It also shows how arbitrary and subjective things can turn friends, family members, and citizens against each other. Three sections were selected to be administered the simulation . All rights reserved. Professor Jane Elliott performed a group experiment with her students that they would never forget. Withdrawn brown-eyed kids were suddenly outgoing, some beaming with the widest smiles she had ever seen on them. Is it even possible today? It has everything to do with power.. Sorry, but it's not possible to copy the text due to security reasons. I interviewed Julie Pasicznyk, who had been working for US West, a giant telecommunications company in Minneapolis. Jane Elliott on The Tonight Show on May 31, 1968. ", The two hugged, and Whisenhunt had tears streaming down her cheeks. Sign up for Politics Weekly.]. Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. The day after Martin Luther King Jr. was shot, Elliott had a talk with her students about diversity and racism. "I don't think this community was ready for what she did," he said. Solve your problem differently! One teacher ended up displaying the same bigotry Elliott had spent the morning trying to fight. Pasicznyk joined 75 other employees for a training session in the companys suburban Denver headquarters in the late 1980s. What Was the Purpose of the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment? Theyd have to use paper cups if they drank from the water fountain. Elliott had hoped that this experiment would help the children to better understand the feelings of discrimination that certain groups feel on a daily basis, but what she didn . Cookie Settings, Kids Start Forgetting Early Childhood Around Age 7, Archaeologists Discover Wooden Spikes Described by Julius Caesar, Artificial Sweetener Tied to Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke, Study Finds, Rare Jurassic-Era Insect Discovered at Arkansas Walmart. Jane Elliots work and experiences have made her an authority on education and anti-racism. On the "Tonight Show" Carson broke the ice by spoofing Elliott's rural roots. It's cruel to white children and will cause them great psychological damage. Jane Elliott, a teacher and anti-racism activist, performed a direct experiment with the students in her classroom. "Brown-eyed people have more of that chemical in their eyes, so brown-eyed people are better than those with blue eyes," Elliott said. "Mention two wordsJane Elliottand you get a flood of emotions from people," says Jim Cross, the Riceville Recorder's editor these days. The first day of the experiment she convinced the children that blue-eyed people were smarter, better and would have more priorities. The day after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination in 1968, Jane Elliott, a schoolteacher in rural Iowa, introduced to her all-white third-grade class a shocking . When she went downtown to do errands, she heard whispers. On the second day of the experiment, Elliott switched the childrens roles. That got the other teachers angry. We have to let people find out how it feels to be on the receiving end of that which we dish out so readily.". She learned that the responses from the children were negative and more generalized about what they thought about black people. Introduction | FRONTLINE - PBS Blue-eyed people would get 5 extra minutes on the playground and blue-eyed people could not talk to brown-eyed people. In this 1998 photograph, former Iowa teacher Jane Elliott, center, speaks with two Augsburg University . ", Others have praised Elliott's exercise. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 prompted educator Jane Elliott to create the now-famous "blue eyes/brown eyes exercise ." As a school teacher in the small town of Riceville, Iowa, Elliott first conducted the anti-racism experiment on her all-white third-grade classroom, the day after the civil rights leader was killed. Jane Elliot's experiment explains the reasons for discrimination to a small extent. The roots of racism and why it continues unabated in America and other nations are complicated and gnarled. When the exercise ended, some of the kids hugged, some cried. Brown-eyed people. More than 50 years after her famous exercise, Elliott is still fighting. PDF Blue eye Brown eye activity - The Classroom . After recess that day, the brown-eyed children complained that they were . The following are some of her most insightful quotes on these issues. Even though the response to the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise was initially negative, it made Jane Elliott a leading figure in diversity training. Yes, that day was tough. Two Important Psychological Experiments: The Blue Eye/Brown Eye and Back when she introduced the experiment to her Iowa students more than five decades ago, at least one student had the audacity to challenge Elliotts premise, according to those who were in the classroom at the time. Evaluation of Jane Elliott's "Blue-Eyed Brown-Eyes" Not a day goes by without me thinking about it, Ms. Elliott. If you have ever heard of the self-fulfilling prophecy, these results may not come as a surprise. She told them that people with brown eyes were superior to those with blue eyes, for reasons she made up. "I think these children walked in a colored child's moccasins for a day," she was quoted as saying. The story was then picked up by the Associated Press. Ethical Principles of Psychologists & Code of Conduct - StudyMode With a couple of basic and arbitrary examples, Elliott made the case that brown-eyed people were better. They were forced to sit on the back rows and had to use a . We use them to divide and destroy people., On Understanding The Different Ways We Treat Other Races, Philip Zimbardo (Biography + Experiments). Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Unfortunately, you cant copy samples. Would you? The episode features with new footage of the students, who are now adults. It is a must . In a similar vein, Linda Seebach, a conservative columnist for the Rocky Mountain News, wrote in 2004 that Elliott was a "disgrace" and described her exercise as "sadistic," adding, "You would think that any normal person would realize that she had done an evil thing. "She taught in this school for 18 years." Biddle, B. J. Blue Eye / Brown Eye experiment - Everything2.com . When you read about this experiment, its hard not to question labels. These differences lead to war and hate. American Psychological Association, 4. Select from the 0 categories from which you would like to receive articles. "Brown eyes and Blue eyes" Study | sabbaila Focusing on ethics the experiment violated some of the principles and codes of conduct established by the American Psychological Association. Two education professors in England, Ivor F. Goodson and Pat Sikes, suggest that Elliott's experiment was unethical because the participants weren't informed of its real purpose beforehand. ISBN 9780520382268. Ms. Elliott, now 87, said she started teaching about racism on April 5, 1968 the day after the Rev. "I think third grade was too young for what she did. She pointed out flaws in a student and associated it with . Today, she says, it's still playing out as the U.S. reckons with racial injustice. Jane Elliott, an educator and anti-racism activist, first conducted her blue eyes/brown eyes exercise in her third-grade classroom in Iowa in 1968. PracticalPsychology. Even family members can turn against each other if some authority suddenly decides that those differences are a problem. In 2001, Jane Elliott recordedThe Angry Eye,in which she revised and updated her experiment. Jane Elliott's Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes experiment was a turning point in social psychology. . Brown eyes and blue eyes Racism experiment Children Session - Jane Proceeding with the experiment, Elliot divided the children into two groups each with nine pupils. I want to know why youre so willing to accept it or to allow it to happen for others., The first reaction I get from teachers, who see this film or from hearing, hear me discuss what I do say to me How can you do that to these little children? "People of other color groups seem to understand," she said. The blue-eyed participants faced discrimination for two and a half hours. When my grandchildren are old enough, I'd give anything if you'd try the exercise out on them. You can contribute to that positive change by watching the documentary. On Thursday, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, TN. Its not true and its not fair no matter what you say! he responded. And StanfordUniversity psychologist Philip G. Zimbardo writes in his 1979 textbook, Psychology and Life, that Elliott's "remarkable" experiment tried to show "how easily prejudiced attitudes may be formed and how arbitrary and illogical they can be." Is your time best spent reading someone elses essay? In 1970, Elliott would come to national attention when ABC broadcast their Eye of the Storm documentary which filmed the experiment in action. Terms of Use There are risks to those inoculations, too, but we determine that those risks are worth taking. 5/21/2020 Topic: Module 2 Discussion: In the most uncomfortable moments, Elliott reminds the students of violent acts caused by racism or homophobia. Why'd they shoot that King?" Danko, M. (2013). "How do you think it would feel to be a Negro boy or girl?" Today, increased migration means more opportunities for people from different backgrounds to interact with each other, which is often a source of conflict. Jane Elliot: Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes - UKEssays.com Elliott created the blue-eyes/brown-eyes classroom exercise in 1968 to teach students about racism. They are steeped in centuries of economic deprivation and cultural appropriation. This time, the participants werent a bunch of elementary school children they were young adults. Perhaps because the outcome seemed so optimistic and comforting, coverage of Elliott and the experiments alleged curative powers cropped up everywhere. Subsequently the brown-eyed children stopped objecting, even when Miss Elliott and the blue-eyed kids chastised and bullied them. Elliot's approach to the experiment involved creativity in which the pupils' age and ability to comprehend discrimination was taken into account. Elliott rattled off the rules for the day, saying blue-eyed kids had to use paper cups if they drank from the water fountain. BLUE EYED - Faciliator Guide - Newsreel On the first day of the experiment, she declared the brown-eyed group superior and gave them extra privileges like seconds at lunch, extra recess time, and access to the new school playground. Thousands of educators across the United States folded the experiment into their curriculums. One student answers, since the day I was born. Throughout the entire experiment, Elliott leads frank conversations about race and discrimination. Many educators responded by holding mandatory workshops on institutional racism and implicit bias, reforming teaching methods and lesson plans and searching for ways to amplify undersung voices. The anti-racism sessions Elliott led were intense. That's what it feels like when you're discriminated against.". This was intentional. 