Research studies suggest that in an emergency, the presence of others often A. prevents people from noticing the situation, B. prevents people from assuming responsibility for assistance, C. leads to all of these behaviors D. prevents people from interpreting an unusual event as an emergency.
Social Studies · High School · Mon Jan 18 2021
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B. prevents people from assuming responsibility for assistance.
This phenomenon is known as the "bystander effect." It describes a situation where the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation. The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help. One reason for this is diffusion of responsibility. Each bystander is likely to think someone else will be the one to take action, or that because no one else is acting, it might not be an emergency.