Question

A group of bystanders witness a car accident where someone was run off the road and appeared to be in distress. Rick decides there are plenty of people around and keeps walking past, besides, he decides he wouldn't know how to help and people would probably think he is strange for trying to help when he doesn't know what he is doing. Sandra sees that everyone else isn't doing much to help, and decides that she doesn't have time to help so she also keeps walking. Identify and describe the factors that have led to this antisocial behavior:

A) Bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility
B) Altruism and social influence
C) Empathy and cultural differences
D) Conformity and social cohesion

Answer 1

Rick and Sandra's lack of intervention in the emergency can be attributed to the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility, where the presence of others leads them to feel less personal responsibility to act.

Step-by-step explanation:

The factors leading to Rick and Sandra's antisocial behavior in the scenario are best explained by A) the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility. The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present, as they believe someone else will take action. This is compounded by diffusion of responsibility, where each observer assumes that another bystander will intervene, leading to a decrease in the felt personal responsibility to act. Rick's decision to not get involved because he thinks others will find his help strange, or that he is unqualified to assist, and Sandra's assumption that someone else will have the time to help, are classic examples of these psychological concepts at play. Both individuals also exhibit a reluctance to intervene due to the presence of others, highlighting how social dynamics can influence our actions during emergencies.