9 Unethical Psychological Experiments That Actually Happened Why are we still talking about this experiment over 50 years later? The same experiment was also used a couple of years later with adults. Charity is humiliating because its exercised vertically and from above; solidarity is horizontal and implies mutual respect.. Nevertheless, Elliott became as famous as a teacher could become in America. The idea was simple but profound. This was the smaller group. The results showed a . Ethical Issues With Jane Elliott's Experiment Group Prejudice | Jane Elliott's Brown Eyes vs. Blue Eyes Experiment She had never met me, and she accused me in front of everyone of using my sexuality to get ahead.. The next day, Jane made it known to the students that she had made a mistake and that the brown-eyed pupils were better and smarter than their counterparts. ", Elliott replied, "Why are we so worried about the fragile egos of white children who experience a couple of hours of made-up racism one day when blacks experience real racism every day of their lives?". They also harassed them constantly. The musical is about romance, but it integrates issues of race and discrimination (Norris, 2014), and the song is about how discrimination is taught carefully, in long term. "Not one of them reprimanded her for that or even corrected her. Hundreds of viewers wrote letters saying Elliott's work appalled them. Elliott is nothing if not stubborn. Traditionally, society has always treated leadership as a male issue. On April 4 1968, King was killed by the single . You have the right color eyes!. If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the Below, . At this point you may wish to tell the pupils that you are conducting an "experiment" to look at what prejudice is. She noticed that student relationships had changed; even if students were friendly outside of the exercise, they treated each other with arrogance or bossiness once the roles were assigned. Jane Elliott, Known for "Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes," on Racism in 2020 On Monday, Elliott reversed the exercise, and the brown-eyed kids were told how shifty, dumb and lazy theywere. We walked into the principal's office at RicevilleElementary School, Elliott's old haunt. Though Jane's actions were justifiable because she was not a psychologist, her experiment cannot be replicated in the present society. The Blue-Eyes, Brown-Eyes Experiment. The blue eye brown eye experiment. Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes: The Jane One of the blue eyed even went to hit a brown eyed just for the fact that he was brown eyed. Basically, you establish differences between a set of subjects in order to divide them into separate groups. . "We just want to peek in," I volunteered. The Anti-Racism Exercise That Taught Kids to Be Racist - Gizmodo She nodded. A class divided: lessons learned - Times Bulletin Jane Elliott is 84 years old, a tiny woman with white hair, wire-rim glasses and little patience. Problems with this research were that it went against a lot of ethical issues. Strong, Effective and Ethical Lessons | Applied Social Psychology (ASP) The Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise continues to be relevant. "It's happening every day in this country, right now," she said in an interview with Morning Edition. "He's a bluey! They are cleaner than blue-eyed people. Jane Elliot, a third-grade teacher from Lowa town, became troubled with the turn of events and knew that something had to be done about racial discrimination (Danko, 2013). She has spoken at more than 350 colleges and universities. A second look at the blue-eyes, brown-eyes experiment that taught third-graders about racism. Once indoors, the brown-eyed group was then treated to coffee and doughnuts, while the blue-eyed group could only stand around and wait. "Probably because they have been taught how they're treated in this country that they have to understand us. Blue Eyed vs Brown Eyed Study Conducted by Jane Elliott Presentation by Bree Elliott Ethics Background The Results In 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated, Jane Elliott was the teacher of a third grade class in the town of Riceville, Iowa. "Eye color, hair color and skin color are caused by a chemical," Elliott went on, writing MELANIN on the blackboard. Jane Elliot's experiment involves cheating and intentional misinterpretation of facts. The latter felt discriminated against by the other brown-eyed children. One key assumption is that the sample population represents an actual society. Elliott continues, "Just when you think that the fertile soil can sprout no more, another season comes round, and you see another year of bountiful crops, tall and straight. But in reality, I found in researching for my book Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes that the experiment was a sadistic exhibition of power and authority levers controlled by Elliott. New York: Elsevier Science. Retrieved from https://speedypaper.com/essays/ethical-concerns-in-jane-elliots-experiment, Free essays can be submitted by anyone, so we do not vouch for their quality. The next day, Jane made it known to the students that she had made a mistake and that the brown-eyed pupils were better and smarter than their counterparts. 10 Psychological Experiments That Could Never Happen Today. The basic idea was to separate the class into two halves, students with blue eyes and those with brown. ", Elliott defends her work as a mother defends her child. Some residents were furious. Exercise or Experiment-- An Account of Jane Elliott's Tenacity: A The more melanin, the darker the person's eyesand the smarter the person. Need an original essay on Essay Sample: Ethical Concerns in Jane Elliot's Experiment? In 1970, a documentary about the exercise was released. Blue Eyes vs. Brown Eyes Experiment. It also documents small-town White America's reflex reaction to the . The blue eyes and brown eyes experiment According to supporters of Elliott's approach, the goal is to reach people's sense of empathy and morality. ", When I met Elliott in 2003, she hadn't been back to Riceville in 12 years. "Malinda? School ought to be about developing character, but most teachers won't touch that with a ten-foot pole.". ", Absolutely not. Jane Elliot's 'The Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes Experiment' was unethical in that she created a segregated environment in a third grade classroom. More than 50 years after she first tried that exercise in her