Purpose:To demonstrate how physical appearance and dress may be manipulated by a communicator to gain influence in a particular situation.

Materials needed:You will need a set of formal (e.g., dress, suit, and tie) and a set of very informal (e.g., old t-shirt and faded jeans) clothes.

Procedure:a few of the studies that examined the effect of dress on compliance with requests for help. Go out into the community in groups of three. One of you should dress formally and another should dress very informally. The third should act as an observer and/or confederate, depending on the situation. Examine how compliance with the formally attired student differs from compliance with the informally attired student in the following situations:

• Requesting a quarter for a parking meter.
• Receiving help picking up books you drop on the sidewalk. (Eye contact might be varied in this situation as well.)
• Asking people to complete a short questionnaire. (You will need to prepare this questionnaire ahead of time).
• Requesting signatures on a petition for a progressive cause such as "saving the whales" or "money for the homeless."

part 2

Post 1 discussion post briefly summarizing your experience with the corresponding Observation, and reply to at least 2 other discussion posts.

Remember, everyone did the same observation, so make sure to highlight anything about your experience that you felt was interesting, odd, hilarious, etc. to make your post unique.

Discuss your experience - describe the "victim's" reactions as well as your own feelings during and after the violation. Discuss the concept of proxemic/territorial norms and culture.