Original PromptThe Latané and Darley "Smoke Experiment" is a classic social psychology study demonstrating the bystander effect. It reveals that individuals are less likely to seek help in an emergency when other people are present, primarily because of "diffusion of responsibility" and looking to others for behavioral cues.The Experiment DesignBibb Latané and John Darley (1968) placed Columbia University students into a waiting room to fill out a survey. While they were filling out the questionnaire, thick wh...
This resource provides an overview of the Bystander Effect through an analysis of Latané and Darley's 1968 smoke-filled room study conducted at Columbia University. The learning objectives focus on understanding the experimental design, including the different conditions under which participants reacted to smoke filling the room. The study is conceptualized around key psychological principles such as the Bystander Effect—the tendency of individuals to be less likely to assist a victim in the presence of others—and Diffusion of Responsibility, which describes how individuals feel less compelled to act when others are around. The document summarizes the experiment's design, highlights key vocabulary, and includes critical analysis questions related to participant behavior under varying conditions, as well as misconceptions about the findings. The extension tasks encourage further exploration of the effects of authority figures on response times in emergencies.