Nevertheless, Elliott became as famous as a teacher could become in America. This paradigm helps understand the current problems related to discrimination. Typical of their responses was that of Debbie Hughes, who reported that "the people in Mrs. Elliott's room who had brown eyes got to discriminate against the people who had blue eyes. (Byrnes & Kiger, 1992). One student answers, since the day I was born. Throughout the entire experiment, Elliott leads frank conversations about race and discrimination. Initial Reaction to the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Exercise. Jane Elliott's Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes experiment was a turning point in social psychology. From Elliot's highly controversial experiment it is clear that prejudice and discrimination can only be understood through experience. But Elliotts experiment had a more sinister impact. The Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise received national attention shortly after it ended. It is a must . Sign up for Politics Weekly.]. Focusing on ethics the experiment violated some of the principles and codes of conduct established by the American Psychological Association. The Blue Eye/Brown Eye was an experiment performed by Jane Elliot in 1968 on the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The Blue Eyes & Brown Eyes Exercise. "The racists carry on, so I carry on." The lives and legacies of Dr. Jane Elliott and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are inextricably linked. All rights reserved. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 was also an event that spurred educators to action, motivating one teacher to try out a bold experiment touted to reduce racism. Words are the most powerful weapon devised by humankind. After recess that day, the brown-eyed children complained that they were . one girl asked. They all either smiled or laughed and nodded.". "She got carried away by this possession she developed over human beings. Jane Elliott, shown here in 2009, remains an outspoken advocate against racism. The next day, Elliott reversed the roles. The blue-eyed participants faced discrimination for two and a half hours. Jane Elliott's Blue-Eyed versus Brown-Eyed Students experiment was conducted to determine whether racism was a learned characteristic. Its goal was to demonstrate what prejudice was to her third grade class. ", Dean Weaver, 70, superintendent of Riceville schools from 1972 to 1979, said, "She'd just go ahead and do things. In explaining the experiment rules to the brown-eyed contestants, she addresses the people of color in the room. Subsequently the brown-eyed children stopped objecting, even when Miss Elliott and the blue-eyed kids chastised and bullied them. On Monday, Elliott reversed the exercise, and the brown-eyed kids were told how shifty, dumb and lazy theywere. 10," Elliott said. The never-before-told true story of Jane Elliott and the "Blue-Eyes, Brown-Eyes Experiment" she made world-famous, using eye color to simulate racism. The results were the same. Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes 1968 - Jane Elliot, grade school teacher in Iowa conducted a classroom experiment to test whether racism was a learned characteristic Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes - an experiment to "create racism" Jane Elliot divided her 4th grade class into two groups based on eye color The Brown eyed group were told they were superior due . Multi-Problem Adolescents: An Increasing Problem, Professor Jane Elliott performed a group experiment, the current problems related to discrimination. Before she could answer, another boy piped up: "If she didn't have blue eyes, she'd be the principal or the superintendent.". The story was then picked up by the Associated Press. Order from one of our vetted writers instead. Normally, blue-eyes isnt an insult. For many, the experiment went horribly awry. ( 1985-03-26) " A Class Divided " is a 1985 episode of the PBS series Frontline. Directed by William Peters, the episode profiles the Iowa schoolteacher Jane Elliott and her class of third graders, who took part in a class exercise about discrimination and prejudice in 1970 and reunited in the present day to recall the experience. (2013). They killed hundreds of thousands of people based on eye color alone, thats the reason I used eye color for my determining factor that day., Elliott divided the class into children with blue eyes and children with brown eyes. "Brown-eyed people have more of that chemical in their eyes, so brown-eyed people are better than those with blue eyes," Elliott said. people are better than blue-eyed people. In fact, most of the initial response was negative. [online] Today I Found Out. Weve been here before, with unsettling and disturbing results. How can put those little children through that exercise for a day? And they seem unable to relate the sympathy that theyre feeling for these little white children for a day to what happens to children of color in this society for a lifetime or to the fact that they are doing this to children based on skin color every day. Regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status, decision making in psychology should protect individual rights and welfare to eliminate potential biases. Is your time best spent reading someone elses essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER! SYNOPSIS OF BLUE EYED. Later, it would occur to Elliott that the blueys were much less nasty than the brown-eyed kids had been, perhaps