Abstract
Thirty-two undergraduate females participated in an experiment designed to investigate the effects of magnitude of apparent suffering of a live peer model and the instructions concerning their ability to aid this individual on O reaction time (RT). It was predicted that under conditions where Os were informed that they could influence the suffering of the model by the speed of their responses, RT would decrease as the magnitude of pain evidenced by this individual increased. However, under conditions where Os were informed that they could not aid the model, it was expected that RT would actually increase as the degree of pain shown by this person increased. Results supported these predictions.
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References
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The author wishes to express his appreciation to Rollie O. Waters and Lany M. Cope for their assistance in the collection of the data, and to Murray O. Meetze for his aid in the construction of the experimental apparatus.
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Baron, R.A. Magnitude of model’s apparent pain and ability to aid the model as determinants of observer reaction time. Psychon Sci 21, 196–197 (1970). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332439
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332439