Look at these examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI

vGIwLcIuw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNu-WZdHzaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvA9jT3Scfk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJcAymTu-CE&feature=relmfu

What Would You Do?Bystander Effect:

The Case of Kitty Genovese

Kitty was murdered on the street outside her New York City apartment after loud shouting was heard - 38 people witnessed the murder but did nothing to stop it.

Psychologists have long been interested in our unwillingness to get involved in uncomfortable situations even if someone’s personal safety is at risk

People have a tendency see themselves as bystanders in such situations rather than as ACTORS

ACTORS are people who become active participants in a situation

The Bystander Effect -

Kitty Genovese

When Bystanders Join In

4 years after Genovese was murdered, two psychologists, John Darley and Bibb Latane, wanted to identify the factors that influence bystanders’ decisions to get involved in public situations

Conclusions? Whether or not we intervene in a situation depends on the cues that we get from the participants and other bystanders

Relation to Genovese case? It suggests that if one bystander had joined in to try to help her, others might well have come forward too

When Bystanders Join In

Bystander Effect

Bystander – person who is not an active participant in a situation – they are standing by and witnessing

What do we know about the bystander effect?

Diffusion of Responsibility = the more people in the group, the less likely individuals are to act b/c they think that the responsibility rests with all other bystanders as opposed to when they are the only ones witnessing the situation

People will act differently in various situations…

Factors that Cause People to Act

Morals – parents taught you the right thing to do – i.e. damaging someone’s property

Damage done in their community Fear – don’t want to get in trouble for not

helping Personal – if you were in that situation,

you would want help Stereotypes – racial profiling, gender, age Pressure from others - conformity

Factors that Cause People NOT to Act

Fear – personal safety, mistake (hurting someone…, judgment)

“Not my business” – i.e. conflict in a family

Lack information on the situation Don’t know people involved Assume someone else will do it – diffusion

of responsibility Inconvenient – busy, don’t want to get

involved, don’t have time…

Extreme Example of Bystander Effect

The Holocaust – Memories of the Camp (15:00-17:30)

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/memory-of-the-camps/