Multiple studies were done in order to test the accuracy of seating bias’s in different settings. The hypothesis of this article is to attest that people are more likely to sit on the right side of the room when sitting in a movie theatre. Students were given a real-life scenario in full detail, without knowing the hypothesis, and were asked to choose a seat in a biology lecture or a movie theatre in order to test the hemispherical influences on seating choices. The results in the given experiment were in favor of the hypothesis as the students in PSYC 1F90 Seminar #6, on average, chose to sit on the right side of the movie theatre. As per the related articles, the results in the given experiment also agree with articles as all four declare a right-side seating bias for a movie theatre, versus the left-side seating bias for a biology lecture.
The Psychological Causes and Impacts of Seating Choices
Psychology studies the behavior the mind, and testifies why we do the things that we do. More specifically, why do we chose the spot in which we sit, in different settings? Although it may seem difficult to comprehend, this study will discuss the reasoning and factors behind why we chose specific seats in large crowds. Many may think it is just random choice, but psychology can prove that there is more to it than one assumes.
As seen through the articles that will be further talked about in this study, it will be clear as to what hemispheres of our brain work for different actions and learning styles, and why and how this could potentially affect where one would sit in different environments… to be exact, in a movie theatre or in a biology lecture. The study will also exemplify the differences seen between the two different settings, and how we may choose different seats accordingly.
For starters, Elias, Harms, and Reese (2014) suggested that when looking at the functions of the brain, that people may choose to sit on the right side of the theatre, as this projects directly to the left hemisphere. The left hemisphere is more commonly known for picking up on the artistic aspects of life rather than the logic aspects. When watching a movie, there is a greater chance that the movie will be creativity based over logic based, which will encourage people to subconsciously choose a seat in the left side of the theatre. Contrasting this point, for people who are walking into a biology lecture, they are more likely to decide on a seat to the left of the room. As previously stated, the left hemisphere is better known for the logical intelligence. If a student is sitting on the left side of the room, they are within the right field of view, which would relay directly to the left hemisphere/the right side of the brain. This would help them to learn better and more effectively as the information is being relayed directly to their right hemisphere, where it will be better processed.
On another note, people may argue that emotions play a role in seating as well. It is shown by Okubo (2009), that the left hemisphere of the brain is the side that is more emotionally simulative. When someone goes to the theatres to see a film that they are emotionally invested in, it is more likely for them to sit on the right side of the theatre, in order to project into the left hemisphere of the brain so that they can emotionally process what is happening in the film. If someone attending the movie was not as emotionally invested in the film, and do not necessarily care about the content, they may be more likely to sit on the left side as they are not picking the side in which their hemispheres will be most effective, as they do not care what they get out of the film. Although these are subconscious decisions that are made, when one walks into a theatre or lecture hall, their brain is constantly thinking and synthesizing. The hemispherical influence will always play a role in decision making without knowing. In certain situations, people may have other influences as to why they chose a certain seat, such as the side they wanted to select is full, but for the most part, the brain is covertly deciding for us.
Furthermore, it is demonstrated by Okubo (2009) that one can see that a major influence on seating selection is laterality and stimulation of movement. For certain people, this aspect may have stronger influence on their choice. Around 90% of the world dominantly use their right hand over their left, so for those few left handed people, they will often sit on the opposite side of the room to avoid arms bumping while writing. Even though being left handed makes a difference for peoples seating of choice, it doesn’t necessarily prevail in both settings. Another case of this can be related to vision. If someone’s vision is predominantly better in one eye over the other, they are more than likely to sit on the side of the room where they have the best visibility according to their conditions. Although they are more rare examples, it is still possible that these factors can play an important role on the data collected. For stimulation of movement, studies have been done by Gur, Gur, and Marshalek (1975) to help demonstrate how there are very different ways in which the left and right eyes work and move. A study was completed to show how people move their eyes in different (or both) directions when put in a certain situation often have a strong seating bias. These eye movements are a direct result of hemispherical impacts and it was proven that people who more often moves their eyes to the right will often chose a seat the left, and people who move their eyes leftward, are more likely to chose the opposite.
Moreover, Weyers, Milnik, Müller, and Pauli (2006) demonstrate how people may chose their seats depending on experiences that they have had in the past. For someone who has been through negative experiences in certain settings, they may chose a different seat than they did during the time for their experience, and for someone who had a positive experience, they may chose to sit in the same spot as the previous as they were more likely to have enjoyed their time in that spot. For example, a student may have sat in the front right section of their biology lecture, and could have been called upon by their professor for lacking attention. This student would be less likely to sit in this spot again, and may chose the furthest spot from there if they were feeling very effected by the situation. For someone who went to see a movie and sat right in the middle, and felt they had the best view in the theatre, they are more likely to pick that seat again as they are sure that they will have another good experience. Many people thrive on familiarity and personal experience.
