Researchers wanted to investigate whether a commuter's perceived socio-economic status and the level of environmental stress affect bystander intervention.
A sample of 120 commuters (60 males and 60 females) was observed. Sixty participants (30 males and 30 females) were observed on a busy, crowded central metro station platform during rush hour (high-stress condition). The other sixty participants (30 males and 30 females) were observed on a quiet, rural train platform (low-stress condition).
A female confederate was dressed either in high-status professional clothing (designer coat, formal trousers) or low-status casual clothing (faded hoodie, distressed jeans). When a commuter was walking nearby, the confederate 'accidentally' spilled a box of prescription pill bottles and sat on a bench, appearing visibly dizzy and struggling to gather them.
The confederate recorded whether the commuter stopped to help gather the bottles, the commuter's gender, and their approximate age.
Explain one limitation of using a field experiment for this bystander intervention study.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Research methods and skills with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 657 questions covering Research methods and skills, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
