Ten years of research on group size and helping.

In decade following Latane and Darley's publication of discovery that presence of other people inhibits an individual from intervening in an emergency, numerous researchers have attempted to replicate this finding, extend its range of applicability, and determine what boundary conditions limit it. In present article, we review both published and unpublished research, with special attention to nature of precipitating incident, ambiguity of helping situation, laboratory versus field settings, characteristics of subjects, of victim, and of other bystanders, and amount and kinds of communication among bystanders. We conclude that, despite great diversity of styles, settings, and techniques among studies, social inhibition of helping is a remarkably consistent phenomenon; but we identify some conditions under which effect can be weakened or eliminated. Finally, we explore implications of these findings for assessing and increasing a victim's likelihood of receiving help. Some 10 years have passed since Latane and Darley (1970) published their monograph reporting results of a program of research on bystander intervention in emergencies. This research provided strong support for general proposition that the presence of other people serves to inhibit impulse to help (p. 38), Their work elicited a good deal of interest, and it has stimulated a large amount of subsequent research in this area. We see at least four reasons for in