Bystander Apathy

Aim: How do social psychologists design experiments to study group behavior?

Quick Write: Watch this video and describe what happens in terms of group behavior and the Bystander Effect.

Watch this video about Kitty Genovese and the Bystander Effect.

Social scientists like other scientists design experiments to learn about group behavior and its effect on individual behavior. Read this article about the Darley and Latane experiments. As you read, take note of the hypothesis and design of their experiments. What conclusions did they draw from their experiments?

Working together as a group (!) deconstruct the experiments to analyze how Darley and Latane drew their conclusions about group behavior. You will identify each element of the Scientific Method and then write a final reflection. Each member of the group is responsible for turning in her/his own worksheet.

Deconstructing Social Psychology Experiments

Analyze the Darley and Latane experiments for each element of the Scientific Method. Hard copies of this worksheet are available in the classroom.

Problem: What were they testing? What phenomenon or event prompted it?

Why are people less likely to respond in an emergency when there are a large group of people around? The Kitty Genovese case. (Bystander Effect)

Their hypothesis: Write an if/then statement.

Experiment design: (what did they do to test their hypothesis?)

Data: What happened?

Findings/Conclusions: What was learned by the experiment?

Check Your Findings!

Click here to watch a video in which Darley explains why he and Latane conducted their experiments and what they concluded from the results.

Final Reflection

What do the Darley and Latane experiments say about humans and human behavior? Why do you think it’s harder to act when there are more people present? Come up with three short and to-the-point steps to make sure people don’t fall victim to the bystander effect.

***Don't forget to complete and turn in your "Six Elements of Engagement Daily Self-Tracker" before leaving class.

****Always check Engrade for your up-to-the-minute progress in this class.****