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Piliavin et al. Subway Samaritan Study (1969)

Study Context: The Bystander Problem

Aim & Context

Piliavin et al. aimed to study helping behavior in a natural setting to understand factors affecting bystander intervention following the Kitty Genovese case, which suggested people often fail to help due to “diffusion of responsibility.” This was to test whether helping is influenced by the victim's characteristics and the presence of others.

Research Methodology Outline

The study was a field experiment designed to maximize ecological validity by using a real-world setting.

1

Design

Field experiment conducted on a New York subway train.
2

Sample

Around 4500 ethnically and socially diverse passengers travelling between 11 am and 3 pm on weekdays.
3

Procedure Trigger

Victims collapsed approximately 70 seconds into the carriage journey.

Independent Variables (Victim Condition)

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Ill Victim

Carrying a cane (Perceived as undeserving of the predicament).
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Drunk Victim

Smelling of alcohol, holding a bottle (Perceived as deserving of the predicament).
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Time Taken

Time until first helper arrived.
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Bystanders

Number of people present (Varied naturally).

Data Collection Measures

Confederates recorded observational data immediately after the incident.

Obs Victim Time Race Qty Model Comm Total B
1 Ill Secs Helper Total Yes/No Made Bystanders
2 Drunk Secs Helper Total Yes/No Made Bystanders

Key Findings: Deservingness

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High Helping Rate People were more likely to help the “ill” victim (95% helped, compared to the 50% for the drunk victim).
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Same-Race Bias Same-race helping was more common, particularly for the more controversial “drunk” victim condition.

The Urgency Principle

Bystander Effect $approx$ Minimal in Urgent Situations
Help was usually offered quickly, often by individuals. Contrary to classic diffusion of responsibility, the number of bystanders did not significantly slow down helping for the ill victim.

Core Conclusion

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Selective Intervention: Help was primarily influenced by the perceived deservingness of the victim; people selectively help when the cost of intervention is lower than the cost of guilt/inaction.

Debating Diffusion

While diffusion was generally refuted, certain conditions showed evidence of the effect.

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So, the bystander effect was completely debunked by this study?
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Not completely! The more bystanders present, the longer the time it took to help the drunk victim. Social factors and perceived responsibility are complex.
Piliavin et al. Bystander Study Deck
Q
Main Aim

What was the main aim of Piliavin et al.'s study?

A
Answer

To study helping behavior in a natural setting and understand factors affecting bystander intervention.

Q
Inspiration

What event inspired Piliavin et al.'s research?

A
Answer

The Kitty Genovese case, highlighting diffusion of responsibility in bystander intervention.

Q
Study Design

What design did Piliavin et al. use for their study?

A
Answer

A field experiment on a New York subway train.

Q
Participants

How many participants were involved in the study?

A
Answer

Around 4500 passengers traveling on weekdays.

Q
Victim Conditions

What were the two victim conditions used in the experiment?

A
Answer

An “ill” victim carrying a cane and a “drunk” victim smelling of alcohol and holding a bottle.

Q
Measuring Helping

How was helping behavior recorded?

A
Answer

Confederates discreetly observed and recorded the number, race, time, and comments of helpers.

Q
Helped More

Which victim received more help?

A
Answer

The ill victim, with 95% receiving help compared to 50% for the drunk victim.

Q
Bystander Effect

Did the presence of more bystanders increase or decrease helping?

A
Answer

For the drunk victim, more bystanders increased delay in helping, indicating some diffusion of responsibility.

Q
Race Influence

How did race affect helping behavior?

A
Answer

Same-race helping was more common for the drunk victim.

Q
Diffusion of Responsibility

What conclusion did Piliavin et al. draw about diffusion of responsibility?

A
Answer

It was minimal in urgent situations with clear victim need; helping was influenced more by perceived deservingness.

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🚇 Piliavin et al. Helping Behavior Quiz

1. What inspired Piliavin et al.’s study on helping behavior?

The study aimed to investigate bystander intervention after the publicized non-helping in this case.

2. What method did Piliavin et al. use to study helping behavior?

The study used actors on a New York subway to observe real-life helping.

3. Which victim type received the most help?

95% helped the ill victim while only 50% helped the drunk victim.

4. What effect did the number of bystanders have on helping behavior?

Some diffusion of responsibility was observed with the drunk victim but minimal for the ill victim.

5. True or False: Piliavin et al. concluded that diffusion of responsibility is the main reason people do not help in emergencies.

Help depended more on victim deservingness and the situation urgency than diffusion of responsibility.

📊 Results

  • Notes and Quiz
  • Psychology
  • A Level
  • Developmental Psychology
  • OCR