Girl forced into poligamy marriage - would you help?

We're studying biological influences in social behaviour right now. We behave in different ways based on the stimulus in an environment, but regardless of that stimulus it has to go through the brain. That information is input into the brain, processed and encoded where you take that observation or what's been perceived by the senses and you attached some meaning to it... either background knowledge related to the stimulus or a prior experience. You can find a value in that stimulus or have a memory that is similar. Based on whatever you've got for experience at that point, then, your resuting behaviour will be different from others, though somewhat expected in some situations.

In watching this video last night on tv, though, I sat perched on the side of my couch watching and as wrapped up in the show as I was I was more shocked at how much of a physical reaction I had in watching it. I was sick to my stomach watching and realized I had huge, crocodile tears forming in my eyes.

Now I knew this was all a set up, that it's a simulated situation, and the input is very limited in this case... there's no sense of touch or a physical closeness to the situation that would cause me to feel threatened or anxious but I felt it just the same. And why? Because when I encoded that information I was able to related it to other personal experiences where I've felt as threatened or conflicted in a moment.
Now to share this with my students this morning, I anticipated that they may get the shivers from parts of the video, but I guessed that they wouldn't have as emotional a response as I had. I was right... they aren't old enough to have witnessed things in life or experienced them themselves to understand and connect what they saw with the reality and magnitude of the situation.

That brain... it's a wonderous thing!

Note: I don't mean to violate any copyright by posting this video. I just can't find a place where you'd be able to embed it into my class blog.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• social
• psychology
• behaviour
• brain
• sensory
• perception
• poligamy
• bystander
• effect

[ccipollini1984]

@Avoksh

What really struck me was the woman who said "that's not a hero!" for helping the girl. She's right. That's just doing what any good human being regardless of race, gender or creed, should do.

[dewd12345]

That third lady deserves a medal

[bookrule]

i cant stop watching this. It is really horrible. I cant stop thinking that this is really going.

[19datchy92]

Awww, this made me cry :o

[marixsa1995rocks]

and gut fo tha men for trying to help

[marixsa1995rocks]

bravo i wish there was more of those women in this world it will make this world so much safer

[ladyrose161]

@MIRANDAlegheadsmack technically they arent latter day saints, they are fundamentalist latter day saints...i am lds, and mormon...and practicing polygamy would definitely get you excommunicated from my church. these people are a bunch of crazies that practice polygamy and pretend god wants them to. disgusting.

[Kazuo1G]

7:26 Good for that lady! 8D

[Kazuo1G]

"It's not your duty to question. It's your duty to OBEY."--Husband

That right there would have made me stand up, walk over to the guy, and sock him in the jaw.

[Kazuo1G]

My whole body hurt for a few seconds when I heard one of the wives say "We are your family now."

I understand this is a simulated situation, but that doesn't make it any better.

[Bot2Talk2]

:(

[MIRANDAlegheadsmack]

@LuvZippy But dude, as recently as 2001 a guy was convicted for it and he called himself a Latter Day Saint fundy. Still Mormon.