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THE IMPACT OF SITUATIONAL CUES AND BYSTANDER EMOTION ON LABELING AN EVENT AS A ROBBERY
BibTeX
@MISC{Langsdale_theimpact,
author = {Andrew Langsdale and Martin S. Greenberg},
title = {THE IMPACT OF SITUATIONAL CUES AND BYSTANDER EMOTION ON LABELING AN EVENT AS A ROBBERY},
year = {}
}
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Abstract
This study examined the influence of situational cues and observer mood on labeling an ambiguous event as a robbery. Participants (210 women) were randomly assigned to one of 12 cells in a 2 x 2 x 3 between-subjects factorial design. Participants viewed a short video of a street interaction between a man and a woman. Two independent variables were manipulated in the video: (a) duration of their conversation (10 vs. 30 seconds), and (b) the man’s speed of departure (walk vs. run). Prior to viewing the video, participants’ completed (c) a mood induction task (positive, neutral, or negative). Results revealed that running from the scene was labeled as a robbery only when the actors conversed for a short duration. When they conversed for a longer duration, speed of departure did not affect how the event was labeled. The participant’s mood had minimal effect on how the event was labeled. The implications of the findings for bystanders ’ failure to intervene or notify the police were discussed. The murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964 and the failure of 38 witnesses to intervene or notify the police called attention to the important role played by bystanders in controlling crime
