Piliavin et al.'s social core study on subway samaritans

Question 1

Assumptions of the learning approach and how they relate to this core study

Answer 1

Behavior can be influenced by groups as others may feel less responsible in an emergency situation due to others being available to help. BYSTANDER APATHY

Question 2

The psychology that is being investigated

Answer 2

An investigation into diffusion of responsibility and bystander apathy in emergency situations.

Question 3

The background

Answer 3

The murder of kitty genovese and research into bystander behaviour.

Question 4

The aims

Answer 4

• study bystander behaviour outside lab in (irl) where ps have a clear view of victim
• if helping behvaiour is affected by victims own responsibilty, race of vitim, effect of modeling help, size of the group

Question 5

The procedures

Answer 5

• in the new york subway
• a 7.5 min gap between stations
• a team of 4 student boarded train through different doors (collected data for 103 trials)
• female confederates sat outside the critical area and male model and victim raimed stanind
• victim stook next to the pole
• after 70 sec victim collapsed ramined montionless on the floor
• if no help was recived model will help him up before the next station

Question 6

how many trials a day

Answer 6

6-8

Question 7

Idenitify the 4 victimis

Answer 7

males
26-35 yrs
3 white one black
dreesed in esienhower jacker old slacks no tie

Question 8

how was drunk represented

Answer 8

smell of alcohol and carried bottle in brown bag 38 trails

Question 9

how was the other victim

(not drunk)

Answer 9

carried a black cane 65 trials

Question 10

why were there more cane then drunk trials

Answer 10

one member for a team disliked playing the drunk charater

Question 11

What the model was supposed to do in the ‘Critical area – early’
condition.

Answer 11

• Model stood in middle of (critical) car.
• Waited until passing the first station (waited for approximately 70s.)
• Then began to help the victim.

Question 12

Describe the victim in the drunk condition.

Answer 12

• Smelled of liquor.
• Carried a liquor bottle wrapped in a brown bag / brown paper.
• Male

Question 13

The research method used

Answer 13

field experiment

Question 14

The number of participants and where they are from

Answer 14

around 4450 passengers
unsolicited participants
45% black 55% white

Question 15

Describe the Models

Answer 15

4 Models
* White
* Males
* identical casual clothing

Question 16

The sampling method used

Answer 16

opportunity

Question 17

The controls used

Answer 17

• victims all dressed and behaved the same
• all particapants exposed the same standerdized behaviour

Question 18

Data collection method used

Answer 18

quanitaitive: collected by female confederate of when and who was helping along with time

qualitaitve: commoents made from passangers who witnessed the events

Question 19

Independent variable used

Answer 19

• victims repsonsbility- operastiolized by ill= low responsibilty drunk= high
• victims race operastiolized as black or white
• presence of model operastionlised if model was closed or distand and if helped after 70 or 150 sec
• numer of bystanders howerver many peopel in the vicinty

Question 20

Dependent variable used

Answer 20

The amount of people who helped and sped it took to help the people

Question 21

Ethical issues

Answer 21

Weakness
* particpants did not provide informed consent to take part in the study could have caused psychologcal harm as vitim was on the floor and ps could have felt guilty

Question 22

Results

Quantitative/qualitative data & how it is represented and interpeted

Answer 22

Quantitaitve
* ill victims are more likely to be helped 62/65, compared to drunk ones 19/38

Time taken to help vitims
* The average time it took people to help the ill victim was significantly faster than the average time taken to help the drunk victim

Participants leaving the
critical area.
* People were more likely to leave the critical area when the victim was drunk compared to when the victim was ill

Question 23

Conclusions drawn

Answer 23

• a person who seems ill more likely to recieve help then if frunk
• men are more likely to help then women

Question 24

experimental design

Answer 24

independent groups

Question 25

Strengths
Methodological issues:

Reserach method, reliabilty,validty,generalibily,& control of variables

Answer 25

ethical issue as particapnts did not know they were part of the study no follow up debreifefing or protection was followed

This study was a field experiment and hence has a high ecological validity. Behaviour was not artificial as it is in a natural environment and increases validity and had no demand characteristics.

Question 26

Weakness
Methodological Issues

Reserach method, reliabilty,validty,generalibily,& control of variables

Answer 26

• The study lacked controls hence had a low reliability, making it hard to replicate.For this reason, a causal relationship could not be established.

Question 27

Everyday life

The issues of application of psychology and how it realtes to the study

Answer 27

o educate people about bystanders’ intervention. in schools with bullying

Question 28

Individual and Situational explanations debate

how it relates to the study

Answer 28

his study supports the situational side of the debate as there was varaition the subway and victim created the situation ps found themselves in and caused behaviour of helping or not helping