Altruism and Helping Behaviour

Question 1

Definition of altruism?

Answer 1

-act of voluntary self-sacrifice intended to benefit another with no expected reward

Question 2

Definition of pro-social behaviour?

Answer 2

-act performed by an individual with the goal of benefiting another person

Question 3

What are the evolutionary perspective on helping?

Answer 3

• would argue that people who are helpful and more likely to put themselves at risk aren’t ideal traits to pass on
• contemporary theory would argue that behaviours contribute to inclusive fitness

Question 4

Burnstein et al (1994)

hypothetical situations

Answer 4

• hypothetical situation where they manipulated degree of relatedness (close/distant), health of target (good/poor) and situation (everyday/life or death)
• found that they’re more willing to help those that closely related
• higher tendency to help the sick in everyday situations
• when life/death the healthy were helped more, especially those more closely related

Question 5

Korchmarns and Kenny (2001)

real kin rather than hypothetical

Answer 5

• repeated Burnsteins’ experiment but with real kin
• more genetically close they were the more willing to help (0.46)
• emotional closeness was related to genetic closeness (0.44)
• emotional closeness accounted for approximately 33% of total effect of genetic closeness