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Observers' Reactions to an Innocent Victim: Effect of Characterological Information and Degree of Suffering

William Austin

University of Virginia

The present study assessed the influence of character- ological information and degree of suffering on observers' reac- tions to the suffering of an innocent victim. Subjects read a bogus newspaper account of a hit and run accident in which the consequence for the victim was either slight injury, severe injury, instant death, or death following three weeks of suffering. Within each of these levels of suffering (plus three no suffering controls), either favorable, unfavorable or neutral characterological infor- mation about the victim was supplied. As expected, results indicated that derogation of the victim is not an automatic response to undeserved suffering. When the victim was viewed favorably the response to his suffering was sympathetic. However, when viewed unfavorably, the victim was indeed derogated. Degree of suffering enhanced both responses. These results are seen as further indica- tion of the role of contextual variables in determing whether compassion or rejection will be the response to undeserved suffering.

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