Effects of the Perceived Intentionality and Stability of Another's Dependency on Helping Behavior
- 1 July 1979
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Vol. 5 (3) , 367-372
- https://doi.org/10.1177/014616727900500320
Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects on help-giving of the perceived intentionality and stability of the cause of a dependent person's need. Subjects were asked to lend class notes to a caller whose need for help was described as due either to a lack of ability ("unintentional" dependency) or to a lack of effort ("intentional" dependency). The cause of the caller's dependency was also varied according to its perceived degree of stability (stable vs. unstable). As predicted, more help was elicited (1) when the caller's dependency was attributed to a lack of ability rather than to a lack Df effort, and (2) when the dependency was seen as stable rather than unstable. The results are discussed in terms of theorizing which has attempted to relate outcome attributions to helping behavior.Keywords
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