In conclusion, one will see the different various impacts towards a seating bias. In this study, it is hypothetically predicted that people sitting in a movie theatre are more likely to sit towards the right side of the room. Along with the many provided studies, it is to be proven that this hypothesis is correct through the study of a classroom study.
Method
Participants
The participants included 17 students of all different demographics, who were all a part of the PSYC 1F90 seminar #6.
Measures
Students in the seminar were all given their own print out sheet, with a display of 100 seats, either in a movie theatre or a biology lecture. The sheet was handed out upside down and students were asked not to flip it over until further directed. Students were not to talk or share their work. Both versions had the center two columns blocked out from top to bottom. Students were asked to put an ‘x’ on the seat that they would chose to sit in when entering the appropriate setting. The students were given the information that the room had artificial lighting, and that it is possible to hear and see perfectly from all parts of the room. They were also informed that ventilation throughout the room is the same from all seats. In both rooms, the screen/lecturing stage were both placed at the front center of the room.
Procedure
For the procedure, students flipped the sheet over to the back of the page, to see a “score key.” The 10 columns of seats were numbered from one through eight, from left to right, excluding the middle two rows that were blocked off. In whichever column their seat was in, gave them the corresponding number to record. The scores were split between the biology lecture and the movie theatre so that the different results could be seen. The scores for each student were all listed under their appropriate setting, and the mean was found for each (add them all together and divide them by the number of scores per section). After this, the difference between the two means was also found. During the procedure, many questions were asking, mainly revolving around why students chose the seats they did, and what aspects in our minds/regular behavior affected where one chose to sit. For example, people who know that they use the washroom often may have chosen a seat toward the edge of the room and close to the door, whereas someone who doesn’t use the restroom as often may chose a seat closer to the middle.
Results
To get results for this experiment, as stated before, the mean for each section was found. This analysis gives a numerical result, showing which section of the room had the majority of the seats. In seminar #6, both the biology lecture and the movie theatres means were on the left right side of the room. From here, the difference between the two means were found, and if the result is a whole number (greater than one), we would see proof of correlation between psychology and where one choses to sit in different settings. If the number was less than one (a decimal), it would show a less strong relation between the psychology and where one choses to sit. Another calculation made in this experiment is the difference between the means of the movie theatre and the biology lecture. If the results from this are a positive number, it will help to prove that there is a correlation between the seating choices of the two sections, more specifically, it shows how where we chose to sit may not have to do with the context of the setting (biology lecture or movies), but more so with the structure and set up of the room.
Discussion
As per the hypothesis, and throughout the studies done, it can be seen that the study in this case supports the hypothesis. With an even number difference between the means of the movie theatre and the biology lecture, it is evident that there is a right-side seating bias in regard to the movie theatre. Although different groups of people may give different results and findings, the right-side seating bias also agreed with the four readings given.
Within the findings of this section, we see how there is a difference of 0.72 between the two means. Although this is a small fraction as compared to what the difference could have potentially been, it is still a positive number, and therefore it is still a qualified means of justification for the hypothesis. Because the difference was a small decimal number, it means that a few students from the biology lecture may have also chosen to sit on the right, but the majority sat on the left.
****implications
With such a study, many implications can arouse along the way. For starters, although direct instructions and adequate information was given about the setting, simply selecting a seat on paper is a much different experience than walking into the class room or theatre and choosing a seat. If I were to conduct this experiment, I would have the students individually walk into the setting a chose a seat as it is a true real-life setting. Along with this, people may have limitations physically, or mentally that effect where they are able to sit. For example, someone who is in a wheel chair may prefer to sit on a specific side, but the handicap seating is only available on one side of the room, therefore they must select accordingly. People may have injuries and other health conditions that may stop them from walking across the room if it isn’t necessary, or walking up stairs when other seats are available. In a real world setting, preferred seats may also be take, making it difficult to prove that there is a bias if people do not necessarily have their first choice of seats.
References
Gur, Raquel, E., Gur, Ruben C., & Marshalek, Brachia (1975). Classroom seating and functional
brain asymmetry. Journal of Educational Psychology, 67, 151-153.
Harms, Victoria., Reese, Miriam., & Elias, Lorin J. (2014). Lateral bias in theatre-seat choice.
Laterality, 19, 1-11.
Okubo, Matia (2009). Right movies on the right seat: Laterality and seat choice. Applied
Cognitive Psychology, 24, 90-99.
Weyers, Peter., Milnik, Annette., Müller, Clarissa., & Pauli, Paul (2006). How to choose a seat in
theatres: Always sit on the right side? Laterality, 11, 181-193.