometimes people just aren't themselves. I notice this the most on the first day of classes. I have walked into class and said "Wow i think I'm gonna like this prof" and 20 mins or 2 weeks later I don't like them as much as I used to. I have also had the opposite happen.
ReplyDeleteI don't know...within 2 seconds we can draw a similar "conclusion" about somebody, versus someone who has spent an entire semester with the same person? I am a fan of Gladwell, and I'm sure he presented some great research, but I'm awful skeptical of his contention. I read his book, "Blink" and it sounds like that research may have come from that book. In Blink, he theorizes that people make judgments about other people, and situations, etc. within milli-seconds (blink of an eye) that prove to be "accurate." Even when reading that book I was skeptical. I think people have moods, and some days are btter than others. You need considerable time with someone, over many different moods (stressed, happy, excited, depressed), to elicit a genuine read on someone. I just think we humans are dynamic, and we should hardly judge a book by its cover...nor a person by a random 2-second snapshot, even if its a teacher in the classroom setting. But Gladwell's "Tipping Point," and "Outliers" are excellent reads on completely different topics that you would enjoy Luke.
ReplyDeleteThere are many ways to look at this issue. It's all about perspectives. We must consider that if we expand our thinking, or get input from others, we are able to see the broader perspective. Deliberating with others about the 'big picture' helps all of us to understand how to view a broader perspective.
ReplyDeleteThere are many benefits to making this a habit. This helps us to learn that there can be different perspectives at the same time, and yet they can be equally valid. There is no right or wrong.
Sometimes when you look at the big picture and open your mind to other possibilities, you see more. Often, engaging with others is what helps one to see the broader perspective.
We should be conscious of not limiting our perspectives to our initial reactions or the reactions of others.