TY - JOUR PY - 1972// TI - Regional differences in willingness to help strangers: A field experiment with a new unobtrusive measure JO - Social science research A1 - Forbes, Gordon B. A1 - TeVault, R.Kent A1 - Gromoll, Henry F. SP - 415 EP - 419 VL - 1 IS - 4 N2 - Keys, tagged with the owner's name and address, were "lost" in four major cities. The greatest frequency of keys returned came from the Midwest and the lowest frequency of returns came from the Far West. Keys returned from the East coast or the Midwest were more likely to contain a personal letter than were keys returned from the West or West Coast. Results were consistent with the stereotype of the Midwesterner as more friendly and helpful toward strangers than people from other regions. Results also indicated that the "lost-key" technique provides both a qualitative and quantitative measure of helpfulness.
LA - en SN - 0049-089X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0049-089X(72)90086-5 ID - ref1 ER -