Bernard C. Beins
208
Evaluating the Popular Media
Most students who have completed the introductory psychology course have heard of the
murder of Kitty Genovese and the research on bystander intervention that it spawned
(e.g., Darley & Latané, 1968). As it turns out, the lore of her murder demonstrates
bystander intervention too simplistically.
Students should be able to identify the claims made in what has been written, most of
which is consistent with portrayals in introductory psychology textbooks (e.g., Dorman,
1998). For instance, how do people know that 38 people witnessed the attack on Genovese
and did not intervene? Did they not intervene because they were simply callous, or was it
the bystander effect?
DeMay (2006) has evaluated claims that have appeared in the media about the Kitty
Genovese murder. Based on his assessment, there are quite a few questionable or outright
inaccurate statements. Students can read through a report (such as Dorman’s Newsday
article cited previously) to see what facts are asserted. In addition, they should be able to
separate fact from conclusion. They can then read DeMay’s criticisms, such as the ques-
tionable number of actual eyewitnesses, how much an eyewitness could actually have seen,
and others. Furthermore, the site of the murder was near a bar where there was quite often
loud commotion, so Genovese’s cries for help might have been indistinguishable from the
normal sounds associated with people who are inebriated. The iconic story is a good one,
but its premises are problematic.
Conclusion
Knowing what to believe is a complicated process. The research methods course is an ideal
vehicle for demonstrating to students that they should consider knowledge to be provi-
sional and that they need to assess both how they have fixed their beliefs and the quality
of the evidence that relates to what they believe.
Examples from everyday life can generate useful discussions of how to foster critical
thinking and scientific literacy. A little knowledge may be a dangerous thing. But a little
knowledge of one’s knowledge may not be a dangerous thing; rather, it could be a very
beneficial thing.
References
Ambrose, N. G., & Yairi, E. (2002). The Tudor study: Data and ethics. American Journal of Speech-
Language Pathology, 11, 190–203.
Anderson, C. A., Lepper, M. R., & Ross, L. (1980). Perseverance of social theories: The role of
explanation in the persistence of discredited information. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 39, 1037–1049.
APA Online. (2007). APA adopts policy statement opposing the teaching of intelligent design as scientific
theory. Retrieved March 20, 2007 from http://www.apa.org/releases/design.html