Results of Bystander Intervention Studies

Study 1: The smoke filled room

·       75% of the subject in the room alone reported the smoke within 2 minutes.

·       13% of the subjects waiting with others reported the smoke this quickly.

·       10% of the subjects waiting with the confederates reported the smoke even after 6 minutes.

Even when the room was filled with smoke, few subjects in groups of three reported the smoke to the experimenter. Afterwards subjects said that they did not want to look foolish by complaining about a situation that may not have actually constituted an emergency.

Study 2: The fallen female experimenter

·       Twice as many subjects got up to help when they were alone than if they were waiting with others.

Those who did not respond reported that they were uncertain that it was an emergency.

Study 3: The man who collapses on the subway

·       The victim with the cane received help 95% of the time and usually within 5 seconds

·       The “drunk” received help 50% of the time after an average of 1½ minutes.

Drunk responsible for his own plight

Helping drunk may involve greater cost (e.g., turn aggressive)

Study 4: College student who has a seizure

·       All the subjects who thought they were waiting alone left the room to help within about 52 seconds.

·       85% of the subjects who thought they were in a three person group left to help in an average time of 93 seconds.

·       62% of the subjects who thought they were part of a 6 person group left to help in an average time of almost 3 minutes.

A Major Finding from the Bystander Intervention Research

Altruistic behavior is strongly influenced by the social situation—in particular by the number of bystanders present. The general finding is that the greater the number of bystanders present the less likely one is to help.