Chapter 10 Social Psychology Title: To Help or Not to Help Authors: J.M. Darley and B. Latane (1968) Presented by Kelley Reinhardt May 5, 2004

History of the Study- The Kitty Genovese Tragedy (1964). This story made national headlines after a young woman was viciously attacked in a Queens neighborhood. Neighbors did not respond or reach out to help her. Perhaps, they feared “getting involved”. This resulted in a terrible death for Miss Genovese. This unfortunate event is rather well known and has been used as worthy material to be discussed in psychology and sociology classes.

Why did Society allow this to Happen?? 1. Was it because it happened in New York? 2. Was it because of the neighborhood? 3. Or simply because of human nature? 4. Psychologists became quite interested in this idea and sought to investigate people’s behaviors in such events.

Behavioral psychologists may examine the following behaviors: Pro- Social Behavior: produces positive results. Some examples of this are cooperation and assisting others. These are widely accepted and appreciated in our culture. Bystander Intervention: this occurs when someone may help another person in need. Most often this person is a stranger. However, in Miss Genovese's case this was not performed. Did she loose her life due to the lack of human compassion and concern?

John Darley and Bibb Latane: New York University and Columbia University. Both psychologists were interested in this phenomenon and decided to conduct their own study. First, they determined human beings may not be faced with as many emergencies as thought. This is both positive and negative. What was the last emergency you had to deal with?? What would you do in case you were faced with an emergency involving another person??

A Proposition: If there is a larger group of people at a scene, chances are there is least likely someone willing to help. However, if someone is alone, it is very possible, they will be more willing to be of assistance.

Diffusion of responsibility: The notion someone else will take care of it, call the Police, or the ambulance. “I do not want to be responsible!”

The Method- New York University students were questioned about their adjustment to college life. They were allowed to speak with other students privately over an intercom system while in different rooms. Of course, this was simply a “cover” to discover natural behavior. The students were divided into three groups. 1. Group one thought they were speaking with just another student. 2. Group two thought they were speaking with two other students. 3. Group three thought they were speaking with five other students. 4. Realistically, none of this was true!!

The Method- An “emergency” had to be staged. Therefore a student was going to experience a seizure as he had expressed through the intercom how they can be a common occurrence for him. The students’ responses to this was going to be measured. Will they help and alarm the researcher of what was happening? The students were given a time limit to respond to the situation. The student subjects had four minutes to respond to the “emergency”.

The Results- The study showed a definite link to the researchers hypothesis. If more people were believed to be in the same room, the delay time was longer. The first group responded in less then one minute, while the third group responded in over three minutes. It was shown in percentages how the response time varied among the three groups. The third group having the lowest amount of responders within the four minutes.

Discussion- Did the students not care about what was happening to the “victim”? Not necessarily. The second and third group displayed signs of uneasiness and anxiety when the “emergency” was happening. The student subjects were lead to believe there were more people present leading to the idea of social influence. People may rely on others and act differently in a large, group setting. People could place the blame on someone else if they do not pursue any further action. “It’s not my fault, let them deal with it.” “I do not want to do something wrong.”

Discussion- Evaluation Apprehension: Darley and Latane stated how at times we may be afraid of what others may say when we try to help. People do not want to face feeling embarrassed or naïve in terms of a crisis situation. Maybe it is not really an emergency. Are they really hurt? I do not want to be blamed for doing something wrong. I certainly do not want to get hurt. These may be some thoughts people have in mind relating to this idea.

How Important is This? Darley and Latane have become leaders in this field. They illustrate how there is five steps one may follow before stepping into a unknown situation: 1. The potential helper must acknowledge the actual event. 2. Is help necessary here? Can the event be interpreted appropriately? 3. Personal responsibility exists if there is only one or more people at a given scene, but as the group grows in size, diffusion of responsibility settles among the group. 4. What action should be taken? 5. Once this is decided, hopefully it will be done. Depending on the situation, this will influence the final decision.

Further Findings- In both the Kitty Genovese case and the research study, the people involved did not have contact with one another. If people could communicate with one another, would they be more willing and able to help?  Regardless, Darley and Latane felt otherwise. They felt they would not help anymore, especially if the situation was ambiguous.

Social Comparison: The idea of seeing what others responses will be when in close contact with them. An example being is when in a room with others and one person notices a smoke like substance coming from an vent. They may question themselves, especially if there is no other responses. Is it really smoke or just my imagination? I will wait to see what that person is going to do. This may be a common response from someone.

A Later Study- This was conducted by the same researchers. Again psychology students were interviewed about their college experiences. The students were broken down into similar groups as previously. This time they were given a questionnaire in a room. Fake smoke began to enter the room through a vent. It was to be tested again to determine how long it would take for the students to report the problem. The theory was supported with similar results. The students in the larger groups were the least likely to report the smoke to someone. The author’s essential findings lead to other topics.

Further Research-  Darley and Latane’s model of steps can be applied to school bullying. O’Connell, Pepler, and Craig, 1999). Most of the time, the children watch the bullying take place. They did not attempt to stop the action. Is this a fear of rejection??  However, girls were most likely to intervene,as well as younger boys.  It is crucial to educate all the children about this alarming problem occurring on school playgrounds.

Conclusion- The research findings although negative are essential to attempt to rationalize human behavior and eventually alter it. If people are aware of the bystander effect, perhaps they might be more willing to help. A lesson to be learned: Do not assume others will help, act as if everything was up to you!!!!