The Different Real Life Experiments that Investigated The " bystander effect "

Certainly! Here’s a discussion of these famous psychology experiments, each followed by real-life examples that relate to the key findings of the studies: ### 1. Little Albert Experiment (1920) **Overview:** Conducted by John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner, the Little Albert experiment aimed to study classical conditioning. They conditioned a young child, known as "Albert," to fear a white rat by pairing the presentation of the rat with a loud, frightening noise. Eventually, Albert generalized his fear to other white, furry objects. **Real-Life Example:** A person might develop a fear of dogs after being bitten by one during childhood. This fear could generalize to other animals or even places associated with dogs, demonstrating how classical conditioning can affect fear responses. ### 2. The Monster Study (1939) **Overview:** Conducted by Wendell Johnson and Mary Tudor, the Monster Study investigated the effects of positive versus negative speech therapy on children. Orphans were divided into two groups; one receiving positive reinforcement and the other receiving negative feedback about their speech. The study found that negative feedback caused lasting psychological damage. **Real-Life Example:** In educational settings, children consistently criticized for their academic performance may develop a fear of failure, low self-esteem, and academic anxiety. This negative reinforcement can lead to long-term emotional and educational challenges. ### 3. Milgram Experiment (1961) **Overview:** Stanley Milgram's experiment explored obedience to authority figures. Participants were instructed to deliver electric shocks to a "learner" (an actor) when incorrect answers were given. Despite the apparent distress of the learner, many participants continued administering shocks upon the authority figure's insistence. **Real-Life Example:** The Abu Ghraib prison scandal, where U.S. soldiers tortured detainees, can be examined in the context of the Milgram experiment. Soldiers obeyed orders to abuse prisoners, demonstrating how authority figures can compel individuals to commit unethical acts. ### 4. The Bystander Effect (1968) **Overview:** John Darley and Bibb Latané studied the bystander effect after the murder of Kitty Genovese, where multiple witnesses did not intervene. Their experiments showed that people are less likely to help a victim when there are other witnesses, due to the diffusion of responsibility. **Real-Life Example:** In crowded public places, people often fail to assist someone experiencing a medical emergency. For instance, a person suffering a heart attack in a busy subway station might not receive immediate help, as onlookers assume someone else will intervene. ### 5. Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) **Overview:** Philip Zimbardo's experiment aimed to investigate the psychological effects of perceived power by assigning college students to roles of guards and prisoners in a mock prison. The guards became abusive, and the prisoners showed signs of severe stress and helplessness, leading to the experiment's early termination. **Real-Life Example:** The behavior of prison guards and inmates in actual correctional facilities often mirrors the findings of the Stanford Prison Experiment. For instance, instances of guard brutality and prisoner distress have been documented in various reports and documentaries, highlighting power dynamics and abuse inherent in such environments. Each of these experiments has offered profound insights into human behavior, with real-world applications that continue to inform ethical considerations, educational practices, organizational behavior, criminal justice policies, and public interventions.

The Little Albert Experiment was a famous psychology experiment conducted by John B. Watson and his assistant graduate student, Rosalie Raynor. The experiment was designed to study the effects of classical conditioning on a young orphaned boy. In the experiment, Little Albert was presented with a white rat and was allowed to play with it. After a few days, Watson and Raynor began to pair the presentation of the white rat with a loud noise, such as a hammer striking a steel bar. After several pairings, Little Albert showed a conditioned fear response to the rat, as well as other furry objects, such as a rabbit and a fur coat. The Monster Study was an unethical study conducted by Wendell Johnson and his team at the University of Iowa in 1939. The experiment aimed to test the effects of negative speech therapy on the stuttering ability of children. The experimenters intentionally told the participants that they had normal speech, which led to the development of stuttering in some of the children. In some cases, the experimenters even went so far as to taunt and ridicule the children in order to make their speech worse. This unethical study is considered one of the most unethical experiments in the history of psychology. The Milgram experiment was a series of experiments conducted by Stanley Milgram in the 1960s in order to test obedience to authority. The experimenters asked participants to administer increasingly stronger electric shocks to participants in another room, who were actually actors. In spite of the shock levels, participants were willing to go to levels of shocking that the experimenter had not predicted. This experiment is used as an example of how people obey even when it goes against their moral beliefs. The Bystander Effect is a psychological phenomenon wherein the presence of other people prevents an individual from intervening in an emergency situation. This effect is most commonly observed in cases of rape and sexual assault, wherein the presence of other people makes it less likely for one individual to intervene. The bystander effect can also be observed on a larger scale in the form of bystanders failing to help during wars and other forms of violence. The Stanford Prison Experiment was an experiment conducted by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 in order to investigate the psychological effects of prison on participants. The experiment was conducted in a mock prison where the roles of prisoners and guards were assigned. During the experiment, the participants began to take on their assigned roles, leading to a deterioration of morality as the guards began to show higher levels of