To Intervene or Not to Intervene: An Experimental Methodology Measuring Actual Bystander Behaviour

Danielle Labhardt; Nadine McKillop; Emma Holdsworth; Sarah J Brown; Douglas Howat; Christian M Jones

doi:10.3390/bs15040550

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To Intervene or Not to Intervene: An Experimental Methodology Measuring Actual Bystander Behaviour

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

To Intervene or Not to Intervene: An Experimental Methodology Measuring Actual Bystander Behaviour

Danielle Labhardt, Nadine McKillop, Emma Holdsworth, Sarah J Brown, Douglas Howat and Christian M Jones

Behavioral Sciences, Vol.15(4), pp.1-20

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040550

PMCID: PMC12025061

PMID: 40282171

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Abstract

Causes and prevention of crime

Forensic psychology

Crime prevention

Expanding knowledge in psychology

sexual violence

bystander intervention

deception

experimental methodology

funnelling debrief

Bystander intervention and sexual assault research typically rely on self-reported intent to intervene. However, predicted behaviour can be considerably different from actual behaviour. Hypothetical scenarios are often utilised to remove extenuating circumstances, limiting insight into actual behaviour where those circumstances impact intervention. This paper discusses the development and evaluation of an innovative methodology to measure actual bystander behaviour when witnessing signs of an impending sexual assault. With careful attention paid to ethical considerations and participant safety, 13 participants were directly deceived about the true aim of the research. Utilising observational data and a funnelling debrief, the findings demonstrated varied reactions to sexual assault cues, from not noticing and therefore not intervening, to noticing and (in)di-rectly intervening. Participants' responses indicated they remained unaware of the deception until it was formally revealed, suggesting the methodology effectively realised the study's aims. The funnelling debrief mitigated the adverse effects of the deception, with some participants reporting more confidence and motivation to intervene in the future. Further development of this methodology could create more interactive bystander intervention programmes that teach people to identify signs of a sexual assault, develop skills to safely intervene, and raise awareness about sexual violence.

Details

Title: To Intervene or Not to Intervene: An Experimental Methodology Measuring Actual Bystander Behaviour
Authors: Danielle Labhardt (Corresponding Author) - Manchester Metropolitan University
Nadine McKillop (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Emma Holdsworth (Author) - Coventry University
Sarah J Brown (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Douglas Howat (Author) - Coventry University
Christian M Jones (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Publication details: Behavioral Sciences, Vol.15(4), pp.1-20
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.3390/bs15040550
ISSN: 2076-328X
PMID: 40282171; PMC12025061
Copyright note: © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Data Availability: The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.
Organisation Unit: School of Law and Society; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991121848902621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Psychology, Multidisciplinary

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