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. She told her students that she had made a mistake the previous day and that brown-eyed students . Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Order from one of our vetted writers instead, First name should have at least 2 letters, Phone number should have at least 10 digits, Free Essay with a Response to Cross Words by UIW President Louis Agnese, How Does Donald Duk View His Chinese Heritage? The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 prompted educator Jane Elliott to create the now-famous "blue eyes/brown eyes exercise.". "Brown-eyed people have more of that chemical in their eyes, so brown-eyed people are better than those with blue eyes," Elliott said. 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 . "A Class Divided": How We Learn to Discriminate - Psychology Today She asked the other teachers what they were doing to bring news of the King assassination into their classrooms. One student answers, since the day I was born. Throughout the entire experiment, Elliott leads frank conversations about race and discrimination. One scholar asserts that it is "Orwellian" and teaches whites "self-contempt." On Monday, Elliott reversed the exercise, and the brown-eyed kids were told how shifty, dumb and lazy theywere. Blue-eyed people. In fact, most of the initial response was negative. We dont have to learn about those who are other than white. Jane Elliott's Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes experiment was a turning point in social psychology. Mary and Zeke have three children, all of whom have blue eyes. The minimal group paradigm has shaped an entire methodology in social psychology. The "invisible knapsack" is an analogy for a set of invisible and not widely talked about privileges that white people possess in the society. Jane Elliot and the Blue-Eyed Children Experiment. Introduction. Need an original essay on Essay Sample: Ethical Concerns in Jane Elliot's Experiment? She pointed out flaws in a student and associated it with . In doing the research for my book with scores of peoples who were participants in the experiment, I reached out to Elliott. "Blue-eyed people sit around and do nothing. "It changed my life. Still, Elliott said the last few years have brought out America's worst racist tendencies. March 26, 1985. Within a few hours of starting the exercise, Elliott noticed big differences in the childrens behavior and how they treated each other. You have the right color eyes!. The episode features with new footage of the students, who are now adults. American Psychological Association, 4. Elliott started to see her own white privilege, even her own ignorance. Elliott split her students into two groups, based on eye color. Everyone's tired of her. She says that its shocking how children whore normally kind, cooperative, and friendly with each other suddenly become arrogant, discriminatory, and hostile when they belong to a superior group. In the early morning, dew and fog cover the acres of gently swaying stalks that surround Riceville the way water surrounds an island. Elliott created the blue-eyes/brown-eyes classroom exercise in 1968 to teach students about racism. I have brown eyes. You can start from that point in Activity 2, or you can play the video from the beginning (00:00) so that your students can see civil rights era footage following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as Elliott's students returning to Iowa . "Brown eyes and Blue eyes" Study | sabbaila Even though the response to the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise was initially negative, it made Jane Elliott a leading figure in diversity training. On the morning of april 5, 1968, a Friday, Steven Armstrong stepped into Jane Elliott's third-grade classroom in Riceville, Iowa. What Was the Purpose of the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment? When Elliott conducted the exercise the next year, she added something extra to collect data. Why was the Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes Experiment considered unethical in psychology? Exercise or Experiment-- An Account of Jane Elliott's Tenacity: A Hire a professional with VAST experience! Stripping away the veneer of the experiment, what was left had nothing to do with race. PDF Blue eye Brown eye activity - The Classroom Biddle, B. J. "That you, Ms. . ISBN 9780520382268. This way, she successfully created two distinct groups in her classroom: The consequences of the minimal group became evident very quickly. Subsequent research designed to gauge the efficacy of Elliotts attempt at reducing prejudice showed that many participants were shocked by the experiment, but it did nothing to address or explain the root causes of racism. Zimbardocreator of the also controversial 1971 Stanford Prisoner Experiment, which was stopped after college student volunteers acting as "guards" humiliated students acting as "prisoners"says Elliott's exercise is "more compelling than many done by professional psychologists. However, the study shows some bias in the sample size and race of participants. ", Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, now-famous "blue eyes/brown eyes exercise, 'I See These Conversations As Protective': Talking With Kids About Race. Later, it would occur to Elliott that the blueys were much less nasty than the brown-eyed kids had been, perhaps because the blue-eyed kids had felt the sting of being ostracized and didn't want to inflict it on their former tormentors. She and Darald split their time between a converted schoolhouse in Osage, Iowa, a town 18 miles from Riceville, and a home near Riverside, California. The Blue Eye/Brown Eye was an experiment performed by Jane Elliot in 1968 on the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. She asked her students, who were all white, whether or not they knew what it felt like to be judged by the color of their skin. 