The Economist recently featured a piece on the psychology of litter, called "Can the Can". In the article, research was described in which people were tested based on their willingness or openness to breaking rules. The hypothesis was that, if a scene was displayed as previously-vandalized (or some manner of law-breaking), the new subjects on the scene would also be more likely to break a rule.I was intrigued by the findings, in which it seemed that people would take their cues from their surroundings- i.e. if there was a dirty alley way, people would be more likely to litter, whereas a clean alley resulted in people's pocketing their trash. But this social normalization leaves out a key element: mental capacity of unknowing participants. This is in essence a test of the Hidden Curriculum, but there are many who cannot perceive such a system on their own.
It seems that this study makes more evident the need for explicit instruction in the Hidden Curriculum. But what I enjoy is that this showed a malleability in the decision-making of people, which is not always present in those with AS. I could foresee a person with AS staying true to their own values, even in the face of so-called peer pressure situations, like those presented in this study.
The article listed several related studies and articles, which may be reached below.
"Making Neighborhoods Safe"
"Broken Windows"
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