The bystander effect is complicated -- here's why | Ken Brown | TEDxUIowa

Summary

The script delves into the bystander effect, a psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help in a crowd. Originating from the 1964 Kitty Genovese murder, it's often misconstrued as people's indifference in cities. Studies by Darley and Latané showed that when people believe they're alone, they're more likely to help. However, recent research indicates that when one person acts, others follow, suggesting the effect is more about uncertainty than diffusion of responsibility. The script concludes with advice on how to incite action in crowds and the power of small groups to catalyze change.

Takeaways

• 👥 The bystander effect suggests that individuals are less likely to help in an emergency situation when there are more people present.
• 🏙️ The concept of the bystander effect originated from the tragic murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964, where it was initially reported that 38 people did not intervene.
• 🔍 Research by John Darley and Bibb Latané showed that when subjects believed they were alone, they were more likely to help someone in distress compared to when they thought others were present.
• ⏱️ The time it takes to help increases with the perceived number of bystanders, suggesting a diffusion of responsibility.
• 🤔 The original story of the Kitty Genovese murder was later found to be inaccurate, with some people actually having called the police or intervened.
• 🧐 The presence of passive bystanders can lead to the bystander effect, but if one person takes action, it can encourage others to help, reversing the effect.
• 🔑 The key to overcoming the bystander effect is reducing uncertainty by having at least one person take the initiative to help.
• 📢 If you need help in a crowd, it's more effective to direct a plea for help to a specific individual rather than calling out to everyone.
• 🌟 Small groups of committed individuals can act as catalysts for change, inspiring others to join and amplify their impact.
• 💡 The bystander effect teaches us that taking action, even if it's just one person stepping up, can lead to a ripple effect of others following suit.

Q & A

What is the bystander effect?

The bystander effect is a psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. The presence of others can cause diffusion of responsibility, leading to inaction.

What historical event is often cited as an example of the bystander effect?

The murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens, New York, on March 13th, 1964, is often cited as an example of the bystander effect. It was reported that 38 people witnessed the attack but did not call the police.

What did John Darley and Bibb Latané's study in 1968 involve?

Darley and Latané's study involved subjects who were made to feel alone or in groups while listening to someone describing stroke symptoms and calling for help. The study aimed to measure the likelihood of the subjects offering help based on their perceived isolation or group presence.

What were the results of Darley and Latané's study regarding helping behavior?

The study found that over 80% of individuals helped when they felt alone, over 60% helped when they thought two others were present, and less than half helped when they believed five others were present. The time to help also increased with the perceived number of bystanders.

What is the role of uncertainty in the bystander effect?

Uncertainty plays a significant role in the bystander effect. When no one helps, people may wonder if it's the right thing to do, leading to inaction. However, when one person helps, it reduces uncertainty, and others are more likely to join in helping.

How does the presence of an active bystander change the effect?

When one person is instructed to be active and help, the bystander effect is reversed, leading to a 'helper effect' where people are more likely to help when more people are present.

What advice does Bob Cialdini give for getting help in a crowd?

Bob Cialdini advises that when you need help in a crowd, your goal should be to get one person to help, as others are likely to follow. This can be achieved by specifically singling out and calling for help from one individual.

How does the bystander effect relate to social movements and change?

The bystander effect illustrates that small groups of committed individuals can act as catalysts for change, inspiring others to join and participate. This concept is applicable to social movements where a few active participants can lead to broader engagement.

What did the review of the Kitty Genovese case by Rachel Manning and her colleagues reveal?

The review of the Kitty Genovese case revealed that contrary to the initial reports, there were people who did call the police and scream from their windows, indicating that the story was not as indicative of the bystander effect as previously thought.

What is the significance of Margaret Mead's quote in the context of the bystander effect?

Margaret Mead's quote emphasizes the power of a small group of committed individuals to change the world. In the context of the bystander effect, it suggests that a small group's actions can inspire others to follow, highlighting the potential for positive change.

How can the understanding of the bystander effect be applied to everyday life?

Understanding the bystander effect can help individuals recognize the importance of taking initiative in a crowd or group setting. It encourages proactive behavior and the belief that one's actions can inspire others to join in, whether it's offering help or initiating a cause.

