It is human nature to think that ethical behavior is more likely provoked when a person is being observed. But, what if the eyes doing the observing are not real? In an interesting experiment, some fascinating results followed. Apparently, a psychology department of a university in the United Kingdom, less than three hours from London, was experiencing a problem. Like most departments, there was a coffee station where faculty and staff could help themselves to coffee and then leave their money in the tray (approximately $1). However, many noticed that a number of people were helping themselves to coffee and not paying.
One of the professors came up with an idea. He initiated an experiment. For ten weeks, he and his assistants alternately taped two poster signs above the coffee station. One week, the poster displayed a picture of flowers. Another week, the poster displayed a picture of “staring eyes.” They wondered whether the different posters, or pictures, would evoke different responses in terms of whether people honestly paid for their coffee.
After some weeks, the researchers noted an interesting pattern. When the “eyes poster” was displayed above the coffee station, the coffee and tea drinkers contributed 2.76 times more money than when the “flower poster” was displayed. The researchers surmised that the sensation of “being
watched,” though the eyes were not real, motivated people to be more honest about paying for their coffee or tea. The originator of the idea admitted that the results were more dramatic than the slight effect expected.
Later, officers in a police department in Birmingham, England, read a paper about this experiment and were impressed. They decided to slap posters of staring eyes all around the city. They named their venture “We’ve Got Our Eyes on Criminals.” Only time will tell whether the program will have the intended effect on vandalism and other crimes.
1. Was it unethical for the professor to conduct such an experiment on his colleagues without announcing it?
2. Are you surprised at the results?
3. Evaluate the above experiment using Kohlberg’s levels of moral development. Does the experiment support or refute Kohlberg’s research? Would it make a difference whether the coffee drinkers were men or women?
4. Do you think the police department scheme will work? Why or why not?