"Why People Don't Help in a Crisis," co-written by John M. Darley and Bibb Latané, states that there are three primary reasons to a bystander's unresponsive behavior. In the event of an emergency a person must first take notice of the situation. Then interpret if the scene is truly an emergency and ultimately determine if one has a personal responsibility to help. Darley and Bibb conclude that someone's reactions are manipulated by how other people around respond to the situation. .
If people are going to get involved at the time of a crisis, they have to notice something is happening. Humans, for the most part, are taught to mind their own business and keep to themselves. It is even considered rude to stare at others in public. Because of this, most do not notice when there is someone in need of assistance. After conducting an experiment, Darley and Latané concluded that the more people around, the slower a person will recognize an emergency. .
After someone notices the situation, they must interpret if the event is actually an emergency. Most of the time within a crowd, people will look to others to determine how to react to the crisis. If the crowd is calm and no one seems to be showing any type of concern, then more than likely others will follow suit. The presence of others affects one's interpretation of the incident. In general, people are afraid of overreacting to a minor incident and embarrassing themselves. After someone interprets the situation they must decide if it is their personal responsibility to help.
Sometimes a person will talk himself or herself out of helping because they think someone else will stop and be of assistance. If that person believes they are the only one to have seen the emergency they are more likely to help because they feel no one else will. They believe it is their personal responsibility to act (Darley and Latané 44-48).