The video segment raises important questions about the characteristics of people we are most likely to help. In the opening scene, a female actress pretends to be in serious distress as she collapses on a busy city street. Passersby quickly come to her aid.
The researcher suggests that we may be more likely to help females (in contrast to males) because we feel there is more we can do for them or because of empathy. In addition, the actress appears to be a middle-class person, and we may be less likely to come to negative conclusions about why a middle-class person (in contrast to someone from a lower class) is in need of help. One passerby discloses how her own past need for help has made her more responsive to others in distress.
In the next scene, a male holding a bottle of beer collapses on the same city street. Although passersby notice him, they choose not to intervene on his behalf. Observers may assume he is homeless, drunk, and less deserving of help. Thus, they are reluctant to intervene. After seven minutes, someone finally comes to the man’s aid. The young male who helps explains that he thought something might be severely wrong with the man and, with no one else intervening, he decided to do something.