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The New Look in Psychology: A Timeline from the 1940s to 1950s

Learn about the emergence of the New Look theory in psychology, its key investigations, impact on perception, and the dynamics of projection and suppression. Explore how this approach integrates psychoanalytic concepts with social psychology.

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The New Look in Psychology: A Timeline from the 1940s to 1950s

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  1. Class 6: The New Look I

  2. New Look I Timeline: 1940s – 1950s a. NOT a single theory, but family of related theories and approaches. b. Integrates psychoanalytic concepts with social psychology (social perception, aggression, etc.). c. Demonstrates psychodynamic phenomena: projection, suppression, displacement. d. The Phoenix of psychology. Emerges, dies, re-emerges.

  3. Examples of New Look Investigations a. Value and need shape perception b. Displacement and scapegoating; frustration --> aggression. They Saw a Game, Hastorf & Cantrel,1954. Value and need---in perception: Bruner & Postman, 1947 Albert Hastorf 1921-2011

  4. Untimely Demise of New Look New Look emphasizes unconscious processes on external perception a. Perceptual Defense – fail to see threats, or see them fully, to avoid anxiety threats arouse. b. Perceptual Vigilance – over-attend to, perhaps exaggerate, threatening stimuli. Fatal criticism: Perceptual defense = See thing  fear thing  mentally block out thing. How is it possible to NOT SEE a thing you saw? New developments answer this but not available 50 yrs ago.

  5. Feshbach & Singer, 1957 Purpose: Demonstration of projection Projection = "Infusion of perception with emotion“ Symmetrical: Project own emotions on to others. "I feel afraid, therefore see you as afraid” Complementary: Project instigating emotion on to others. "I feel afraid, therefore see you as scary”

  6. Feshbach & Singer, 1957 Predictions 1. When afraid, will see fear in others 2. Suppression of fear will  more projected fear. Method Ss shocked or not shocked, and watch neutral film of person completing tasks. Also, Ss either express or don't express feelings when shocked. Use of neutral faces for projection is like? ______________ DVs Direct fear: Target looks afraid right now Indirect fear: Target is temperamentally anxious Indirect aggression: Target is temperamentally angry Neg. personality: Untrustworthy, etc. (control for ind. aggress) Kuleshov Effect

  7. Feshbach & Singer Results Fear Condition Ss show more fear than controls Suppressors show more fear than expressers (somewhat) Projection is stronger for "indirect fear" than for "direct fear” percepts. Fear condition  complementary projection; see target as angrier. Why does suppression amplify projection? a. Self-perception: "Gee, hard to suppress. Therefore I must be really upset". b. Increased tension: Fear --> tension -> increased fear --> increased projection.

  8. Feshbach, 1963 Emotional Restraint and Projection of Positive Affect Purposes: 1. Projection occurs for positive as well as negative states 2. To refute Freudian explanation (hidden desires) 3. To support alternative explanation: as emotion becomes more salient, harder to separate the source from the result of the emotion (e.g., misattribution, Zillman) Predictions: 1. Happy --> perception of more happiness in happy others 2. Happy --> perceive less happiness in sad others 3. Suppressed happy --> more projection 4. Projection more likely in same-sex target

  9. Feshbach Results Self-rated happiness: Suppress > Express; "Laughter in church" phenomenon Ratings of happiness in faces: Suppress > Express Projection occurs more for genuinely happy faces, less so for mildly happy or neutral faces. Results suggests projection amplifies existing attributes of target, rather than imposes attributes that do not exist.

  10. Thibaut & Coules, 1952 Communication and Hostility Purpose: Demonstrate catharsis Catharsis = reduction of emotional tension by expressing underlying emotion. Prediction: Expressing hostility toward offender --> reduced hostility towards this person. Method: Obnoxious confederate and note-swapping task. Experimental conditions Comm: Can respond to insult No-comm: Can’t respond to insult DV: Diagnostic evaluation of confederate Results: Comms produce more friendly comments than do No-comms.

  11. Subliminally Activated Symbiotic Fantasies: Richard Hardaway, Psych. Bulletin, 1990 Silverman's Mission Believes in Psychoanalysis But, also is empiricist Psychoanalysis appears to be untestable Silverman attempts to show psychodynamic processes can be empirically demonstrated.

  12. Subliminal Symbiotic Activation Symbiotic Attachment: Infant needs mom to buffer external and internal stimuli. (Also, needs mom to confirm ability to be understood.) Infant needs opportunity to explore on his/her own. Drama of individuation —gaining independence w/o being in danger or feeling deserted. Sounds like? Schizophrenia (according to Psychoanalysis): Failure to resolve individuation drama. Schizophrenic can't distinguish internal from external stimuli. Winnicott

  13. Object Relations Theory Good parent is good object--internalized "working model" of security, affection, caring available at hard times. Reified into general sense of being good, lovable. Requires that actual parents do these things, during critical devel. phases People who didn't get this have weaker sense of own worth, competence. Schizeo like diabetic. Diabetic can't produce insulin Schizo can't generate own ego-support Diabetic treated with exogenous insulin Can Schizo be treated with exogenous support? Subliminal message: Psychic hypodermic

  14. Subliminal Symbiotic Activation (SSA) Technique Subliminally flash messages to subject (schizo). Palliative message: MOMMY AND I ARE ONE Control message: PEOPLE ARE WALKING

  15. SSA Procedure S is assessed for schizo. symptoms S. gets: Mommy and I are One (M + I = 1) or People are Walking (PAW) S is reassessed for symptoms Repeat, but S gets opposite message, and again reassessed Result: Symptoms decrease after getting M + I = 1

  16. Are SSA Results Real? Maybe just a happy-mood effect Maybe People are Walking is a downer Silverman's studies riddled with methodological flaws Not all studies work

  17. Hardaway approach: Meta-Analysis (M-A) 1. M-A is way to review entire body of research 2. Logic of M-A a. Get all relevant research on topic b. Establish inclusion/exclusion rules c. Treat each study as if it were a subject d. Compute overall effect, across all studies 3. Hardaway result: SSA effect is modest but reliable a. Not due to "mommyness" b. Not due to "are one" c. Not gender specific d. Not restricted to schizos—works on "normals"

  18. So How Does SSA Work? Not clear from Silverman Hardaway explanation: semantic network a. SSA  reduced anxiety b. SSA  positive memories c. Pos memories  pos emotions d. Pos emotions  stabilized distress, improved coping

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