A、To explain why people fail to act in emergencies. B、To explain when people will act in emergencies. C、To explain what people w

Thirty-two people watched Kitty Genovese being killed fight beneath their windows. She was their neighbor. Yet none of the 32 helped her. No one even called the police. Was it lack of feeling about one’s fellow man?
    "Not so," say scientists John Barley and Bib Fatane. These men went beyond the headlines to look for the reasons why people didn’t act. They found that a person has to go through two steps before he can help.
    First he has to notice that it is an emergency. Suppose you see some smoke. Is the smoke coming into the room from a leak in the air conditioning? Is it "steam pipes"? Or is it really smoke, from a fire? It’s not always easy to tell if you are faced with a real emergency.
    Second, and more important, the person faced with an emergency must feel personally responsible. He must feel that he must help, or the person won’t get the help.
    Tests show that in a group, Americans often fail to act. They feel that others will act. They, themselves, needn’t. They do not feel any direct responsibility.
    Are people bothered by situations where people are in trouble? Yes, scientists found that the people were emotional, they sweated, they had trembling hands. They felt the other person’s trouble. But they did not act. They were in a group. Their actions were shaped by the actions of those they were with.