Empathic observation of an innocent victim: The just world revisited.

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Abstract
Hypothesized that whether observers react to an innocent victim with compassion or rejection depends on their observational set and observational setting. 108 female undergraduates were alone or in small groups when they watched a videotape of a female victim apparently receiving electric shock upon making errors in a learning task. Prior to viewing the tape, Ss received either imagine-self (empathy-inducing) instructions, watch-her (empathy-inhibiting) instructions, or the observation instructions employed by M. J. Lerner and C. H. Simmons (see record 1966-11086-001). Ss who received the watch-her or the Lerner and Simmons instructions subsequently expressed strong derogation of the learner, whereas the imagine-self Ss tended to rate the learner as more attractive than themselves. Results of the Nowlis Adjective Check List of Mood (administered after Ss evaluated the learner) show a significant main effect for observational set on the aggression factor; however, there is a possibility that this is a confounding effect of the experimental procedure. Ss run individually expressed less relative derogation than Ss run in groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

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