Question 1

Pluralistic ignorance is an example of the power of ________ to inhibit helping.

Accepted Answer

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when individuals rely on others to interpret a situation and assume that no one else thinks that help is necessary, leading to inaction. This reliance on others to determine appropriate behavior is an example of informational social influence, which can inhibit helping behavior.

Question 2

Gillian is sitting in a crowded coffee shop when she hears the squeal of brakes and the crash of metal-on-metal. She looks around and notices that all the other customers remain engrossed in their conversations. Because these cool and calm responses ________, Gillian will be ________.

Accepted Answer

The cool and calm responses of the other customers provide normative cues that indicate it is not an emergency situation, leading to an increase in pluralistic ignorance. This means that Gillian is less likely to assume that it is an emergency situation and therefore less likely to go outside to help.

Question 3

According to Latané and Darley (1970), a number of things must occur before witnesses decide to intervene in an emergency situation. According to this stage model, diffusion of responsibility is most likely to affect witnesses'

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility refers to the tendency for individuals to feel less personal responsibility for intervening in an emergency situation when there are other witnesses present. This can lead to a decreased sense of obligation to intervene, which is most likely to be affected by diffusion of responsibility.

Question 4

Even if it is clear that a person needs help, that you are the person responsible to help, and that you know how to help, you might still decide not to help. Reasons that people do not help in such cases include all of the following except

Accepted Answer

The Latané and Darley model only applies to emergency situations where immediate action is necessary. If the situation is not an emergency, the model does not apply, and there may be other reasons why someone chooses not to help. However, the other options listed (B, C, and D) are all potential reasons for why someone may not want to help, even in an emergency situation.

Question 5

Pluralistic ignorance is most likely to discourage intervention in an emergency when

Accepted Answer

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when individuals in a group assume that others are not taking action because they do not view the situation as an emergency. This can lead to a diffusion of responsibility, as individuals assume that someone else will step in to help. When the situation is ambiguous, such as when it is not clear whether a person needs assistance or if the situation is unclear, individuals may be even more hesitant to intervene due to uncertainty and the fear of embarrassment if they are wrong. Therefore, pluralistic ignorance is most likely to discourage intervention in an emergency when the situation is ambiguous.

Question 6

According to the authors of your text, the first step in deciding to help in an emergency is

Accepted Answer

According to the authors of the text, the first step in deciding to help in an emergency is noticing the event. This involves being aware of what is happening and perceiving it as an emergency situation that requires intervention.

Question 7

Joseph was on the subway when he noticed a man lying slumped over on the seat. Joseph looked around at the other passengers, who seemed calm and unconcerned. Joseph concluded that the man was probably okay. However, the other passengers may have been looking around at Joseph, to see how he reacted. This would be an example of

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of pluralistic ignorance, where individuals rely on the actions of others to determine how to behave in a situation. Everyone may assume that someone else will help the man, but in reality, everyone is waiting for someone else to take action.

Question 8

If you are in an emergency situation and need help, which of the following statements to a bystander is most likely to get you the help you need?

Accepted Answer

Being specific and addressing a specific person increases the chance that someone will take action and call for help. Using the phrase "call 911" also clearly states what kind of help is needed.

Question 9

When other bystanders are present, people are less likely to interpret an event as an emergency. ________ best explains why this is so.

Accepted Answer

When other bystanders are present, people are more likely to look to others for cues on how to behave in a situation. This is known as informational social influence, where individuals conform to the behavior of others because they believe that others have more knowledge or understanding of the situation. This can lead individuals to interpret a situation as non-emergent if they see others not reacting to it.

Question 10

Recall that Latané and Darley (1970) had participants complete questionnaires alone, or in the presence of two others. When the experimental room filled with "smoke," participants who were alone reported the potential emergency more quickly than did those who worked on the questionnaire in the company of others. These results provide support for the concept of

Accepted Answer

The answer of Recall that Latané and Darley (1970) had...

