Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Is the point being made that nobody actually > intervened to help, or that nobody seemed to > notice? > > The bystander effect was originally put forward > when a young (I think) woman was murdered in the > well (I think) of an apartment block in New York > (I think) and despite her screams and many people > hearing them, nobody even called the police. > > In the present case, it would depend whether > anybody was actually perceived to be in need of > help, apart from help to scoop up the money? > > If not, maybe people just thought it was none of > their business? I'm assuming the robbers had > scarpered by this time? Kitty Gervaise it was on the Street. Everyone assumes someone else is doing something. But you wonder whether th motivation to do that is associated with not wanting to be distracted from whatever you are doing or to take risk.