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. 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. The first thing that Jane Elliott did was divide the children into groups: those with blue eyes and those with brown eyes. Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes: A Cautionary Tale of Race and Brutality You give them something nice and they just wreck it." I got to have five minutes extra of recess." The blue-eyed children were told not to do their homework because, even if they answered all the questions, theyd probably forget to bring the assignment back to class. Cookie Policy Her class, These differences lead to war and hate. Alan Charles Kors, a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, says Elliott's diversity training is "Orwellian" and singled her out as "the Torquemada of thought reform." Then tell them that . The blue eyes brown eyes study was a study on group prejudice and discrimination conducted by Jane Elliot. But when she discovered that I was asking pointed questions of scores of her former students, as well as others subjected to the experiment, she made an about-face and said she no longer would cooperate with me. She began this work in Elliott began the exercise by dividing her students by eye color. To Kill A Mockingbird Quotes - 1072 Words | Internet Public Library January 1, 2003. She compromised the APA's Code of Conduct and Ethical Standard because she lied, after that she recanted the lies and kept as they were justified because of her greater purpose. "They shot that King yesterday. We use them to divide and destroy people., White peoples number one freedom, in the United States of America, is the freedom to be totally ignorant of those who are other than white. Focusing on ethics the experiment violated some of the principles and codes of conduct established by the American Psychological Association. Solve your problem differently! Jane Elliott The documentary has become a popular teaching tool among teachers, business owners, and even employees at correctional facilities. Yet what Elliott did continues to stir controversy. (Byrnes & Kiger, 1992). The secretary on duty looked up, startled, as if she had just seen a ghost. They are more civilized than blue-eyed people. In response to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Jane Elliott devised the controversial and startling, "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Exercise." This, now famous, exercise labels participants as inferior or superior based solely upon the color of their eyes and exposes them to the experience of . The corn grows so fast in northern Iowafrom seedling to seven-foot-high stalk in 12 weeksthat it crackles. Elliott flew to the NBC studio in New York City. This paradigm helps understand the current problems related to discrimination. Jane Elliott | Psychology Wiki | Fandom The Anti-Racism Exercise That Taught Kids to Be Racist - Gizmodo The nonstop parade of sickening events such as the murder of George Floyd surely is not going to be abated by a quickie experiment led by a white person for the alleged benefit of other whites as was the case with the blue-eyed, brown eyed experiment. Although Jane Elliot's intentions were to teach the youngsters about racism, ethical issues related to the simulation were raised. 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. Why do researchers use correlational studies? Barbie had to have a Ken, so Elliott picked from the audience a tall, handsome man and accused him of doing the same things with his female subordinates, Pasicznyk said. Students in the inferior groups were more likely to get a worse score. Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER! When she separated the class by eye color and announced that blue-eyed children were superior, Paul Bodensteiner objected at every turn. To this day, at the age of 86, Jane Elliott continues this work. How do you think the world would change if everyone experienced the perils and setbacks that come with prejudice and discrimination? Children with brown eyes were forced to wear armbands that made it easy for people to see that they had brown eyes. one girl asked. The three outcomes are: (1) virtually all of the subjects reported that the experience was ", 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?". The Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise received national attention shortly after it ended. "You better apologize to us for getting in our way because we're better than you are," one of the brownies said. Two Important Psychological Experiments: The Blue Eye/Brown Eye and I felt mad. Written and verified by the psychologist Francisco Roballo. You didnt understand the directions. It is a must . See Page 1. While controversial, the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise continues to be one of the most well-known and praised learning exercises in the world of educational psychology. She then made the blue-eyed students believe that they were better and smarter than their counterparts. Elliott was featured on nearly every national news show in America for decades. a brown-eyed boy asked. This procedure is sometimes so subtle that no one notices it happening. "It would be hard to know, wouldn't it, unless we actually experienced discrimination ourselves. She asks them if they have ever faced treatment like the type that blue-eyed people would experience in the following two and a half hours. Theyd have to use paper cups if they drank from the water fountain. Even though some of the children said yes, Elliott pushed back. The blue eye brown eye experiment. Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes: The Jane Kellen Castineiras PSY Dr. Gail C. Flanagan February 6, 2022. . Regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, decision making in psychology should protect individual rights and welfare to eliminate potential biases. The interaction only strengthened Elliott's resolve. The blue-eyed students, when told they were superior and offered privileges such as extra recess time, changed their behavior dramatically and their attitudes toward the children with brown eyes. When she went downtown to do errands, she heard whispers. Jane Elliott, a teacher and anti-racism activist, performed a direct experiment with the students in her classroom. Essay Sample: Ethical Concerns in Jane Elliot's Experiment. To most people, it seemed to suggest that racism could be reduced, even eliminated, by a one- or two-day exercise. Withdrawn brown-eyed kids were suddenly outgoing, some beaming with the widest smiles she had ever seen on them. Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes: A Cautionary Tale of Race and Brutality The more melanin, the darker the person's eyesand the smarter the person. They are steeped in centuries of economic deprivation and cultural appropriation. Grasping for a scientific explanation, she ended up claiming that melanin makes eyes darker, and makes . Things even got violent at recess. The blue-eyed girl apologized. ", Elliott defends her work as a mother defends her child. However, both Mary and Zeke have brown eyes. She attended a oneroom rural schoolhouse.Today, at 72, Elliott, who has short white hair, a penetrating gaze and no-nonsense demeanor, shows no signs of slowing. "People of other color groups seem to understand," she said. Jane Elliott, Creator of the "Blue/Brown Eyes" Experiment, Says Racism Is Easy To Fix. Disclaimer: SpeedyPaper.com is a custom writing service that provides online on-demand writing work for assistance purposes. The Associated Press followed up, quoting Elliott as saying she was "dumbfounded" by the exercise's effectiveness. Blue Eyes vs. Brown Eyes Experiment. PPT The Ethics of Using Human Participants - University of New Mexico 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. And they are smarter than blue-eyed people." The brown-eyed children got to sit in the front of the room, to go to lunch first, and to have more time at recess. Separate the class into two halves - those with blue eyes and those with brown. When Elliott first conducted the exercise in 1968, brown-eyed students were given special privileges. She decided to continue the exercise with her students after lunch. The roots of racism and why it continues unabated in America and other nations are complicated and gnarled. She gave the blue-eyed students an armband so other students could more easily identify them, and then she told her class that it was a scientific fact that people with brown eyes are smarter than those with blue because their bodies had more . Yes, that day was tough. The Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise is now known as the inspiration for diversity training in the workplace, making Jane Elliott one of the most influential educators in recent American history. Thats what it feels like when youre discriminated against., -A child participant in the Blue Eyes-Brown Eyes experiment-. How can put those little children through that exercise for a day? And they seem unable to relate the sympathy that theyre feeling for these little white children for a day to what happens to children of color in this society for a lifetime or to the fact that they are doing this to children based on skin color every day. Jane Elliott's blue eye brown eye case study is/isn't more ethical than In her article, Peggy McIntosh compares the "white privilege" to an invisible set of unearned rewards and . Module 2 Discussion_ Are We Still Divided_ Blue Eyes_Brown Eyes_ A 3rd The brown-eyed students also exercised a certain level of power over the blue-eyed students when they put the armbands on them. The tallest structure in Riceville is the water tower. In 1968, schoolteacher Jane Elliott decided to divide her classroom into students with blue eyes and students with brown eyes. ", Others have praised Elliott's exercise. She believed that experience was the only way her students could understand how it felt like to be discriminated. That same year, Elliott was invited to the White House Conference on Children and Youth to conduct an exercise on adult educators. "I don't think this community was ready for what she did," he said. "The browneyed people are the better people in this room," Elliott began. The Hangout Bar & Grill, the Riceville Pharmacy and ATouch of Dutch, a restaurant owned by Mennonites, line Main Street. Almost immediately, it was apparent that she had created segregation and prejudice given that the blue-eyed students began exhibiting signs of dominion and superiority. On the other hand, privileged members of the community are treated as in-groups which earn them undue respect and capacity to abuse the less advantaged. What can be changed to make the blue eyes and brown eyes experiment To begin with, Jane Elliot's experiment involved deception in which the children were made in believing that change in eye color influence intelligence.