AY '06-'07 2nd Sem Psychology101 experiment paper

J. Gabriel L. de Leon
2006-07148
Psychology 101 TFW-2
Prof. Jose Antonio Clemente
Experiment Evaulation

Focus Group Discussion (FGD): Body Image

This two-hour credit experiment was facilitated by Lucil Aguada, a 3rd year Psychology major taking up Psychology 118. The focus-group discussion, held in the CIS Lobby, was about body image, which is what people think of physical stature. For this, the experimenter chose only males as participants. The discussion was basically divided into two parts: first, she asked the participants about their personal views on the current state of their bodies, their level of satisfaction on their current conditions, and any insecurities that they felt or noted regarding their physique. Then, she asked about the participants’ notions of what the ideal body image is, the factors that influenced them to think that way, and the steps, if any, that they took in order to improve their current body image and somehow attain that “ideal” body. While we shared our insights, the facilitator took notes and, at the same time, also recorded our responses through a tape recorder.

I personally think that Miss Aguada did a great job in facilitating the discussion, allowing the smooth influx of insights from the participants, giving her own insights every now and then, especially when the discussion was apparently approaching some sort of dead end. The almost-flawless flow of the discussion could also be owed to the way she outlined and directed her questions in such orderly fashion, add to that her cheerful and encouraging approach that eased up any tensions or hindrances beforehand. However, there were also a few drawbacks one, only two out of her prospective participants were able to attend, dramatically reducing the discussion time and positive group dynamics; and two, I felt that the venue (CIS Lobby) was actually not conducive to open discussions, even if the topic was really that interesting. Regardless, hats off to Ate Lucil for making the most of what was at her disposal back then. (“,)