Outlines

00:00

👥 Understanding the Bystander Effect

The first paragraph introduces the concept of the bystander effect, a psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. The origin of this concept is traced back to a 1964 murder in New York, where it was reported that 38 bystanders did not call the police. This incident spurred social psychologists to investigate the phenomenon, leading to a seminal study by John Darley and Bibb Latané in 1968. In their experiment, participants were led to believe they were alone or with others while listening to someone experiencing a stroke. The study found that those who believed they were alone were more likely to help, while the presence of others reduced the likelihood of assistance. This was initially attributed to the diffusion of responsibility, suggesting that people feel less responsible to act when others are present.

05:04

🔍 Reevaluating the Bystander Effect

The second paragraph challenges the conventional understanding of the bystander effect by discussing research that suggests the situation is not as dire as previously thought. Rachel Manning and her colleagues reexamined the Kitty Genovese case and found that the New York Times' account was misleading; some people did call the police and intervene. A meta-analysis by Peter Fisher and colleagues confirmed that the presence of bystanders does reduce helping responses, but the effect is not as pronounced as once believed. The analysis also showed that when one bystander is instructed to be active, the bystander effect is reversed, and people are more likely to help. This suggests that uncertainty, rather than diffusion of responsibility, is the primary factor influencing the bystander effect. When people see others taking action, they are more likely to join in and help.

10:05

📢 Activating the Bystander Effect

The third paragraph focuses on practical advice for individuals who find themselves in a crowd and need help. It emphasizes the importance of getting one person to help, as others are likely to follow. The speaker uses the example of calling out a specific person in a crowd to illustrate how singling someone out can prompt action. The paragraph also discusses the broader implications of this understanding, suggesting that getting one person to volunteer can encourage others to do the same. The speaker quotes Margaret Mead, highlighting the power of small, committed groups to catalyze change. The narrative includes personal anecdotes and historical examples, such as the civil rights movement and the Tunisian revolution, to demonstrate how small groups can inspire larger movements.

15:10

🌟 Overcoming Uncertainty to Lead Change

The final paragraph concludes with a personal reflection on the importance of overcoming uncertainty and fear to take action. The speaker recounts a personal experience at an airport where they overcame their hesitation to wake a sleeping passenger, leading to a positive outcome. This story serves as a metaphor for the broader message of the talk: that individuals should not be deterred by uncertainty when it comes to helping others or leading change. The speaker ends with a call to action, asking the audience to consider how they can lead others to make a difference in the world, emphasizing the potential impact of committed individuals and groups.

Keywords

💡Bystander Effect

The Bystander Effect refers to a social psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. The video discusses this concept extensively, highlighting how the presence of others can lead to a diffusion of responsibility, causing people to assume that someone else will take action. This is exemplified in the script through the historical account of Kitty Genovese's murder and subsequent studies by John Darley and Bibb Latané.

💡Diffusion of Responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological phenomenon where the presence of others leads to a decreased sense of individual responsibility to act in an emergency. In the video, this concept is tied to the Bystander Effect, suggesting that when people believe others are present and capable of helping, they are less likely to intervene themselves. The script cites the Darley and Latané study, where participants were less likely to help when they believed others were present and not responding.

💡Kitty Genovese

Kitty Genovese was a victim of a high-profile murder in 1964, which became a case study for the Bystander Effect. The video script mentions her story as a catalyst for social psychological research into why people did not intervene or call the police during her attack. This event is central to the video's exploration of the Bystander Effect and its implications.

💡Social Psychology

Social psychology is the scientific study of how people think, act, and feel in social situations. The video script delves into social psychology through the lens of the Bystander Effect, discussing how this field of study has contributed to our understanding of human behavior in groups. The script references various studies and experiments that have been conducted to explore the Bystander Effect.

💡Emergency

An emergency, as discussed in the video, is a situation that requires immediate action to prevent harm or loss. The script uses the context of emergencies to explore how the Bystander Effect impacts the likelihood of people receiving help. It discusses how the presence of others can influence the response to an emergency, such as someone experiencing a stroke, as depicted in the Darley and Latané study.

💡Uncertainty

Uncertainty is a state of doubt or lack of conviction, which the video script suggests plays a significant role in the Bystander Effect. When people are unsure about the appropriate action to take or how others will react, they may hesitate to help. The script illustrates this through examples where the presence of active helpers can alleviate uncertainty and encourage others to assist.

💡Helper Effect

The Helper Effect is a term introduced in the video to contrast the Bystander Effect. It describes a situation where the act of one person helping can encourage others to join in and provide assistance. The script explains that this effect can counteract the Bystander Effect, showing that social influence can also lead to positive outcomes.

