Pillavian Flashcards
Outline 2 aims of study
- to investigate helping behavior And if it was affected by group size
- investigate if helping behavior was affected by race of victim
- to investigate if helping behavior was affected by modeling helping behaviour
Discuss 2 strengths
Strengths
- setting in subway = real situation (eco validity)
- setting on train and natural —> no one aware situation was staged = little chance of guessing aim and demand characteristics as behavior natural (VALID)
- data collection - Q and Q = informative about how much helping there was/wasn’t AND why
Discuss 2 weaknesses
- positioning of ppl in carriages - uncontrolled = not noticed the incident/ignored as reading etc
- ppt in train didn’t know they were participating in study = deception + no informed consent could be taken prior without them guessing the aim = UNETHICAL
- ppt may have been distressed by events on train = No protection against physiological harm
Suggest how ethical issues raised in Pillavian relate to (debriefing + informed consent)
Debriefing
- ppt didn’t know they were taking part in study - difficult
- 4450 ppt witnessed events very difficult to plan a debrief so psychological harm may be caused
Informed consent
- no permission could be given to take part + exposed to potentially threatening situation
- exposed to situation causing psychological harm without permission
Describe one assumption of the social approach
Behaviour,cognition and emotions can be influenced by groups/social contexts
Describe what is meant by diffusion of responsibility
- when a person is less likely to take responsibility for their actions when others are present
- idea that responsibility is shared
- e.g kitty genovese where no one called cops as they believed someone else would help her
Outline how one result from this study DOES NOT support the concept of DOR
- ppl in groups of 7+ consistently faster at responding than those in groups of 3 by 80s
- correlation should be neg as when group size increases helping decreases (if DOR happening)
- speed of helping should decrease w increased group size DOES NOT DEMONSTRATE ROR
Outline what model was expected to do in critical area
- model stands in critical area
- they wait until passing 4th station before helping the victim
- approx. 70s after collpase
Describe one quantities result of behaviour of ppt in critical area
- on 5% of trails w a white victim ppl left critical area compared to 9% for black victims
- early models more likely to prompt other helpers more than late models
Outline the debate about individual vs situational explanations in psychology
- individual side = behaviour from factors within the person e.g personality
- situational side= behaviour from factor in external environment e.g home life
Mia believes the Piliavin et al. study supports the individual + Brett believes it supports the situational side of the debate.
Outline why you think either Brett or Mia is correct, using evidence from the study.
Situational
- when no model was present, every trial w cane/ill victim someone came to help = suggest the situation of seeing ill victim trigged helping behavior
- ppl did leave critical area when no help provided = situation too distressing so left to decrease arousal
Individual
- when no model present, every trial w cane/ill victim someone came to help = suggest certain type of personality who is willing to help ill victim
RESULTS
- 95% ill victim helped —> 5 sec median time between helping + collapse
- 50% drunk victim helped ->109s median time between helping + collapse
- 78% spontaneous helping + 90% helpers male
Explain what psychologist have learned about bystander behaviour
- if no model present 100% of passengers came to help victim w/ CANE ( regardless of race)
- shows ppl are willing to help someone who is perceived as ill
- thus ppl more likely to help others who look like the need help (problem not self inflicted)
Outline roles of male confederates in study
- male confederates acted as if they were drunk/ill in critical area
- confederates (victims) had to collapse/fall over
- 1 male acted as model +helped victim
- model positioned in adjacent OR critical area
Outline what model in adjacent area was to do
- model stood in middle of adjacent car
- waited untill passing 4th station/70s
- then began helping victim
2 similarities between victims
- all males
- Eisenhower jackets same
- old slacks worn
- no tie
Diffrence between victims
- ILL vs DRUNK
-cane Vs bottle carried - race/age
2 IV
- condition of victim like ill vs drunk
- early or late model e.g 70/150s aft collapse
Describe result about helping of white vs black person
WHITE:
- highest frequency of helping by white helpers in cane condition (34x)
- 68% helpers were white
- 1 instance of black ppt helping white drunk victim
BLACK:
- more drunk victims helped by black helpers than white helpers
- only 2 white helpers helped black victim w/ cane
- black ill victim helped more oftem than black victims
Describe one medtjological strength
- study has high eco validity as setting as real life subway carriage
- study has mundane realism as ‘task’ of seeing person collapse does happen IRL
- standerdized procedure = models only helped aft 70s so study canbe replicated/tested for reliability
Describe what was recorded by female observers in study
- race/sex/location of passengers in critical/adjacent
- counted total number of people who helped victim
- race/sex/location of helper recorded
- latnecy for 1st helper to arrive if no model present
-spontanous comments from passengers
Why was experiment conducted between 2 stations used
- lasted for 7.5 mins
- aid replicability + standerdized
1 results abt helping victim w/ no model
- when victim was black + drunk help given on 73% of trials but when victim was white + drunk help was 100% given
2 characteristics of sample used in study
- males + females
- 45% black + 55% white
- unsolicitaed travellers on subway in NYC
- travelling between 11am - 3pm on weekday in april/jun
- opportunity sampling
1 result on sex of spontansous first helpers
- more males were spontanous 1st helpers COMPARED to females
Explain why study links to social approach
- one asumption of social apporach is behaviour is infliuenced by other individuals
- clearty shown here as fewer ppl helped when model had alr offered help compared to no model present
Explain how one result from the study by Piliavin et al. supports the individual explanation of helping behaviour
- The observers recorded comments from people about their helping or nonhelping behaviour.
- e.g ‘I wish I could help him but I am not strong enough’ or ‘It’s for men to help’.
- individual beliefs about the incident
+ can help to explain helping/non-helping behaviour.
Explain how one result from the study by Piliavin et al. supports the
situational explanation of helping behaviour
- only on 73% of trials black drunk victim helped
- 100% help offered to white ill victim w/ no model present
- condition of victim/race stopped some people from helping.
State how victim condition chose
- told to alternate
2 diffrences between models used in study
- adjacent vs critical area
- early vs late
no model condition when help given
- The rate of helping higher in white drunk victim compared o black drunk victim
- ill victim was more likely to be helped compared to the drunk victim
