Psychology Qualifying Practice Exam

The bystander effect describes which of the following?

The tendency to help more when others are present The tendency to be less likely to help when others are present The bystander effect is unrelated to helping The increase in helping as more bystanders observe

Correct Answer:

The tendency to be less likely to help when others are present

Explanation:

The central idea is that people become less likely to help when there are other people around. This happens because responsibility is shared among everyone present, so each individual feels less personal obligation to intervene. The presence of others also creates uncertainty—people look to others for cues about whether action is needed, which can further reduce the likelihood of taking action (a phenomenon known as pluralistic ignorance). In experiments, helping tends to decrease as the number of bystanders increases, illustrating diffusion of responsibility. The other statements describe the opposite pattern or claim no relation, which doesn’t fit this effect.

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