Emergency Helping and Religious Behavior

Abstract

Students enrolled in general psychology classes completed a questionnaire and 10 days later participated in an apparently unrelated study which was actually a “lady in distress” experiment. Analysis of the responses of 71 subjects who participated in both parts indicated no significant relationships between helping behavior and literal scriptural belief. No significant effects were observed between helping behavior and responses to the Study of Values Religious scale, or frequencies of prayer and church attendance. The results are discussed in terms of Allport's view of utilitarian as opposed to unifying religious belief and described as supporting Kohlberg's contention that moral behavior develops independent of religious belief.