Differentiation of existential guilt and compassion in relation to responsibility induction: a film experiment

Feelings of existential guilt are assumed to depend on the perception of a causal relationship between one's own behavior or (privileged) situation and the disadvantages of others. By contrast, pity should not depend on such perceptions. This hypothesis, which has been supported so far only by correlational studies, was tested experimentally. Eighty students were shown a film about a developing country. The film was provided with four different comments, each representing one experimental condition (between-subjects design). Experimental factors were "amount of misery of the people shown" and "subject's responsibility for these peoples' conditions of life". As expected, subjects in the condition "misery and responsibility" reported higher feelings of guilt, though no more pity than subjects in the remaining three treatment conditions (experiment 1, n = 40). This mean difference, however, was statistically significant for men only. Contrary to our theoretical expectations--and to finding from other experiments on vicarious reparation--the induction of guilt had no effect on willingness to help a third party (experiment 2, n = 40). Possible reasons for this unexpected finding are suggested.     

Color-naming functions for the pigeon

Six pigeons were trained to match wavelengths in a three-key matching-to-sample paradigm. Test trials were occasionally presented, where probe wavelengths appeared on the center key and choices were made to the training stimuli presented on the side keys. Color naming functions were obtained by plotting the percentage of test trials that each training stimulus wavelength was chosen for each center key probe wavelength. The wavelength where the functions intersected was interpreted as a transition point between pigeon hues. Three experiments employed different wavelengths as training stimuli. The first two experiments demonstrated that the intersection of the color-naming functions occurred in all cases at 540 nm and 595 nm. The third experiment employed 540 nm and 595 nm as two of the three training stimuli, and the relatively slow acquisition, together with the resulting color-naming functions, supported the proposition that 540 nm and 595 nm may be transition point wavelengths between pigeon hues.