Bystander intervention and Piliavin's subway study

Overview

Prosocial behaviour, the effect of other bystanders, the cost of helping, similarity and expertise, and Piliavin's subway study with its findings and ethics.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is prosocial behaviour?

   Model answer

   Prosocial behaviour is any action that benefits another person, such as helping, sharing or comforting.

2. 2

   What is bystander intervention?

   Model answer

   Bystander intervention is when a witness to an emergency steps in to help the victim.

3. 3

   How does the presence of others affect bystander intervention?

   Model answer

   The more bystanders there are, the less likely any one person is to help. Each person feels less personally responsible, which is called diffusion of responsibility.

4. 4

   What did Darley and Latané find about the presence of others in an emergency?

   Model answer

   Students heard another student apparently having a seizure over an intercom. Darley and Latané found 85% helped quickly when alone, but only 31% when they believed four others could hear.

5. 5

   How does the cost of helping affect bystander intervention?

   Model answer

   Bystanders weigh the costs of helping against the costs of not helping. Costs of helping include danger, effort and embarrassment. Costs of not helping include guilt and blame. Help is less likely when helping seems costly.

6. 6

   Why are people more likely to help a victim who is similar to them?

   Model answer

   People feel more empathy for someone they see as similar to themselves. Levine found football fans more often helped an injured stranger wearing their own team's shirt.

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