Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Sex differences in bystander intervention in a theft.

W Austin

    Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
    |November 1, 1979
    PubMed
    Summary

    Bystanders intervene more in high-harm theft situations. Female bystanders help consistently, while males help more when harm is high, especially if the victim is female. Prior commitment is essential for intervention.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    High-content phenotypic screening reveals natural product bioactives that disrupt mosquito activity, development and serotonergic signaling.

    Pesticide biochemistry and physiology·2025
    Same author

    High-content phenotypic screening identifies novel chemistries that disrupt mosquito activity and development.

    Pesticide biochemistry and physiology·2022
    Same author

    Generation of 1.5-mu m radiation through intracavity solid-state Raman shifting in Ba(NO<inf>3</inf>)<inf>2</inf> nonlinear crystals.

    Optics letters·2009
    Same author

    Using the human rights paradigm in health ethics: the problems and the possibilities.

    Nursing ethics·2005
    Same author

    Nursing ethics in an era of globalization.

    ANS. Advances in nursing science·2002
    Same author

    Relational ethics in forensic psychiatric settings.

    Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services·2001

    Area of Science:

    • Social Psychology
    • Prosocial Behavior Research

    Background:

    • Understanding bystander intervention is crucial for social psychology.
    • Factors influencing helping behavior, such as harm and participant demographics, require investigation.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To examine the relationship between degree of harm, participant sex, and bystander intervention in theft.
    • To investigate the necessity of prior commitment for intervention.
    • To explore sex differences in helping behavior across varying harm levels and victim characteristics.

    Main Methods:

    • A series of studies were conducted involving situational variables and bystander reactions.
    • Pretesting assessed the necessity of prior verbal commitment for intervention.
    • Data analysis focused on intervention rates, sex differences, victim characteristics, and harm levels.

    Main Results:

    • Prior verbal commitment was a prerequisite for intervention.
    • High harm to the victim significantly increased intervention rates.
    • Female bystanders exhibited consistent helping across harm levels; males helped more in high-harm situations.
    • Female victims elicited more helping than male victims; thief's sex had no impact.
    • A significant interaction was found between bystander sex, victim sex, and harm level.

    Conclusions:

    • Helping behavior is influenced by a complex interplay of individual (sex) and situational (harm, victim characteristics) factors.
    • Motivational differences between males and females may explain observed sex-based helping patterns.
    • An interactionist approach is valuable for understanding prosocial action.

    Related Experiment Videos