2. Introduction
Background:
Annually in the United States*:
•221,000 women use illicit drugs during
pregnancy
•757,000 women drink alcohol while pregnant
•820,000 women smoke cigarettes while pregnant
This causes:
•Premature babies
•FAS
•Brain damage
•Cognitive damage when older
*American Pregnancy Association- November, 2012
3. Introduction
What Does This Mean?
Educators and Doctors are against it
Socially unacceptable
Form of abuse towards the baby
U.S. public health officials and the American Academy
of Pediatrics strongly discourage women from consuming
alcohol while pregnant because of its potential to harm the
baby’s physical, emotional and cognitive development
(Conley, 2012)
4. Breaking the Norm
The Plan
IV 2: Drinking
Alcoholic Beverage
IV 2: Drinking Hot
Tea
IV 1: Pregnant Drinking Alcohol
while pregnant at
Bar
Drinking Hot Tea
while pregnant at
Bar
IV 1: Not Pregnant Drinking Alcohol
while not pregnant
at Bar
Drinking Hot Tea
while not pregnant
at Bar
5. Breaking the Norm
Dependent Variable:
Reaction of individuals around participant
Reactions are measured by a scale:
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Independent Variable:
IV 1: Pregnant/Non-Pregnant
IV 2: Consuming Alcohol/Hot Tea
Hypotheses:
H1: There will be little/no reaction when:
Participant drinks Hot Tea while pregnant at Bar
Participant drinks Alcohol while not pregnant at Bar
H2: There will be mild/high reactions when:
Participant drinks Alcohol while pregnant at Bar
Participant drinks Hot Tea while not pregnant at Bar
Action:
Refusal
of
Service
Aggressiv
ve Verbal
Comment
Closing
Bar Tab
Early
Neutral
Verbal
Comment
t
Disapproval
Gestures
Staring
g
Point and
talk
amongst
group
Rolling of
the Eyes
Glance Avoidanc
e
Breaking It Down:
6. Methods
Participants:
•Chili’ s-Northridge:
• 4 participants
• Two gentlemen and two women
• All participants were Caucasian
• Between the ages of 25-45 years
•El Torito- Northridge
• 4 participants
• Three females and one male
• All participants were Caucasian
• Between the ages of 25-45 years
7. Methods
Participants:
•Chili’ s-Woodland Hills:
• 8 participants
• All male except for one female (Bartender)
• All participants were Caucasian
• Between the ages of 35-50 years
•El-Torito-Woodland Hills:
• 11 participants
• Seven of the eleven participants were older males
•Mix of Caucasian and Latino
• Between the ages of 35-50 years
• The remaining four participants were female between the ages of
35-40 years
•Two were Latina and the other two females were African
American
8. Methods
Confederate:
• #1: Pregnant/Non-Pregnant – 28 Years Old –White - Female
• #2: Accompanied Friend – 23 Years Old –White - Female
• #3: Accompanied Friend – 23 Years Old –White - Female
• #4: Undercover Data Collector – 25 Years Old – Indian- Female
• #5: Undercover Data Collector – 20 Years Old – Hispanic- Female
• #6: Undercover Data Collector – 23 Years Old – Middle Eastern-
Female
Materials:
•Pregnancy Belt
•“Mommy To Be” Sash
•Clipboard
•Pen/Pencil
•Cell Phone App: Notepad
9. Methods
Procedures:
•Trial 1:
•Enter Bar in two groups
•Participant is not pregnant
•First group will order drinks/ Hot Tea
•Second group will record reactions
•Trial 2:
•Enter Bar in two groups
•Participant is not pregnant
•First group will order drinks
•Second group will record reactions
•Trial 3:
•Enter Bar in two groups
•Participant is pregnant
•First group will order drinks
•Second group will record reactions
•Trial 4:
•Enter Bar in two groups
•Participant is pregnant
•First group will order
drinks/ Hot Tea
•Second group will record
reactions
10. Results
DAY 1: Not Pregnant - Drinking Hot Tea At Bar – Chili’s
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Action:
Refusal of
Service
Aggressive
Verbal
Comment
Closing Bar
Tab Early
Neutral
Verbal
Comment
Disapproval
Gestures
Staring
Point and
talk
amongst
group
Rolling
of the
Eyes
Glance Avoidance
DAY 1: Not Pregnant - Drinking Alcohol At Bar - El Torito
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Action:
Refusal of
Service
Aggressive
Verbal
Comment
Closing Bar
Tab Early
Neutral
Verbal
Comment
Disapproval
Gestures
Staring
Point and
talk
amongst
group
Rolling
of the
Eyes
Glance Avoidance
11. Results
DAY 2: Pregnant - Drinking Hot Tea At Bar – Chili’s
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Action:
Refusal of
Service
Aggressive
Verbal
Comment
Closing Bar
Tab Early
Neutral
Verbal
Comment
Disapproval
Gestures
Staring
Point and
talk
amongst
group
Rolling
of the
Eyes
Glance Avoidance
DAY 2: Pregnant - Drinking Alcohol At Bar - El Torito
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Action:
Refusal of
Service
Aggressive
Verbal
Comment
Closing Bar
Tab Early
Neutral
Verbal
Comment
Disapproval
Gestures
Staring
Point and
talk
amongst
group
Rolling
of the
Eyes
Glance Avoidance
Interesting
Observation
Both Bars did NOT
ask for
Identification
during these two
trials
12. Results
Analytical Statistics
•A 2 x 2 between-subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA) was
performed on the dependent variable reactions and attitudes of the
participants.
