Bystander Intervention and Diffusion of Responsibility

This program explores the psychological phenomena of bystander intervention and the diffusion of responsibility.

It examines the case of Kitty Genovese and shows how the case sparked the interest of social psychologists Bibb Latane and John Darley and led to their extended research into the bystander effect.

The program reviews three key experiments performed by Latane and Darley: the Epileptic Seizure Study, the Smokey Room Study, and the Lady in Distress study; outlines Latane and Daley's five-step process in the decision to help; and offers such illustrative examples of the process as Darley and Batson's Good Samaritan study, James Wilson's 1976 study, Schwartz and Gottlieb's 1980 study, Pantin and Carver's study; and Shotland and Straw's study.

The program features Betsy Sparrow of Columbia University, includes illustrative vignettes and entertaining graphics, and offers tips for increasing the likelihood of receiving help in an emergency. ContributorsBetsy Sparrow - Consultant, Writer & HostBob Olsen - Narrator Robert Broadhurst - ProducerThis product is close-captioned.