classroom, Elliott, now 87, said she sees much more work left to do to change racist attitudes. I have brown eyes. She described to her colleagues what she'd done, remarking how several of her slower kids with brown eyes had transformed themselves into confident leaders of the class. In this article, we'll explain what happened during the experiment and discuss its consequences. These initial criticisms didnt stop Elliott. Elliott was shocked by the results and decided to switch the roles the following day. I was stunned. The people and cultures already present in a place often feel threatened by new immigrants. It's the Jane Elliott machine. SYNOPSIS OF BLUE EYED. Part of the problem is that the blue-eyed group is exclusively white, while the brown-eyed group is predominantly non-white, so that eye colour is no longer an analogue or metaphor for race but a . Its goal was to demonstrate what prejudice was to her third grade class. Elliott asked. It seemed to evince that all white people had to do to learn about racism was restrain themselves from an impulse to engage in made-up cruelty. In this article, we talk about leadership and female discrimination.. In the brown eyed/blue eyed experiment Jane Elliot told her third graders with blue eyes that they were better than the brown-eyed children. Want a quality guarantee? A Class Divided | FRONTLINE - PBS Cookie Policy In 1968 after Martin Luther King was assassinated the United States was in turmoil. One example that has been in place for many years is the blue-eyed/brown-eyed experiment. To Kill A Mockingbird Quotes - 1072 Words | Internet Public Library "It changed my life. ", Elliott says the role of a teacher is to enhance students' moral development. The goal of the minimal group paradigm is to establish subjective differences and create a climate of favoritism. Considering all the stereotypes and prejudices that exist, what kind of damage is being done? In explaining the experiment rules to the brown-eyed contestants, she addresses the people of color in the room. In the case of any doubt, it's best to consult a trusted specialist. Multi-Problem Adolescents: An Increasing Problem, Professor Jane Elliott performed a group experiment, the current problems related to discrimination. I often think about Paul Bodensteiner. "Let me look at you," Elliott said. Therefore when she gave the blue eyed people more freedom than the brown eyed people, the blue eyed people started feeling like kings because they thought they were better, and were treated better. The experiment known as Blue Eyes Brown Eyes experiment is regarded as an eye-opening way for children to learn about racism and discrimination. The Associated Press followed up, quoting Elliott as saying she was "dumbfounded" by the exercise's effectiveness. To this day, at the age of 86, Jane Elliott continues this work. She would conduct the exercise for the nine more years she taught the third grade, and the next eight years she taught seventh and eighth graders before giving up teaching in Riceville, in 1985, largely to conduct the eye-color exercise for groups outside the school. You should be happy! Ethical issues were 1/3 of the participants refused to take the head off the rat . Their 12-year-old daughter, Mary, came home from school one day in tears, sobbing that her sixth-grade classmates had surrounded her in the school hallway and taunted her by saying her mother would soon be sleeping with black men. Even though some of the children said yes, Elliott pushed back. In Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essential Virtues That Teach Kids to Do the Right Things, educational psychologist Michele Borda says it "teaches our children to counter stereotypes before they become full-fledged, lasting prejudices and to recognize that every human being has the right to be treated with respect." Did we fail the blue eyes/brown eyes experiment or did it fail us? Additionally, the brown-eyed students got to sit in the front of the class, while the blue-eyed kids . Children with brown eyes were forced to wear armbands that made it easy for people to see that they had brown eyes. She told them that people with brown eyes were better than people with blue eyes. In doing the research for my book with scores of peoples who were participants in the experiment, I reached out to Elliott. "They are cleaner and they are smarter.". Role Theory: Expectations, Identities, and Behaviors. She said she watched and was horrified at what she saw. Provide your email for sample delivery, You agree to receive our emails and consent to our Terms & Conditions, Order an essay on this subject and get a 100% original paper. Looking back, I think part of the problem was that, like the residents of other small midwestern towns I've covered, many in Riceville felt that calling attention to oneself was poor manners, and that Elliott had shone a bright light not just on herself but on Riceville; people all over the United States would think Riceville was full of bigots. Much like the Zimbardo's Stanford Prison experiment where students were divided by either being the jailer or the jailed. SpeedyPaper.com 2023 All rights reserved. This meeting, along with other clips of the exercises impact on education, is featured in a PBS documentary called A Class Divided. She has led training sessions at General Electric, Exxon, AT&T, IBM and other corporations, and has lectured to the IRS, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Education and the Postal Service. The results were the same. Although Jane Elliot's intentions were to teach the youngsters about racism, ethical issues related to the simulation were raised. But Elliotts experiment had a more sinister impact. ", We stopped on Woodlawn Avenue, and a woman in her mid-40s approached us on the sidewalk. THE ANGRY EYE , a 35-minute video, features Jane Elliott conducting her Blue Eyed/Brown Eyed exercise with college students.