Logo image
Trick or treating this Halloween? Know your group behaviour
Other

Trick or treating this Halloween? Know your group behaviour

Z. Talati
The Conversation, Vol.31 October 2014
The Conversation Media Group
2014
url
Free to Read *No subscription requiredView

Abstract

Halloween is upon us tonight and it’s all just a bit of harmless fun, right? Or is there truly a dark side to Halloween? What should we make of kids getting together in groups, wearing costumes that hide their identity, and going from house to house asking for treats at the threat of a “trick”? One dark Halloween night many years ago, some researchers decided to find out by hiding in houses throughout suburban Chicago, in the United States, and observing the behaviour of 1,039 children who were trick-or-treating by themselves or with other children (but not with adults). The aim was to see if the children’s behaviour would be influenced by anonymity and/or the behaviour of the other children they were with (if they were in a group).

Details

Metrics

23 Record Views
Logo image