When 12-year-old Jamilah saw an old man lying on the sidewalk, he prepared to offer help. But when he noticed several adults walk past the man, he concluded that the man did not need any help. His reaction most clearly illustrates one of the dynamics involved in the

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Jamilah's reaction illustrates the bystander effect, which refers to the tendency for individuals to be less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. This is because they assume that someone else will take responsibility for helping, leading to a diffusion of responsibility among the bystanders. In this case, Jamilah assumed that if the adults had not stopped to help, it must mean that the old man did not need any assistance.

When 12-Year-Old Jamilah Saw an Old Man Lying on the Sidewalk