| Problem with generablisatity? | Victim and model was always male, gender bias |
| NA | NA |
| What as the aim? | To investigate helping behavior in a natural environment and understand the conditions in which people are more likely to help. |
| Sample used ? | 4450 male and female passengers on a new york subway between 11am and 3pm |
| What type of observation and what happened? | It was a covert observation.
4 groups of 4 uni students ran trails and observed what happened.
2 female confederates recorded the date and 2 males confederates were the victim and model. |
| What victims were there? | All the types of victims were dressed the same in each situation.
There was a drunk victim, carrying a bottle and smelled of alcohol
Ill victim with a cane. |
| What happened with the model and victim? | The victim entered the carriage and stood in the critical area
The model sat in the same critical area and may offer help at different periods of time |
| Where were the observers? | Same carriage through different doors sat in adjacent seating to observe |
| What was the scene in the carriage? | -70 seconds into the train journey the victim staggered and collapsed on the floor until he got help
-If he received no help by the train station, the model and the 2 female observers would get off the train (the model helping him)
-4 of them go to another platform and next train and repeat the trial. |
| Percentage of people that helped the ill victim before the model? | 95% intervened (in the trials) |
| Percentage of people that helped the drunk victim before the model? | 50% intervened (in the trials) |
| In the trials, what was the percentage of more than one bystander helping? | 60% (before the model) |
| How many of the helpers were male? | 90% |
| When was same-race help seen most? | Some evidence of same-race help was found , especially with the drunk victim |
| Evidence of diffusion of responsibility? | There was no evidence of diffusion of responsibility, the speed in which the victim was helped was faster when it was busier on the train. |
| Why did people help the ill person more than the drunk person? | Perhaps the cost of helping the ill person is less, in terms of personal risk |
| Why is it more likely that men will help instead of women? | The cost of helping is higher for a women |
| When is there a slight tendency to help in the same race? | When the victim was drunk |
| Why are larger groups more likely to help? | Perhaps the costs of helping is lower and the victim clearly needs help so pluralistic ignorance is unlikely. |
| What does this experiment show about diffusion of responsibility? | It does not happen when the situation is an obvious emergency |
| Ecological validity? | It has high ecological validity because it is a field experiment and that means it can be easily applied to real life. No demand characteristics |
| Ethics? | Covert observation so the people didnt give their consent and they don't know that they are being observed. |
| Reliability? | 2 different observers in different areas of the train, consistent and more reliable results. |
| Generalisablity? | a large opportunity sample, represents a large target population |
| Objectivity ? | Victim and model was always male, gender bias |
