The Eye of the Camera

This study addresses the effects of security cameras on prosocial behavior. Results from previous studies indicate that the presence of others can trigger helping behavior, arising from the need for approval of others. Extending these findings, the authors propose that security cameras can likewise trigger such approval-seeking behaviors by implying the presence of a watchful eye. Because people vary in the extent to which they strive for others' approval, it was expected that the effects of security cameras on prosocial behavior vary with participants' need for approval. To test these predictions, an experimental study was conducted with “presence of security camera” and “need for approval” as independent variables. Results showed that participants indeed offered more help in the presence of a security camera but only to the extent that this helping involved public or observable behavior. As expected, this effect was more pronounced for individuals high in need for approval. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

[1]  S. West,et al.  Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions. , 1994 .

[2]  R. Baumeister.  A SELF-PRESENTATIONAL VIEW OF SOCIAL PHENOMENA , 1982 .

[3]  D. Marlowe,et al.  A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. , 1960, Journal of consulting psychology.

[4]  Kay L. Satow.  Social approval and helping , 1975 .

[5]  B. Latané.  The psychology of social impact. , 1981 .

[6]  Lorraine Mazerolle,et al.  Social Behavior in Public Space: An Analysis of Behavioral Adaptations to CCTV , 2002 .

[7]  Omri Gillath,et al.  Attachment, caregiving, and altruism: boosting attachment security increases compassion and helping. , 2005, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[8]  Paul J. Silvia,et al.  Objective Self-Awareness Theory: Recent Progress and Enduring Problems , 2001 .

[9]  M. Clark,et al.  INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND GROUP PROCESSES Providing Help and Desired Relationship Type as Determinants of Changes in Moods and Self-Evaluations , 2004 .

[10]  N. Miller,et al.  Positive mood and helping behavior: a test of six hypotheses. , 1988, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[11]  C. Carver,et al.  Self-focusing effects of dispositional self-consciousness, mirror presence, and audience presence. , 1978 .

[12]  Dieter Frey,et al.  Reactions to success and failure in public and in private conditions. , 1978 .

[13]  A. North,et al.  The Effects of Music on Helping Behavior , 2004 .

[14]  Kathleen C. Gerbasi,et al.  Short, homogeneous versions of the Marlow‐Crowne Social Desirability Scale , 1972 .

[15]  Mood, Self-Awareness, and Willingness to Help , 1987 .

[16]  Robin M. Kowalski,et al.  Impression management: A literature review and two-component model. , 1990 .

[17]  S. Duval,et al.  Opinion change and performance facilitation as a result of objective self-awareness ☆ , 1971 .

[18]  S. Duval,et al.  A theory of objective self awareness , 1972 .

[19]  C. Riordan,et al.  Interpersonal Determinants of Helping and the Transgression-Compliance Relationship , 1985 .

[20]  R. Fisk,et al.  The impact of other customers on service experiences: A critical incident examination of “getting along” , 1997 .

[21]  M. Hui,et al.  Perceived Control and the Effects of Crowding and Consumer Choice on the Service Experience , 1991 .

[22]  Joseph P. Forgas,et al.  On feeling good and getting your way: mood effects on negotiator cognition and bargaining strategies. , 1998, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[23]  Glenn E. Davis,et al.  Spatial and Social Aspects of Crowding Perception , 1976 .

[24]  J. George.  State or trait: Effects of positive mood on prosocial behaviors at work. , 1991 .

[25]  R. Ingram.  Self-focused attention in clinical disorders: review and a conceptual model. , 1990, Psychological bulletin.

[26]  Robert Gifford,et al.  Light, decor, arousal, comfort and communication , 1988 .

[27]  J. Decety,et al.  A Social-Neuroscience Perspective on Empathy , 2006 .

[28]  Jennifer J. Argo,et al.  Embarrassment in Consumer Purchase: The Roles of Social Presence and Purchase Familiarity , 2001 .

[29]  Robert Gifford,et al.  Sociability: Personality, Social Context, and Physical Setting , 1985 .

[30]  Nilly Mor,et al.  Self-focused attention and negative affect: a meta-analysis. , 2002, Psychological bulletin.

[31]  D. Dahl,et al.  Misrepresentation in the Consumer Context , 2002 .

[32]  Kazunori Hanyu,et al.  The Effects of Interior Design on Communication and Impressions of a Counselor in a Counseling Room , 2006 .

[33]  W. Ickes,et al.  Objective self awareness and self esteem , 1973 .

[34]  Jennifer J. Argo,et al.  The Influence of a Mere Social Presence in a Retail Context , 2005 .

[35]  David P. Farrington,et al.  Effects of Closed-Circuit Television on Crime , 2003 .

[36]  M. Hoffman.  Is altruism part of human nature , 1981 .

[37]  Neeli Bendapudi,et al.  Enhancing Helping Behavior: An Integrative Framework for Promotion Planning , 1996 .

[38]  A. Morin,et al.  A Neurocognitive and Socioecological Model of Self-Awareness , 2004, Genetic, social, and general psychology monographs.

[39]  D Krebs.  Empathy and altruism. , 1975, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[40]  B. Depaulo,et al.  Lying in everyday life. , 1996, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[41]  H. Aarts,et al.  The silence of the library: environment, situational norm, and social behavior. , 2003, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[42]  D. Marlowe,et al.  The Approval Motive: Studies in Evaluative Dependence , 1980 .

[43]  Bibb Latané,et al.  All alone in front of all those people: Stage fright as a function of number and type of co-performers and audience. , 1981 .

[44]  Carl A. Kallgren,et al.  A Focus Theory of Normative Conduct: When Norms Do and Do not Affect Behavior , 2000 .