Suppose That, One Day, a Fierce and Crazy Lion Broke

Multiple Choice

Suppose that, one day, a fierce and crazy lion broke loose from the zoo. Instead of running around wildly, however, the lion calmed himself down rather quickly, walked through the crowds at the zoo, exited the facility, and made his way to a local park; here he stretched out to do some child-watching. People in the park were confused by the sudden presence of the lion. They thought to themselves: "Isn't that a lion?" "Um, is it really dangerous to have a lion right here?" However, none of them voiced their concerns, and as a result there was no communication about the lion; the park-goers ultimately assumed that there was a reason for the lion to be there ("otherwise," they thought, "someone would have said something") . And the lion 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