Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Murder Of Kitty Genovese, Random Assignment, Heart Rate

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Dr.Mike

Document Summary

Kitty genovese murder: woman screaming while being attacked (heard by 38 people), but no one went to help/call the police. Psychologists darley and latan curious why no one helped. Bystander apathy (bystanders could see other bystanders, assumed someone else would help) Diffusion of responsibility (each person feels less responsible for interveining) Steps in scientific process: identify question of interest. Why did no one help kitty: gather information and form hypothesis. Hypothesis specific prediction about some phenomenon (ex. if-then statement) If multiple bystanders are present, then likelihood of intervention is reduced: test hypothesis by conducting research. Create an experiment in a controlled setting, manipulate factors. Ex. experiment with subject listening to someone dying on an intercom: analyze data, draw tentative conclusions and report findings. Ex. data shows as bystanders increased, proportion of participants who helped decreased: build a body of knowledge. Ask further questions, form new hypotheses, and test the new hypotheses.