Samantha just had her purse stolen while walking down Fifth Avenue in New York City, which is a very busy part of Manhattan. She screamed loudly. Several people looked in her direction, but nobody stopped walking or made an attempt to help. She immediately broke down in tears and trembled for 10 minutes until she could walk to her car. This is an example of ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bystander effect is a phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. In this scenario, despite several people being around, nobody stopped to help Samantha, demonstrating the bystander effect. The other options (democracy, diffusion of effects, and flaws in the judicial system) do not apply to this scenario.

Samantha Just Had Her Purse Stolen While Walking Down Fifth