Question 1

What is the bystander effect?

Accepted Answer

The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon where the presence of others reduces the likelihood of an individual helping someone in need. This is because individuals tend to assume that someone else will take responsibility for helping, leading to a diffusion of responsibility. Therefore, the correct choice is B - the tendency for a greater number of bystanders to reduce the probability that a victim will receive help.

Question 2

Dewanto hears what sounds like gunshots coming from the school parking lot.None of his classmates appear concerned,so Dewanto assumes that they know the sound was only a car backfiring or someone playing with firecrackers.What do Dewanto's beliefs illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Dewanto's beliefs illustrate pluralistic ignorance, as he assumes that his classmates' lack of concern means that they know something he doesn't and therefore must be right about the nature of the sound. This phenomenon occurs when individuals in a group look to the behavior of others in ambiguous situations to determine how to act, leading them to confirm to perceived norms even if they don't necessarily agree with them.

Question 3

Which of the following accurately lists the order of steps to helping proposed by Latané and Darley (1970)?

Accepted Answer

Latané and Darley (1970) proposed the following steps to helping:
1. Notice the event
2. Interpret the event as an emergency
3. Assume responsibility
4. Decide how to help
Therefore, the correct order of the steps is notice, interpret, assume responsibility, and decide how to help. Option C accurately lists these steps in order.

Question 4

Which of the following obstacles to helping behaviour is best described as preventing people who notice an event from interpreting it as an emergency?

Accepted Answer

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when individuals in a group doubt their own interpretation of an event and assume that no one else is alarmed either, thus inhibiting any helping behaviour.

Question 5

What do psychologists call the belief that one's own thoughts and feelings differ from those of others,even though everyone is behaving in the same way?

Accepted Answer

Psychologists call the belief that one's own thoughts and feelings differ from those of others, even though everyone is behaving in the same way, pluralistic ignorance. This often leads to people conforming to social norms, even if it goes against their personal beliefs or feelings.

Question 6

Benny has a heart attack while riding a crowded city bus,and nobody on the bus attempts to help him.Which of the following does this case exemplify?

Accepted Answer

The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. This is likely what is happening in the scenario described, where no one on the bus attempts to help Benny during his heart attack.

Question 7

Ervin was in the middle of a bustling crowd when an injured woman fell down.Which of the following is the most likely reason Ervin might NOT have helped the woman?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Ervin was in the middle of a...

Question 8

Consider Latané and Darley's (1970)five step model of helping.At which step does analysis of costs and rewards occur?

Accepted Answer

Analysis of costs and rewards would occur during the step of providing help, as the individual weighs the potential risks and benefits of intervening.

Question 9

What effect does motivation have on helping behaviours?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What effect does motivation have on helping...

Question 10

Which of the following factors will lead to greater helping in an emergency situation?

Accepted Answer

The presence of clearly defined emergency cues (such as obvious harm or danger) is a major factor in determining whether individuals will intervene in an emergency situation. The other factors listed may actually inhibit helping behavior, such as the diffusion of responsibility that often occurs when there are many bystanders present.

Question 11

Which of the following situational changes would have made it more likely that someone would have acted to help Kitty Genovese during her attack?

Accepted Answer

If witnesses had just heard a lecture on situational influences on helping behavior, they might have been more aware of the bystander effect and thus more likely to intervene.

Question 12

Asuni hears her neighbour's burglar alarm go off in the middle of the night,but she doesn't call the police because she assumes that one of the other neighbours will do so.What does Asuni's failure act illustrate?

Accepted Answer

Asuni's failure to act illustrates the diffusion of responsibility. This occurs in situations where individuals feel less pressure to intervene or take action because they believe others will do it instead. Asuni assumes that another neighbour will call the police, leading her to not take action herself.

Question 13

In which of the following cases can diffusion of responsibility most likely be reduced?

Accepted Answer

If a bystander's training is relevant to the emergency at hand, they are more likely to feel a sense of personal responsibility and take action. This reduces diffusion of responsibility because they feel specifically equipped to handle the situation.

Question 14

During his statistics class this morning,Stuart was completely confused.He considered asking questions during the lecture,but because nobody else asked questions,he assumed they understood the material.Which of the following is the most likely cause of Stuart's failure to ask questions?

Accepted Answer

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when people privately reject a norm, but assume that others accept it. In this scenario, Stuart may have privately been confused and in need of clarification, but assumed that since nobody else was asking questions, they understood the material and he was the only one struggling. Therefore, he did not ask questions out of fear of looking foolish or being the only one who didn't understand.

Question 15

Sandhya has missed class because she is sick,but Luis did attend the lecture.Sandhya asks Luis if she can borrow his notes.If Luis considers that Sandhya has shared her notes in the past and decides to offer help,what is he most likely doing?

Accepted Answer

By offering to share his notes with Sandhya, Luis is invoking the norm of reciprocal altruism, which states that individuals are more likely to help others who have helped them in the past. Luis likely considers Sandhya's past sharing of notes as a favor, and reciprocating that favor by sharing his own notes.

Question 16

Bystanders sometimes do not offer help in an emergency situation because they are concerned about what others will think of them.What do psychologists call this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as audience inhibition, where individuals are hesitant to help in an emergency situation due to the fear of being judged or evaluated negatively by onlookers.

Question 17

According to research by Garcia and colleagues (2002),how does imagining you are in a group with other people affect your tendency to help others?

Accepted Answer

Garcia and colleagues (2002) found that imagining being in a group can lead to a diffusion of responsibility, making individuals less likely to engage in helping behavior.

Question 18

Ginny thinks she hears her upstairs neighbours having a violent argument where the husband is beating his wife.However,she does not call the police because she is afraid that her neighbours will start to avoid her if she is wrong.What does Ginny's failure to act exemplify?

Accepted Answer

Ginny's failure to act is an example of audience inhibition, which occurs when an individual refrains from intervening in an emergency situation due to the fear of being judged or embarrassed by others if their intervention is deemed unnecessary or incorrect. In this case, Ginny is afraid of the social repercussions (being avoided by her neighbours) if she misinterprets the situation, leading her to not call the police.

Question 19

Which of the following would be the most effective way for a person to secure help in an emergency situation?

Accepted Answer

Asking a specific individual for help is the most effective way to secure help in an emergency situation. This is because it is clear who is being asked and there is a greater likelihood that they will feel a sense of responsibility to intervene and provide assistance. Making a general plea for help may not identify an appropriate person to provide aid, requesting help from those who are psychologically distant may not elicit a response, and appearing to have the situation under control may lead others to assume that no assistance is needed.

Question 20

Sandhya has missed class because she is sick,but Luis did attend the lecture.Sandhya asks Luis if she can borrow his notes.If Luis considers Sandhya's situation from her point of view and decides to offer help,what is he most likely doing?

Accepted Answer

Luis is likely operating under an altruistic motive, as he is offering help to Sandhya without expecting any direct benefit in return. He is showing empathy and compassion towards Sandhya's situation by lending her his notes.

Quiz 10: Helping Others