•IV 1 (pregnant vs. non-pregnant) and IV 2 (alcohol vs. hot tea) were
used as the independent variables.
•IV 1 did not significantly predict DV, F (1, 26) = .957, p = .338.
•IV 2 did not significantly predict DV, F (1, 26) = 2.965, p = .098.
•No significant interaction or main effect was further found, F (1, 26) =
1.910, p = .180.
13. Debrief
Debriefing:
Purpose: Important ethical consideration to make sure that
participants are informed about their experience in the experiment and
that they are not harmed in any way. It is also a way to check on their
well-being as an individual after the experiment has been completed.
Bartender at El-Torito seemed anxious and stressed when serving the
pregnant participant
After debriefing Bartender, he responded:
“You know what? This isn't the first time I've seen a pregnant
lady come in. The first time, I confronted her and she said, ‘Mind
your f-ing business.’ This is why I stayed away and didn't
comment. My boss talked to me about it and we decided to respect
people for what they do to their bodies. They are adults. They
know. " and then said, " Thank you for telling me“, smiled and
gestured a “fist pump” to the group.
14. Discussion
•When looking at results through observations/reactions:
Only our first hypothesis was supported
When not pregnant:
Participant received mild gestures/ reactions when requesting
Hot Tea
Participant received little/no reaction when requested an
alcoholic beverage
When pregnant:
Participant received mild reactions when requested Hot Tea
Participant received highly inappropriate gestures/reactions when
drinking an alcoholic beverage
•When looking at results analytically:
Our hypotheses were rejected
No significance found in either condition
15. Discussion
Limitations:
Time and Day
Ex. Monday Night Football-All men in Bar
Type of restaurant attended
Number of Participants
Type of alcoholic beverage ordered
Location
What Do We Learn From This?
Cautious
Individuals are more passive-aggressive
Not practice this social norm while pregnant
Individuals will provide gestures/reactions when they
encounter a social violation
16. References
1. American Pregnancy Association. (2012, November 16). Statistics on Pregnancy.
Retrieved from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/main/statistics.html
2. Conley, M.C. (2012, July 20). 1 in 13 Pregnant Women Drinks Alcohol. ABC 7 News.
Retrieved fromhttp://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/07/20/1-in-13-pregnant-women-
drink-alcohol/
3. Ihlen, B.I., Amundsen, A.A., Tronnes, L.T. (1993). Reduced Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
and Changed Attitudes in the Population. Addiction, 88 (3), 389-394
4. Kinsley, M.K. (1991). Cocktails for Two. New Republic, 204 (22), 6-6.
5. Peadon, E.P., Payne, J.P., Henley, N.H., D'Antoine, H.D., Bartu, A.B., O'Leary, C.O.,
Bower,C.B., Elliott, E.E. (2010). Women's Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding
Alcohol Consumption in Pregnancy: A National Survey. BMC Public Health, 10,
510-517.
6. Raymond, N.R., Beer, C.B., Glazebrook, C.G., Sayal, K.S. (2009). Pregnant Woman’s `
Attitudes Towards Alcohol Consumption. BMC Public Health, 9, 1-8.
7. Uscher, J.U. (2012, December 11). Alcohol and Pregnancy: Is 'A Little Bit' Safe?
WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/drinking-alcohol-during-
pregnancy
17. Special Thanks To…
Annalace “Lacey” Hillinger
America Gonzalez
Eliana Ruelas
Amreet Thiara
Anita Zakarian
Editor's Notes
When a female becomes pregnant, her nutrition is vital to herself as well as the fetus.
Any malnutrition, including consumption of alcohol, can contribute to low birth weight, prematurity, retardation of brain development, cognitive deficiencies, and behavioral problems for the fetus.
Pregnant women are restricted to a healthy diet, which only contains the necessary nutrients for the growth of her offspring.
