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When responsibility seems to belong to somebody else

When several people notice a problem, each may assume somebody else has it covered. Psychologists call this diffusion of responsibility. It is one possible influence on helping, rather than a rule that a crowd will always stand by.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • What makes responsibility feel personal rather than shared?
  • How might behavior in a real emergency differ from a laboratory task?

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Psychology

Can an option nobody wants change what people choose?

Choosing between two offers can feel different when a third appears beside them. A decoy is less attractive than one option on the relevant features, but its presence does not reliably change every decision.

5–7 min

Can an option nobody wants change what people choose?

Psychology5–7 minChoosing between two offers can feel different when a third appears beside them. A decoy is less attractive than one option on the relevant features, but its presence does not reliably change every decision.

How can you miss something that is right in front of you?

Psychology3–5 minLooking at a scene does not mean noticing everything in it. When attention is occupied by one task, something plainly visible can go unreported, a pattern called inattentional blindness.

Psychology

When a question reshapes a memory

Research on eyewitness reports separates what someone originally saw from information introduced afterward, making wording part of the evidence problem.

3–7 min

When a question reshapes a memory

Psychology3–7 minResearch on eyewitness reports separates what someone originally saw from information introduced afterward, making wording part of the evidence problem.

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