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Piliavin 1969 Helping Behaviour (Procedure (4 teams of 4 researchers - 2…
Piliavin 1969 Helping Behaviour
Background
Since murder of Kitty Genovese 1964 (woman stabbed to death over period of 30 minutes in front of 38 unresponsive witnesses) psychologists have studied concept of Good Samaritanism
AIM - to investigate the effect of race and physical state on helping behaviour
to test the diffusion of responsibility hypothesis
Research method
Field experiment - New York subway
Four IV's - type of victim (drunk or carrying a cane), race of victim (black or white), effect if a model (70 or 150s, critical or adjacent area), size of witnessing group
DV's - recorded by 2 female observers: frequency of help, speed of help, race of helper, sex of helper, movement out of critical area, verbal comments by bystanders
Assumed to be independent measures - likely different participants in each condition
Sample
4500 men and women who use the New York subway on weekays between 11am-3pm between April and June 1968
About 45% were black and 55% white
Procedure
4 teams of 4 researchers - 2 observers, 1 victim, 1 model
Victims all male students aged 26-35 they either smelled of liquor and carried a bottle in a brown bag or appeared sober and carried a black cane
All models white males aged 24-29 4 model conditions: critical area-early, critical area-late, adjacent area-early, adjacent area-late
One observer recorded DV's of people in critical area and counted the total number of people who came to the victim's assistance and their race, sex and location whilst the other recorded DV's people in adjacent area and both recorded any comments heard
After about 70 seconds victim collapses until receiving help remains on floor if no help by end of 7.5 minutes model helped him to his feet, team then change platform and do it again
6-8 trials were run a day but more cane trials than drunk trials took place as the victim did not like playing drunk
Key findings
Cane victim received spontaneous help 95% of the time whereas drunk victim only 50%}
Overall 100% helped cane victim 81% helped drunk victim
Help offered more quickly to cane victim
90% of first helpers were male
No diffusion of responsibsility was found
More comments made by passengers in drunk condition than cane condition e.g. "it's for men tp help him"
Conclusions
An individual who appears ill is more likely to get help than one drunk
Men are more likely to help a male victim
People are more likely to help those of their own race - particularly if situation is one of their own making (drunk)