Effect of verbal modeling on contributions to charity

Abstract

Attempted to determine whether or not the modeling effect reported in the helping-behavior literature could be induced by merely telling Ss how others similar to themselves were behaving as opposed to having Ss directly observe a live model. 240 Ss living in a middle-class White neighborhood were personally contacted in their homes by the E, who was serving as a volunteer door-to-door solicitor for the local United Way annual fund-raising drive. Each S was told either that a large or a small percentage of his/her neighbors had contributed to the current drive (percentage model) and that the average contribution was either over $5.00 or under $1.00 (amount model). Also manipulated were the reason given by the E for why the S should contribute and the beneficiaries' need for aid. The Percentage Model main effect and Percentage Model * Expressed Reason for Giving interaction reached significance, suggesting that a model influences the behavior of others mainly by providing a definition of socially appropriate behavior. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)