AgentJellyfishMaster2305
In the story “When Good People Do Bad Things” By Ann Trafton…
In the story “When Good People Do Bad Things” By Ann Trafton 2014, read and answer the following Text-Dependent and Discussion Questions. Be sure to read all and complete each question before submitting it for grading.
Text-Dependent Questions Directions:
For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences
1. PART A: Which of the following best describes a central idea of the text?
A. Mob mentality only overtakes those who do not have a strong sense of self.
B. Recent studies have shown that groups create a false sense of purpose and drive.
C. Group inclusion can cause people to lose a sense of their morals and become more likely to do wrong.
D. People can overcome their instincts to do harm to outsiders if they are reminded of the effects of mob mentality.
2. PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “Groups create important social institutions that an individual could not achieve alone.” (Paragraph 1)
B. “…when people are in groups, they ‘lose touch with their own morals and beliefs, and become more likely to do things that they would normally believe are wrong.” (Paragraph 4)
C. “Those people were more likely to harm their competitors than people who did not exhibit this decreased brain activity.” (Paragraph 5)
D. “When someone is reflecting on himself or herself, this part of the brain lights up in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans.” (Paragraph 10)
3. How did Cikara’s experience in the baseball game inform her understanding of mob mentality?
A. Cikara realized that a few factors, such as being a woman, will save a person from the negative consequences of mob mentality.
B. Cikara was harassed by Yankees fans for her husband’s Rex Sox cap and learned that by removing the visual difference cue (i.e. the cap) she could effectively diffuse the mob mentality.
C. Cikara discovered that passive resistance was the only way to take power from the mob mentality.
D. Cikara experienced the “us versus them” part of mob mentality, eliciting a strong reaction despite the minor point of conflict (i.e. a baseball cap).
4. Summarize the experiment Saxe and her colleagues conducted on morals and social media habits in complete sentences, as well as the experiment’s correlation to the article’s central ideas.
5. PART A: Which of the following best explains the concept of “getting lost” in a group?
A. “Getting lost” refers to an actual loss of memory experienced after being immersed in a group for too long.
B. “Getting lost” refers to the sense of emotional loss one experiences when no longer connected to a group.
C. “Getting lost” refers to the sensation of losing one’s self in a group and even after, shortly affecting memory and self-image. D. “Getting lost” refers to the lack of direction one feels after participating in a mob.
6. PART B: Which phrase from the article best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “had more difficulty remembering the moral statements they had heard during the game” (Paragraph 16)
B. “that ability is somehow undermined when you’re competing with a group” (Paragraph 17)
C. “should have poor memory associated with that reduction in medial prefrontal cortex signal” (Paragraph 17)
D. “whether people are slower to recognize themselves or pick themselves out of a photo lineup after being absorbed in a group activity” (Paragraph 18)
Discussion Questions Directions:
Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1. In your opinion, what is the most interesting finding? Why?
2. Imagine that you are the coach of a highly successful, competitive boys’ basketball team. What are the implications of this research on your work? As a coach, what specific precautions do you take?
3. What are some historical and/or current examples of mob mentality at play?
4. In the context of this article, why do people do bad things? Use evidence from this article, your own experience, and other art, literature, or history in your answer.
