Example: George Floyd's Death - Police violence and the ‘bystander effect’ explained

How Diffusion of Responsibility Affects Group Behavior Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological phenomenon in which people are less likely to take action when in the presence of a large group of people.1 For example, imagine that 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. Many people turn and look at the man, but no one moves to help or call for medical assistance. Why?

Toddler incident in China shows 'volunteer's dilemma' A security camera video of a toddler being run over twice on a street in China has swept across the Web in recent days and has drawn a chorus of horrified denunciations. How, we wonder, could so many passers-by have so callously ignored the girl's plight? As humans, we are horrified when we learn that a person in distress is not helped, even when, as in this case, many potential helpers are present. Our horror increases if the person is victimized in a particularly vicious or careless way by fellow human beings. Our horror is further heightened when we learn that the victim is helpless and the kind of person who normally stimulates our instinct to aid and protect. Our spontaneous reaction is to say: "Had I been there, I would have helped; what is wrong with these people?"

'Bystander Effect' not exclusive to humans A rat is less likely to help a trapped companion if it is with other rats that aren't helping, according to new research from the University of Chicago that showed the social psychological theory of the "bystander effect" in humans is present in these long-tailed rodents. The study, titled "The Bystander Effect in Rats," also demonstrated that in the presence of other potential helper rats, rats are more, rather than less, likely to help. Whether helping is facilitated or suppressed depends on the circumstances rather than on personal temperament or morals, a finding with implications for human society. The research, published in the July 8 issue of Science Advances, builds off previous research on rat empathy.

Overcoming the Bystander Effect Have you ever been a hero? Going about our daily routines, few of us have the opportunity to save a life or disrupt a crime in progress—fewer still take that opportunity when it presents itself. I once witnessed a car accident in which the guilty party leapt from his disabled vehicle and fled the scene.

The bystander effect in rats Abstract To investigate whether the classic bystander effect is unique to humans, the effect of bystanders on rat helping was studied. In the presence of rats rendered incompetent to help through pharmacological treatment, rats were less likely to help due to a reduction in reinforcement rather than to a lack of initial interest. New Yorkers grapple with stabbing death New Yorkers are grappling with the inaction of more than two dozen pedestrians who didn't help a Good Samaritan bleeding to death on a sidewalk after he tried to save a woman from a knife-wielding man in Queens, N.Y. Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, 31, was stabbed at about 7:20 a.m. on April 18 as he tried to help a woman being threatened by a knife-wielding man. Surveillance video from an apartment building captured Tale-Yax chasing the attacker before collapsing on the sidewalk. Both the woman and attacker fled. Over the next hour and 20 minutes, more than 25 people walked by and did nothing.

Online Bullying and the Bystander Effect Melania Trump will become First Lady of the United State in January. She recently said that as First Lady she will dedicate herself to fighting online bullying. “Technology has changed our universe,” she said. “Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough especially to children and to teenagers… We have to find a better way to talk to each other, to disagree with each other, to respect each other.” The irony was not lost on many. Throughout the 2016 campaign, Ms. Researchers Found the ‘Bystander Effect’ in 5-Year-Olds Photo: MGM/The Kobal Collection The “bystander effect” is one of the better-documented and more unfortunate aspects of human nature. As Psychology Today sums it up, the effect “occurs when the presence of others hinders an individual from intervening in an emergency situation.” The 1964 stabbing death of Kitty Genovese in New York City went a long way toward kicking off social psychologists’ interest in the subject: In the story’s initial reporting and subsequent retellings, numerous bystanders heard Genovese’s cries for help but failed to intervene.

The Shocking Murder of Ilan Halimi In 2006 a young Parisian Jew was kidnapped and brutally murdered because he was Jewish. French authorities initially refused to believe it was a hate crime. This article originally appeared in Ami Magazine. Little did Ilan Halimi know that day that the customer walking into the cellphone store where he worked as a salesman would be the agent of his death. The young woman looked around at the merchandise, asked questions and engaged him in friendly conversation.

Bystander effect Bystander effect, the inhibiting influence of the presence of others on a person’s willingness to help someone in need. Research has shown that, even in an emergency, a bystander is less likely to extend help when he or she is in the real or imagined presence of others than when he or she is alone. Moreover, the number of others is important, such that more bystanders leads to less assistance, although the impact of each additional bystander has a diminishing impact on helping. Yue Yue dead: Chinese girl Wang Yue, 2, run over as bystanders watch, dies Yue Yue, the girl who shamed China, is dead: Two-year-old run over TWICE as dozens of people ignored her lying in the road succumbs to her injuries Announcement of her death quickly became the most talked about topic on China's version of TwitterLawmakers set to meet to discuss introduction of 'Good Samaritan' legislationCountry's economic boom and disparity between rich and poor have made changing social values a contentious topic By Richard Hartley-parkinson Updated: 09:25 EDT, 5 November 2011 The Chinese girl left bleeding in a road after being run over by two different vehicles and then ignored by 18 passersby has finally died.

Remembering Kitty Genovese In death, Kitty Genovese has cast a long shadow over America’s psyche, far more than she probably would have had her life not been brutally cut short at age 28. Across the decades since her murder in 1964, she has endured as a symbol of urban disconnection and apathy, a victim not only of a knife-wielding killer but of bystanders’ unwillingness to get involved in resisting evil. The New York Times had a pivotal role in creating what is referred to as “Kitty Genovese syndrome.” A front-page article in March 1964 described how 38 of her neighbors heard her screams and watched, yet did nothing, while she was twice attacked and stabbed repeatedly on her way home from her job as a bar manager in Queens. The facts, however, turned out to be quite different. Yes, some neighbors had ignored Ms.