A social psychologist measures the time it takes for someone to help a confederate who pretends to have a heart attack in a crowded area. Which phenomenon is being studied?

The correct answer pertains to the bystander effect, which refers to the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. This effect is often examined by measuring the time it takes for someone to respond and assist in an emergency situation, especially when surrounded by others. In this scenario, measuring the time it takes for a helper to intervene gives insight into how the presence of bystanders influences helping behavior.

Research has shown that as the number of bystanders increases, the likelihood of any single bystander offering assistance decreases, which corresponds directly to the time it takes for help to be rendered. Consequently, the configuration of the study — with a confederate simulating a heart attack in a crowded setting — is specifically designed to analyze this effect by observing how long it takes for help to be provided in relation to the number of bystanders present.

The other options introduce the Hawthorne effect, which describes changes in behavior when individuals know they are being observed, but that concept is not relevant to the analysis of helping behavior in an emergency context as established in this scenario. Therefore, the focus on the bystander effect and the measurement of the time until help is received is the core of the investigation.