Bystander behaviour: GCSE Psychology Definition

What is Bystander behaviour?

In GCSE Psychology bystander behaviour describes someone who is present at the scene of an emergency but offers no help, either directly (e.g. intervening in an attack) or indirectly (e.g. calling the police). Research has shown that help is less likely to be given to someone in need when the number of bystanders is high. Help is more likely to be given when there is only one bystander present at the scene. This is called the bystander effect.

When people are in a group, they are more likely to do nothing as they either look to others in the group for guidance as to how to act or they feel that ‘someone else will help, it’s not up to me’. When a bystander does nothing to help another person this is known as bystander apathy. Bystander behaviour can be seen in examples such as people walking by someone who is lying on the pavement, possibly drunk or possibly ill. Bystander behaviour can also occur when people fail to respond to a fire alarm, assuming that it is ‘just a drill’.

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