Unleashing Unpredictability: The Batman Project and Its Impact on Prosocial Behavior and Awareness

NCT06481748 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 33/24
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 68
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The proposed study is an observational investigation that aims to examine the impact of an unexpected and unusual event on prosociality within the Milan metro. The event is the simple presence, in the underground car, of a student wearing a Batman suit. The main objective is to assess whether or not the presence of the unusual event influences prosocial behaviour towards a student pretending to be pregnant. During the study, the student, equipped with a sponge prosthesis to simulate a pregnancy will board the underground. She will be asked not to interact with anyone, but to simply look at her phone. In the experimental condition, an individual dressed as Batman will enter the carriage (through a different door than the one used by the student). In the control condition, on the other hand, no one will show up in costume. In addition, the observer will try to gather information on the reason for this prosocial behaviour, noting down the answer given.

Conditions

Social Behavior

Keywords

mindfulness; attention; Batman; awareness; prosociality

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Prosocial behavior

  A person in the metro leave their spot to the pregnant lady

  5 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Awareness

  5 minutes

Interventions

Batman OTHER

The investigators foresee several teams engaged throughout the day to ensure greater variability, each team will consist of three students for the experimental condition (Batman; "pregnant girl", observer) and two students for the control condition ("pregnant girl" and observer), plus the presence in both cases of a member of the research team. The 'pregnant girl' will be properly prepared and equipped with a sponge prosthesis to simulate pregnancy. In addition, the subject dressed as Batman must be prepared to play the role in a natural and non-invasive manner. During this phase, the student observers collaborating in the study will carefully record the behavior of the passengers in the underground.

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 99 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

-All metro passengers present at the time of the experiment are potential participants.

You may qualify if:

• Being a passenger in the metro

You may not qualify if:

• Metro too crowded
• Seats available

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Catholic University of the Sacred Heart: lead

Related Publications (1)

• Pagnini F, Grosso F, Cavalera C, Poletti V, Minazzi GA, Missoni A, Bogani L, Bertolotti M. Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect. Npj Ment Health Res. 2025 Nov 3;4(1):57. doi: 10.1038/s44184-025-00171-5.

  PMID: 41184421 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Social Behavior

Interventions

lolal protein, Drosophila

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: ECOLOGIC OR COMMUNITY
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 20, 2024
• First Posted: July 1, 2024
• Study Start: June 21, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 8, 2024
• Study Completion: October 8, 2024
• Last Updated: July 1, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share