Stanley Milgram - Lost Letter Experiment

Lost Letter Experiment

Milgram developed a technique for measuring how helpful people are to strangers who are not present, and their attitudes toward various groups, called the "lost letter" experiment. Several sealed and stamped letters are planted in public places, addressed to various entities, such as individuals, favorable organizations like medical research institutes, and stigmatized organizations such as "Friends of the Nazi Party". Milgram found most of the letters addressed to individuals and favorable organizations were mailed, while most of those addressed to stigmatized organizations were not.

Read more about this topic:  Stanley Milgram

Famous quotes containing the words lost, letter and/or experiment:

    The United States never lost a war or won a conference.
    Will Rogers (1879–1935)

    Most personal correspondence of today consists of letters the first half of which are given over to an indexed statement of why the writer hasn’t written before, followed by one paragraph of small talk, with the remainder devoted to reasons why it is imperative that the letter be brought to a close.
    Robert Benchley (1889–1945)

    I have been trying all my life to like Scotchmen, and am obliged to desist from the experiment in despair.
    Charles Lamb (1775–1834)