Citation

Greitemeyer T, Mügge DO. Soc. Psychol. (Gott.) 2015; 46(2): 116-119.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Hogrefe and Huber Publishers)

DOI

10.1027/1864-9335/a000215

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon that the presence of others inhibits helping behavior. The present research examines the idea that the bystander effect reverses when effective helping would require many help-givers. In a between-participants experiment, the number of help-givers needed as well as the number of individuals who were asked for help was varied. When one help-giver was needed, the typical bystander effect occurred in that helping intention was greater when one individual was asked rather than many. In contrast, when many help-givers were needed, the bystander effect reversed in that helping intention was greater when many individuals were asked rather than one. Mediation analyses showed that perceived rationality and diffusion of responsibility accounted for the bystander effect, whereas only perceived rationality accounted for its reversal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en

Keywords

Assistance (Social Behavior); Bystander Effect; Intention; Rationality; Responsibility