Words Comprehended After Seeing an Image

Running Head: WORDS COMPREHENDED AFTER SEEING AN IMAGE

Words Comprehended After Seeing an Image

Brian Palermo

Professor Holmes

Lycoming College

Williamsport, Pa.

Psychology 110B

April 22, 2003

Abstract

This experiment involved students looking through a T-Scope and identifying as many words as they could in a fraction of a second after being flashed a picture of a face. The class was randomly divided into two groups, Group A and Group B. Group A was shown a picture of a pretty girl looking content. Group B was shown a picture of a less attractive girl that looks frightened. These pictures were flashed quickly followed by a group of words. The words, Disaster Murder Warfare Injury Weapon Explosion, were shown for a fraction of a second and were seen mostly by Group B. This experiment shows that if an image of a frightened person is set in the mind, that the mind sees frightening words easier.

Words Comprehended After Seeing an Image

One group of students was shown a picture of a frightened face followed by a list of words dealing with violence. That group is the experimental group. The other group was shown a picture of a content face followed by the same violent words. That group is the control group. The experiment has proven that the group exposed to the frightened face saw more of the violent words than the group that was exposed to the content face.

This experiment was done to prove that if the human mind is exposed to something frightening, it will pay more attention and retain more information on frightening things in a time period afterward. The frightened face left the human mind open for words such as disaster, murder, warfare, injury, weapon, and explosion, which were briefly shown after the girls face.

Method

Participants In the experiment conducted in class, all of the participants were students in an introductory psychology class in a small liberal arts college in northeastern Pennsylvania. The class consisted of students from the ages of eighteen to twenty, with an average age of eighteen and nine tenths. There were a total of twenty two students involved in this experiment, thirteen of them were male, and the other nine were female. The class was randomly split up into two groups using the last digit of their social security number. If it was an odd number, they were in group A. If it was an even number, they were in group B.

Apparatus or Materials An instrument known as a T-Scope was used in this experiment. It is a device that is capable of flashing a picture or multiple pictures through a viewfinder at a very quick speed. The data collected from the T-Scope was recorded in a notebook by another student involved in the experiment. The room was a fairly boring room with some equipment and eyeballs.

Procedure The class was first separated into two groups using their social security number. Group A was then sent into the room one by one to view a picture in the T-Scope. Once all of group A went, group B went in one by one to see a picture flash in the T-Scope. After everyone had participated, both groups discussed what they saw. Group A was shown a picture of an attractive lady followed by a slide with words referring to death and sickness on it. Group B was shown a picture of a very sick lady who was not very