Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026
06:00
Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
Published on: October 1, 2011
14.5K
Humans Conceptualize Victory and Defeat in Body Size
Wenjun Yu1, Zhongqiang Sun2, Jifan Zhou1
1Zhejiang University, Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
Scientific Reports
|March 16, 2017
Summary
Even when irrelevant, perceived size influences competition outcomes. Our study shows that larger gestures are associated with winning, and smaller gestures with losing, demonstrating a size-competition link in cognitive judgments.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Embodied Cognition Theory
Background:
- Size is often associated with dominance and competitive advantage.
- Embodied cognition theory posits that physical experiences shape cognitive processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reciprocal relationship between perceived size and competition outcomes.
- To test if size influences judgments in a competition unrelated to physical size.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the 'rock-paper-scissors game' to isolate outcome from physical size.
- Experiment 1: Assessed reaction times for judging winning/losing gestures under compatible (large-winner) and incompatible (small-winner) conditions.
- Experiment 2: Participants estimated the size of winning versus losing gestures.
Main Results:
- Participants responded faster when gesture size was compatible with the outcome (large-winner, small-loser).
- Winning gestures were perceived as significantly larger than losing gestures.
- Demonstrated a cognitive bias where size information influences competition judgment.
Conclusions:
- Perceived size can interfere with the judgment of competition outcomes, even when size is irrelevant.
- The embodied cognition framework helps explain how physical attributes like size can influence abstract judgments.
- Findings highlight the pervasive influence of size perception in human decision-making and social cognition.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Growth versus Fixed Mindset
364
Carol Dweck introduced the term mindset to describe individuals' beliefs about their intellectual and personal capabilities. These beliefs significantly influence psychological processes such as motivation, goal-setting, and perseverance, ultimately shaping academic and life outcomes. Individuals generally possess one of two mindsets- a fixed or a growth mindset—each promoting different responses to success, failure, and challenge.Fixed vs. Growth MindsetA fixed mindset assumes that one's...
364
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
19.0K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
19.0K
01:09Clearance Models: Physiological Models
392
Drug clearance is a critical pharmacokinetic process involving the irreversible removal of drugs from the body through various organs over a specified time period. Physiological models are indispensable in determining organ-specific clearance, defined by the proportion of the drug eliminated per unit of time from the organ's blood volume.
The organ's clearance rate depends on the blood flow to the organ and the extraction ratio (E). The extraction ratio describes the organ's...
The organ's clearance rate depends on the blood flow to the organ and the extraction ratio (E). The extraction ratio describes the organ's...
392
01:29Self-Evaluation Maintenance Model
370
The Self-Evaluation Maintenance (SEM) model offers a psychological framework to understand how individuals’ self-esteem is influenced by the achievements of others, particularly those with whom they share close personal bonds. The SEM model operates when personal rather than social identity guides individuals. Central to this model is the notion that individuals have an inherent desire to preserve a favorable self-image, which is continuously shaped by interpersonal comparisons and...
370
01:52Regression Toward the Mean
7.2K
Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when...
7.2K
01:03Centroid of a Body: Problem Solving
2.0K
The centroid of a body is a crucial concept in engineering and physics. Finding the centroid of a body can help determine its stability, its balance point, and even its design. In this context, consider a thin wire bent in the form of a quarter circular arc. Polar coordinates are used to calculate the centroid. The wire is first divided into small differential elements of a length equal to the radius multiplied by the differential angle.
The x-coordinates and y-coordinates of each element's...
The x-coordinates and y-coordinates of each element's...
2.0K