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“YOU CAN increase the chances of people helping you if you address them personally and tell them specifically what they are supposed to do,” Dr L. said during a social psychology lesson on Helping Behavior last semester.

“People are so obedient!” I couldn’t help exclaiming. Was reminded of the Milgram experiment, while listening to the results of various research studies.

“Reduce ambiguity, increasing responsibility. Personal appeals for help are much more effective than posters and media announcements (Jason, et al, 1984). Nonverbal appeals can also be effective when they are personalized (Snder, et al, 1974; Omoto & Snyder, 2002). So does reduction of anonymity (Solomon & Solomon, 1978; Solomon, et al, 1981).

“Guilt and concern for self-image. People who have been reprimanded for their transgressions are more likely to offer help than those who have not been reprimanded (Katzev, 1978). People who have given “door-in-the-face” responses are likely to agree to a smaller and more reasonable request (Cialdini, et al, 1975). Labeling people as helpful can also increase helpful contributions (Kraut, 1973).

“Teaching moral inclusion. Broadening the range of people whose well-being concerns us (Batson, 1983) and inviting advantaged people to put themselves in others’ shoes, to imagine how they feel (Batson, et al, 2003), helps.

“Modeling altruism. It’s better not to publicize rampant tax cheating, littering and teen drinking, and instead to emphasize - to define a norm of - people’s widespread honesty, cleanliness, and abstinence (Cialdini, et al, 2003). Norms for generosity could perhaps be cultivated by simply including a new line on tax forms that requires people to compute - and thus to know - their annual donations as a percentage of income (Ayres & Nalebuff, 2003). Modeling effects were also apparent within the families of European Christians who risked their lives to rescue Jews in the 1930s and 1940s and of 1950s (London, 1970; Oliner & Oliner, 1988; Rosenhan, 1970; Staub, 1989,1991,1992).”

(Citations extracted and adapted from Dr David Myer’s Social Psychology book published in 2005. See also Helpfulness in Wikipedia.)