Research method

• Aims: investigate factors affecting helping behavior on a New York subway train to collapsed passenger

  • type of victim: drunk or ill
  • race of victim: black or white
  • modelled help provided by another passenger
  • no of ppl in the carriage (group size)
• Method

  • field experiment: 7.5 minutes express train between 2 New York stations; IVs were manipulated
• Design

  • independent measures design: each IV was carried out in front of a different carriage full of passengers
  • covert observation: observer 1: (car + race, sex, location of every passenger in the critical area + no of people assisted the victim, their race, sex, location), observer 2 (race, sex, location of passengers in the adjacent area + time taken (latency) to assist after collapse)
• IV:

  1. condition of victim: drunk or ill
  2. race of victim: black or white
  3. distance between the helpful model & the victim: critical or adjacent area
  4. time it takes for help to be offered
  5. group size (no of passengers in the carriage)
• DV:

  1. time taken for help to arrive (before & after modelled help)
  2. sex & race of 1st helper
  3. movement of passengers out of critical area
  4. passengers' spontaneous comments about the collapse