Final Paper in Social Psychology (Individual)

Cuenca, Erica Mae A.

Bachelor of Science in Psychology 3A

The Baguettes

● Scout (looked for possible locations)

● Debriefer

● Lookout

● Transcriber

Title

I truly suggested naming our experiment "psybags" for four reasons. Firstly, (1) it sounded
like an enjoyable and playful name. Moreover, it served as a clever triple entendre since we
were (2) using bag in this experiment, (3) studying psychology, and I actually assume we
would have (4) eyebags (haha) from working on this project. Additionally, the name captured
how our personal experiences and circumstances impacted the formation and execution of the
experiment. The purpose of the name was to offer a light-hearted and accessible way to
portray the goal and process of the experiment.

Part I. Summary

Majority of our participants did not comply to the request of our accomplice for various of
reasons that I have observed: (1) Fear of being involved in a potentially dangerous or
uncomfortable situation, (2) Doubt regarding the legitimacy and intentions of the accomplice,
(3) Distrust of the stranger who approached them, (4) Time constraints or obligations, and (5)
Pressure from peers or others present to refuse the request. Moreover, I also observed that the
location, clothes worn by the accomplice in school setting, amount of information shared,
participants' awareness of social experiments, different age groups, and compliance with the
bagger have a significant influence on our participants' decision-making process. These
factors played an important role in the decision to give or refuse to give up the bag. Overall,
the Bag of Trust mini social experiment is a success since it met our hypothesis.

Part II. Relevance

The Bag of Trust experiment has highlighted an important aspect of human behavior. Trust is
critical in numerous social situations, especially when dealing with strangers or people with
whom we have no established relationship. The study shows how trust can be formed and
broken with little to no information about someone's intentions or character. It also serves as
a reminder of the risks associated with blindly trusting strangers, and highlights the
importance of exercising caution and making cautious decisions when dealing with
unfamiliar people in unfamiliar environments. Additionally, the experiment reminds us of the
power of social conditioning and how our social environment can have a major influence on
our thought processes and behaviors. Furthermore, the Bag of Trust experiment reinforces the
notion that human behavior is not as predictable as we may think. The results demonstrate
that even in seemingly safe and innocuous situations, individuals can behave in unexpected
and unpredictable ways. This highlights the complexity of human nature and serves as a
reminder to be mindful of our own assumptions and decisions when interacting with others,
as people can be influenced by various factors and respond in ways that may not be obvious
at first. Finally, the experiment emphasizes the need for situational awareness and careful
decision-making when interacting with unknown individuals, as small interactions can
sometimes have significant consequences.

Part III. Replication

If we had the chance to redo the experiment, we could have implemented some changes to
the study design to improve the experiment and obtain more consistent results. Potential
changes include:

1. Increasing the sample size to get more accurate results.

2. Using multiple accomplices (different genders) to see if gender bias is present.

3. Utilizing a more diverse set of participants. We actually planned to also conduct the
experiment outside Malolos City. Unfortunately, due to financial instability and availability
of us, the experimenters, we we're not able to do it.

4. Type of bag used. The bag we used looks kind of expensive. I want to know if the
participants will comply to our accomplice if the bag looks cheap.