Piliavin Flashcards
Background to the study
In 1964 at 3.30AM 28 year old Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death by a knife wielding attacker outside her apartment in New York. Her screams woke up 38 of her neighbours although no one intervened
Variables
Independent variables:
1. The TYPE of victim –I.V.
- The RACE of the victim –I.V.
- Presence of helping model
(present or absent, early or late) - Size of witnessing group
Dependent Variables:
Frequency of help
Speed of help
Race of helper
Sex of helper
Movement out of critical area
Verbal comments by bystanders
SAMPLE
45% black and
55% white passengers
4450 men and women
The average number of passengers in the critical area where the emergency was staged was 8.5
Where
Two trains were selected. The trains travelled through Harlem to the Bronx in New York.
The Experimenters
4 teams of 4 students
Each team had 2 males and 2 females
VICTIMS
The four victims (one from each team) were males, aged between 26 and 35, three white and one black.
All were identically dressed in jackets, trousers and no tie.
MODELS
The models (white males aged 24 to 29) were all dressed casually. There were 4 different model conditions used across both drunk and cane conditions.
Critical area early – helped 70 seconds after the collapse.
Critical area late – helped 150 seconds after the collapse.
Adjacent area early – helped after 70 seconds
Adjacent area late – helped after 150 seconds
RESULTS
Diffusion of responsibility was not evident, in fact the quickest help came from the largest groups.
Helping behaviour was very high.
In the majority of trials, the victim was helped before the model acted.
Cane victim received spontaneous help on 62 out of 65 trials
Drunk victim received spontaneous help on 19 out of 38 trials
Qualitative data
Female passengers said
“It’s for men to help him.”
“I wish I could help him – I’m not strong enough.”
Describe how Piliavin’s study in bystander apathy links to the key theme of responses to people in need [4]
Who: approx. 4450 male and female adults travelling on a New York subway between 11am and 3pm weekdays during the months of April and June ‘68
What: To investigate different variables on helping behaviour
How: a drunk/cane male victim entered a subway carriage on a 7 ½ minute journey and collapsed after the first stop. The victim stood near a pole in the critical area. After about 70 seconds he staggered forward and collapsed. Until receiving help he remained supine on the floor looking at the ceiling. If he received no help by the time the train stopped the model helped him to his feet. At the stop the team disembarked and waited separately until other passengers had left the station. They then changed platforms to repeat the process in the opposite direction. The observers recorded the responses
Link: The cane victim received spontaneous help 95% of the time compared to 50% for the drunk victim, overall there was 100% help for the cane and 81% for the drunk victim and 90% of helpers were male. There was no diffusion of responsibility found. Therefore this links back to the key them of responses to people in need as it shows that people will help one another when in need (no evidence of diffusion of responsibility) but people are more likely to help when an individual is ill rather than drunk.
Field experiment - strength
Field experiment
This means that it will have high ecological validity as it has taken place in a real life setting – Ps are behaving in their natural way.
The study took place on a subway in New York for a 7 ½ minute train journey
The field experiments were not subject to demand characteristics, as the travellers on the underground train did not know they were part of an experiment so their behaviour would have been a ntural
Field experiment - weakness
Field experiment
There is low control over EV’s as this is taken place in a natural setting
Some of the passengers may have witnessed the collapsing on several occasions as therefore would have responded differently.
Data - strength
Quantitative data was collected
This allowed the different victims to be easily compared
They found that 100% of cane victims received help and 81% of drunk victims
Data - qualitative
Qualitative data was also collected
This allowed the observers to understand why people didn’t help
90% of the helpers were male. Females were heard to say that it’s for men to help him, or I wish I could help but I’m not strong enough
ethics - strength
However the study did comply to APA guidance
Confidentiality was kept
