... For example, other people's behaviour can lead us to define an ambiguous situation as not serious or dangerous, and also the presence of other bystanders in an emergency can lead to the 'diffusion of responsibility'. Even when a bystander defines a situation as dangerous and accepts responsibility he/she may still not necessarily take action. How people act in an emergency depends on the 'rewards and costs' of helping [Piliavin] the rewards of helping would include good feelings about yourself, praise from others and gratitude from the victim. The costs of helping might include physical harm to yourself, loss of time, effort and embarrassment. The reward of not helping would be the freedom to carry on with your normal business, and the costs would be guilt, or disapproval from others. Psychologists have learned about the importance of costs and rewards in emergencies from several studies done on the subway systems of New ...

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