because the blue-eyed kids had felt the sting of being ostracized and didn't want to inflict it on their former tormentors. She asked them if they would like to experience what it felt like to be in a person of colors shoes. Jane would get invited to go to Timbuktu to give a speech. One of the blue eyed even went to hit a brown eyed just for the fact that he was brown eyed. Would you like to get this essay by email? "You better apologize to us for getting in our way because we're better than you are," one of the brownies said. Elliott was shocked by the results and decided to switch the roles the following day. The idea was simple but profound. Nobodys standing here. ", The two hugged, and Whisenhunt had tears streaming down her cheeks. See Page 1. Days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., she pioneered an experiment to show her all-white class of third graders what it was like to be Black in America. Immediately after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Professor Jane Elliott used the minimal group paradigm to perform an experiment that would teach her students about race discrimination. They embraced the experiments reductive message, as well as its promised potential, thereby keeping the implausible rationale of Elliotts crusade alive and well for decades, however flawed and racist it really was. The test also included violation of consent in which participation of the children was made involuntarily. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd. Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes offers an intimate portrait of the insular community where Elliott grew up and conducted the experiment on the town's children for more than a decade. Introduction. She has led training sessions at General Electric, Exxon, AT&T, IBM and other corporations, and has lectured to the IRS, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Department of Education and the Postal Service. Did they know what it was like to be discriminated against? I interviewed Julie Pasicznyk, who had been working for US West, a giant telecommunications company in Minneapolis. The following are some of her most insightful quotes on these issues. You should be happy! This procedure is sometimes so subtle that no one notices it happening. "Would you like to come on the show?" Was The Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment Ethical? One example that has been in place for many years is the blue-eyed/brown-eyed experiment. Jane Elliott, a teacher and anti-racism activist, performed a direct experiment with the students in her classroom. The act of treating students differently was obviously a metaphor for the social decisions made on a larger level. To back up my statement Bloom (2005) says Jane Elliott's blue-eyes brown-eyes exercise encouraged children to mistrust authority figures. She described to her colleagues what she'd done, remarking how several of her slower kids with brown eyes had transformed themselves into confident leaders of the class. Lasting Impact of Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment, Words are the most powerful weapon devised by humankind. Open Document. I felt like quitting school. She told the kids that blue-eyed children weren't as good as brown-eyed or green-eyed ones. Elliott reminded them that the reason for the lesson was the King assassination, and she asked them to write down what they had learned. She had never met me, and she accused me in front of everyone of using my sexuality to get ahead.. As a school teacher in the small town of Riceville, Iowa, Elliott first conducted the anti-racism experiment on her all-white third-grade classroom, the day after the civil rights leader was killed. With a couple of basic and arbitrary examples, Elliott made the case that brown-eyed people were better. What Was the Purpose of the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Experiment? Fourteen years later, the students featured in The Eye of the Storm reunited and discussed their experiences with Elliott. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Even family members can turn against each other if some authority suddenly decides that those differences are a problem. The students were surprised, but they didnt argue. Grasping for a scientific explanation, she ended up claiming that melanin makes eyes darker, and makes . "It's the same thing over and over again," Cross says. . Jane Elliots work and experiences have made her an authority on education and anti-racism. Society made them believe they were better than other people for arbitrary reasons such as skin color or gender. "People of other color groups seem to understand," she said. On Thursday, April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, TN. Is it even possible today? Unfortunately, you cant copy samples. In doing the research for my book with scores of peoples who were participants in the experiment, I reached out to Elliott. On the second day of the experiment, Elliott switched the childrens roles. Danko, M. (2013). Or alternatively you may decide to keep them in ignorance of what is happening. "I understand this is the first time you've flown?" On the first day of the experiment, Elliott told the children who had blue eyes that they were superior to the children with brown eyes; that they were better, nicer and smarter. Elliott rattled off the rules for the day, saying blue-eyed kids had to use paper cups if they drank from the water fountain. Withdrawn brown-eyed kids were suddenly outgoing, some beaming