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Mirror lab

The Mirror lab is a multifunctional lab in which various types of research can be carried out. The lab is used for a number of purposes, including alcohol and smoking studies, diet studies, and even studies in the field of legal psychology.

Setup
The Mirror lab has a bar, which makes the lab seem like a real bar or pub. It also has a mirror wall, which is used explicitly in various types of study, but is covered up in others. For the smoking studies carried out, the lab also has a smoke duct and extraction system. Where necessary, researchers can place cameras or computers in the lab.

Alcohol, smoking and diet studies
The bar in the lab is used during alcohol studies; it helps to recreate the atmosphere that people experience when going out and having a drink somewhere. These studies focus primarily on environmental factors that influence drinking and smoking behaviour.
The Mirror lab is also used for studies on eating disorders and body image. An example of a diet study is one in which people are asked to describe themselves while looking at their reflection in the mirror wall.
 
Mock offences
The Mirror lab is also used for research in the field of legal psychology. One example is studies in which participants are asked to commit mock offences, on which they are then questioned in a memory task or lie detector test. Many offences are committed in or around bars or clubs, which makes the Mirror lab – with its bar – ideal for this type of study.
Once participants have committed a mock defence, half of them will be asked to tell the truth about the offence committed during questioning, while the other half will be told to lie or feign memory loss. Then, one week later, all participants are asked to tell the truth about the offence committed when questioned again.
Among other things, studies of this nature reveal that people who do not initially tell the truth about an offence remember fewer details about the offence, as it actually took place, later – when questioned about it a second time. This shows that if you initially act as if you have forgotten things, this can ultimately undermine your memory.

Lie and memory detection
The mock offences that are enacted in the Mirror lab are also the subject of studies involving lie and memory detection.
 
Last modified: Fri, 07/07/2017 - 16:26

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