This experiment examined several factors thought to be influential in jurors' decisions. Specifically, the attractiveness, race, and sex of the defendant were manipulated. It was hypothesized that for the same crime attractive defendants would be given lesser sentences than unattractive defendants, African-American defendants would be given more harsh sentences than Euro-American defendants, and female defendants would receive significantly lesser sentences than male defendants. A fictitious burglary case with an attached picture of one of eight possible defendants was given to 160 participants who were asked to read the case and recommend either 1, 5, 10, 15, or 20 years' imprisonment as a sentence. All three hypotheses were supported. Possible reasons for these findings were discussed.
Associations of age, membership in a sorority or fraternity, and whether a family member had an alcohol-related problem with the number of alcohol-related problem behaviors were examined by asking 160 people on campuses and one Board of Education in the northeastern United States to complete anonymously a 17-item questionnaire reporting the number of drinking-related problem behaviors. A 2 x 2 x 3 factorial analysis of variance with unequal ns yielded significance for age, type of family membership, and the interaction between age and membership in a sorority or fraternity. Younger subjects reported more alcohol-related drinking behaviors as did those with members of their family having drinking problems. Finally, younger members of a Greek organization reported the greatest number of problem behaviors.
This study using the wrong number technique focussed on the effects of sex of caller, sexual orientation of caller, and urgency on the altruistic response of making a call. In a 2 (sex) x 2 (heterosexual or homosexual) x 2 ("last quarter" or "no more change") factorial design the dependent variable was the number of seconds taken for a return telephone call. A woman or man asking for a boyfriend or girlfriend were helped faster than homosexual ones. Further research exploring the ways people of different sexual orientations are responded to is recommended.
It is important to determine when helpful behavior is likely to occur. The present experiment studied the effects of gender, urgency, and location on altruistic behavior. 64 phone calls were made by a woman who said her car had broken down and asked the person reached to call a number located either within or outside the person's calling district. Half of the callers said that this was her last dime (high urgency) and half that she had no more change (low urgency). 64 phone calls were made in a similar manner by male experimenters. The design of the experiment was a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial. All three main effects were significant. Women received assistance more rapidly than men; those with no money were helped more rapidly; and those asking for calls within the district were helped more quickly. Factors which facilitated altruism include amount of need, similarity to the person in need, and cost to the helper.
The effect of sex, religion, and amount of alcohol consumed on the number of self-reported alcohol-related problem behaviors was examined for 331 students who were approached on three Eastern United States campuses and asked to complete anonymously a questionnaire reporting the number of drinking-related problem behaviors. It was hypothesized that Catholics, men, and people who drank more would report more problem behaviors. A 2 x 3 x 4 factorial analysis of variance with unequal ns showed all three hypotheses were confirmed, but no significant interactions were found. Given the enormity of the problem of alcohol abuse in the United States, further research examining alcohol use and the associated problem behaviors is essential.
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