Mindlessness or mindfulness: A partial replication and extension of Langer, Blank, and Chanowitz.

Four studies examined whether verbal behavior is mindful (cognitive) or mindless (automatic). All studies used the experimental paradigm developed by E. J. Langer et al (see record 1979-23568-001). In Studies 1–3, experimenters approached Ss at copying machines and asked to use it first. Their requests varied in the amount and kind of information given. Study 1 (82 Ss) found less compliance when experimenters gave a controllable reason ("… because I don't want to wait") than an uncontrollable reason ("… because I feel really sick"). In Studies 2 and 3 (42 and 96 Ss, respectively) requests for controllable reasons elicited less compliance than requests used in the Langer et al study. Neither study replicated the results of Langer et al. Furthermore, the controllable condition's lower compliance supports a cognitive approach to social interaction. In Study 4, 69 undergraduates were given instructions intended to increase cognitive processing of the requests, and the pattern of compliance indicated in-depth processing of the request. Results provide evidence for cognitive processing rather than mindlessness in social interaction. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)