This is completely off topic, but ... as I've mentioned before, I have just started studying for a Psychology diploma. Today we conducted our first experiment: basically the Psychology class was let out onto the poor unsuspecting population of the campus, to scramble around, drop pieces of paper in front of passerbys and count how many people helped us pick them up. We had to catch these hapless individuals alone - this was one of the conditions of the experiment; I am now entirely certain that the reason why this was so hard, is because our "victims" have learned from past experiences that travelling alone was dangerous, what with all these mad pen-and-paper-wielding predators around!
It is true what they say: when you conduct experiments you stop looking at the participants as individuals - they become "Sources of Data"!
I think it is also entirely fair to say that, although this phenomenon has been observed in a number of universities around Australia, the administration has been undividely lax in addressing the issue: so far there've been no signs posted around campuses "Beware of the Psychology Student"!
(Disclaimer: this has been written with tongue firmly in cheek. Australian universities comply with ethical requirements in all experiments conducted, and no unsuspecting campus dwellers have been hurt. Neither were the Psychology students: they were all safely rounded up and locked away to process the recorded data.)
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