The Life and Work of Elliot Aronson

In 1961-1962 Aronson studied attractiveness. His research was inspired by John F. Kennedy. He found that perfection is not as attractive as imperfection and that approachability is the most attractive quality. In 1971, Aronson was teaching at the University of Texas in Austin in the midst of school desegregation. There were many fights and physical altercations disrupting school and learning. The superintendent of schools at the time asked for his assistance. Aronson conducted an experiment in which he changed the nature of the classroom from a competitive environment to a cooperative environment. He termed this new type of classroom a “jigsaw classroom.” Children in these classrooms had to work together in order to learn the material. Students were separated into groups of five children, ranging in gender and ethnicity. After six weeks in the jigsaw cooperative classroom, children saw an improvement in overall social cohesiveness, decline in physical altercations, and improved grades for minority and non-minority students. At the time of the video, Aronson is 83 years of age and suffering from macular degeneration but continues to engage in professional work.