Peer-Review Journal Article Critique

The review aimed at investigating the bystander effect in both dangerous and non-dangerous emergencies and situations. This phenomenon was examined using a Meta-analysis review. The review used a fixed effect model with data being collected from 7,700 participants (Fischer, 2011). From the review, it was noted that the bystander effect was weak in the situation viewed to be dangerous when compared to non-dangerous situations. When comparing the cost of an intervention in an emergency many of the participants reported more of physical cost when compared to non-physical costs (Fischer, 2011). This results when compared to the arousal model they are seen to be consistent. This is because dangerous emergencies are more visible and are clearly seen as real emergencies, therefore, leading to more assistance from bystanders. Additionally from the research situations where the bystander effect was low included when the bystanders were male, when they were not strangers and when they are naive rather than passive (Fischer, 2011).

This review provides important information on the understanding of the bystander effect and explains when the bystander effect will be more visible and when it will be low. Additionally, the information can be used to focus on the groups with high bystander prevalence and try to reduce its occurrence (Fischer, 2011). My surprise from this research is that among females the bystander effect is higher as compared to male. This is a surprise as women in many cases are seen to be more empathetic as compared to men. The researcher excelled in explaining the situations when the bystander effect would be more prevalent and explaining the reasons behind it. However, the researcher failed in breaking down the participants in terms of race, age and other measures of diversity to enlighten us on the groups with more bystander effect and which groups have less effect.

Reference

Fischer, P., Krueger, J. I., Greitemeyer, T., Vogrincic, C., Kastenmüller, A., Frey, D., ... & Kainbacher, M. (2011). The bystander-effect: A meta-analytic review on bystander intervention in dangerous and non-dangerous emergencies. Psychological bulletin, 137(4), 517.