▁People ▁might ▁experience ▁less ▁em otion ▁toward ▁multiple ▁vict ims ▁because ▁they ▁feel ▁a ▁greater ▁psych ological ▁distance ▁from ▁these ▁vict ims ; ▁because ▁they ▁feel ▁less ▁responsible ▁for ▁helping ; ▁or ▁because ▁they ▁feel ▁that ▁their ▁helping ▁will ▁not ▁matter ▁much . ▁If ▁these ▁alternatives ▁were ▁to ▁be ▁elimin ated ▁however , ▁these ▁explan ations ▁would ▁more ▁support ▁the ▁financial ▁cost ▁as ▁a ▁critical ▁factor ▁in ▁the ▁collapse ▁of ▁comp ass ion . ▁ ▁The ▁nine ▁items ▁meas uring ▁comp ass ion ▁were ▁aver aged ▁together . ▁A ▁two - way ▁between - subject s ▁analysis ▁of ▁variance ▁( AN O VA ) ▁was ▁conducted ▁to ▁examine ▁the ▁effects ▁of ▁help ▁request ▁and ▁number ▁of ▁vict ims ▁on ▁comp ass ion . ▁There ▁were ▁no ▁significant ▁main ▁effects ▁of ▁help ▁request , ▁or ▁number ▁of ▁vict ims . ▁However , ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁significant ▁interaction ▁between ▁help ▁request ▁and ▁number ▁of ▁vict ims . ▁The ▁pattern ▁of ▁means ▁for ▁the ▁interaction ▁between ▁comp ass ion , ▁help ▁request , ▁and ▁number ▁of ▁vict ims ▁was ▁displayed , ▁this ▁interaction ▁suggests ▁that ▁the ▁difference ▁in ▁comp ass ion ▁toward ▁one ▁versus ▁eight ▁vict ims ▁dep ended ▁upon ▁whether ▁participants ▁expected ▁to ▁be ▁asked ▁to ▁help ▁those ▁vict ims . ▁They ▁prob ed ▁the ▁interaction ▁by ▁first ▁exam ining ▁the ▁effect ▁of ▁the ▁help ▁request ▁separately ▁in ▁the ▁one - v ict im ▁and ▁eight - v ict im ▁groups . ▁In ▁the ▁one - v ict im ▁condition , ▁there ▁was ▁not ▁a