Title

To help or not to help: Capturing individuals' decision policies

Authors

Authors

B. A. Fritzsche; M. A. Finkelstein;L. A. Penner

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Soc. Behav. Pers.

Keywords

TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS; BEHAVIOR; SITUATIONS; ALTRUISM; Psychology, Social

Abstract

The arousal: cost-reward model of bystander intervention developed by Piliavin, Dovidio, Gaertner and Clark in 1981 was tested using a within-subjects 'policy capturing" methodology. Four hundred and forty nine participants read 50 scenarios and reported the likelihood they would offer help. Seventy-six percent of the participants' helping judgments could be reliably described or "captured" with a linear combination of the various costs of helping and costs of not helping specified in the model. In addition, participants were relatively aware of how the costs affected their helping decisions; although female participants may have been more aware than males. These findings provide additional support for the arousal: cost-reward model and extend understanding of the cognitive algebra that occurs before individuals decide to intervene.

Journal Title

Social Behavior and Personality

Volume

28

Issue/Number

6

Publication Date

1-1-2000

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

561

Last Page

578

WOS Identifier

WOS:000088723300005

ISSN

0301-2212

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