Final answer:
Diffusion of responsibility is when people in groups feel less inclined to take action, believing others will do so. This phenomenon reduces personal accountability and is related to the bystander effect. A classic case illustrating this is the Genovese incident where witnesses failed to intervene or call for help.
Step-by-step explanation:
Diffusion of Responsibility
Diffusion of responsibility is a cognitive disengagement technique where individuals in a group are less likely to take action or feel responsible for taking action because they believe that others will do so. This psychological phenomenon explains why people sometimes fail to intervene in emergency situations. It reduces the personal sense of agency and can lead to a decrease in individuals monitoring outcomes of events that they could potentially influence. It is also closely associated with the bystander effect, where the presence of other people lessens an individual's inclination to help.
An example of diffusion of responsibility is the infamous case of the attack on Kitty Genovese, where numerous witnesses did not call the police because they assumed others had already done so. This shows that with a greater number of bystanders, the perceived individual responsibility diminishes.