💡Catalyst

A catalyst in the context of the video is an individual or group that initiates change or action. The script uses this term to describe how small groups of committed individuals can inspire others to join a cause or take action. This concept is exemplified through historical references, such as Martin Luther King's role in the civil rights movement.

💡Commitment

Commitment, as discussed in the video, refers to the dedication and determination to achieve a goal or fulfill a duty. The script emphasizes the importance of commitment in driving social change, suggesting that it is the commitment of a few that can inspire many to act. This is illustrated through examples of social movements and individual acts of kindness.

💡Volunteer

A volunteer is someone who offers their time and effort to help others without payment. The video script touches on the concept of volunteering as a form of social action that can be influenced by the Bystander Effect. It suggests that getting one person to volunteer can lead to a chain reaction, encouraging others to join in and contribute.

💡Influence

Influence in the video script refers to the capacity to have an effect on someone's character, development, or behavior. The speaker discusses how understanding the Bystander Effect can influence how we seek help or encourage others to act. The script provides strategies for using influence effectively, such as targeting a specific individual for assistance in a crowd.

Highlights

The bystander effect suggests that individuals are less likely to help in larger crowds.

The concept of the bystander effect originated from the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese in New York.

John Darley and Bibb Latané conducted a seminal study on the bystander effect in 1968.

In the study, participants were more likely to help when they believed they were alone compared to when they thought others were present.

The average time to provide help was significantly shorter when participants believed they were alone.

The bystander effect has been replicated in various settings, demonstrating its real-world applicability.

Rachel Manning's research challenged the conventional narrative of the Kitty Genovese case, revealing that some people did intervene.

Peter Fisher's meta-analysis indicated that the presence of bystanders can reduce helping responses, but the effect is not as severe as previously thought.

When one bystander is instructed to be active, it can reverse the bystander effect and encourage others to help.

The primary explanation for the bystander effect may be uncertainty rather than diffusion of responsibility.

Small groups acting in unison can inspire others to follow, which is the opposite of the bystander effect.

In a crowd, to get help, it's more effective to single out one person rather than appealing to everyone.

Margaret Mead's quote emphasizes the impact a small group of committed individuals can have on the world.

The speaker shares a personal anecdote about overcoming uncertainty to help someone, highlighting the importance of individual action.

The speaker encourages the audience to consider how they can lead others to make a difference in the world.

Transcripts

Transcriber: Leonardo Silva Reviewer: Mile Živković

So, let's talk about the bystander effect for a minute.

This is one of the most frequently discussed psychological phenomena.

Many of you have read about it in psychology textbooks,

heard about it in a psychology one-on-one lecture,

or seen videos where this is described and demonstrated.

The fundamental idea behind the bystander effect is as follows:

when you are in a larger crowd,

you're less likely to receive aid and assistance.

Now, the very presence of that idea makes some people nervous,

makes them nervous to visit big cities,

makes them nervous to be among others

and worry that, when they are together in a crowd, a parade, a march,

maybe they're somehow in danger.

Where did this idea come from?

March 13th, 1964,

a tragedy in Queens, New York:

Kitty Genovese was murdered outside her apartment.

It was late, but there was certainly people awake,

and she was screaming while she was attacked.

Two weeks later, the New York Times ran an article

saying that 37 who saw the murder did not call the police.

Thirty seven.

The number was later adjusted to 38.

The idea that someone could be murdered and people would stand idly by

became something that social psychologists were very concerned about,

and they began research.

I'd like to talk to you about one of the most seminal studies in this space.

This laboratory, or one that looks very much like it,

is where, in 1968, John Darley and Bibb Latané took subjects,

put headphones on them, and put them in a room,

and asked them to listen to other people.

They were made to feel that they were either alone or with two other people,

or with five other people.

Then, they did something which I think was very traumatic.

The '60s were very good days for social psychology,

when you could do terrible things to people,

in the service of science.

What they did to these experimental subjects

was have them listen to someone describing the symptoms of a stroke

and then calling out for help.

What they were interested in was:

would the individual with headphones on, alone in a room, yell out for help,

or bang on the door, open the door,

break the bounds of the experiment and say,

"This person needs help, and I want to do it"?

Let me share the results of that study with you.

In the six-minute period following the onset

of the individual describing stroke symptoms,

when a person was made to feel alone, that they were the only one hearing,

over 80 percent helped within a six-minute time window.

