One of the classic behavioural psychology experiments is the ‘honesty box’ test. In it, two groups of people were put in front of a box that would accept contributions in exchange for a free cup of coffee. The group that was simply asked to pay for their coffee donated 1.11 British pounds. The other group was given a sign that said ‘honesty box’. This sign also featured a pair of eyes.
On average, the people who saw the eyes contributed 1.57 pounds.
The psychologists behind the experiment in 2000 explained the result like this: ‘The psychological presence of eyes has a powerful effect on people, an effect that is not associated with a real eye but rather with the symbolic presence of a watching agent. In other words, the pair of eyes is a powerful symbol of surveillance. It means that you are being watched, and it influences your behaviour. In this case, the extra money was a response to this psychological pressure. The people who saw the eyes felt they needed to make a greater contribution to avoid being seen as ‘cheats’.
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The experiment’s results suggest that there is a psychological link between surveillance and surveillance-related behaviour. It’s this link that should be the key focus of CCTV strategy, as well as its ability to capture footage.
Surveys suggest that most people know that CCTV is effective in keeping them safe.
