Beaman et al 1978

Overview of the study

Beaman et al (1978) showed a group of students a film about helping. Two weeks later, the

students were observed in what they believed was an actual emergency. Actually, the emergency

was staged on campus with the goal of observing the behaviour of both those that had seen the film

and students who had not seen the film. Of those who helped, 43 per cent had seen the film, versus

25 per cent who had not. It appears that having seen a film about helping may have made a

difference.

Date of the study

1978

Who were the participants

A group of students

Procedure

They were shown a video about helping and then two weeks later they were observed in a fake emergency.

Findings

It was found that of those who saw the film 43% helped compared to 25% who had not seen the film.

Conclusion

Seeing a film about helping appears to have made a difference.