03 방관자효과 문밖의비명실험

Summary

This script details a psychological experiment exploring the 'bystander effect', where the number of witnesses paradoxically reduces the likelihood of receiving help. Participants were engaged in a quiz, unaware of the true purpose. When the experimenter feigned a fall outside the room, the students' reactions varied. In a group setting, none immediately helped despite hearing distress, attributing responsibility to others. In contrast, when alone, participants quickly responded, demonstrating that social context significantly influences the decision to act in an emergency.

Takeaways

• 🧪 The script describes a social psychology experiment to understand why people might not help others when there are many witnesses present.
• 🤫 The experiment is conducted by hiding the true purpose from participants and giving them a quiz to solve, creating a distraction.
• 🎶 A participant, acting as the 'victim', falls and makes noise outside the room after a certain period, simulating an emergency.
• 👥 The experiment involves a group of 20-something male college students who cannot see each other's faces, possibly due to a screen or partition.
• 🕒 The 'victim' announces that they will return in 15 minutes, after which they pretend to fall and make distress sounds.
• 😳 Despite hearing the distress, none of the participants immediately get up to help, illustrating the 'bystander effect'.
• 👀 One participant, Jun-hae, looks around but does not take action, showing the influence of others' inaction on individual behavior.
• ⏳ After 15 minutes, when asked, participants express confusion and curiosity but did not act, highlighting the diffusion of responsibility.
• 🔄 The experiment is repeated with the same results, emphasizing that the presence of others inhibits individual response to an emergency.
• 🏠 In a variation of the experiment, when participants are alone, they quickly respond to the distress, indicating personal responsibility in the absence of others.
• 🤔 The script concludes that the number of witnesses inversely affects the likelihood of receiving help, a phenomenon known as social facilitation or social loafing.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the experiment described in the script?

The experiment aims to explore why the presence of more witnesses can lead to a decrease in the likelihood of helping someone in need.

How is the experiment conducted to test the bystander effect?

The experiment involves hiding the real purpose from participants, giving them a quiz to solve, and then having the examiner collapse outside the room to observe if and how the participants react.

What role does the music play in the experiment?

The music serves as a distraction and a way to simulate a situation where participants might not immediately notice the examiner's collapse.

What was the initial reaction of the participants when the examiner collapsed?

The participants did not immediately react to the collapse, suggesting a lack of awareness or a hesitation to act due to the presence of others.

Why did the participant named Jun-ha look around but not help?

Jun-ha may have been influenced by the bystander effect, where the presence of others led to a diffusion of responsibility and inaction.

What happened after 15 minutes of the examiner's collapse?

No participant got up to help the collapsed examiner, indicating a significant bystander effect in the group setting.

How did the participants justify their inaction after the experiment?

Participants justified their inaction by considering whether they should intervene, feeling that it was too severe to handle alone, or being curious but ultimately choosing to continue with the quiz.

What change was made in the experiment to test the bystander effect further?

The experiment was repeated with only one participant in the room to see if the absence of other people would prompt immediate action.

What was the reaction of the participant when they were alone in the room?

When alone, the participant quickly got up to help after hearing the examiner's distress, showing a stronger sense of personal responsibility.

What conclusion can be drawn from the experiment regarding the bystander effect?

The experiment suggests that the bystander effect is a powerful phenomenon where the presence of more people can reduce the likelihood of individuals taking action to help in an emergency.

What can be done to counteract the bystander effect in real-life situations?

To counteract the bystander effect, it's important to encourage individuals to feel a personal responsibility to act, regardless of the number of people present.