The Social Psychology Network Integrative Essay

PSY 530 Week 1 Assignment – The Social Psychology Network Integrative Essay

The Social Psychology Network Integrative Essay

For this assignment, explore the Social Psychology Network website. Get comfortable searching for information. Scan the professional profiles of social psychologists and learn about their social psychological research.The Social Psychology Network Integrative Essay

This assignment has three parts that must be addressed in an integrative essay.

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When you are finished exploring the website, discuss in a paper (1,250-1,500 words) what you have discovered and include the following:

From the Social Psychology Network website, for each theoretical perspective discussed in your lecture notes, select social psychologists whose research corresponds with these theoretical perspectives. Be sure to include their names, academic affiliations, and a brief discussion of their primary research area. Your essay should include a discussion of a total of five different social psychologists and their primary research area.

Conclude your paper by discussing the role of culture as it relates to the research of the social psychologists you have chosen. Why is understanding culture important when choosing a research method for conducting human research?

Your paper should reflect a minimum of five references.

Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment.

PSY 530 Week 5 Assignment 1 Prosocial Behavior: The Bystander Effect Essay

It would be natural to assume that most people would help if they witnessed someone in distress, unfortunately, this is not always the case.  The bystander effect sometimes prevents people from helping others when there are others present. The bystander effect maintains that the more witnesses there are, the less likely an individual might be to aide in an emergency situation.  This lack of response to others in distress stems from multiple factors such as diffusion of responsibility, societal norms, pluralistic ignorance, and victim effects (Branscombe & Baron, 2017).

Diffusion of responsibility is one of the main influences in the bystander effect.  Diffusion of responsibility occurs when there are multiple witnesses to a crisis, and therefore, a perception that responsibility to take action is dispersed amongst the crowd (Cherry, 2016).  Unless there is only one witness, no single person assumes full responsibility for intervening or engaging in helping behavior because there are others who could also engage.

Helping behavior is also highly influenced by societal norms.   A tremendous amount of pressure to engage in socially acceptable behavior can lead to inaction when an observer finds that other bystanders are not stepping up to help.  It can also be extremely embarrassing to misinterpret a situation and take an incorrect action; this fear of failure may hold people back from helping (Branscombe & Baron, 2017).  Another factor of influence on the bystander effect is pluralistic ignorance.  We look to one another to gauge how to respond to emergency situations, and when no one appears to be taking action, it may be assumed that inaction is the correct response (Cherry, 2016).  People take direct cues from others and are much less likely to respond to someone in need of help if the other observers appear to be reading the situation differently or seem to assume that no help is required (Branscombe & Baron, 2017).

When individuals are the sole bystander, they feel much more compelled to step in and take action because there is generally no other course of action.   There are many individual contributing factors influencing whether or not a bystander will provide help.  Bystanders may determine that it is there responsibility to help when there is no one of authority within the group, or when they determine that they have skills that may be beneficial to the situation (Branscombe & Baron, 2017).  Observers must also weigh the risks before determining to engage in helping behavior.  If an individual is being attacked, stepping in may put the bystander in direct danger of also being injured or killed (Branscombe & Baron, 2017).

Victim effects may also contribute to an individual’s decision of whether or not to help during a crisis.  According to Branscombe & Baron (2017), bystanders are much more likely to engage in helping behavior when the person in need of assistance is similar to the observer.  When similarities such as race, age, and gender are identified, observers are much more easily able to empathize with person in need and the observer is much more likely to be able to interpret the situation as an emergency and act quickly (Branscombe & Baron, 2017).

At times, it can be hard to identify that a crisis is even taking place; emergencies are unexpected and it can be difficult to determine whether or not action is required.  When the situation is ambiguous, individuals may find that they are unaware that someone needs help or they may be unaware of how to help.  Perhaps an observer sees two people arguing, but they are listening to music in their headphones and do not hear that the exchange is becoming threatening or violent.  An emergency situation could also be misinterpreted.  For someone without children, it may be challenging to distinguish when children’s screams and yells stem from a situation where they are at play or in harm’s way.

When it comes to avoiding the trap of the bystander effect, knowledge is key.  Simply being aware of the bystander effect concept and the implications of failing to engage in helping behavior decreases the chances of succumbing to it (Cherry, 2016).  Research also suggests that it can be useful to single out another observer and ask them to help you take action; they are less likely to decline your request if it is made directly (Cherry, 2016).  Helping behavior in general can be increased through prosocial models such as witnessing others being helpful, and also through video games which encourage players to help and support one another in order to excel (Branscombe & Baron, 2017).

References

Branscombe, N. & Baron, R. (2017). Social psychology. (Fourteenth edition). New York, NY:

Cherry, K. (2016).  The Bystander Effect.  Why Bystanders Sometimes Fail to Help.  Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/the-bystander-effect-2795899