Book Reading #16 - Opening Skinner's Box: Ch. 4

Reference:
Opening Skinner's Box
Lauren Slater
2004 W. W. Norton & Company

Summary:
After a horrific, highly publicized murder in 1964, John Darley and Bibb Latane set out to discover why none of the 38 people who witnessed the crime made any serious effort to help the victim.  They set up a study where a test subject would be tricked into believing that someone else was having a serious siezure.  They discovered that in situations where the subject thought they were interacting with an individual one on one,
they would almost always seek help within a short time period.  When the subject believed they were in a group of people, however, the ratio dropped to about 1 in 3.  This suggests that social cues have a hand in influencing our behavior, even when these cues are at odds with reality.

Discussion:
While the implications of this study are unsettling, I don't believe that it excuses poor behavior.  Everyone has a choice when the moment of truth comes, and just because social cues may make the right choice more difficult, it doesn't make it impossible.  Also, if these cues are as powerful as they seem, why don't we harness them in a constructive way?  If reports of suicide cause suicide rates to climb, why don't we report on instances of goodness?  Why don't we act better toward others?  If these things can spur people to lead better lives, then perhaps the power of social cues is more of a mixed blessing than a curse.