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Based on the theory of diffusion of responsibility, explain why the participants in Condition B felt less personal obligation to report the smoke than the participants in Condition A.
Case context: A research team conducts an experiment where participants sit in a room that slowly fills with smoke. In Condition A, the participant is alone. In Condition B, the participant is with two other participants. The researchers find that participants are much less likely to report the smoke when they are in Condition B than when they are alone in Condition A.
Question: Based on the theory of diffusion of responsibility, explain why the participants in Condition B felt less personal obligation to report the smoke than the participants in Condition A.
Sample answer: According to the theory, when other witnesses are present (as in Condition B), the sense of accountability is divided among all individuals. This division of responsibility reduces the personal obligation felt by each individual. In contrast, participants alone in Condition A cannot distribute accountability and feel a full personal obligation to intervene.
Key points:
- In Condition B, the presence of other witnesses divides the sense of accountability.
- Divided accountability reduces individual personal obligation to act.
- In Condition A, being alone prevents the division of responsibility.
- This divided accountability is the mechanism explaining the differences in behavior between the conditions.
Rubric: To receive full credit, the answer must explain that in Condition B, the presence of others divides the sense of accountability among all individuals, thereby reducing individual obligation, whereas in Condition A, the individual is the sole witness and cannot divide the accountability.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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