Flash
Judgments
Jennifer
Listiak
Molly
Fenske,
Description
of the Lesson
Students
will be shown a series of photographs. They will use the Flash Judgments
Attitude Scale and rate each picture. A “+” indicates appreciation, meaning
that one would have a positive attitude with this person and you would seek this
person out as your friend. A “0” indicates tolerance, meaning that one feels
neutral about this individual and that you have no interest in getting to know
this person. A “-“ indicates a negative attitude towards this person, and
you do not like him/her.
Out
of the photos shown, the students will also select a photo for each of the
following statements:
someone who is:
an athlete
a school drop-out
a tap dancer
from Japan
most like me
someone I’d:
want to go to a party with
vote for class president
expect to cause trouble
want as a friend
The
students will then view the photos once again. This time they will listen to
more information about each person in the photos. They will also hear what these
students are doing in their lives. The students will then go back and look how
they rated these photos. Would their ratings change now that they know more
about the students in each photo?
Connections
to Related Standards
Flash
Judgments relates to Minnesota Graduation Standards, Write and Speak, and People
and Culture. Within the Write and Speak Standard, students learn about
interpersonal communication and how that effects their daily lives. They may
learn more about this in a Psychology class or Small Group Communication.
Within
the People and Culture Standard, students learn about diverse perspectives. They
learn about different cultures, religions, and traditions in society.
One way to overcome the impact of flash judgments is to learn more about
people. Unfortunately, students and adults seldom take time to connect with
others, which results in lost opportunities to appreciate each other.
References
and Resources
Flash
Judgments (1995): PROgroup Inc.