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In this video I discuss the bystander effect, which refers to a tendency for people to fail to act or help someone in need when in the presence of others. I begin with the famous story of Kitty Genovese, then consider experiments by John Darley and Bibb Latane demonstrating how the presence of others can inhibit action, even when one's own safety might be at risk. Next I consider the tragic case of Wang Yue in China, a 2-year old child left in the street after being struck by 2 vehicles. Some have claimed that fears of the financial or legal costs of getting involved discourage intervention in China based on the Peng Yu incident. I describe pluralistic ignorance, which suggests that we assume others are more knowledgeable and we wait for them to act, and the diffusion of responsibility, which suggests that our sense of responsibility to help is dispersed among all members of the crowd, reducing its effect on each individual.

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Darley & Latane (1968) Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: http://psychology.okstate.edu/faculty/jgrice/psyc3214/Darley_Latane_1968.pdf

Latane & Darley (1969) Bystander Apathy: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/uploads/Latane-BystanderApathy.pdf

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