Critically evaluate models of decision making in helping behaviour and bystander intervention

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Latane and Darley (1968) formulated a decision-making model before someone helps another person that is in need. The model included several decisions such as, before they help they must notice that something is wrong, define it as an emergency, decide whether to take personal responsibility, decide what kind of help to give and implement the decision to intervene. A negative response at any one step of the decision-making process means that the bystander will not intervene.

Latane and Darley found support for their models from a series of experiments they conducted. In 1968 during one of their first experiments they showed the participants into a room to fill in questionnaires. There were 2 conditions, in the first the participant was alone, in the second condition there was three other people. After they were seated in the room and had started to fill out the questionnaire smoke began to poor into the room. 75% of those in condition 1 (were alone in the room) reported the smoke, half of them within the first 2 minutes. 62% of those in condition 2 continued to fill in the whole questionnaire and did not report the smoke.

The investigation supported the first phase of ...