You are driving to school and notice that there is an injured dog lying on the side of the road-presumably the victim of a hit-and-run. You are in a very busy part of town, however, so you decide that your help probably isn't needed (someone else will attend to the dog and call for help, if they haven't already). Social psychologists would say that ____ prevented you from helping in this case.
A) belief in a just world
B) diffusion of responsibility
C) the Good Samaritan effect
D) the commons dilemma

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility is the tendency for individuals to feel less personal responsibility to act when other people are present. In this situation, the busy part of the town and the assumption that someone else will attend to the dog may have led to a diffusion of responsibility, where the responsibility to act is spread among all the people present, reducing the likelihood of any individual taking action.

You Are Driving to School and Notice That There Is