Question 11

While waiting for a bus, witnesses hear a man growing increasingly frantic as he cries, "My nitro tablets. Where are my nitro pills? I can't find my nitro tablets, and I'm having a heart attack!" He collapses to the ground, clutching his chest. Everyone knows that it is a medical emergency. In this situation, who is most likely to help?

Accepted Answer

The answer of While waiting for a bus, witnesses hear...

Question 12

Pluralistic ignorance results when ________ backfires.

Accepted Answer

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when individuals in a group try to align their behavior with what they perceive as the group norm, but do not actually hold those beliefs themselves. This often arises as a result of informational influence, where people look to others for information on how to behave, but are unsure of what the right course of action is. The result is that everyone behaves in a way that reinforces the incorrect perception of the norm, perpetuating the cycle of pluralistic ignorance.

Question 13

Using the stage model of the decisions bystanders make before helping (or not helping) in an emergency, which of the following is not one of the stages in the model?

Accepted Answer

The stage model of the decisions bystanders make before helping (or not helping) in an emergency includes: noticing the event, interpreting the event as an emergency, assuming responsibility, deciding how to help, and implementing the decision to help or not help. Altruism is not one of the stages in this model, but rather a motivation or factor that may influence decision making during one or more stages.

Question 14

Recent research described in the textbook (Garcia et al., 2002) indicates that people can experience diffusion of responsibility even if they are all by themselves. Which of the following situations is most likely to create such a diffusion of responsibility effect and might reduce the probability of (for example) donating to a charity?

Accepted Answer

The more people a person imagines being present, the more they may feel that someone else will take responsibility for the decision to donate, reducing their own sense of personal responsibility. This creates diffusion of responsibility and lowers the likelihood of donating to a charity. Option C describes the scenario with the most people present, which is the most likely to create diffusion of responsibility. Options A, B, and D do not involve a potential for diffusion of responsibility as there are no other people involved in the decision-making process.

Question 15

According to Latané and Darley (1970), a number of things must occur before witnesses decide to intervene in an emergency situation. According to this stage model, when witnesses ________, costs of helping will be most relevant to their behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Latané and Darley (1970), a...

Question 16

The phenomenon in which each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases best defines

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility is the phenomenon in which each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases. When several people are present during an emergency, individuals may feel that someone else will act, or that their action is not needed because others will take responsibility for providing help. This can lead to a decrease in the likelihood of any individual providing assistance, as everyone assumes someone else will act.

Question 17

In a study reported by the authors of your text, a participant in a chat group posed a question to the group asking for help. The results of this study showed that the participant was more likely to receive help faster when he or she

Accepted Answer

Asking one specific person for help typically results in a faster response because it creates a direct line of responsibility, making it more likely for the individual to feel personally addressed and compelled to respond.

Question 18

Juanita sees a crowd of people gathered around a man lying on the ground. She thinks about whether to call an ambulance, but then reasons that somebody else has probably already done so. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of diffusion of responsibility, which is the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to take responsibility for action or decision-making when others are present. Juanita assumes someone else has already called an ambulance, thus diffusing her sense of responsibility to act.

Question 19

The concept of ________ refers to the idea that when no bystanders to a possible emergency appear to be concerned, other bystanders assume that nothing is wrong.

Accepted Answer

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when individuals wrongly believe that their own thoughts, feelings, or behaviors are different from those of the majority, often because no one else is reacting to a situation. In the context of bystander intervention, this can lead to situations where everyone assumes that because no one else appears concerned, there is no emergency, even though many may actually be unsure or worried.

Question 20

According to reports (Rosenthal, 1964), many of Kitty Genovese's unresponsive neighbors did hear her crying out, "Oh my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!" This suggests that the reason that her neighbors failed to intervene followed from

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility is the phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to take action or assume responsibility in a situation where others are present. In the case of Kitty Genovese, her neighbors may have assumed that someone else would call for help or intervene, leading to a diffusion of responsibility and a lack of action. The other options (pluralistic ignorance, excessive costs of helping, and urban overload) may have contributed to the lack of action, but diffusion of responsibility best explains why so many of her neighbors failed to intervene.

Quiz 11: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help