Ethical Dilemma: What Would You Do?

ByABC News
October 13, 2004, 6:42 PM

Oct. 14, 2004 -- -- What would you do if you saw a young boy being berated by his baby sitter? The baby sitter doesn't raise a finger, but her words are degrading and harmful to the boy.

You don't know the whole story, and you're not directly involved. What would you do? Intervene? Or mind your own business?

ABC News was curious about this ethical dilemma, and hired two professional actors to play out the scene and examine at what people would do. Would it be possible to predict who will act -- and who won't?

On a sunny day in September, the woman, Wynn Everett, and the boy, Jake Cherry, aged 8, went to a picnic area near a playground and acted out the scenario they had rehearsed.

When Wynn began to berate Jake, it was clear that intervening wouldn't be an easy decision.

One man within earshot kept reading his newspaper, and others walked right by. ABC News' hidden cameras showed that some women passing by appeared to be disturbed by the abuse, but they kept walking.

One group of women watched for more than eight minutes -- apparently shocked by the abuse and unsure of what to do.

Finally, one of them spoke up. "Do you think that's helping? It's verbal abuse," she said. "You're abusing this kid."

When she was finally notified it was an experiment, Krista Ciarletta, who has two daughters aged 5 and 2, said she had felt she needed to do something.

"It was disturbing to watch that. And I'm sorry I even let it go on as long as I did," she told ABC News' John Quiñones.

Later, Carrie Keating, a professor of psychology at Colgate University, watched a videotape of the experiment.

Situational factors have a major impact on helping behavior, she said. "How empowered we feel makes a difference. How many people are in the area makes a difference. Whether it's a sunny day."

But what about people who didn't act? Virginia Long, a grandmother, said she felt uncomfortable with Wynn's behavior, "but it's hard to step in, too."

Erin Flynn, a mother of twins, said she was afraid. "I didn't know," she said, "if she had somebody else with her, a husband or somebody that was going to come over and potentially hurt me or my children."