Benevolence as deviant behavior: A test of the sympathy effect

A visible physical disability has a significant effect on interactions between the disabled and nondisabled. The literature is replete with the ambiguous responses confronting the disabled, suggesting that reactions to individuals with disabilities reveal both positive and negative sentiment. These responses are often characterized by a “sympathy effect” or “kindness norm"—positive evaluation or response to the physically disabled under both favorable and unfavorable conditions. This study used a “real world” setting to examine differential treatment toward individuals with disabilities. Twenty randomly selected convenience stores were chosen as the setting to observe differential treatment toward individuals with disabilities. In the first phase of this study, an underaged confederate in a wheelchair attempted to make an alcohol purchase. The same attempt was then made without the use of a wheelchair. The existence of a sympathy effect was operationalized as a successful purchase of alcohol and no request for identification while in a wheelchair, but request for proper identification and refusal of sale when the confederate was ambulatory. The second phase of the study consisted of an interview with the store clerks involved in the interaction to measure the clerks’ previous contact with individuals having disabilities.