Psychology: the bystander effect

(Shuffle the cards)

What happened to Kitty Genovese?

She was brutally murdered on her way home on March 13th 1964

What detail about the Kitty Genovese case shocked the public?

The media reported 38 people witnessed her murder and did not provide assistance

What does the term “bystander effect” actually mean?

The social psychology that describes how people are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present.

Why may people not help a victim?

Self preservation

Belief that someone else may help

Not wanting to misread the situation

What other term is used interchangeably with the bystander effect

Bystander apathy

What has research shown?

even in an emergency, a bystander is less likely to extend help when he or she is in the real or imagined presence of others than when he or she is alone.