Piliavin

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

• to study bystander behavior in a natural setting.
• also wanted to investigate the effect of four situational variables on helping behavior or ‘Good Samaritanism’.
• the type of victim
• the race of the victim
• the behavior of a model
• the size of the group of bystanders

Question 2

Diffusion of responsibility

Answer 2

• a person is less likely to take action in an emergency where there are others there also able to help
• In a large group, the perceived sense of responsibility towards those in need is diffused.

Question 3

Research method and design

Answer 3

–field experiment

Question 4

IV and their operationalization

Answer 4

• the type of victim: the levels were ‘drunk’ or ‘ill’ victim
• the race of the victim: the levels were black or white victim
• the behavior of a ‘model’: the levels were a model who was either close to or distant from the victim helped, either early or late in the event
• the size of the group of bystanders: this level was the naturally occurring number of passengers present in the subway carriage

Question 5

DV

Answer 5

• the level of bystander helping
• operationalized as the time taken for the first passenger to help, as well as the total number of passengers who helped

Question 6

Sample

Answer 6

• travelling on an underground service between Harlem and the Bronx weekdays between 11 am and 3pm
• opportunity sample
• 4450 people
• 45% black, 55% white
• mean no. of passengers per carriage was 43
• mean no. of people in the critical area was 8.5

Question 7

Procedure

Answer 7

• 4 teams of students
• victims were played by boys of ages 26-35
• models were white males aged 24-29 years

Trials were split into the following conditions:

• Critical/early
• Critical/late
• Adjacent/early
• Adjacent/late
• no model

Question 8

Results

Answer 8

-80% of the victims received spontaneous help
-60% of cases more than one person helped
-cane victim received help in 62/65 of the trials
-drunk victim received help in 19/38 trials
early model intervention at 70 seconds was slightly more likely to result in helping behaviour than waiting until 150 seconds had passed

Question 9

cost benefit model

Answer 9

• involves a 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 dos so, if the risks are too great, they may refrain

Question 10

Conclusion

Answer 10

-no evidence of diffusion of responsibility

• did identify several factors which may determine decisions to help
• the type of victim
• the gender of the helper
• people may be more likely to help members of their own class
• the longer an emergency continues, the less likely it is that anyone will help and will find another way of coping with the arousal