1. Langer and Rodin

2. Context  What is control? What things do you have control over?  How much control do you have over your life?  Is control important?  Can too much or too little control be bad?

3. Context  Old age Loss of health and psychological function. Are these losses as part of a biological process, or the environment and social factors? For example, as a person gets older, they may experience a loss of roles and a decreased sense of responsibility.  For example…

4. Context  Old people may feel a lack of control Adler (1930) control is an intrinsic necessity of life itself DeCharms (1968) man strives to be a “causal agent” Neugarten and Gutman (1958) old person is in a position of lessened mastery, seeing himself as a passive object to be manipulated by the environment

5. Context  If old people have a lessened feeing of control, how could this lead to the physical and psychological problems associated with old age?  Relationship between an individual’s perceived control over a situation, and the stress or pain that they experience.

6. Context  Read pg 192 of the original study What did Langer, Janis & Wolfer (1975) find? What did Stotland and Blumenthal (1964) find?

7. Context  Seligman (1975) linked a lack of control to depression. Dogs that had learned that there was no escape from painful electric shocks showed signs of listlessness and apathy similar to depression. Even when the dogs were given the option to escape the shocks, they did not. Learned helplessness

8. Context  Pg 192 of original article Quote from Bettelheim (1943) about the “Muselmanner”. What does this quote imply about the importance of control?

9. Context  Ferrare (1962) Old people who had no choice about the nursing home they moved to had a higher morality rate than those who had the choice.  What does this evidence suggest about control and health?  Could there have been other factors that caused the high death rate for the “no choice” group?

10. Aims  Previous research suggests a link between control and mental/physical health.  L&R’s aim was to assess directly the effects of enhanced personal responsibility and choice in a nursing home environment.  Specific effects. Physical and mental alertness Activity levels General level of satisfaction Sociability  Would the effects be generalised?

11. Procedures  Using the original text and the textbook, complete the missing parts of the sample.  Some residents were omitted from the study. Who and why?  What extraneous variable are the researchers trying to eradicate?

12. Procedures  Two groups Responsibility Induced Group (RIG) Comparison group (CG)  Both groups given a talk by an administrator at the home Read both speeches and identify which group the statements refer to.  Three days later, the message was reiterated.

13. Procedures  Dependent variables: 2 questionnaires used, both used before the experiment, and three weeks later Qst 1: For residents. Assessed their sense of control, happiness and activeness Qst 2: For nurses. Assessed happiness, alertness, dependency, sociability and activity.  Resident’s behaviour was also recorded.

14. Findings and Conclusions  What can we conclude from the comparison between the two groups before the study?  Read through the results, and come to your own conclusions  Read the quote by L&R. Chose three of the findings and state how they support this conclusion

15. Evaluation - Prep  Using the 12 evaluation statements on the handout, (and also the handout on how to answer questions) write an answer to the following question Evaluate the methodology used by Langer and Rodin (12)  At the top of your essay, indicate which of the evaluation statements you have answered.  Extra marks if you use any original evaluation points (not on the handout or textbook)!

16. Alternative Evidence  In pairs, you will be given 1 or 2 pieces of alternative evidence. Firstly you need to decide what this piece of research is telling us about control and it’s effects. Secondly you need to assess this evidence, referring back to L&R and to say if it supports, contradicts or develops their research.

17. BREAKING NEWS!!!  Stop the front page! There has been a shocking development in psychological research!  You have to inform the world about your research. It can be in any form Newspaper/magazine article TV/Radio news report Interview Website ect…