Abstract
Half a century of research on bystander behavior concludes that individuals are less likely to intervene during an emergency when in the presence of others than when alone. By contrast, little is known regarding the aggregated likelihood that at least someone present at an emergency will do something to help. The importance of establishing this aggregated intervention baseline is not only of scholarly interest but is also the most pressing question for actual public victims-will I receive help if needed? The current article describes the largest systematic study of real-life bystander intervention in actual public conflicts captured by surveillance cameras. Using a unique cross-national video dataset from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and South Africa (N = 219), we show that in 9 of 10 public conflicts, at least 1 bystander, but typically several, will do something to help. We record similar likelihoods of intervention across the 3 national contexts, which differ greatly in levels of perceived public safety. Finally, we find that increased bystander presence is related to a greater likelihood that someone will intervene. Taken together these findings allay the widespread fear that bystanders rarely intervene to help. We argue that it is time for psychology to change the narrative away from an absence of help and toward a new understanding of what makes intervention successful or unsuccessful.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 66-75 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | American Psychologist |
Volume | 75 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2020 |
Funding
The authors would like to thank Laura Behrend Pedersen, Kasper Lykke Dausel, Jonathan Salka and Nor Voldum-Clausen for their important input and assistance in the coding of data. Helpful comments from reviewers and the editor, as well as discussions with Peter EjbyeErnst and Poul Poder, greatly improved earlier versions of this article. This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EPSRC \u2013 1402902] and the Danish Council for Independent Research [DFF \u2013 6109-00210]. The funders had no role in the design of the paper, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Funders | Funder number |
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Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | 1402902 |
Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond | DFF – 6109-00210 |
Keywords
- aggression and violence
- bystander effect
- bystander intervention
- dangerous emergencies
- helping and prosocial behavior