Helping Behavior as Affected by Type of Request and Identity of Caller

Summary

Using the “wrong number” technique, a confederate (C) telephoned 120 Ss, whose numbers were randomly selected from the telephone directory, and presented himself either as a victim in need of help or as a bystander doing a good deed. The C used either a victim-oriented, a target-oriented, or a control request. The results showed that significantly more Ss helped when the caller was a bystander rather than the victim. Significantly more help was also obtained when a victim-oriented request was employed than when a target-oriented or control request was used.