TV alert - Would You Fall For That?

Tonight (Friday 7/26) at 9 pm (ET) ABC premieres a new show called Would You Fall For That? and it looks to be quite promising. Tonight's episode includes segments on change blindness, the foot-in-the-door phenomenon and the Forer effect (also known as the Barnum effect). In fact, as I grumbled about Brain Games recently, this looks like a show that we need to watch not only because our students will - but also because they will be stealing some of our best activities and demonstrations! Oh well, #psychteacherproblems, right?

Here's the embedded preview, followed by the press release from ABC:

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The Cameras are Rolling as “Would You Fall for That?” Embarks on an Entertaining Adventure Examining Human Behavior 

Would you follow your instincts, or would you follow the herd? From the creators of “What Would You Do?” comes “Would You Fall for That?” – a one hour show that takes eye-opening and sometimes head-scratching psychological experiments out of the classroom and into the real world.   “Would You Fall for That?” secretly transforms public parks, art galleries, tourist attractions and other everyday locations into settings for social experiments that reveal the often funny and provocative ways the human mind can play tricks on us.  Anchored by ABC News Correspondent Nick Watt, and featuring comedians Scott Rogowsky and Sasheer Zamata, “Would You Fall for That?” asks and answers some of the most mind boggling questions about human behavior.  “Would You Fall for That?” premieres Friday, July 26 (9:00 – 10:00 pm ET) on the ABC Television Network and airs for two subsequent Fridays.

On the premiere episode:

Photo Swap/Change Blindness:   Under the right circumstances our brains are wired to be blind to changes happening right in front of our eyes.  Using only a digital camera, a large cardboard sign and some helpful passersby, “Would You Fall for That?” gives this scientific principle a real-world test.  Watch as people agree to snap a photo of our bearded host, Scott, only to end up taking a picture of clean-shaven Nick — without ever spotting the switch!  And what if Scott and Sasheer switch places? Or a picture of Scott and Sasheer becomes a three shot of Scott, Sasheer and Nick? Will anyone even notice?

Bird in a Tree/Foot in the Door Theory:  ”Foot in the door” theory says that if you start small, you can gradually get people to do more and more outlandish things. Really? How outlandish?  ”Would You Fall for That?” takes flight to New York’s Central Park to find out.  Scott, dressed up as a bird watcher, stops random park goers and tells them he has spotted a ridiculously rare bird in a tree. What he doesn’t tell them is he bought the stuffed bird and wired it to the tree. Using “foot in the door technique,” Scott sees how far out on a limb he can get people as he asks them to perform more and more bizarre things in an effort to attract the attention of our Bird in A Tree.

Horoscope/The Forer Effect, Subjective Validation:  How many people will believe that a generic horoscope, cut and pasted from several newspapers over 60 years ago by a psychology professor, is meant just for them?  Why do horoscopes have such a powerful impact on people?  To find out Nick Watt disguises himself as a famous astrologer from London and “reads” the horoscopes of six random people who believe they will be on a pilot for a new TV show. Will they fall for it? And how will they react when we tell them the truth? Cameras are rolling for their surprising reactions.

--posted by Steve

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