Piliavin’s subway study

• What type of behaviour does this study study?

  Prosocial.
• What is prosocial behaviour?

  Behaviour which is beneficial to other people, and may not necessarily benefit the helper.
• What was the aim of this study?

  To investigate it characteristics of a victim affect help given in an emergency.
• What was the method of this study?

  Male confederate collapsed on subway. 103 trials.

  Victim appeared to be drunk or appeared to be disabled (had a cane)
• What were the results of this study?

  Disabled victim given help on 95% of trials compared to 50% helped when drunk.

  Help was as likely in crowded and empty carriages.
• What was the conclusion of this study?

  Characteristics of victim affect help given.

  Number of onlookers doesn’t affect help in natural setting.
• What was a positive evaluation of this study?

  High realism.

  Participants didn’t know their behaviour was being studied so acted more naturally.
• What was a negative evaluation of this study?

  Urban sample.

  Ppts from the city may be used to emergencies occurring often.
• What is a social factor that may have affected this study?

  Cost of helping.

  Includes danger to self or embarrassment, also cost of not helping e.g. guilt or blame
• What is a dispositional factor that may have affected this study?

  Expertise.

  People with specialist skills more likely to help in emergencies