Final answer:
Diffusion of responsibility is the likely explanation for the inaction of bystanders in the murder of Kitty Genovese. The large number of witnesses may have led each individual to assume that someone else would intervene and therefore no one took action to help her.
Step-by-step explanation:
The murder of Kitty Genovese in New York and the inaction of bystanders has often been attributed to the phenomenon called diffusion of responsibility.
According to social psychologists, diffusion of responsibility occurs when individuals in a group assume that someone else will take action, leading to a reduced likelihood of any one person helping. In the case of Kitty Genovese, the large number of bystanders may have led each individual to believe that someone else would intervene, resulting in no one taking action to help her.