John Darley and Bibb Latane proposed diffusion of responsibility in 1968 as the specific mechanism behind the bystander effect they had just demonstrated experimentally: the more people present at an emergency, the more the felt responsibility to act is shared, and therefore diluted, among everyone present.
Facts
Core ClaimAn individual is less likely to take responsibility for acting in an emergency when other bystanders are present, because the responsibility for acting is felt to be shared among everyone present rather than resting on any one person. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
The study that established the phenomenon; diffusion of responsibility is the mechanism proposed to explain it.
Developed By
In Branch
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Diffusion of Responsibility
Wikimedia FoundationOverviewQuote, Overview
Diffusion of responsibility is a sociopsychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present.
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