Mar 13, Catherine 'Kitty' Genovese: Today in the History of Psychology (13th March 1964)

Catherine 'Kitty' Genovese, a New York bar manager, was murdered as she returned home to the Kew Gardens section of Queens. On the 27th March 1964 the New York Times reported the crime under the headline '37 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call The Police.' The article began 'For more than half an hour 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens.' This infamous crime sparked years of research into the social psychology of helping; in particular bystander intervention and diffusion of responsibility. There is, however, real doubt as to the accuracy of the original version of events. In 2007, Rachel Manning, Mark Levine, and Alan Collins, authors of an article in American Psychologist, stated that 'there is no evidence for the presence of 38 witnesses, or that witnesses observed the murder, or that witnesses remained inactive.' See following link for quality social psychology information and resources.Social Psychology
Source: Forensic Psychology Blog - Category: Forensic Medicine Source Type: blogs