Three experiments were conducted in natural settings to examine the effects of noise on helping behavior. Individuals who were briefly exposed to high intensity construction noise were found to be less likely to help another person than were those exposed to noise of a considerably lower intensity. In addition, high noise levels interfered more with verbal help than with physical help, and had a greater effect on the helping behavior of females than on that of males.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BAXTER, J. and B. DEANOVICH (1970) "Anxiety arousing effects of inappropriate crowding."J. of Consulting and Clinical Psychology35: 174-178.
2.
BULL, A. , S. BURBAGE, J. CRANDALL, C. FLETCHER, J. LLOYD, R. RAVEN-B ERG, and S. ROCKETT (1972) "Effects of noise and intolerance of ambiguity upon attraction for similar and dissimilar others."J. of Social Psychology88: 151-152.
3.
DUBOS, R. (1965) Man Adapting. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press.
4.
GEEN, R. and E. O'NEAL (1969) "Activation of cue-elicited aggression by general arousal."J. of Personality and Social Psychology11: 289-292.
5.
GLASS, D. and J. SINGER (1972) Urban Stress. New York: Academic Press.
6.
Greater Vancouver Regional District Pollution Committee, Noise Pollution Sub-Committee (1971) Noise Control for Greater Vancouver Regional District. Van-couver, B.C.
7.
ISEN, A. and P. LEVIN (1972) "The effect of feeling good on helping: cookies and kindness."J. of Personality and Social Psychology21: 384-388.
8.
LATANE, B. and J. DARLEY (1970) The Unresponsive Bystander: Why Doesn't He Help. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
9.
LAZARUS, R. (1966) Psychological Stress and the Coping Process. New York: McGraw-Hill.
10.
MEDALIA, N. and A. KINKER (1965) Community Perception of Air Quality: An Opinion Survey in Clarkston, Washington. USPHS Rep. No. 99-10. Cincinnati, OH: Division of Air Pollution Control, United States Public Health Service.
11.
MEHRABIAN, A. and J. RUSSELL (1974) An Approach to Environmental Psychology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
12.
MILGRAM, S. (1970) "The experience of living in cities."Science167: 1461-1468.
13.
MOORE, B. , B. UNDERWOOD, and D. ROSENHAN (1973) "Affect and altruism."Developmental Psychology8: 99-104.
14.
MOSS, M. and R. PAGE (1972) "Reinforcement and helping behavior."J. of Applied Social Psychology2: 360-371.
15.
SHERROD, D. and R. DOWNS (1974) "Environmental determinants of altruism: the effects of stimulus overload and perceived control on helping."J. of Experimental Social Psychology10: 468-479.
16.
SMITH, W.J. SCHUENEMAN , and L. ZEIDBERG (1964) "Public reaction to air pollution in Nashville, Tennessee."J. of the Air Pollution Control Association14: 418-423.
17.
SOLOMON, J. (1970) "Aural assault."The Sciences10: 26-31.
18.
SOMMER, R. (1969) Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
19.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1973) Public Health and Welfare Criteria for Noise. Washington, DC: EPA.
20.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1971) Effects of Noise on People. Washington, DC: EPA.
21.
WARD, L. and P. SUEDFELD (1973) "Human responses to highway noise."Environmental Research6: 306-326.
22.
WINER, B. (1962) Statistical Principles in Experimental Design. New York: McGraw-Hill.
