Trinkaus -- An Informal Look (Part 1 of 10)
A glance at the colorful research of an under-publicized scientist
This page is but one part of a 10-part series. Click here to see the introduction and index of the article, with links to all the parts.
The Early Years
Trinkaus’s first published paper -- a 1978 examination of the motivations of potential jurors -- is of interest to scholars of that subject, of course, but it is also of larger significance. So far as we are aware, this was the first of his signature pieces -- each modestly claiming to be an “Informal Look” at some dazzlingly under-explored subject.
Even at this early stage of his career, Trinkaus was conducting multiple lines of research, and publishing on an unusual variety of topics.
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(1) “Jury Service: An Informal Look,” J. Trinkaus, Psychological Reports, vol. 43, no. 3, part 1, December 1978, p. 788.
Used participant observation to study 56 potential jurors... Results support the contention of W. Pabst et al. (1976) that potential jurors are divided into those who do and those who do not want to serve.
(2) “Workers’ Arrivals and Departures: An Informal Look,” J. Trinkaus, Psychological Reports, vol. 44, no. 2, April 1979, p. 554.
Suggests that rank-and-file employees do not arrive at the workplace much before the starting time and depart as quickly as possible after the quitting time. Owner-managers, conversely, arrive early and leave late. These assumptions were supported by informal observations of the arrival and departure of ”luxury” cars, assumed to belong to the owner-managers, and ”economy” cars, assumed to belong to the employees, at a suburban industrial parking site.
(3) “Buyers’ Price Perception at a Flea Market: An Informal Look,” J. Trinkaus, Psychological Reports, vol. 46, no. 1, February 1980, p. 266.
Investigated whether buyers at flea markets would display a high degree of price awareness. An informal inquiry showed this not to be the case.
(4) “Preconditioning an Audience for Mental Magic: An Informal Look,” J. Trinkaus, Perceptual and Motor Skills, vol. 51, no.1, August 1980, p. 262.
(5) “Honesty at a Motor Vehicle Bureau: An Informal Look,” J. Trinkaus, Perceptual and Motor Skills, vol. 51, no. 3, part 2, December 1980, p. 1252.
Assessed the veracity of people taking vision tests at a district office of a motor vehicle bureau.... Results suggest that, when given an option, a sizeable percentage of people may well elect a style of behavior that is neither completely honest nor dishonest.
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This page is but one part of a 10-part series. Click here to see the introduction and index of the article, with links to all the parts.
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