with the widest smiles she had ever seen on them. Sorry, but it's not possible to copy the text due to security reasons. Much like the Zimbardo's Stanford Prison experiment where students were divided by either being the jailer or the jailed. Now 45, she had been in Elliott's third grade class in 1969. "We just want to peek in," I volunteered. They are steeped in centuries of economic deprivation and cultural appropriation. That phrase came to my mind when I watched the video, A Class Divided, about education experiment to teach stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination (Frontline, 1985 . The blue-eyed girl apologized. This was intentional. The second day, Elliott reversed the groups. She pointed out flaws in a student and associated it with . . Blue-eyed students slumped in their chairs, as though . Would you like to find out? The experiment, known as Blue Eyes Brown Eyes experiment, is regarded as an eye-opening way for children to learn about racism and discrimination. They also harassed them constantly. Almost immediately, it was apparent that she had created segregation and prejudice given that the blue-eyed students began exhibiting signs of dominion and superiority. "She could get kids to do anything she wanted them to," he says of Elliott. "Why?" Jane Elliott has done a lot of reflection about the consequences of the minimal group experiment. Jane Elliott, a teacher and anti-racism activist, performed a direct experiment with the students in her classroom. Jane Elliott, an educator and anti-racism activist, first conducted her blue eyes/brown eyes exercise in her third-grade classroom in Iowa in 1968. "It's Riceville 30 years ago. Facilitators should be aware that Jane Elliott's focus on white people can lead viewers to the wrong impression that people of color are passively molded by white people's behavior when, in actuality, people of color can and do respond to racism in a variety of ways. As a journalism professor and author of a book on race that spans more than 50 years, Ive watched these developments with great concern. American Psychological Association, 4. The blue-eyed children were told not to do their homework because, even if they answered all the questions, theyd probably forget to bring the assignment back to class. Throughout the day, Elliott continued to give the children with blue eyes special treatment. "Things are changing, and they're going to change rapidly if we're very, very fortunate," she said. "Mention two wordsJane Elliottand you get a flood of emotions from people," says Jim Cross, the Riceville Recorder's editor these days. When she went downtown to do errands, she heard whispers. Once indoors, the brown-eyed group was then treated to coffee and doughnuts, while the blue-eyed group could only stand around and wait. In response to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Jane Elliott devised the controversial and startling, "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes Exercise." This, now famous, exercise labels participants as inferior or superior based solely upon the color of their eyes and exposes them to the experience of . It has since evolved into an online blog and YouTube channel providing mental health advice, tools, and academic support to individuals from all backgrounds. Elliott asked. When she separated the class by eye color and announced that blue-eyed children were superior, Paul Bodensteiner objected at every turn. The people and cultures already present in a place often feel threatened by new immigrants. ", Elliott replied, "Why are we so worried about the fragile egos of white children who experience a couple of hours of made-up racism one day when blacks experience real racism every day of their lives?". She has appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" five times. In 1968, schoolteacher Jane Elliott decided to divide her classroom into students with blue eyes and students with brown eyes. The more melanin, the darker the person's eyesand the smarter the person. "That you, Ms. The Hangout Bar & Grill, the Riceville Pharmacy and ATouch of Dutch, a restaurant owned by Mennonites, line Main Street. Three sections were selected to be administered the simulation . The May 25 killing of George Floyd set off weeks of nationwide protests over the police abuse and racism against black people, plunging the U.S. into a reckoning of racial inequality. Yet what Elliott did continues to stir controversy. The first day of the experiment she convinced the children that blue-eyed people were smarter, better and would have more priorities. Through this study, Elliot demonstrated how easy it is for prejudice and discrimination to emerge from just a simple message that people with one eye color are superior to people with another eye color. When the exercise ended, some of the kids hugged, some cried. "I don't think this community was ready for what she did," he said. ISBN 9780520382268. Jane Elliott (ne Jennison; born on November 30, 1933) is an American diversity educator.As a schoolteacher, she became known for her "Blue eyes/Brown eyes" exercise, which she first conducted with her third-grade class on April 5, 1968, the day after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The blue eyes and brown eyes experiment According to supporters of Elliott's approach, the goal is to reach people's sense of empathy and morality. The experiment, known as Blue Eyes Brown Eyes experiment, is regarded as an eye-opening way for children to learn about racism and discrimination. Blue-eyed