Darley, John M., Latané, Bibb. “Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility”

This experiment was held after Kitty Genovese’s murder in New York City, which happened with thirty-eight neighbours watching, but not intervening. Contradicting claims that attributed the lack of response to the modern human condition, Darley and Latané demonstrated “the bystander effect” with a group of unsuspecting psychology students. The students were individually placed in a room with an intercom, through which they could communicate with a perceived number of others, ranging from 1 to 4. The conversation initially was about college life problems, until sounds of a medical emergency were played. Darley and Latané measured the subjects’ response and reaction time. They found that the more others a subject perceives to be present during an emergency, the less likely they are to intervene, and if so, response time increases. The number of other bystanders proved more important for the fictional victim’s chances to receive help than the personality and gender of all parties (fictional bystander(s), subject, and fictional victim) involved. Darley and Latané maintained that non-intervening subjects, if anything, were more emotional than the reporters, theorizing that rather than being indifferent, the non-interveners felt torn about taking action, until the momentum to do so had passed. Accordingly, Darley and Latané argued that explanations of apathy are unfounded, but also can serve to excuse such behaviour. Alternatively, they stated, their research might equip people with knowledge of their own behavioural tendencies in order to help overcome the bystander effect.

Author of this entry: Lisanne van Rossum

John M. Darley and Bibb Latané, “Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 8, no. 4 (1968): 377-383.