Young children show the bystander effect in helping situations

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Social psychology indicates that the bystander effect reduces helping when others are present.
• Developmental psychology research shows young children often help, sometimes more when observed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if young children display the bystander effect.
• To explore the underlying mechanisms of reduced helping in children when bystanders are present.

Main Methods:

• Five-year-old children's helping behavior was observed when alone versus in the presence of available bystanders.
• A novel condition involved bystanders confined behind a barrier, unable to assist, to test specific mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Children helped significantly less when potential helpers were present compared to when they were alone.
• Helping was not reduced when bystanders were present but physically unable to help, differentiating from previous adult studies.

Conclusions:

• Young children demonstrate the bystander effect.
• The effect in children is attributed to a diffusion of responsibility, not social referencing or shyness.