Apathy Experiment

Introduction to Psychology

Authors:

Ivanna Arce Rodrigo Bayas Elio Bruno Myrka Castillo Gianfranco Magnalardo

April 2014

Introduction

Many countries around the world tend to have different culture contexts that affect

people in their behavior and how they would react to different situations. People,

especially from third world countries face more constantly more people in need for

help. One example is found in Ecuador where are seen children asking money in

the streets and a more informal commerce, especially in the largest cities such as

Guayaquil. Following this situation, the question that arises is how many people

would tend to help a little kid when he or she requires for help?

This Psychology experiment was about two lost child who asked for help to adults

to find their mother. The objective was to know how many people care about these

kids and how many just ignore them for make a percentage of people apathy in

Guayaquil.

Hypothesis

Citizens of Guayaquil, tend to be empathic to lost kids requiring help.

Materials

Two little kids participated in the experiment, including a boy who was six years old

and a girl of seven years old. In order to accomplish this project it was used three

video cameras, two cellphones and a Samsung camcorder to collect information

about the subjects. An audio recorder, which was hidden in the kids’ clothes, was

used to obtain audio information during the experiment. The subjects of the

experiment included 25 people above 18 years old.

The video presentation was created with the use of a PC with software including

Adobe Premier, employed in the editing process of the project.

Methodology

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The methodology used consisted in two children, a boy of six years old and a girl

aged of seven years old that claimed to people that they are lost. As people were

passing by, the kids would approach them asking for help. If the person did not

care for them, the children kept standing and asking for help to others, until

someone would notice and care about them. We waited a minute to approach the

people and explained that it was an experiment.

Results

28%

72%

People Percentage

People who didn't carePeople who cared

The results show that 72%, which stands for 18 out of 25 persons, showed concern

for children; meanwhile 28% ignored them completely. Most people were

concerned about children being small and helpless.

Conclusion

As it was shown in the results section, it was proved that most people tend to help

lost kids, showing sign of empathy towards them. 18 out of 25 of the tested

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subjects helped the kids, employed in the experiment, to find their strayed

"mother". The results are positive in proving the hypothesis of this experiment,

claiming that citizens of Guayaquil are open to help kids when they require for help.

The kids employed in the situation were portraying a dangerous situation to

themselves, which was being lost at a crowded place. Being lost from their mother

represents a situation that creates anxiety to kids, but also put them in a dangerous

situation as strangers could manipulate kids easily. At this situation, people tend to

help the strayed children to find the lost mom they were looking for, being empathic

in the process and worried for them.

Other questions emerged in the experiment. Would the hypothesis be proved

correct if it were used older kids or adults requiring for help? However through the

study of this experiment, it can be said that people would tend to help kids when

these are exposed to any danger. Another experiment can be made in the future in

which it can be created a fictitious hostile or dangerous situation toward an older

person rather than the kids of the experiment, in order to know at which point or

age, people would stop assisting them at moments in which they need it.

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