When they thought there were more people present,

that was reduced to over 60 percent.

In the belief that there were five other people present,

less than half did anything.

They also looked at the time to help, and we see a very similar effect.

The pattern looks different, but, as I'll explain, the idea is simple.

When you're alone, you're more quick to help,

if you do provide help,

and you see the average time to provide assistance was less than a minute,

50 seconds.

But, with two people present, that time went up,

and, with five people present,

almost three minutes, on average, before someone helped.

This was described at the time

as being a result of deffusion of responsibility,

that, in the presence of other people,

we don't feel our responsibility to step up to intervene, to help.

In the years since then, there have been many replications and studies

using different types of activities, using different types of emergencies.

If you go online, you can find any number of videos, exposés, even student projects,

where a student will [lie] face-down on the floor

in a high school hallway,

and people seem to walk right by.

In this video, you see a gentleman crouched down,

saying, "I need help! I'm in pain!",

and people walk by.

This is the bystander effect.

Here's the but.

Social psychology does a fantastic job

of letting us know when things might happen

and if they are indeed at all possible.

But, going back actually to that first scenario, in 1964 -

Kitty Genovese -

we actually find, Rachel Manning and her colleagues,

that the story wasn't as clean as people think.

When Manning and her colleagues reviewed the police records,

when they looked at what really happened that night using court documents,

they discovered that the New York Times actually -

surprisingly perhaps for some of us; others, maybe -

mislead us.

There actually were people who called the police.

There were people who screamed and yelled out their window.

This was not the story of the big city run amok and people not caring

that some thought it was.

A few years later,

Peter Fisher and his colleagues did a meta-analytic synthesis -

this is a combination of all the published research on the bystander effect -

and they concluded that the presence of bystanders

does reduce helping responses.

So, it is a real phenomenon,

but, when you dig into the data, when you dig into studies,

you realize that the picture is not as bleak,

nowhere near as bleak as conventionally assumed.

And, in fact, there is one little thing that makes a huge difference.

Let me share some of their results.

In this particular study, they cumulated across multiple studies

and were able to give you an estimate of how big is the effect,

how big is the effect of when more people are present you don't help.

And the large negative effect you see here occurred across multiple studies,

when there were bystanders present who were instructed to be passive.

This is in fact what happened in the Darley and Latané study,

where the individual who was there as an experimenter

told the others who were bystanders not to say anything.

So, there was considerable amount of uncertainty

for the experimental participant,

"There are other people. How come they're not speaking up?"

When there is a passive bystander, this effect does occur.

What happens when you instruct one person, one person, to be active and step up?

The results are completely reversed.

We go from having a bystander effect,

where people are less likely to help,

to having what could be called a helper effect,

where, in the presence of more people,

as long as one person, one person, actively helps,

people are more likely to jump to be in a position to aid further.

People become more likely to help.

This data suggests that it can't be deffusion of responsibility

as the primary explanation for the bystander effect.

If that's the case, then, when one person helps,

you're absolved of responsibility, you should walk away.

Instead, the explanation is one of uncertainty.

When no one helps, we wonder,

"Is that the right thing to do? To stand by? To be passive?

To let this thing, this tragedy happen?"

When one person helps,

we jump in, we're there, we're ready,

we actually join with others to help and make a difference.

There's additional research that says, in particular,

if you go beyond one person and you get a small group of people,

a small group of people, who act amongst a sea of others,

and they engage in a particular behavior,

whether it's gazing up at a particular window

or doing a dance,

others are more likely to act and do the same.

This is quite different than the bystander effect.

In fact, it's effectively the opposite.

So,

armed with a more realistic and more current understanding

of the bystander effect,

there are two things that you can do with this knowledge.

And let me begin with the most basic,

although maybe this is the most important for you,

and that's as follows:

what do you do if you're in a crowd and you need help?

Bob Cialdini, who was a former professor at Arizona State University,

who has a best-selling book on power and influence,

does a really nice job of giving very specific advice here,

an advice that I think that you can use.

It's an idea that is certainly worth spreading:

when you need help, your job is not to get anyone to help;

your job is to get one person to help.

And, if you can get one person to help, other people will follow.

Now, how do you do that?

If you're in an audience and you know someone's name,

you can call that person out.

In another situation, you may not know,

and you may literally have to find a way to single someone out.

