Reconciliation is an aspect of natural conflict resolution with similar behaviour patterns documented in non-human primates, human children, and human adults in hunter gather societies. However, actual or potential post-conflict reconciliation behaviour amongst adults living in industrialized societies has rarely been studied systematically. In this paper, we observed naturally occurring conflicts between adults that were captured by public space security cameras in England. Reconciliation was found in in one-quarter of all conflicts and was significantly more prevalent in milder than in severe conflicts. Reconciliation typically occurred spontaneously between opponents – and was found both within friendship groups and across stranger groups. Reconciliation between opponents also appeared to be facilitated by peers, law enforcement, or shared objects. In some instances, reconciliation extended beyond the initial conflict dyad to include conciliatory interactions towards victimized third-party mediators. These findings add to a growing body of cross-cultural and cross-species evidence demonstrating the presence and function of post-conflict reconciliation Taken together, the paper extends knowledge about the repertoire of behaviours that form part of a reconciliation ethogram and introduces a typology of five reconciliation types that are central to the study of conciliation in post-conflict adult aggression.

Accumulating evidence shows that bystanders witnessing public disputes frequently intervene to help. However, little is known regarding the risks entailed for those bystanders who enter the fray to stop conflicts. This study systematically examined the prevalence of bystander victimizations and associated risk factors. Data were a cross-national sample of CCTV video recordings of real-life public disputes, capturing the potential victimizations of intervening bystanders. Data showed that interveners were rarely physically harmed, at a rate of approximately one in twenty-five. Confirmatory regression results indicated, although not robustly, that conflict party affiliation and male gender were possible risk factors of bystander victimization. The severity of the conflict at the time of intervention was not found to increase the risk of victimization. Our findings highlight the ecological value of naturalistic observation for bystander research, and emphasize the need for evidence-based bystander intervention recommendations.

Night-time economy (NTE) leisure zones, while providing local economic growth and positive social experiences, are hotspots for urban public violence. Research aimed at better understanding and thus reducing this violence has employed a range of empirical methods: official records, self-reports, experiments, and observational techniques. In this paper, we review the applications of these methodologies for analyzing NTE violence on key research dimensions, including mapping incidents across time and space; interpreting the motivations and meaning of violence; identifying social psychological background variables and health consequences; and the ability to examine mid-violent interactions. Further, we assess each method in terms of reliability, validity, and the potential for establishing causal claims. We demonstrate that there are fewer and less established methodologies available for examining the interactional dynamics of NTE violence. Using real-life NTE bystander intervention as a case example, we argue that video-based behavioral analysis is a promising method to address this gap. Given the infancy and relative lack of exposure of the video observational method, we provide recommendations for scholars interested in adopting this technique.