people would get 5 extra minutes on the playground and blue-eyed people could not talk to brown-eyed people. Before proceeding with the test, she began with random questions to fully understand the children's perception of Negroes. There is a way to avoid editing or writing from scratch! Yes, that day was tough. Ethical issues were 1/3 of the participants refused to take the head off the rat . This way, she successfully created two distinct groups in her classroom: The consequences of the minimal group became evident very quickly. Select from the 0 categories from which you would like to receive articles. Jane Elliott and Dr. On April 5 1968 the day after the death of Martin Luther King Jr Elliott decided to show her students how easy it was to be influenced by racism. According to role theorist Erving Goffman, emotional and cognitive experiences in such experiments as the Blue-Eyed versus the Brown-Eyed can have a long-term influence on behaviors and attitudes of participants especially when they are made to play the role of a stigmatized group (Biddle, 2013). All 28 children found their desks, and Elliott said she had something special for them to do, to begin to understand the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. the day before. Some residents were furious. In 1970, Elliott would come to national attention when ABC broadcast their Eye of the Storm documentary which filmed the experiment in action. In this article, we'll explain what happened during the experiment and discuss its consequences. The publication of compositions which the children had written about the experience in the local . Jane Elliott's experiment. Elliott's friends and family say she's tenacious, and has always had a reformer's zeal. The latter felt discriminated against by the other brown-eyed children. Today, she says, it's still playing out as the U.S. reckons with racial injustice. ", Walt Gabelmann, 83, was Riceville's mayor for 18 years beginning in 1966. More than 50 years after her famous exercise, Elliott is still fighting. ", For years scholars have evaluated Elliott's exercise, seeking to determine if it reduces racial prejudice in participants or poses a psychological risk to them. "They shot that King yesterday. Although Jane Elliot's intentions were to teach the youngsters about racism, ethical issues related to the simulation were raised. She traveled to corporations, banks, prisons, schools and military bases. The basic idea was to separate the class into two halves, students with blue eyes and those with brown. They are cleaner than blue-eyed people. Zimbardocreator of the also controversial 1971 Stanford Prisoner Experiment, which was stopped after college student volunteers acting as "guards" humiliated students acting as "prisoners"says Elliott's exercise is "more compelling than many done by professional psychologists. When Elliott conducted the exercise the next year, she added something extra to collect data. Even though the response to the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes exercise was initially negative, it made Jane Elliott a leading figure in diversity training. One caller complained that white children would not be able to handle the exercise and would be seriously damaged by the exercise. Folks leave their cars unlocked, keys in the ignition. ", 2023 Smithsonian Magazine The day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, Jane Elliott, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring . The contents of Exploring Your Mind are for informational and educational purposes only. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 prompted educator Jane Elliott to create the now-famous "blue eyes/brown eyes exercise ." As a school teacher in the small town of Riceville, Iowa, Elliott first conducted the anti-racism experiment on her all-white third-grade classroom, the day after the civil rights leader was killed. She decided to continue the exercise with her students after lunch. The American Psychologists Principles and code of conduct state that in cases of deception, experimenters should take into consideration the potential harmful effects to participants. Why was the Blue Eyes and Brown Eyes Experiment considered unethical in psychology? This technique allows researchers to show how many different traits are necessary to create defined groups, and then analyze the subjects behavior within their groups. She also made the brown-eyed students put construction paper armbands on the blue-eyed students. "You have to put the exercise in the context of the rest of the year. The Associated Press followed up, quoting Elliott as saying she was "dumbfounded" by the exercise's effectiveness. On Friday, April 5, 1968, in Riceville, IA, a third-grade student walked . When my grandchildren are old enough, I'd give anything if you'd try the exercise out on them. The first thing that Jane Elliott did was divide the children into groups: those with blue eyes and those with brown eyes. She said she watched and was horrified at what she saw. Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images APA principles acknowledge that individuals rights to privacy, self-determination, and confidentiality is paramount to all psychological activities. And you'll always have it. Blue Eyed vs Brown Eyed Study Conducted by Jane Elliott Presentation by Bree Elliott Ethics Background The Results In 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated, Jane Elliott was the teacher of a third grade class in the town of Riceville, Iowa.