For example, in an audience like this, it'd be very difficult, I think,

to convince someone to come up and be on camera and be onstage,

but, if I said, "I need help,"

and I pointed, and I said -

Ma'am, you who have white jacket, on the sides, with pattern,

I need you to come, I need your help.

Please, I see your shoes, with the white laces.

Come on, please, come right here, I need your help.

Actually, I just need you to flip my slide,

so hold those, if you can.

And then, when you're ready,

I'll tell you and you will flip by pushing that button.

Are you happy to be up here?

She says, "I'm super happy."

(Laughter)

If you want help -

you can go ahead and click the button to go forward, perfect -

now you know how to get help in a crowd: all you need is one person.

Were I to call someone else up now,

people would be more willing and likely to come.

So, we can use this in all aspects of our life.

We can use it to get help in a crowd. We can use it to get help as a volunteer.

if you're running an office and you need someone to volunteer,

don't just ask anyone.

Get one person, and then, other people will follow.

So, that's the first piece of advice, the first idea worth spreading,

with your new knowledge of the bystander effect.

It says that all you really need is one person, and other will follow.

Next slide.

Margaret Mead,

who is perhaps the United States' most famous cultural anthropologist, said,

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens

can change the world."

I remember the first time I heard this quote it made me really tired,

because I imagined small groups of people working late at night,

trying to change the world.

It's a lot of work for small groups of people to do,

whether you're building bridges in Peru,

whether you're working with your pastor

and a small group pf committed citizens within your church

to help a hurting community,

it's a lot for a small group of people to do.

But, if we take what we know about the bystander effect seriously now,

I think we understand the idea

that it's not really about that small group getting everything done.

It's about that small group becoming the catalyst for others to follow.

You can click to the next slide.

If we think about what happened in the '60s with Martin Luther King,

we have a tendency to elevate reverend Martin Luther King and say,

"Look at what he did," and the reality is that he did not do it alone.

He had groups of people that he locked hands with and arms with,

and they marched together,

and, when they marched, others followed.

You can turn the next slide.

More recently, we've seen Tunisia in a revolution

that's perhaps the most successful example of and Arab Spring revolution

where we now have a budding democracy.

Not one person, but small groups of youths,

young people, like the college students in this room,

who came together and decided that they would go to the streets

and they would protest against their government.

And, when small groups of young people went to the streets, others followed.

There was a movement born

from the commitment of small groups of people,

and there were there others to follow.

I remember in my own life thinking a little bit about how nervous,

how uncertain we are to reach out and help.

I was at an airport once, and the guy next to me had fallen asleep.

He looked far different than me in so many ways.

He was wearing ratty jeans and he was unshaved,

and I was in my suit.

We were sitting next to each other, and he had fallen asleep hard, he was out.

And our plane was boarding.

Our plane was boarding, and I assumed he would wake up,

and I kept hoping he would wake up.

And, for me, this was not deffusion of responsibility.

I felt some sense of obligation, responsibility,

but there was massive uncertainty, massive uncertainty in my case,

"Do I wake him up and maybe make him mad?

What if this is not his flight?"

I started to walk away -

I stopped, and I turned,

and I decided that I needed to face the uncertainty

and I needed to do something.

And, as silly as it sounds,

I was nervous,

and I reached out and I touched his shoulder,

and I said, "Sir, sir - the plane is getting ready to leave."

And he opened his eyes, and I was still uncertain.

I was nervous,

and he looked up at me and he said, "Thank you so much.

I was on a spiritual retreat, and I was up all night praying,

and I just couldn't stay awake."

And we boarded the flight together, shoulder to shoulder,

and I thought this was just one of those little things,

but I was afraid, I was uncertain.

How many other times are we uncertain or afraid

for things that are more important, more worrisome, more troubling

than tapping someone on the shoulder?

I committed that day to think,

"I need to stop sitting in uncertainty, and I need to do something."

And knowing that the gentleman that woke up that day

had been praying for 24 hours and I did him a good favor,

I think I've got some in now with God, that I'll use - (Laughter)

as best as I can over the next few weeks.

I have a question for you, and I'm going to end on this.

You can go ahead and click.

Now that you know that the bystander effect is not what is in your textbooks,

now that you know that you're not in danger in a crowd,

or that a parade or a march is a place where who knows what's going to happen,

now that you know that other people will follow,

if you get a group of people who are committed, excited and work hard,

I want to know: where are you going to lead others

to change the world, to do service?

What are you going to do to make a difference?

Thank you.

(Applause)