Levine Et al (contemporary Study) Flashcards
(53 cards)
Background/ previous research
Studies Investigated hypothesis that helping behaviour decreases as population size increases
But neglected other features of cities that affect helping behaviour and these studies compared few cities to each otehr
Aim of this study - culture
To investigate if helping behaviour of people in a city varies by the culture of this city
Aim of this study - Situations
To see if helping behaviour is consistent across all instances of someone in need. Or if certain situations illicit more/less help than others
Aim of this study - Characteristics
To investigate what characteristics of a culture impact helping behaviour
if there is a correlation between the following characteristics of a city and helping behaviour measured:
Population size
Walking pace
PPP
Individualist vs collectivist
What type of experiment was this?
Quasi and a field experiment
Naturally occurring IV = city so its quasi
IV manipulated = situation requiring help, this occurred in natural environment so field
Independent variables
City
Situation requiring help
Dependent variable
% of participants who offered help to the confederate
Controls used in this study
Same season: Summer
Same importance of city: Biggest/second biggest
Same hours: business hours
Same confederate costume: male, college age, and dressed neatly and casually
Sample
23 of the largest cities in 23 different countries
—-> Student researcher was on holiday/ home country
Sample method
Opportunity sample of participants who happened to be where the student researcher enacted the helping situation
Time period the data was collected over
During the Summer months over a 5 year period
Why is it important to ensure data was collected in Summer months
To control for affect of different seasons/weather on participants helping behaviour
Why is it important to collect data in largest city/ second largest city of that country each time
To control for how important the city is in the country
Main procedure
Male student researcher would enter busy city centre areas during business hours and enact 1 scenario:
Dropped pen, Hurt leg dropped magazines, Pretended to be blind and needed to cross street
Record if they were helped or not
All helping situations
Dropped pen
Hurt leg person dropped magazines
Blind and needed help crossing the street
Dropped pen helping situation
Researcher would pass participants and drop pen from pocket in their field of view (same distance each time)
Record number of people who picked up pen and handed it to them, or verbally said they dropped a pen
Dropped magazines by hurt leg person helping situation
Researcher wore leg brace and dropped a pile of magazines in the street
Record number of times people helped to pick up magazines for the researcher
Helping blind person across the street helping situation
Researcher wore sun glasses and had a stick and waited at a crossing when it turned green for pedestrians
Record number of times participants tell researcher its safe to cross/ actually helps across the street
Controls for the actual helping behaviour scenarios
Same demographic of confederate: college aged male, wore same clothes
Blind situation: same process of waiting at green light and holding out cane for 60 seconds
Hurt leg situation: magazines always dropped 20 feet away from participants
Always done during business hours
Who was not included in the sample?
Children/teenagers
Physically disabled people
Elderly
People who were carrying something heavy
Why were some people not included in the sample?
Because they might not be fully capable of helping
So if they were included, it would not be an accurate measure of helping behaviour as a different variable is preventing helping behaviour
INCREASES VALIDITY OF STUDY
Most helpful city reported was
Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
Helping behaviour in Rio de Janiero results
93.33% of the time, help was offered to researcher
Least helpful city reported was
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
