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

    Authors

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

    Comments

    Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

    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

    Share

    COinS