Suppose That, One Day, a Gorilla Broke Loose from the Zoo

Multiple Choice

Suppose that, one day, a gorilla broke loose from the zoo and made his way to a local park. People in the park were confused by the sudden presence of the gorilla. They thought to themselves, "Isn't that a gorilla?" "Isn't it dangerous to have a gorilla here?" However, none of them voiced their concerns, and as a result, there was no communication about the gorilla. The park-goers ultimately assumed that there was a reason for the gorilla to be there ("otherwise," they thought, "someone would have said something") . And the gorilla ended up staying at the park for several hours. In this example, ____ was MOST at play.

A) the bystander effect
B) pluralistic ignorance
C) diffusion of responsibility
D) the commons dilemma