This is the article Anne:
Gossip as Cultural Learning, by: Roy F. Baumeister Florida State University Liqing Zhang Case Western Reserve University and Kathleen D. Vohs University of Utah.
To complement views of gossip as essentially a means of gaining information about individuals, cementing social bonds, and engaging in indirect aggression, the authors propose that gossip serves to help people learn about how to live in their cultural society. Gossip anecdotes communicate rules in narrative form, such as by describing how someone else came to grief by violating social norms. Gossip is thus an extension of observational learning, allowing one to learn from the triumphs and misadventures of people beyond one's immediate perceptual sphere. This perspective helps to explain some empirical findings about gossip, such as that gossip is not always derogatory and that people sometimes gossip about strangers.
These are the questions:
Here are this week's questions:
Question 1: The article states that the traditional and prevailing view of gossip in psychology has been regarded as an indirect form of aggression, "akin to teasing". How much do you agree with the traditional view of gossip in psychology? (submitted by Jeremy Mason)
Question 2: The authors of this paper made several points about how gossip can be positive. Which of the points was the most compelling for you and why? (submitted by Shannon Stafford)
Question 3: Social media seems to be the new "go to" for gossip and news in our society. How much has this affected the culture of the United States as a whole? Do you think it has been more helpful or harmful towards for our country? (submitted by Jeremy Mason)