Question

as arlette walks through a shopping mall, she happens to pass an older woman who is sitting on a bench, clutching her arm and moaning in pain. the presence of many other shoppers in the mall will most likely increase the probability that arlette will: help the woman by calling an ambulance. fail to notice the older womans problem. experience contempt for the older woman. experience a sense of empathy for the older woman.

Explanation:

The bystander effect (a concept in Social Science, specifically Psychology) suggests that in the presence of many people (like in a shopping mall with many shoppers), individuals are less likely to take action (such as helping by calling an ambulance). The presence of others can lead to diffusion of responsibility (where each person assumes someone else will help) and social influence (people look to others for cues on how to behave, and if others seem unconcerned, they follow). There's no indication from the problem description that Arlette would experience contempt. Empathy might be present, but the bystander effect makes action (calling ambulance) less likely. And since the woman is clutching her arm and moaning, it's unlikely Arlette would fail to notice.

Answer:

fail to notice the older woman's problem.