When Darley and Latané exposed participants to a faked seizure in one of three experimental conditions (participants were lone witnesses, one of three witnesses, or one of five witnesses), they found that __________.
A) although participants who believed they were lone witnesses took longer to help, more of them did eventually help than in the other conditions
B) when lone participants thought the experimenter also overheard the seizure, they took longer to help
C) participants who thought they were lone witnesses helped more and helped faster
D) helping is not substantially reduced when the number of witnesses increases from two to five

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Darley and Latané's research on the bystander effect found that individuals who believe they are the only witness to an emergency are more likely to help and do so more quickly, compared to when they believe others are also witnessing the event. This demonstrates the diffusion of responsibility phenomenon, where individuals feel less pressure to act when they know others are also present.

When Darley and Latané Exposed Participants to a Faked Seizure