Dutch study shows irresponsible human behaviour is contagious

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Ladies and gentlemen: The perils of being social...

It is this sort of behaviors that make Aspies want to retreat from

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http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081120/science/science_messing_up

Dutch study shows irresponsible human behaviour is contagious

Thu Nov 20, 3:56 PM

By Randolph E. Schmid, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Does a messy neighbourhood make a difference on how

people act?

It sure does!

Graffiti on the walls, trash in the street, bicycles chained to a

fence, all resulted in a decline in how people behaved in a series of

experiments.

A bit of litter or graffiti didn't lead to predatory crime but

actions ranging from littering to trespassing and petty theft all

increased when people saw evidence of others ignoring the rules of

good behaviour, Dutch researchers report in Thursday's online edition

of the journal Science.

In normal behaviour most people try to act appropriately to the

circumstances, explained lead author Kees Keizer of the faculty of

behavioural and social sciences at the University of Groningen,

Netherlands. But some tend to avoid effort or seek ways to gain for

themselves.

Things like littering an area or applying graffiti change the

circumstances by indicating others are not behaving correctly, which

weakens the incentive for people to do the right thing.

So the researchers were not surprised people littered more in messy

area, for example.

But, added Keizer: " We were, however, surprised by the size of the

effect. "

Here's an example.

The researchers found a tidy alley in a shopping area where people

parked their bicycles. There was a no-littering sign on the wall.

The researchers attached flyers for a non-existent store to the bike

handlebars and observed behaviour.

Under normal circumstances, 33 per cent of riders littered the alley

with the flyer. But after researchers defaced the alley wall with

graffiti, the share of riders who littered with the flyers jumped to

69 per cent.

They did a half-dozen similar experiments, all with similar results.

While the study seems to deliver a negative message, Keizer pointed

out " it also shows that municipal officials and the public can have a

significant impact on the influence of norms and rules on behaviour. "

In other words, keep public areas neat and people will be less likely

to make a mess.

The work is related to the " Broken Window Theory, " which suggests

urban disorder such as broken windows and graffiti encourage petty

crime.

This research doesn't go that far, said Sampson, chairman of

Harvard University's department of sociology.

" It's an interesting study, it's very clever. And the results are

believable within the limited bounds set by their design, " said

Sampson, who was not part of the research team.

But the results don't show disorder spreads to predatory crime, he

said, what they show is that disorder increases people's likelihood

of committing (similar) acts. "

In addition to the alley with graffiti, here's how the experiments

worked:

Test Two:

A fence partly closed off the main entrance to a parking lot. There

was a narrow gap and a no-admittance sign that pointed out a new

entry, 200 metres away. A second sign prohibited locking bikes to the

fence.

When the fence was clear, 27 per cent of people heading for their

cars ignored the no-admittance sign and squeezed through the gap in

the fence. But after several bikes were locked to the fence in

defiance of that ban, 82 per cent of people going to their cars

squeezed through the prohibited entry.

Test Three:

Flyers were placed under the windshield wipers of cars in a parking

garage next to a market. A sign on the wall asked people to return

their shopping carts to the market.

When the lot was clear of shopping carts, 30 per cent of drivers

littered the lot with the flyers. But when a few carts were left in a

disorderly state around the garage, 58 per cent of people littered.

Test Four:

Two weeks before New Year's Day researchers visited a bicycle parking

shed near a train station and attached flyers to the handlebars.

Under normal conditions 52 per cent of the riders littered the shed

with the flyers. Then the researchers set off fireworks outside the

shed - which residents know is illegal in the period before New Year.

Hearing the fireworks, 80 per cent of riders littered the shed.

Tests Five and Six:

An envelope with money visible through the address window was placed

sticking out of a mailbox.

Under ordinary conditions 13 per cent of passers-by stole the

envelope.

When the same mailbox was defaced with graffiti the percentage taking

the money jumped to 27 per cent.

After researchers cleaned the mailbox, but messed up the area around

it with litter, 25 per cent stole the money.

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Science: http://www.sciencemag.org