Case Study 7- Undergroudn

Question 1

Context

WHAT was the reason for this study?

Answer 1

Due to the kitty genoveses murder, in 1964.
There was 38 witnesses at the crime scene and no one helped.
There were three separate attacks.
Police arrived she was dead.

Question 2

Context

What is diffusion of responsibility

Answer 2

This is were one witness is 100% responsabilidade for helping.
However the more people there are at the scene the less responsibility the people think they have since it is shared among them

Question 3

Aim
What was the aim?
How did they see the effect of helping behavior?

Answer 3

Aim was to do a field experiment as all previous studies had been done in laboratory.

What a effected behavior was:
Rave of victim 
Victims responsibility 
Affect of helping behavior 
Group sice

Question 4

Participants
How many estimated passengers ong subway?
How many passengers on the carriage?
In immediate distraction

Answer 4

4,450 in subway
43 on carriage
8 in the immediate situation

Question 5

Participants

What was the sampling method?

Answer 5

It was opportunity sampling, has picked participants randomly.

Were unsolicited

Question 6

What was the design of the setting ?

Answer 6

Done in:
USA, New York, in subway, between 25th street to 125 street.

Journey was between 11 am to 3 pm

7.5 mins with no stop

Question 7

Design of procedure

4 ages

Answer 7

Teams of 4- 2 female recorded results 2 male one female actor and one model helper.

Four teams.
Black male and white male
Each one acted drunk and I’ll

Victim would stagger and than fall down

24-29

Question 8

Design of how ILL AND DRUNK man acted

Answer 8

Drunk:
Was drunk, smelt of liquor, bottle in brown paper bag and when passing first station staggered and fell

Ill
Had a black cane
Staggered ad fell down

Question 9

Behavior of model helper?

Answer 9

If victim received no help by the time the train was going to stop, he would rise the victim to a sitting o
Position and stayed.

Question 10

Procedure.

What were the controls?

Answer 10

-always the same subway train
Same line

• observers were in the same place recording frequency

-victims had same clothes:
Old sacks no tie
Eisenhower jacket.
One black cane and other bottle

-always after 70s in train vítima would stagger and fall down

Question 11

Procedure

Independent variables?

Answer 11

1. Victims responsibility.
   Drunk high
   Ill- low
2. Victims race
   Black and white
3. Prescience of model
   Would help either 70s or 150 s acfter
4. Bystanders
   Whoever was on trein

Question 12

Procedure

Dependent variables

Answer 12

1. Frequency of response
   Number of people who helped
2. Speed of responde
   Time it took
3. Race of helper

Question 13

Results

How were the results calculated?

Answer 13

Median- to get average 
Put all in order 
See middle
Add them up
divide by 2

Question 14

Results

What were the results? (4)

Answer 14

1. Frequency of response:
   Ill 5 seconds and drunk 109 seconds
2. Men were most likely to help victims than women
3. In both ill and drunk- white (55%) received more help than black (45%)
4. Diffusion of responsibility hypothesis was not supported as participants when trace to face to victim even when having a big group, hence adopted a beneficial decision.

Question 15

Conclusion

With these results what can be concluded? 5

Answer 15

1. Victim who is ill gets more help than the victim who was drunk.
2. Men are more likely to help than women
3. Some race helping was more frequent when it was to drunk.
4. Against diffusion of responsability
5. The longer it took for emergency to continue, the more likely it is for individuals to walk away from the area in order to avoid situation

Question 16

Evaluation

Strengths

Answer 16

Ecological validity
B it was done as a field experiment hence a step into a real world and this wa shown by people’s behaviors being in a real situation
ALSO people were unaware they were taking part in a study which lead to natural behavior. For example 95% helped I’ll and 50% helped drunk
H- it can be argued that even though they didn’t know about the study, they didn’t really have much choice but to help as they were all ‘trapped in this carriage.

Question 17

Evaluation

Weaknesses

Answer 17

Unethical
B- participants did not know this was a study.
T- thought that this ill or drunk victim was in an actual problem thereby a real situation. Yet since they were not even debriefed participants may have left psychologically harmed- a serious consequence due to lack of informed consent.
H- if participants had been informed, this would have affected the results and hence would have an impact on the validity of the findings. So it can be understood.

Variables were difficult to control.
B- it is difficult to know if IV is directly affecting the DV especially in this case as the IV is an uncontrollable variable
Eng position of passengers on train, observers may not have seen some leave or try to ignore
H generally since they were al tight in a carriage, one participants would realize sudden movements.