Chapter 3: When Will People Help? Flashcards
What are the five steps in the Decision Tree Model by Latane & Darley?
- The person has to notice the event
- The person must interpret it as an emergency
- pluralistic ignorance - The person must accept personal responsibility
- the bystander effect/diffusion of responsibility - The person must decide how to help
- lack of competence - The person must decide how to implement help
- audience inhibition
What is pluralistic ignorance? What step is it in the Decision Tree Model? How was it shown in an experiment.
Pluralistic ignorance: there is something wrong, but if no one else shows concern they will ignore it.
Part of the second step; the person must interpret it as an emergency.
As participants were completing a questionnaire, smoke entered the room through a vent.
IV: alone in room, two other participants, two other passive confederates
DV: if they went to get help
75% reported smoke when alone, 40% reported with 2 other participants, 10% reported with passive confederates
We like to see what others around us are doing, before we do any actions
What is the bystander effect? What is diffusion of responsibility? What step are they in the Decision Tree Model? How are they shown in an experiment.
The bystander effect: the chance of someone helping decreases as the number of bystanders increases.
Diffusion of responsibility: the more people around, the less likely to take action and responsibility.
Part of the third step; the person must accept personal responsibility.
Participants believed they were participating in group discussion via an intercom system. At one point, one group member (confederate) reports having a seizure
IV: 1 other person (the confederate), 2 other people, 5 other people
DV: do they seek help for confederate
80% reported when only witness, 60% when with one other person, 30% when four other people.
What is a lack of competence? What step is it in the Decision Tree Model?
Lack of competence: if people don’t feel competent they won’t help, but if they do feel competent then the bystander effects disappear no matter how many bystanders there are.
Part of the fourth step; the person must decide how to help
What is audience inhibition? What step is it in the Decision Tree Model?
Audience inhibition: what if I make a fool out of myself? What if it is not actually an emergency?
Part of the fifth step; the person must decide how to implement help.
How do you overcome the bystander effect?
Single the person out to help and tell them what to do
- Victims who scream/ make needs known receive help 75-100% of the time
- Victims who remain silent only receive help 25-40% of the time.
Describe the Arousal: Cost-Reward System
Helping more likely to occur when rewards (to self & victim) outweigh the costs (to self & victim)
High (self) & high (victim); indirect intervention or reappraise the situation
High & low; not help
Low & high; directly help
Low & low; depends on norms
What are the environmental factors that determine if someone will help?
- Urban vs. rural environment
2. Presence of helpful model
Are you more likely to receive help in an urban or rural environment? Describe an experiment which shows this.
Much more likely in a rural environment.
Steblay reviewed 35 different studies and found that people are most likely to help in cities with 1000 - 50 000 people
- People in rural areas are more likely to correct overpayment, help lost child, tell your name, and give a donation
- We are more likely to be influenced by current context, meaning if we move from a small town to a big one we will become less helpful
- Possible reasons for less help in urban areas:
stimulus overload, diversity hypothesis (more likely to help those similar to us), higher chance of diffusion of responsibility
Explain an experiment where presence of a helpful model showed to improve helpfulness.
Bryan & Test put a broken down car (mustang) planted at side of road in L.A.
IV: Oldsmobile planted 400m before Mustang with someone helping them, no other car
DV: did they stop to help
- Of 2000 potential helpers, 1.75% of people stopped with no model, while 3% stopped with a model
What are factors related to the helper that determine if someone will help?
- Perceived costs to the helper
- Mood of the helper
- Gender of helper
What are some costs to the helper that would impede helping?
a. Physiological cost;
Piliavin & Piliavin had a confederate collapse on subway
IV: blood trickling down chin, no blood
DV: would they help
The bleeding victim only received help 65% of the time, while 95% of the time the no blood victim was helped
b. Embarrassment;
At a mall, a male confederate would either drop a mitten or a box of condoms
47% helped when dropped a mitten, 17% helped when they dropped condoms
c. Physical;
ex. breaking up a bar fight
d. Social disapproval
e. Financial
How does the good mood of the helper affect their ability to help?
The good mood effect: we are more likely to help when we are happy
Participants were passerby in mall when a confederate asked for change for a dollar
Location 1: in front of bakery/coffee shop
Location 2: in front of clothing store
55% helped at location 1, 20% helped at location 2
When we are happy we are more likely to help because we want to maintain our good mood and it gives us positive feelings
What is the “feel bad - do good” paradigm and how does it affect peoples ability to help?
“Feel bad - do good” typical paradigm: participants induced to transgress (lie, cheat) to make them feel guilty. Then, they are given an opportunity for redemption (a helping behaviour) - and almost all will do it to restore their image as a good person
McMillen & Austin
IV: participants induced to lie to experimenter, no lie
DV: help after the experiment
When participants were finished test, they were asked to help experimenter with task
Non-liars volunteered for two minutes, liars volunteered 63 minutes
What are the exceptions to the “feel bad-do good” paradigm?
Participants are unlikely to help if they are:
- angry
- depressed
- grieving (they are to self-focused)
