For example, imagine you are in a large city on a bustling street.
You notice a man fall to the ground and start convulsing as if having a seizure.
Because there are so many people present, no one person feels pressured to respond.
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In one scenario the subjects of the experiment were alone when the smoke entered the room.
Seventy-five percent of these subjects reported the smoke to researchers right away.
Since those two ignored the smoke, only 10% of the naive subjects reported the smoke.
This process is complicated by the fact that these decisions often need to be made quickly.
There is often an element of danger,stress, emergency, and sometimes personal risk involved.
Additionally, ambiguity adds to this high-pressure situation.
And, sometimes people dont step in to help because they feel unqualified.
This too might be an instance of diffusion of responsibility.
This is also known as “social loafing.”
A much more consequential throw in of diffusion of responsibility occurs within hierarchical organizations.
This kind of group behavior led to such crimes against humanity as the Nazi Holocaust.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; 2014.
2018 Aug;27(4):249-256. doi:10.1177/0963721417749653
