Breaching experiment - Definition and Overview

In the field of social psychology, a breaching experiment is an experiment that seeks to examine peoples' reactions to violations of commonly accepted social rules or norms. Erving Goffman's seminal study Behavior in Public Places gives some classic examples, such as "it is inconsiderate to litter - put your garbage in the trash can". The breaching experiment studies peoples reaction to an experimenter who breaks this rule.

Other examples include:

• A common breaking experiment is to stand, in an elevator, facing the wall rather than door. While there is no "official" policy against standing that way in an elevator, most react to it as bizarre, and some will react as if the person is mentally retarded or ill.
• 'The inexplicable do-gooder': Social science researcher Earl R. Babbie writes that "it is a social rule that ordinary citizens should not pick up garbage from the street, or mend street signs, or otherwise fix problems." Babbie claims that people have negative reactions when they see somebody fixing something that isn't 'their job' to fix; in some cases, altruistic actions are viewed as personal intrusions.
• 'The literalist'. Instead of responding normally to questions like 'how are you' according to American standards, the experimenter responds as if they didn't know there was an American social rule for how to respond (i.e. 'I'm fine- how are you'). In foreign countries, this may occur naturally because the question "How are you?" is taken as an inquiry into personal well-being and emotional health; some people will answer candidly.

The MTV show Boiling Point, is a breaching experiment-based reality program where actors will subject people, chosen randomly, to absurd and often discomforting behavior. If the person endures throughout a pre-set period of time without losing control of his or her temper, the "subject" is given US$100.

Rarely, breaching experiments are conducted on job or educational interviews, particularly of candidates for medical school admission. These are used to verify that the interviewee can handle high-stress, interpersonal situations where one party behaves in a clearly inappropriate manner. (For example, physicians are often asked inappopriate questions by patients, but must keep a calm temper even when this happens.) When the job position does not involve public activity, many of these interview devices are considered inappropriate and may constitute harassment.

Some breaching experiments conducted in the past would be considered unethical today because of their intrusive nature.

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