Psychology Piliavin et al.
Subway Samaritas
• Title:
• Good Samaritanism: An Underground Phenomenon?
• Year: 1969
Psychology being investigated
• Bystander Apathy: The phenomenon of when observers of an emergency situation do not
intervene.
• Di usion of responsibility (Latané and Darley): Is a sociopsychological phenomenon whereby
people are less likely to o er help if other people are present because they feel that the whole
group is equally responsible, thus making themselves less personally responsible.
Background
• Murder of Kitty Genovese
• Bystander behaviour
Aims
• To study bystander behaviour outside the laboratory, in a realistic setting where participants
would have a clear view of the victim.
• To see whether helping behaviour was a ected by four variables: the victim’s responsibility of
being in a situation where they need help, the race of the victim, the e ect of modelling helping
behaviour and the size of the group.
Procedure
• Research Method: Field Experiment and Observations
• Experimental Design: Independent groups
• IV: There were four IVs.
• 1. Victim’s responsibility - operationalised as carrying a cane = ill (low responsibility) or
smelling of alcohol carrying a bottle wrapping in a paper bag = drunk (high responsibility)
• 2.Victim’s race
• 3. Presence of a model - operationalised as whether a male confederate either close to or
distant from the victim helped after 70 or 150 seconds
• 4. Number of bystanders
• DV: The amount of people who helped; the speed it took for them to help the victim.
• Sample: An estimated total of around 4450 people were unsolicited participants of this study
with a racial mix of 55% whit and 45% black.
• Sampling Technique: Opportunity Sampling
• The experiment was conducted during the period from April 15 to June 26, 1968.
• The trains A and D of the 8th Avenue IND were selected because they make no stops between
the 59th and 125th street. Thus, the trials lasted during the 7.5-minute journey between these
two stops.
• There was a mean of 43 people in each car and 8.5 in the critical area.
• On each trial, a team of four students, (two males and tow females), boarded the train using
di erent doors. Four di erent teams, whose members always worked together, collected data
for 103 trials.
• Each team varied the location of the experimental compartment from trial to trial.
• The female confederates sat outside the critical area and recorded data as unobtrusively as
possible during the journey, while the male model and victim remained standing. The victim
always stood next to a pole in the centre of the critical area.
• As the train passed the rst station (approximately 70 seconds after departing), the victim
staggered forward and collapsed.
• Until receiving help, he remained motionless on the oor, looking at the ceiling.
• If he received no help by the time the train slowed to a stop, the model helped him to his feet.
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Subway Samaritas
• Title:
• Good Samaritanism: An Underground Phenomenon?
• Year: 1969
Psychology being investigated
• Bystander Apathy: The phenomenon of when observers of an emergency situation do not
intervene.
• Di usion of responsibility (Latané and Darley): Is a sociopsychological phenomenon whereby
people are less likely to o er help if other people are present because they feel that the whole
group is equally responsible, thus making themselves less personally responsible.
Background
• Murder of Kitty Genovese
• Bystander behaviour
Aims
• To study bystander behaviour outside the laboratory, in a realistic setting where participants
would have a clear view of the victim.
• To see whether helping behaviour was a ected by four variables: the victim’s responsibility of
being in a situation where they need help, the race of the victim, the e ect of modelling helping
behaviour and the size of the group.
Procedure
• Research Method: Field Experiment and Observations
• Experimental Design: Independent groups
• IV: There were four IVs.
• 1. Victim’s responsibility - operationalised as carrying a cane = ill (low responsibility) or
smelling of alcohol carrying a bottle wrapping in a paper bag = drunk (high responsibility)
• 2.Victim’s race
• 3. Presence of a model - operationalised as whether a male confederate either close to or
distant from the victim helped after 70 or 150 seconds
• 4. Number of bystanders
• DV: The amount of people who helped; the speed it took for them to help the victim.
• Sample: An estimated total of around 4450 people were unsolicited participants of this study
with a racial mix of 55% whit and 45% black.
• Sampling Technique: Opportunity Sampling
• The experiment was conducted during the period from April 15 to June 26, 1968.
• The trains A and D of the 8th Avenue IND were selected because they make no stops between
the 59th and 125th street. Thus, the trials lasted during the 7.5-minute journey between these
two stops.
• There was a mean of 43 people in each car and 8.5 in the critical area.
• On each trial, a team of four students, (two males and tow females), boarded the train using
di erent doors. Four di erent teams, whose members always worked together, collected data
for 103 trials.
• Each team varied the location of the experimental compartment from trial to trial.
• The female confederates sat outside the critical area and recorded data as unobtrusively as
possible during the journey, while the male model and victim remained standing. The victim
always stood next to a pole in the centre of the critical area.
• As the train passed the rst station (approximately 70 seconds after departing), the victim
staggered forward and collapsed.
• Until receiving help, he remained motionless on the oor, looking at the ceiling.
• If he received no help by the time the train slowed to a stop, the model helped him to his feet.
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