A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

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What was the duration of the journey in the Piliavin et al study?

5 minutes
7.5 minutes
10 minutes
15 minutes

The correct answer is: 7.5 minutes

The correct answer reflects the specific timing of the subway journey in the Piliavin et al. study, which took place on a New York City subway train. The journey lasted approximately 7.5 minutes, setting a clear contextual frame for the research on bystander behavior. Understanding this timeframe is crucial as it influenced the dynamics of the experiment, including how participants interacted with the victim and the overall decision-making processes related to helping behavior. The chosen duration allowed for an adequate observation period where the researchers could effectively measure the responses of the bystanders to the various staged emergencies, including the differing conditions across the study such as the race of the victim and whether or not the victim appeared to be ill or intoxicated. This specific duration of 7.5 minutes was deliberately selected to ensure that the situational context effectively encompassed both the initial reactions of the passengers and their decisions to intervene or not, thus yielding insightful data on social behavior in emergency situations.