5.3 Piliavin et al (Subway Samaritans) Flashcards
Diffusion of responsibility
When there are other people available to help in an emergency, an individual is less likely to take action because they feel a reduced sense of personal responsibility.
Aim (also mention four variables being studied)
Aimed to study bystander apathy and diffusion of responsibility in a natural setting.
Investigate the effect of the four variables on helping behaviour-
type of victim
race of victim
the behaviour of a model
size of the group of bystanders
Research method and design
Field experiment and independent measures design.
Four IVs and how they were operationalised
DV
Type of victim (drunk or ill)
Race of victim (black or white)
Behaviour of model (close/distant and eary/late)
size of bystanders (naturally occurring number of passengers)
DV- level of bystander helping (quantitative-number of people who helped along with the time taken for the first passenger to help, qualitative-verbal remarks)
Location of experiment
New York City subway
7.5-minute journey from Harlem to Bronx on weekdays
11 a.m to 3 p.m
Sample and sampling technique
opportunity sampling technique
passengers of the New York City subway
estimate of 4450 people
45% black 55% white
mean per carriage 43
mean in critical area 8.5
Data recorded by the two observers
observer 1- recorded the number of people in the car, the race, sex and location of each passenger in the critical area. Also noted the how many people assisted the victim, as well as race, sex and location
observer 2-recorded the race, sex and location of each passenger in the adjacent area as well as the time taken to assist after the collapse.
Both observers noted the comments made by passengers and tried to elicit them.
Victims description (race, age, clothes)
3 white and 1 black
26 to 35 years old
Eisenhower jacket, old trousers, no tie
(Behaviour of model) Trial conditions
critical/ early: The model is in the critical area and waited for 70sec before helping
critical/ late: The model is in the critical area and waited for 150sec before helping
adjacent/ early: The model is in the adjacent area and waited for 70sec before helping
adjacent/ late: The model is in the adjacent area and waited for 150sec before helping
no mode: The model did not help until after the trial was over and the train reached the station
% of cases where victims received spontaneous help
% of cases where more than one person helped
78%
60%
number of trials when the victim with a cane was helped (before model could help)
62/65 trials
number of trials when the drunk victim was helped
19/38 trials
% of trials in which help was given to
white victims (no model condition)
cane
drunk
black victim (no model condition)
cane drunk
white victims
cane- 100%
drunk- 100%
black victims
cane-100%
drunk- 73%
which sex was more likely to help
male, 90% of the time were first helpers
cost-benefit model
decision-making process in which a person weighs up both the advantages and disadvantages of helping. If it seems beneficial to help, then the person is more likely to do so; if the risks are too great, they may not help.
Factors that influence a person’s decision to help
type of victim (cane will be more helped than a drunk person)
gender of helper (men more likely to help than females)
similarity of the victim to the helper (more likely to help own race, especially if drunk)
duration of emergency (the longer the emergency continues, less likely that anyone will help)
methodological strengths
good ecological validity - a field experiment, participants are unaware they are in an experiment so behaviour is natural
quantitative measures- objective
two observers
qualitative data also recorded
large sample size
standardisation- victims wore the same clothes, collapsed at the same time
methodological weakness
less control over extraneous variables- weather conditions or delays
participants could be exposed to the condition more than once so demand characteristics- used the same route every time
all participants from New York City- unrepresentative
only one black victim
ethical issues
lack of informed consent- unaware they were in a study so could not give permission to take part in the study.
debrief- could not debrief due to the nature of the subway and a large number of people, participants may have left shocked or guilty
may have suffered psychological distress
real-life applications
Educating students on the cognitive process people go through in emergency situations may help them to change their response and be more likely to help.
Understanding the cost-benefit matrix can help in override negative or non-altruistic feelings in order to help a victim
