Facts about Latané Darley Helping
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The bystander effect research by Latané and Darley influenced emergency response training protocols adopted by hospitals and police departments starting in the 1970s to combat diffusion of responsibility.
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Latané and Darley's 1970 research on helping behavior distinguished between two mechanisms: diffusion of responsibility and audience inhibition, with the latter explaining reduced helping when strangers rather than friends were present.
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Bystanders who believed they were the only person aware of an emergency responded significantly faster than those who thought multiple people knew about the situation, according to Latané and Darley's diffusion of responsibility research.
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Latané and Darley's 1968 emergency room experiment found that participants took longer to help a victim when they believed a doctor was already present than when they thought no medical professional was available.
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Latané and Darley's 1968 research measured that bystanders took an average of 85 seconds to report a theft when alone, but required 166 seconds when other potential witnesses were present.
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Latané and Darley's 1969 smoke-filled room experiment showed that 75 percent of participants alone reported the smoke, while only 13 percent in groups of three did so.
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Darley and Latané's 1971 research revealed that subjects who heard an epileptic seizure through an intercom were significantly less likely to seek help if they believed other listeners were present, demonstrating diffusion of responsibility.
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Latané and Darley's 1970 experiment demonstrated that response time to help someone increased significantly as the number of bystanders present grew from one to six people.
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Latané and Darley's bystander effect theory emerged from their 1964 investigation following Kitty Genovese's murder in Queens, where approximately 38 witnesses reportedly heard her cries but none called police.
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In their 1968 study, Latané and Darley found that 38 percent of bystanders helped a person in distress when alone, compared to just 5 percent in groups of five.