Sex Makes a Difference: 1. Evidence from a Modeling Study Conducted in a Natural Setting

Abstract

The present experiment examined modeling effects on petition signing as an index of helping behavior. 263 naive subjects participated. It was predicted that, when the model agreed to sign, more subjects would agree to sign than in the control condition and, when the model refused to sign, fewer subjects would sign than in the control condition. The predictions were confirmed when the requester and subjects were of the same sex. When they were of the opposite sex, however, no model was needed. Finally, a cross-sex effect was found between the subjects and the requester.