Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Gesture in Communication
Published on: January 26, 2024
Eliciting Help Without Pity: The Effect of Changing Media Images on Perceptions of Disability
Stuart B Kamenetsky1, Christina Dimakos1, Asal Aslemand1
1a Department of Psychology , University of Toronto Mississauga , Ontario , Canada.
Abstract:
This study investigated whether newer, more positive disability charity images can elicit helping behavior without producing pity. One hundred sixty-one university undergraduate students were presented with 35 older (1960-1990) and newer (1991-2010) disability charity images and completed a questionnaire about each image. Results indicate that overall, identification with depicted individuals was low; positive attitudes and perceptions of capabilities were moderate to high. Newer images led to more positive responses, but no significant difference in willingness to help. Eliciting pity through negative depictions of disability appears not to be a necessary precondition for eliciting helping behavior toward people with disabilities.
Related Concept Videos
Impression Management Techniques IV: Altercasting
Factors Affecting Perception
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
Stereotype Content Model
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Impression Management Techniques I: Managing Appearances
Social Facilitation

