Enhanced Altruistic Behavior by One Significant Experience or Learning in Fire Evacuation Experiment

Abstract

Unlike the traditional panic model, recent studies have revealed that altruistic behavior is more prevalent in disaster situations and altruism has a positive effect on lifesaving by instantly increasing the group’s ability to respond to crisis. It also turns out that the brain mechanism that manifests altruistic behavior can be strengthened through learning and experience. In this experimental study using a simulated fire emergency, group comparisons and factorial design analysis were conducted to determine whether the type of learning experience influenced the manifestation of altruistic behavior. The results showed that a higher degree of altruistic behavior was manifested among groups with experience in each of the five learning experiences (real fire experience, learning to respond to fire, learning to use an elevator during fire, and obtaining fire-related information through media) than inexperienced groups. However, the pattern of interaction effect between those experiences showed that one meaningful experience was better than overlapped experiences. The significant experiences were situated and systematically constructed with detailed information such as real fire experience, learning to respond to fire, and learning to use an elevator during fire.