The effect of ethnicity on helping behavior

Abstract

This study investigated the link between instances of overt prejudicial behavior, especially in times of emotional upheaval, and deeply held feelings of bias that may lead to much more frequent instances of covert prejudicial behavior. One form of covert discrimination is withholding helping behavior, such as returning a lost letter of apparent importance. In this study, two hundred copies of a completed application for a pseudo honor society, with an addressed and stamped envelope, were left in public places in central Florida. The applications contained either a stereotypical Arabic name or a stereotypical American name. The forms were split evenly between Arabic and American names, and also divided by gender. This study examined whether prejudice felt by Americans toward Arab-Americans was enough to influence the return rate of the letters.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2008

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Butler, Jeff

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Degree Program

Communications

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences;Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022283

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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