Your question is missing the options. I've found the complete question online. It is as follows:
In many industrialized nations, strong social norms dictate efforts to behave in a cool, calm, and collected manner in public, especially during emergencies. Unfortunately, this norm can promote
__________________.
Select one:
a. bystander intervention.
b. reciprocal indifference.
c. pluralistic ignorance.
d. altruism.
Answer:
The correct answer is letter C. <u>pluralistic ignorance.</u>
Explanation:
In psychology, pluralistic ignorance is the misconceptual perception of the behaviors of a group. That is, you, as an individual, observe others behaving a certain way and conclude they do so for certain reasons. Even though you would like to behave differently, you conform to the group norm you have observed for the reasons you have thought of. Your interpretation, however, may be largely wrong. Pluralistic ignorance can range from harmless behaviors - such as not raising your hand when you have a question because no one else seems to have any doubts - to dangerous ones.
One dangerous behavior that has been observed by researchers is the one described in the question. A bystander fails to intervene and help during an emergency because other bystanders are not doing anything. He/She assumes that the others have assessed the situation and concluded there is nothing to worry about. Due to his or her uncertainty and fear of doing the wrong thing, the bystander chooses to conform and not help.
