Thought some of you might be interested in this --
Chris
Christine Cubby
Director, Governance and Communications
Education Directorate
(202)336-5961
fax (202)216-7620
750 1st Street NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phil Zimbardo [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 1:35 AM
> To: Martin Seligman; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Media Alert Psychology Series, 4/16 9pm
>
> Dear friends, family and colleagues:
> I was just notified of a 3-part psychology series that will be shown
> starting next week (MONDAY NIGHT, APRIL 16, 9-11 PM) on the Discovery
> Channel that might be of interest to you (teachers might want to have a
> tape recorder set since much of the material can be used in the
> classrooms), and perhaps alert others to this event. I don't think there
> are plans for reruns.
>
> The program is called THE HUMAN ZOO, it was produced in London last year
> (by Granada Media and London Weekend Television). I served as chief
> scientific consultant and on-screen analyst in various portions of the
> three hour-long programs (first 2 programs will air 4/16, not sure of
> timing of the 3rd show). I think it represents some of what is best in
> Reality TV, when done responsibly and with respect for the intelligence of
> the audience. What the success of the current crop of reality TV in the
> U.S. and overseas tells us is that human behavior is fascinating to
> observe. I believe this is even more true when experts help the public
> give that behavior meaning and focus their observations, and this is what
> the Human Zoo series attempts to do.
>
> The 3hour series summarizes a week that a diverse group of 12 stranger
> volunteers spent together in a remote lake district locale in England. We
> observe them engaging in a host of basic psychological processes, captured
> mostly by hidden cameras, and analyzed on-line by psychologists (me and a
> British social psychologist) for what the various behaviors of these
> individuals, and their groups, represents. For each of the key phenomena
> observed in this Reality TV documentary there is a cut away to real world
> demonstrations in mini experiments, interviews, and archival footage in
> personnel offices, shopping malls, trains, businesses, schools, sporting
> events, and with ordinary people in the streets. Some are designed as
> Candid Camera- like scenarios.
>
> Among the topics illustrated are: first impressions, impression management
> and formation, deviance and rejection, conformity, compliance, group
> formation, group dynamics and power, non verbal behavior, bystander
> intervention, lie detection, social attraction, the power of physical
> appearance, and more. British psychological experts discuss each of the
> underlying processes revealed in these behavior modules. The behavioral
> changes of the dozen research participants forms the link between the
> three programs.
>
> Hope you get a chance to view it and enjoy it.
> Phil Zimbardo
> Psychology Dept
> Stanford University
>
