Altruism 1

Question 1

List social rewards (4)

Answer 1

Praise, rewards, honours, gratitude

Question 2

Why do people do prosocial things? (3)

Answer 2

For positive attention from others, for status and power, to get something good out of it

Question 3

Explain how we get personal distress

Answer 3

Seeing others suffer can make you feel upset. Same neural circuits activate when you experience pain are active when you see others in pain. Causes anxiousness, worry and nausea.

Question 4

How can personal distress be reduced/eliminated?

Answer 4

By acting prosocially, but motivation is to help self, not others and so is selfish not altruistic.

Question 5

Summarise study on empathy of person needing a friend

Answer 5

Ppt told to form impression of confederate. Confederate wrote 2 ‘true’ notes about self in which reported feeling lonely & needing a friend. Participant saw notes and was asked to volunteer time with them

Question 6

Name the 2 manipulations in the study of empathy and needing a friend

Answer 6

Empathy - ppt read notes objectively or imagine how communicator felt. Social evaluation - ppt thinks experimenter saw the notes or not if opened or sealed

Question 7

Conclude results found in experiment on empathy and needing a friend

Answer 7

High empathy condition volunteered more hours even when envelope was sealed. Shows altruism motivated by real empathy

Question 8

Describe empathic concern

Answer 8

May identify with another person, feel/understand what they’re experiencing and want to help. Truly want to help person, not trying to look good

Question 9

List 3 motives for altruism

Answer 9

Social rewards, personal distress, empathic concern

Question 10

Would you like to participate in long-term relationship with other person and how many hours? What were results

Answer 10

Think experimenter saw note, offering to help gives social rewards. Think experimenter didn’t see note, no social rewards

Question 11

Explain experiment of shocks and empathy

Answer 11

Told to watch student receive shocks after giving wrong answers. Watch receive first 2 shocks, measure distress + empathy. Option to take students place to stop suffering.

Question 12

State the 2 conditions in experiment of shocks and empathy

Answer 12

Half told they could leave after 2 shocks (easy distress relief), half told they must watch all shocks being taken (no distress relief). More empathy - more likely to trade places, more distress - more likely to leave

Question 13

Explain the bystander intervention

Answer 13

Kitty Genovese - stabbed in front of 38 people, died as no one helped.

Question 14

Explain diffusion of responsibility

Answer 14

Darley & Latane - ppts talk with 1, 2 or 5 people. Confederate pretends to have seizure. 1 = 85% help, 3 = 62% help. 6 = 31% help. More people = less likely to help

Question 15

List situational determinists of altruism (4)

Answer 15

Presence of others, ambiguous situations, being busy, victim characteristics

Question 16

Define pluralistic influence

Answer 16

In emergency, if no one else seems concerned or helps, assume it is fine

Question 17

Describe Latane & Darley’s study on smoke

Answer 17

Filled in questionnaires alone, 2 others or 2 confederates. Alone = 75% leave, 2 real = 38% leave, 2 confederates = 10% leave. Saw smoke as non-threatening due to pluralistic ignorance and informational influence

Question 18

List factors which increase likeliness to help

Answer 18

Women more likely to get help, more attractive, more similar, less cost of helping, ask for help