Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026
10:38
A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
14.0K
Bystander Intervention During Public Harassment: Exploring Frequency, Influencing Factors, and Impact
Thijs Hauspie1, Janneke M Schokkenbroek1,2,3,4, Koen Ponnet2
1IRCP, Department of Criminology, Criminal Law & Social Law, Faculty of Law & Criminology, Ghent University, Belgium.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|December 30, 2025
Summary
Bystander intervention (BI) in public harassment is infrequent, occurring in only 28% of incidents. Interventions increase when bystanders know the victim, highlighting community
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Criminology
- Public Health
Background:
- Bystander intervention (BI) research in public harassment is limited, leaving knowledge gaps.
- Public harassment involves intrusive and intimidating behaviors in public spaces.
- Understanding BI frequency, factors, and impact is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate bystander intervention experiences in public harassment.
- To examine factors influencing intervention and its impact on victims.
- To analyze BI from both receiving and offering help perspectives.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from 541 reports via an online platform in 2023.
- Study sample included diverse age groups (16-82 years) across 10 Belgian municipalities.
- Examined both receiving and offering bystander intervention.
Main Results:
- Bystander intervention occurred in only 28% of public harassment incidents with witnesses.
- Approximately 50% of respondents reported having intervened at least once.
- Intervention was more probable when bystanders knew the victim.
Conclusions:
- Low BI rates suggest harassment is perceived as less dangerous than violent conflicts.
- Fostering community ties may enhance bystander intervention.
- Victims reported greater perceived support when bystanders intervened, emphasizing BI's value.
Related Concept Videos
02:09Bystander Effect
10.1K
The discussion of bullying highlights the problem of witnesses not intervening to help a victim. This is a common occurrence, as the following well-publicized event demonstrates. In 1964, in Queens, New York, a 19-year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked by a person with a knife near the back entrance to her apartment building and again in the hallway inside her apartment building. When the attack occurred, she screamed for help numerous times and eventually died from her stab wounds.
10.1K
02:04Bullying
8.8K
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is...
8.8K
01:30Impact of Individuals on Individuals
327
Human behavior is intricately shaped by social influences that arise from interactions with others in diverse contexts. These influences not only mold beliefs and attitudes but also drive the regulation of behaviors through both direct communication and observational learning. The study of these processes falls within the domain of social psychology, which seeks to understand how individuals are affected by and affect those around them.Mechanisms of Social InfluenceDirect social influence...
327
01:47Aggression
30.1K
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for...
30.1K
02:30Naturalistic Observations
16.9K
If you want to understand how behavior occurs, one of the best ways to gain information is to simply observe the behavior in its natural context. However, people might change their behavior in unexpected ways if they know they are being observed. How do researchers obtain accurate information when people tend to hide their natural behavior? As an example, imagine that your professor asks everyone in your class to raise their hand if they always wash their hands after using the restroom. Chances...
16.9K
01:04Social Facilitation
35.9K
Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
35.9K