Unfortunately, many women do not take prenatal growth seriously and begin to abuse the fetus by consuming toxic liquids, such as alcohol.
According to the American Pregnancy Association (2012), 757,000 women drink alcohol while pregnant annually.
This is equivalent to approximately one in thirteen pregnant women in the United States will drink alcohol while pregnant.
Research performed by Ihlen (1993), reports that the prevalence of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) has increased during the last 20 years.
This is critical as FAS can result in fetal death, premature babies, retardation, and brain damage to the fetus.
Earlier research by Ihlen also provided important information on a population’s attitudes towards drinking alcohol over a period of time; for example, Ihlen performed a longitudinal study of a group of pregnant women in Norway over a period of five years.
What is interesting to see is that in 1985, 82% of women reported that alcohol should be abstained during pregnancy and only 4% of women thought alcohol was acceptable during pregnancy (Ihlen, 1993).
After five years, in 1990, 87% of women reported that alcohol should be abstained during pregnancy and only 2% of women thought alcohol was acceptable during pregnancy (Ihlen, 1993).
In the United States, drinking alcohol while pregnant is frequent.
However, socially and culturally, it is inappropriate for a pregnant woman to be drinking alcohol.
Previous research suggests that drinking alcohol while pregnant can provide negative attitudes.
In an article from Washington, a nine-month pregnant woman ordered a strawberry daiquiri in a Seattle restaurant and was handed the warning label from the beer bottle instead (Kinsley, 1991).
From this action, it is clear that it is unfitting morally for a pregnant woman to consume alcohol.
Research performed by Peadon et al. (2010) conducted a national cross-sectional survey of Australian women between the ages of 18-45 years.
Of the women surveyed, 80.2% reported that pregnant women should not drink alcohol while pregnant.
Also, 79.2% of women reported that they expressed having negative feelings towards women who drink while pregnant (Peadon et al., 2010).
The possible consequences for the female drinking while pregnant are negative attitudes, aggressive verbal comments, and possibly even refusal of service.
This is because drinking alcohol while pregnant is harmful for the baby and it can be offensive for the participant to watch a female abuse a fetus.
At the same time, the possible consequence for drinking hot tea while not pregnant can also be negative reactions.
This can be true because it is uncommon for a non-pregnant female to order hot tea at a bar.
The bar is meant for mostly alcohol and many bars will probably not provide hot tea, as it may not be in the menu.
Probable gains for following the norms are when participants give no reactions or positive feedback.
This happens because it is part of the norm for women that are not pregnant to sit at a bar and order alcohol. This is also part of the American lifestyle.
As such, it will not be uncommon or rare to see a non-pregnant woman drinking alcohol at a bar.
At the same time, it is also acceptable or normal for a pregnant woman to order hot tea at a bar because this demonstrates that the woman is cautious about the health of her baby and is providing herself with alternatives other than alcohol.
This would provide acceptance, positive reactions, and even positive feedback.
The current research tries to go further than previous research by running a cross-cultural experiment in which systematically, it is studied what happens when a particular norm is violated.
It is predicted that individuals will show little or no reaction when a pregnant woman drinks hot tea at a bar and also when a non-pregnant woman drinks alcohol at the bar.
On the contrary, individuals will show mild to high reactions when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol at a bar and also when a non-pregnant woman drinks hot tea at the bar.
Participants
There were four trials in this study. Because of the nature of this experiment, each trial had a different number of participants. In the first trial, there were four participants. There were two gentlemen and two women. All participants were Caucasian and between the ages of 25-45 years. In the second trial, there were also four participants. There were three females and one male. All participants were Caucasian and between the ages of 25-45 years. The third trial had a total of eight participants. All participants were male, except the bartender, who was a female. All participants in this trial were Caucasian and between the ages of 35-50 years. In the last trial, there were a total of 11 participants. Seven of the eleven participants were older males, between the ages of 35-50 years and were a mix of Caucasian and Latino. The remaining four participants were female, between the ages of 35-40 years. Two were Latina and the other two females were African American. All participants were found in two restaurants: Chili’s and El Torito. Each restaurant was observed in two different locations: Northridge and Woodland Hills.
There were six confederates in this study. All confederates were students from a research methods course in Psychology. Three of the individuals were undercover data collectors, who sat around or near the experimental group to observe and record reactions. The other three confederates were actors at the bar table. One of the confederates was the pregnant/non-pregnant female, while the other two individuals were accompanying the female as acquaintances.
