Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Social Proof00:52

Social Proof

27.7K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
27.7K
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

4.6K
Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
4.6K
Persuasion Strategies01:52

Persuasion Strategies

38.8K
Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).
38.8K
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification03:00

Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification

5.2K
Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
5.2K
Bystander Effect02:09

Bystander Effect

9.6K
The discussion of bullying highlights the problem of witnesses not intervening to help a victim. This is a common occurrence, as the following well-publicized event demonstrates. In 1964, in Queens, New York, a 19-year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked by a person with a knife near the back entrance to her apartment building and again in the hallway inside her apartment building. When the attack occurred, she screamed for help numerous times and eventually died from her stab wounds.
9.6K
Hindsight Biases01:12

Hindsight Biases

3.5K
Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now? 
3.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Understanding gender differences across relationship stages requires integrating evolutionary, ontological, and proximate mechanisms.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

Interdependence explains how and when crises impact social cohesion.

Communications psychology·2026
Same author

Wherefore art thou competitors? How situational affordances help differentiate among prosociality, individualism, and competition.

European journal of personality·2026
Same author

The belief in a decline in cooperation in the USA and China.

Communications psychology·2026
Same author

Everyday norms have become more permissive over time and vary across cultures.

Communications psychology·2025
Same author

Construction and validation of the prosocial adolescent risk-taking questionnaire (PAR-Q).

Scientific reports·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions
10:45

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions

Published on: July 6, 2011

11.7K

Reputation Reminders: When do Eye Cues Promote Prosocial Behavior?

Paul A M Van Lange1, Zoi Manesi2

  • 1Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands).

The Spanish Journal of Psychology
|May 1, 2023
PubMed
Summary

The watching eyes effect promotes prosocial behavior. Effective interventions require reducing anonymity, avoiding crowdedness, targeting low-cost acts, and limiting exposure time for eye cues.

Keywords:
cooperationprosocial behaviorreputationtrustwatching eyes effect

More Related Videos

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

15.8K
Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios
07:43

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

2.1K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions
10:45

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions

Published on: July 6, 2011

11.7K
Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

15.8K
Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios
07:43

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

2.1K

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Behavioral Economics

Background:

  • The watching eyes effect suggests eye cues increase prosocial behavior.
  • Recent debate questions the effect's generalizability across contexts.
  • Understanding moderating factors is crucial for reliable application.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize research on the watching eyes effect.
  • To identify key components for effective interventions.
  • To guide future research and societal applications.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review synthesizing distinct perspectives.
  • Analysis of four key intervention components: anonymity, crowdedness, costs, and exposure.
  • Discussion of implications for reputation cues.

Main Results:

  • Effective interventions require eye cues to reduce perceived anonymity.
  • Placement in non-crowded environments is beneficial.
  • Targeting low-cost prosocial behaviors enhances effectiveness.
  • Short exposure duration of eye cues is optimal.

Conclusions:

  • The watching eyes effect is context-dependent.
  • Specific conditions enhance the efficacy of eye cue interventions.
  • Further research should explore reputation cues and societal applications.