Helping behavior: Effects of sex and self-typing

Two male and two female experimenters asked 178 adult shoppers to fill out a questionnaire. Refusal data showed a cross-sex effect, with individuals helping other-sex experimenters more than same-sex experimenters. The effects of helper sex, helper sex-typing, helpee sex, and situation sex-typing were examined by means of questionnaires administered to the final sample of 120 adults. A non-sex-typed helping behavior was used. Results showed a significant three-way interaction among helper sex, helpee sex, and situation sex-type. Helper sex-typing did not have any significant effects. Results are discussed in terms of the different social norms governing female and male prosocial behaviors.