By-stander effect and diffusion of responsibility

[letnja_kisha]

By-stander effect

A 1968 study by Darley and Latane first demonstrated the bystander effect in the laboratory. The most common explanation is that, with others present, observers all assume that someone else is going to intervene and so they each individually refrain from doing so. People may also assume that other bystanders may be more qualified to help, such as being a doctor or police officer, and their intervention would thus be unneeded. Beneath this is a fear of "losing face" in front of the other bystanders from being superseded by a "superior" helper or even from the possibility of offering unwanted assistance. They may also assume that since the other bystanders have not yet intervened, no intervention is necessary.

Diffusion of responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility is a social phenomena which tends to occur in groups of people above a certain critical size when responsibility is not explicitly assigned.
Diffusion of responsibility can manifest itself
- in a group of peers who act or, through inaction, allow events to occur which they would never allow if alone (see bystander apathy for an example) or
- in hierarchical organizations as when, for example, underlings claim that they were following orders and supervisors claim that they were just issuing directives and not doing anything per se.

Comments

[the-furman.livejournal.com]

Вот забавный эксперемент на эту тему, который мне еще из школы запомнился : http://www.holah.karoo.net/piliavinstudy.htm