The expectations people have about how others will behave play a large role in determining whether people cooperate with each other or not. And moreover that very first expectation, or impression, is hard to change. "This is particularly true when the impression is a negative one." One's own expectation thereby becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: those who expect people to act selfishly, actually experience uncooperative behaviour from others more often.
"We wanted to find out whether the 'broken windows' theory held true in the lab as well." According to this theory, minor details, like broken windows in abandoned buildings or rubbish on the streets, can give rise to desolate conditions like the utter neglect of a district. "Such signs of neglect give people the impression that social standards do not apply there."
"Our findings demonstrate that the core of the 'broken windows' theory does actually hold true. Faced with a social dilemma, people are guided to a very great extent by their original expectations of what other people will do, but they are also particularly sensitive to negative impressions". Given this conclusion, it is clear that every cent spent on maintaining residential districts does more than just make the neighbourhood look prettier -- it also represents a sound investment against crime.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110412100728.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment