Week 3 Assignment

My high school made a point once every three years to host a “mock car crash” – a realistic-as-possible accident set-up and plot complete with student actors, an ambulance scene, a mangled car, fake blood, etc. Those who were “killed” in the car crash even walked around as zombies all day. It was quite an intense way to promote safer driving and driving without the influence of alcohol.

Someone who contrived the whole idea must have, however, had “helping theorists” in mind. In a post-scene lecture in our auditorium, one presenter asked us that, assuming we had be real witnesses to a real accident scene, what would have been our likelihood to help the victims of the crash (whether directly or indirectly)? Would the presence of my friends influence my decision? What about the number of casualties? I even remember being among most students who were appalled when asked “would you help out of panic, out of distress for others, or just to relieve the distress of yourself?” Towards that question, we thought that this presenter surely didn’t know what he was talking about. J Some of my friends and I decided that we hadn’t really thought about ourselves and our roles in a potential emergency like that, nor why or why not we’d help. I don’t think we came to definite conclusions at the time – ideas that could be backed by Cialdini or Batson – but it did provide some interesting insight into how or why we would help others. I would like to climb up to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier again soon.