Darley and Latane

Darley and Latane are psychologists known for studying how people respond in emergencies. They found that in crowd situations, individuals often hesitate to help, partly because they assume someone else will step in—this is called the "bystander effect." Their research shows that the larger the crowd, the less likely a person is to help, due to diffusion of responsibility. Essentially, people tend to be less active when others are present, which can delay or prevent assistance during urgent situations.