Course:

Introduction to Psychology

Assignment topic:

Two Factor Theory Experiment

Submitted to:

Ms. Shagufta Kiran

Submitted by:

Hamna Matloob

Roll # 19

BS Applied Psychology

Session 2020-2024

Two Factor Theory Experiment

Schachter and Singer’s Experiment:

In a 1962 experiment, Schachter and Singer put their theory to the test. A group of
184 male participants was injected with epinephrine, a hormone that produces arousal including
increased heartbeat, trembling and trembling rapid breathing.

Experiment:

In their study, they told subjects that they were investigating the effect of a vitamin
supplement “suproxin”. Some of these injections were placebos. Some subjects were informed
that “suproxin” would produce some symptoms as a side effect.

Some were given misleading information and some were remained uninformed.
After the shots and explanations, subjects moved on to different rooms, to test the effect of
perception and cognition on emotion.

A carefully trained member of experimental team was introduced as another

subject. He doodled designs or scrape paper, crumbled the paper and threw it in a waste basket,
shot paper airplanes across the room, built a tower out of manila folders, knocked it down and
asked the subjects to join him in his activates. Others subjects experienced a different scene.
Some subjects sat with a grumpy actor filling out a phony questionnaire, he complained about
many of the question, and finally ripped up the form and walked out.

After each scene, subjects filled out a genuine questionnaire measuring emotional
state, which required subjects to rate their feeling of anger and happiness.

Schachter Singer found that in general the actor had a pronounced effect on subject’s
mood, when the subjects had not been given an explanation about the expected symptoms.
Subjects who were uniformed about the effect the medicine, they labeled the arousal according
to the situation presented to them.

Those who were warned about the symptoms, they were not caught up by the
arranged cognitive drama.
Reference:

S,Rakshanda(2010).An Approach to Psychology for Degree classes, Vol. 1

Faisalabad, page no. 276