Darly & Batson (1973)

aim

To investigate whether situational variables (time pressure and content of thinking) rather than dispositional variables (personality/religiosity) influence helping behaviour in an emergency.

parable of the good samiritan

A biblical story where religious Jews ignore a traveller in need while a social outcast (a Samaritan) stops to help. Darley & Batson used it to argue that situational factors (being in a hurry) rather than religiosity determine helping behaviour.

two hypotheses

1. Thinking religious/ethical thoughts would not make participants more likely to help than thinking about something else. 2. Being in a hurry would make participants less likely to help than those not in a hurry.

participants

40 male seminary students (studying to become priests) at Princeton Theological Seminary. They were told they were participating in a study on religious education and vocations.

research method

field experiment — conducted in a natural setting (an alleyway between two buildings on campus).

two thinking conditions

Task-relevant condition: participants prepared a talk on careers for seminary graduates. Helping-relevant condition: participants prepared a talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan.

3 hurry conditions

High hurry: "You should have been there a few minutes ago." Intermediate hurry: "Please go right over." Low hurry: "It will be a few minutes before they are ready for you."

IV and DV

IV: degree of time pressure (hurry condition). DV: whether and how participants helped the victim in the alley.

what did the victim do in the alleyway

Sat slumped in a doorway, head down, eyes closed, not moving. As participants passed, the victim coughed twice and groaned. If participants stopped, the victim said he just needed rest.

key findings regarding hurry

Low hurry: 63% helped. Intermediate hurry: 45% helped. High hurry: only 10% helped. Overall 40% of participants offered some help, 60% did not.

key findings regarding thinking condition

There was no significant difference between those preparing a talk on the Good Samaritan and those preparing a talk on careers — thinking about helping did not make participants more likely to help.

main conclusion

Situational factors (time pressure) play a more important role than dispositional factors (religiosity, personality) in determining whether someone helps in an emergency.

ecological validity

The study took place in a natural everyday setting — participants were genuinely travelling between buildings, making their behaviour more reflective of real-life helping decisions than a laboratory study would be.

high internal validity

Participants were randomly allocated to conditions, so any differences in helping behaviour between conditions can be attributed to the manipulation of the IV (time pressure) rather than pre-existing differences between participants.

ethical concerns

Participants were deceived about the true purpose of the study. However, they were not harmed and were properly debriefed afterwards. The importance of the findings (showing situational factors override dispositional ones) may justify the use of deception.

internal conflict

Some participants noticed the victim needed help but felt torn between stopping to help and continuing to the other building where someone was depending on them — suggesting hurry creates genuine moral conflict rather than simple indifference.