Factors affecting behavior toward people with disabilities.
Two field experiments were designed to explore ambivalence-induced behavior toward people with disabilities in low-cost helping situations. In Experiment 1, confederates, who either rode in a wheelchair or walked, asked shoppers for a small sum of money and either provided a reason (positive presentation) or did not provide a reason (negative presentation) for the request. Contrary to prediction, more people with a physical disability than without a physical disability were helped, regardless of their presentation. In Experiment 2, the presence of confederates in wheelchairs resulted in significantly fewer violations of parking spaces reserved for people with handicaps.
Taylor
C J
CJ
Department of Psychology, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT 06432, USA.
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male