The effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged: A field experiment in an institutional setting
Langer and Rodin report a field experiment on enhanced personal responsibility and choice for residents of a nursing home. The experimental group received a communication stressing their responsibility for themselves, while a second group was told the staff were responsible for them. To reinforce the message, the first group was also given choices and the care of a plant, and the second group had decisions made for them. The study was built on the expectation that a decision-free environment contributes to the condition of residents and that this may be reversible.
Langer and Rodin report a field experiment on enhanced personal responsibility and choice for residents of a nursing home. The experimental group received a communication stressing their responsibility for themselves, while a second group was told the staff were responsible for them. To reinforce the message, the first group was also given choices and the care of a plant, and the second group had decisions made for them. The study was built on the expectation that a decision-free environment contributes to the condition of residents and that this may be reversible.
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Langer, E. J., & Rodin, J. (1976). The effects of choice and enhanced personal responsibility for the aged: A field experiment in an institutional setting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34(2), 191-198