How do you teach the power of ostracism? Evaluating the train ride demonstration

To conduct the evaluation of the train ride for purposes of reporting results in a publication, we submitted an application to, and received permission from, Macquarie University’s Institutional Review Board.We would like to thank Tim Bates, Trevor Case, Sue Ferguson, Joe Forgas and Cassie Govan, for their assistance in collecting data and evaluations.

Figures & data

Table

Question: During the train ride…	Not at all				Very much
I felt disconnected. (B–)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt rejected. (B–)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt like an outsider. (B–)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt good about myself. (SE)	1	2	3	4	5
My self‐esteem was high. (SE)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt liked. (SE)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt invisible. (ME–)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt meaningless. (ME–)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt non‐existent. (ME–)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt powerful. (C)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt I had control over the course of the interaction. (C)	1	2	3	4	5
I felt superior. (C)	1	2	3	4	5
My mood was….
…good	1	2	3	4	5
…bad	1	2	3	4	5
…happy	1	2	3	4	5
…sad	1	2	3	4	5
…tense	1	2	3	4	5
…stressed	1	2	3	4	5
…aroused	1	2	3	4	5
…relaxed	1	2	3	4	5

Table 1. Means and standard deviations (in parentheses) of students' (n  =  304) evaluations of the four teaching methods (1  =  not at all; 5  =  very much so)

	Teaching method
	“O” train	Discussion	Lecture	Assignment
Extent to which the teaching method gives you an understanding of how it feels to ignored and excluded (i.e., how it feels to be a target of ostracism)	4.2d (.89)	3.0c (.96)	2.4a (.98)	2.7b (1.1)
Extent to which the teaching method gives you an understanding of how it feels to ignore and exclude others (i.e., how it feels to be a source of ostracism)	4.2d (.93)	2.9c (.95)	2.3a (.93)	2.5b (1.1)
Extent to which the teaching method gives you an insight into your own experiences as a target or source of ostracism (e.g., with a loved one or peer).	3.8d (1.1)	3.1c (.97)	2.5a (.98)	2.7b (1.1)
How much would you like to participate in these activities as a way of learning about ostracism?	3.9d (1.0)	3.3c (.99)	2.6b (1.1)	2.3a (1.2)
Means across rows that do not share a common subscript are different from each other at p < .05.

Table 2. Means and standard deviations (in parentheses) of teachers' (n  =  10) evaluations of the four teaching methods (1  =  not at all; 5  =  very much so)

	Teaching method
	“O” train	Discussion	Lecture	Assignment
Extent to which the teaching method gives students an understanding of how it feels to be ignored and excluded (i.e., how it feels to be a target of ostracism)	4.6c (.52)	2.9b (.88)	2.5a (.71)	2.9a,b (.74)
Extent to which the teaching method gives students an understanding of how it feels to ignore and exclude others (i.e., be a source of ostracism)	4.6b (.52)	2.8 a (.79)	2.5a (.85)	2.8a (.63)
Extent to which the teaching method gives students an insight into their own experiences as a target or source of ostracism (e.g., with a loved one or a peer)	4.5c (.53)	2.9b (.88)	2.2a (.79)	2.6b (.97)
Rate how much you would like to use each of these activities to teach students about ostracism	4.5c (.53)	3.4b (1.2)	2.4a (.70)	2.7a,b (.48)
Means across rows that do not share a common subscript are different from each other at p < .05.