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Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death while neighbors saw what was happening. Nobody stepped forward to help her. What new term did psychologists create because of this event?

a) Diffusion of responsibility
b) The bystander effect
c) Social facilitation
d) Conformity

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The term psychologists created because of Kitty Genovese's murder is the 'bystander effect,' which describes people's hesitancy to help in emergencies when others are present due to 'diffusion of responsibility.'The correct answer is option B.

Step-by-step explanation:

The tragic case of Kitty Genovese's murder led to the coinage of a term in psychology known as the bystander effect, which describes a phenomenon where individuals do not offer help to a victim when other people are present.

This occurs because the responsibility to act is diffused among all the witnesses, which is called diffusion of responsibility. The correct term that psychologists created due to this event is b) The bystander effect.

Interestingly, contrary to popular belief, witnesses did take some actions during Kitty Genovese's attack, such as shouting at the attacker and calling the police.

However, the narrative of complete inaction has persisted and contributed significantly to the study and understanding of the bystander effect in social psychology.The correct answer is option B.

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