Sex Differences in Bystander Intervention in a Theft

A series of studies demonstrated a strong relationship among the situation-defining variable of degree of harm to victim, sexual configuration among participants, and bystanders' willingness to intervene to stop a theft. A pretest showed that a prior verbal commitment was absolutely necessary for intervention. The remaining data showed that high harm to a victim produced a high rate of intervention and showed strong sex differences in helping behavior in low-harm conditions. A high percentage of female bystanders helped in both low- and high-harm situations, whereas frequent helping by males was observed only when harm to the victim was high. Female victims elicited a significantly greater amount of helping, and sex of thief had no effect. A significant sex of bystander, sex of victim, and harm to victim interaction best describes the data. Results are interpreted in terms of different motivational sets held by males and females when they are responsible for the fate of others. Results also support the utility of an interactionist approach to the question of how individual and situational variables influence prosocial action.