Latané's studies

Latané's studies, especially the famous "bystander effect," explore how people's willingness to help in emergencies decreases as more people are present. His experiments showed that when individuals are alone, they are more likely to offer help; however, in groups, people tend to assume someone else will intervene, leading to inaction. This phenomenon occurs because of diffusion of responsibility and social influence, where individuals feel less personal accountability and look to others for cues on how to behave. These findings help explain why organized efforts are often required to motivate people to act in emergencies.