Altruism

Question 1

What is the behaviourists perspective on altruism?

Answer 1

Helping is the by-product of the individual’s conditioning history (learning to help, being punished for not helping, modelling to be helpers). Inner motives do not matter.

Question 2

What is prosocial behavior?

Answer 2

Helping someone regardless of your motives.

Question 3

What is altruism?

Answer 3

Helping someone out of pure motives, no expectation of returns.

Question 4

What is social exchange theory?

Answer 4

The theory that human interactions are transactions
that aim to maximize one’s rewards and minimize one’s
costs.

Question 5

What was Robert Cialdini’s contribution to altruism research?

Answer 5

Negative state relief: Seeing someone in a state of need increases our arousal (neutral). We then attribute a value judgement that arousal (positive vs. negative) by looking at cues from the environment. When people experience negative states, they are motivated to alleviate this feeling by helping. Positive feelings or being primed by being given money, or being praised do the opposite.

Question 6

What is Cialdini’s view on why we help?

Answer 6

We help because we want to alleviate our negative states.

Question 7

What is Dan Batson’s view on altruism?

Answer 7

Empathy-altruism hypothesis: Witnessing another person in need can produce a range of emotions. The first being perspective-taking which fosters (empathic concern). This emotion provides evidence for pure altruism.

Question 8

What is the theory of mind?

Answer 8

Being able to take the perspective of someone else.

Question 9

What was Dan Batson’s study on altruism?

Answer 9

The experimenter asks you whether you could replace the person being shocked in the experiment after she reveals that she has a traumatic experience.

1st IV:
Easy-escape condition: Only have to watch 2 shocks
Difficult-escape condition: Have to watch 10 shocks
2nd IV:
Trait empathetic concern
1st DV: How much would you like to help Elaine? How willing are you be to take her place?

No statistical difference between easy/difficult conditions when they have high trait empathetic concern. High difference between easy/difficult conditions when they have low trait empathetic concern. Those who were least likely to help were in the easy escape condition and were low in trait empathy. Regardless of whether it was easy or hard, those who were high in empathy were willing to take her place. Those that had low empathy only helped because they would have to feel guilty watching the shocks.

True altruism: people who only had to watch 2 shocks and still helped.

Question 10

What was Cialdini’s response to Dan Batson’s study that found pure-altruism exists?

Answer 10

People can fuzz the boundaries between themselves and others. Your suffering and my suffering. Shared identity/Oneness is behind why there appears to be pure altruism. Helping another person is equivalent to helping yourself.

Question 11

What experiment in Poland refutes the claim that we help to alleviate a bad mood?

Answer 11

A ticket was placed on the dashboard of a car which was actually just an invitation to something. Unsuspecting subjects are relieved to find out that it is not a ticket and are much more likely to help than those who received this invitation on the side of their car (where a ticket is not found).

Question 12

Define the reciprocity norm.

Answer 12

An expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.

Question 13

Define social capital.

Answer 13

The mutual support and cooperation enabled by a

social network.

Question 14

Define social responsibility.

Answer 14

An expectation that people will help those needing help.

Question 15

Define kin selection.

Answer 15

The idea that evolution has selected altruism toward
one’s close relatives to enhance the survival of
mutually shared genes.

Question 16

How does Evolutionary theory explain altruism?

Answer 16

We are biologically stimulated to help others because we expect reciprocity and are more likely to help kin because it helps our genes survive.

Question 17

How does social-norm theory explain altruism?

Answer 17

We are primarily driven to help through sociological factors, specifically the reciprocity norm and the social responsibility factor.

Question 18

How does social exchange theory explain altruism?

Answer 18

We are primarily driven to help through psychological influence, that is the external rewards we get for helping or the internal rewards to alleviate negative emotions.

Question 19

According to most evolutionary psychologists, which genetic makeup is more likely to survive?

Answer 19

The selfish genetic makeup.

Question 20

What happened to Kitty in 1968 and why does it relate to bystander inaction.

Answer 20

Throughout the duration of the attack, a total of 38 people had witnessed her attack, and no one called the police until 45 minutes later. Later we found that some reports were exaggerated. But nonetheless, it stimulated research on why people do/don’t intervene.

