Not All Members of the Radio Audience of Orson Welles's

question 67

Multiple Choice

Not all members of the radio audience of Orson Welles's War of the Worlds broadcast panicked immediately. Indeed, some didn't panic until they looked out of the window and saw empty streets; others didn't panic until they saw streets full of traffic. It was after checking out the situation that these citizens decided that the Martians had indeed invaded Earth. This example illustrates that contagion __________.

• A) can result when cultural norms reinforce people's most likely responses
• B) is especially likely when people are motivated to make independent decisions
• C) can result when people look to others for the interpretation of ambiguous situations
• D) occurs primarily because humans are by nature irrational creatures