Piliavin et al

• The study discussed is about the 1969 subway samaritan experiment
• The experiment was conducted in the subway in Japan, which is known to be clean, brightly lit, and where people are often just looking at their phones and sitting quietly
• The experiment investigated the effect of several variables on helping behavior using the express trains of the New York 8th Avenue independent subways
• Bystander effect


  When people are surrounded by others, they are less likely to help because they think someone else will do it
• The experiment was inspired by the tragic murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964, where 38 witnesses either saw or heard the attack but did not help
• Further research showed that the 38 witnesses claim was not entirely accurate, as not all 38 people actually witnessed the attack
• Past research on bystander behavior


  • Bystanders would sometimes make fun of the victim instead of showing compassion
  • The more people present, the less likely they are to help (diffusion of responsibility)
  • Bystanders are less likely to help if they are strangers compared to if they are friends
  • People are more likely to help if they see others helping first
• Lab studies found that increases in group size led to decreases in the frequency and increases in the latency (slowness) of responding to help victims
• Individuals are more likely to help people of their own race than those of another race
• Diffusion of responsibility


  Reduced sense of responsibility when people are in groups
• Bystander effect


  People fail to offer help in emergencies especially when others are present
• Bystander effect


  Explained by the diffusion of responsibility
• The aim of the study was to investigate bystander behavior in a natural setting
• Situational variables investigated


  • Type of victim
  • Race of victim
  • Behavior of the model
  • Size of group of bystanders
• Field experiment


  Experiment conducted in a real-world environment with some manipulation
• Between-subjects design


  Different participants in each condition
• Independent variables


  • Type of victim (drunk or ill)
  • Race of victim (black or white)
  • Behavior of model (early or late)
  • Size of group of bystanders (number of passengers)
• Dependent variable


  Level of bystander helping, measured by time taken, number of helpers, characteristics of helpers, and verbal remarks
• The study was conducted on the express A and D trains of the New York 8th Avenue independent subway, with a 7.5 minute ride between 59th Street and 125th Street
• Opportunity sampling


  Using conveniently available participants
• The sample was passengers traveling on the train between Harlem and the Bronx, from 11am to 3pm
• Emergency response procedure


  1. Reach the next station

  2. New people come in, old people go out

  3. Doesn't work easily

  4. Need some time

  5. Chose 7.5 minutes
• Opportunity sampling


  Taking the opportunity to send people who are conveniently available
• The sample was passengers traveling on a train between Harlem and the Bronx from 11am to 3pm
• There were approximately 4,450 participants total
• 45% of the participants were black, 55% were white
• The mean number of people per train car was 43
• The mean number of people in the critical area was 8.5
• Critical area


  The part of the train car where the emergency takes place
• Adjacent area


  The area next to the critical area
• The participants were students of general studies at Columbia University
• There were 4 teams of 4 students each, with 1 victim playing the role of the stooge
• The stooges were between 26-35 years old, 3 white males and 1 black student
• The stooges wore casual clothes like an Eisenhower jacket and old slacks
• There were two conditions: drunk and ill
• The stooge acted drunk 38 times out of 103 trials, and ill 65 times out of 103 trials
• The models were 4 white male students between 24-29 years old in casual clothes
• Model


  A person who helps the victim by raising them to a sitting position and staying with them
• Observer/Confederate


  A person who is part of the research team and quietly records data
• Procedure


  1. Teams get off the train separately after 7.5 minutes

  2. Take the train going the opposite direction for another 7.5 minutes

  3. Conduct 6-8 trials per day, all using the same victim condition