Question 21

What was Latane and Darley’s intercom experiment? What did it show? What did the smoke experiment show?

Answer 21

Participants discussed a topic with 1 - 6 people. During the discussion, 1 person started gasping and asking for help over the intercom. What people did depended on how many people were in the group? Only 38% of the people in the 6 person group, actually left the room to help. The more people, the less likely people are likely to help.

Question 22

What is Latane’s and Darley’s model of bystander inaction?

Answer 22

1. Notice that something is happening
2. Interpret the meaning of the event (cries could be laughter), pluralistic ignorance, informational influence,
3. Take responsibility for what has happened
4. Know how to help
5. Provide help.

Question 23

What is the diffusion of responsibility?

Answer 23

When people don’t act because they don’t take responsibility for what has happened? Usually when the person needing help is a stranger.

Question 24

Define the bystander effect.

Answer 24

The finding that a person is less likely to provide

help when there are other bystanders

Question 25

What is Darley’s and Bateson’s experiment called the Good Samaritan study?

Answer 25

The influence of cognitive load on theologian stories helping:

1. In a rush (10% helping)
2. On schedule (45% helping)
3. Plenty of time (63% helping)

Question 26

What is the problem of over helping?

Answer 26

Abuse of social responsibility norm.

Question 27

What is the Gilbert and Silvera experiment?

Answer 27

1st IV: candidate is likeable/unlikeable
2nd IV: candidate is qualified/non-qualified

People are able to help this candidate, but the employer is able to see the hints.

DV: How many hints are given to the candidate as a function of the two IVs?

Results: High ability and High likeability? Low hints (1.69)
High likeability, low ability? High hints (2.65)
High ability, low likeability? High hints (MOST)
Low ability, low likeability? Low hints (LOWEST)

Question 28

What is the effect of population density on helping? In Toronto 30% of people help compared to 55% in Seattle.

Answer 28

The denser the population, the less help there is.

Question 29

Give an example of an experiment that shows helping increases when you’ve seen someone else helping before?

Answer 29

Helping repair a tire increases when you’ve seen someone helping 1/4 mile before.

Question 30

What was the Miller and Bersoff experiment about cultural differences?

Answer 30

In India, students viewed reciprocity as a moral obligation, while in the US reciprocity is a personal choice.

Question 31

What was the Benson et al experiment about who we help? (1976)

Answer 31

The more attractive the photo on the letter of application, the more likely they were likely to help despite being completely anonymous to the attractive person.

Question 32

What was Penner & Friszche’s experiment about likeability?

Answer 32

When Magic Johnson announced that he was HIV positive, they did this study. Before the announcement, students were willing to contribute 1.5 hours of time to helping someone who was HIV positive. After the announcement, students were willing to contribute 2.9 hours of time to helping someone who was HIV positive.

Question 33

What is similarities role in helping?

Answer 33

People are more likely to help if the victim is more similar to them?

Question 34

What is the genetic role in helping? (Crandall et al., 1994)

Answer 34

The higher the genetic connection, the more likely we are to help.

Question 35

How can we increase helping behaviour (4)?

Answer 35

1. Personify bystanders (i.e., make subjects believe they are likely to speak to them later)
2. personal non-verbal cues like eye contact,
3. reduce ambiguity/anonymity, increase responsibility,
4. people who describe themselves in the morning are more likely to help (self-awareness)

Question 36

What is the door-in-the-face technique?

Answer 36

A strategy for gaining a concession. After someone
first turns down a large request (the door-in-theface), the same requester counteroffers with a more
reasonable request.

Question 37

Define moral exclusion?

Answer 37

The perception of certain individuals or groups as outside the boundary within which one applies moral values and rules of fairness. Moral inclusion is regarding others as within one’s circle of moral concern.

Question 38

Define the overjustification effect in altruism?

Answer 38

The result of bribing people to do what they already like doing; they may then see their actions as externally controlled rather than intrinsically appealing.

Question 39

What are ways that we can socialize altruism (5)?

Answer 39

1. Teach moral inclusion
2. model altruism
3. learn by doing
4. attribute helping behaviour to altruism,
5. learn about altruism