Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionHow the Bystander Effect WorksReal-Life ExampleExplanationsPrevention

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Definition

How the Bystander Effect Works

Real-Life Example

Explanations

Prevention

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What Is the Meaning of Bystander Effect?

If you witnessed an emergency happening right before your eyes, you would certainly take some sort of action to help the person in trouble, right? While we might all like to believe that this is true, psychologists suggest that whether or not you intervene might depend upon the number of other witnesses present.

Being part of a large crowd makes it so no single person has to take responsibility for an action (or inaction).

In a series of classic studies, researchers Bibb Latané and John Darley found that the amount of time it takes the participant to take action and seek help varies depending on how many other observers are in the room. In oneexperiment, subjects were placed in one of three treatment conditions: alone in a room, with two other participants, or with two confederates who pretended to be normal participants.

As the participants sat filling out questionnaires, smoke began to fill the room. When participants were alone, 75% reported the smoke to the experimenters. In contrast, just 38% of participants in a room with two other people reported the smoke. In the final group, the two confederates in the experiment noted the smoke and then ignored it, which resulted in only 10% of the participants reporting the smoke.

What Is a Real-Life Example of the Bystander Effect?

An initial article in theNew York Timessensationalized the case and reported a number of factual inaccuracies. An article in the September 2007 issue ofAmerican Psychologistconcluded that the story is largely misrepresented mostly due to the inaccuracies repeatedly published in newspaper articles and psychology textbooks.

Why Does It Happen?

Because there are other observers, individuals do not feel as much pressure to take action. The responsibility to act is thought to be shared among all of those present.

The second reason is the need to behave in correct and socially acceptable ways. When other observers fail to react, individuals often take this as a signal that a response is not needed or not appropriate.

Researchers have found that onlookers are less likely to intervene if the situation is ambiguous. In the case of Kitty Genovese, many of the 38 witnesses reported that they believed that they were witnessing a “lover’s quarrel,” and did not realize that the young woman was actually being murdered.

Acrisisis often chaotic and the situation is not always crystal clear. Onlookers might wonder exactly what is happening. During such moments, people often look to others in the group to determine what is appropriate. When they see that no one else is reacting, it sends a signal that perhaps no action is needed.

Preventing the Bystander Effect

But what if you are the person in need of assistance? How can you inspire people to lend a hand? One often recommended tactic is to single out one person from the crowd. Make eye contact and ask that individual specifically for help. By personalizing and individualizing your request, it becomes much harder for people to turn you down.

1 Source

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Manning R, Levine M, Collins A.The Kitty Genovese murder and the social psychology of helping: the parable of the 38 witnesses.Am Psychol.2007;62(6):555-62. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.62.6.555

Darley JM, Latané B. Bystander “apathy.”American Scientist.1969;57:244-268.

Latané B, Darley JM.The Unresponsive Bystander: Why Doesn’t He Help?Prentice Hall, 1970.

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