Examples Of Social Norms

While maneuvering through our crowded hallways many things are observed: kissing couples, rushing freshman, and teacher overlords. What we do not typically encounter are a few GHS citizens sitting Indian-style and chowing on a bowl of cereal. Why do we not see this? Because eating cereal in the hallway is not a social norm. Each culture has their own set of rules and standards of behavior that members are expected to follow and uphold. These norms enforce their cultural values and tell people how to act in certain situations. One social norm in particular is that you are expected to walk in the hallway to either your classes or to your locker. What is not normal is sitting in the middle of the walkway disrupting the flow of body traffic while eating. We conducted a social experiment based on the reaction of our peers as three of our group members munched on popcorn, salad, and cereal whilst sitting Indian-style in the hall. We conducted a social experiment in which three of our group mates sat in the middle of a hall and nonchalantly ate different foods. While sitting on the hallway floor, Bailey, Mallary, and Kendra watched reactions of their peers and administrators as they ate popcorn, salad, and cereal. With each food different reactions were cultivated.

One

While salad and cereal gathered strange looks and comments, popcorn seemed semi normal to meandering students, normal enough that they felt comfortable enough to grab a handful for themselves. The second variable was to sit in different areas of the school to observe the reactions of different age groups and to try it in different traffic flows. Bailey, Mallary, and Kendra, each sat in one of the grade-level hallways (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) and acquired fairly different reactions in each