Latane Darley Bystander Effect

Bystander Effect

Bystander EffectBibb Latane and John Darley Judy Lee &Yellina YimPsychology

Bibb LataneBachelors in Behavior and Culture (Yale University)Ph.D in Psychology (University of Minnesota)Senior fellow at the Center for Human Science in North Carolina John DarleyPh.D in Social Psychology (Harvard University) Warren Professor of Psychology at Princeton University Kitty GenoveseMarch 13, 1964 Catherine Kitty Genovese was murdered in front of her home by a man named Winston Moseley 38 people witnessed the murder and had heard her cries for helpThe attack started approximately at 3:20 A.M., but no one had contacted the police until 3:50 A.M.

Latane and Darley got their motivation to conduct the Bystander Apathy Experiment from the highly publicized murder of Kitty Genovese.Bystander Apathy ExperimentSubjects were placed in one of three treatment conditions:Alone in a roomWith two other participantsWith two confederates who pretended to be normal participantsLatane and Darley would then proceed to fill the rooms with smoke

ResultsWhen alone, 75% of the participants reported the smoke to the experimentersWhen with two other participants, only 38% of the participants reported the smoke in the roomWhen with the two confederates (who noted the smoke and then ignored it), only 10% of the participants reported it Latane and Darley found that the amount of time it takes the participant to take action and seek help varies depending on how many other observers are in the room.

Bystander EffectThe Bystander Effect occurs when the presence of others discourage an individual from intervening in an emergency situation.When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses.

Explanations for the Bystander EffectDiffusion of ResponsibilityBecause there are other observers, individuals do not feel as much pressure to take action, since the responsibility to take action is thought to be shared among all of those present. Pluralistic IgnoranceA major reason why bystanders fail to intervene is that they do not even realize they are witnessing a crime in the first place.Social InfluenceThere is a natural inclination for the need to behave in correct and socially acceptable ways. When other observers fail to react, individuals often take this as a signal that a response is not needed or not appropriate. Real World ApplicationsChild AbuseBullyingSexual Harassment

Bystander Effect Video

Sourceshttps://explorable.com/bystander-apathy-experiment http://psychology.about.com/od/socialpsychology/a/bystandereffect.htm https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/bystander-effect https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/200911/why-don-t-we-help-less-is-more-least-when-it-comes-bystanders