Materials
A pregnancy belt was used for the confederate acting as a pregnant woman. A car was needed to drive all confederates to the four locations. To verify to participants that the pregnant woman in this study was truly expecting, a “Mommy To Be” sash was purchased to wear as a confirmation that the female was truly pregnant. For discreet purposes, data was collected on smart phones so participants are unaware that they are being observed. An application on the smart phone called, “Notepad” was used to collect data. SPSS was used to analyze data.
Procedure
In this present research, the aim of the study was to observe attitudes and reactions towards drinking during pregnancy and determining if this norm is acceptable or not. In this study, the norm was drinking hot tea while pregnant at a bar and also drinking alcohol at a bar while not pregnant. Conversely, breaking the norm was when a female drank alcohol while pregnant and also drinking hot tea while not pregnant at a bar.
The independent variables are pregnant/non-pregnant and alcohol/hot tea. The current research operationally defines this variable by ordering the alcoholic beverage or hot tea while either being pregnant or non-pregnant, depending on the trial. The dependent variable is the reactions that the participants express while observing the main researcher. This is operationally defined by a reaction scale that the researchers identified as a “reaction scale”.
In all trials, the six confederates arrived at four locations. They were: Chili’s in Northridge and Woodland Hills, California, and El Torito in Northridge and Woodland Hills, California. All locations were visited during the weekdays and during evening, Happy Hour times. The six individuals then split up into two groups, coming in the bar as if they are unacquainted. While the first group, the group that has a female act as a non-pregnant/ pregnant woman, sits in the bar area of the restaurant, the second group, the stealthy data collectors, requests to sit near the bar area also, to a table where all angles of the first group is visible for accurate recording. Data was recorded using a reaction scale created by the researchers. The scale ranged from 1-10, one being “Avoidance”, while a ten was “Refusal of service”. An example of a few anchors that were on the reaction scale were descriptions such as “glance”, “rolling of the eyes”, or “negative verbal comment”. A tally mark would be placed under a reaction that each participant made.
In the first trial, both groups arrived and went inside Chili’s in Northridge, CA around 7:00 p.m. in the evening on a weekday. The first group began to order drinks. Confederate #1 ordered hot tea, since she is the female that will be the main focus of the experiment. While Confederate # 1 orders her hot tea, the remaining two will order alcoholic beverages. The second group recorded any reaction or attitude that the participants expressed while observing our confederates. During the researcher’s stay, there were four participants that expressed reactions..
In the second trial, both groups arrived and went inside El Torito in Northridge, CA around 8:30 p.m. in the evening on a weekday. The main confederate was posed as a non-pregnant female and was requested to order alcohol. The entire first group ordered alcoholic beverages, while the second group recorded any reaction or attitude that the participants expressed while observing our confederates. The main experimenter ordered two Margaritas. During the researcher’s stay, there were four participants that expressed reactions.
In the third trial, both groups arrived and went inside Chili’s in Woodland Hills, CA around 6:00 p.m. in the evening on a weekday. The main confederate was posed as a pregnant female and was requested to order hot tea. While Confederate # 1 orders her hot tea, the remaining two will order alcoholic beverages. The second group recorded any reaction or attitude that the participants expressed while observing our confederates. During the researcher’s stay, there were eight participants that expressed reactions.
In the last trial, both groups arrived and went inside El Torito in Woodland Hills, CA around 8:15 p.m. in the evening on a weekday. The main confederate was posed as a pregnant female and was requested to order alcohol. The entire first group ordered alcoholic beverages, while the second group recorded any reaction or attitude that the participants expressed while observing our confederates. The main experimenter ordered two Margaritas. For the duration of the experiment, there were 11 participants that expressed major attitudes.
To avoid extraneous factors, all locations were visited twice but in different locations. Also, all locations were visited around the same time, in the evening, to avoid different results. Additionally, to avoid a misconception that the main confederate was not expecting, a sash was purchased to confirm participants that the experimenter is truly pregnant. Another strategy to keep results accurate was keeping the main confederate the same person, as to avoid individual bias.
From running this study, it was expected that individuals will show little or no reaction when a pregnant woman drinks hot tea at a bar and also when a non-pregnant woman drinks alcohol at the bar. In contrast, individuals will show mild to high reactions when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol at a bar and also when a non-pregnant woman drinks hot tea at the bar. There is an expected difference between drinking alcohol while pregnant and drinking alcohol while not pregnant. Also, there is an expected difference in drinking hot tea while pregnant at the bar table versus drinking hot tea at the bar while not pregnant. At the same time, it is expected that Chili’s would receive more negative feedback from observing the main experiment pregnant and drinking alcohol verses El Torito. This can be said because there is a possibility that the American tradition of drinking while pregnant is strictly forbidden, while drinking while pregnant in Latino cultures may be more lenient. There were mixed reactions and attitudes for each condition.
