First Hour - What do the phenomena of “bystander intervention” and “obedience to authority” reveal about the social determinants of behavior?Dispositions vs. situations – one of the “BIG” questions in psychology• The Kitty Genovese storyLatané and Darley’s experiments on bystanderintervention• Group size• Pluralistic ignorance• Diffusion of responsibilityObedience to authority:• Milgram’s experiments

Social Psychology 1

Latané and Darley:Effect of perceived group size on one’s likelihood to intervene

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0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

1

01 2 3 4

Number of others that one believed were available to

respond

Pro

port

ion

resp

on

din

g t

o

em

erg

en

cy

Subject alone with victim

Subject with victim + 1 other

Subject with victim + 4 others

1. Do I notice the event?

if noNo help given: I am assuming no help is needed.

if noNo help given: I am assuming others will help.

if no No help given: I do not know what to do.

2. Do I interpret the event as an emergency?

if yes

3. Do I decide that I am responsible for intervening?

if yes

4. Do I decide what to do and how to do it?

if yes

5. Decide on how to help.

if yes

if noNo help given: I am unaware that help might be needed.

Latané and Darley’s 5-step decision model of intervention

AmbiguityPluralistic ignoranceDiffusion of responsibility

Factors the increase the likelihood of helping behaviour

Factors that reduce the likelihood of helping behaviour

The presence of blood

Gender of the victimBystanders know each otherBystanders share a bond with the victim

Bystanders have knowledge of the bystander effect

ExperimenterSubject

(teacher)

Actor(student)

Results of alternate experimental manipulations:(in order of conditions generating increasing percentages of subjects giving the maximum shock)

8. Remote victim. 65% obedience (baseline condition)

1. Two authorities contradicting each other.2. Authority also being the victim.

3. Free to choose the shock level.

4. Two of the subject’s peers “rebel.”5. Remote authority.6. Proximity within range of touch. 7. Proximity beyond range of touch.

10. A peer administers the shocks. 9. Two authorities, one as the victim.

3-10% obedience

20-30% obedience

65-90% obedience