chap 11: prosocial behavior

Question 1

Recall that the introduction to Chapter 11 (Prosocial Behavior) began with a description of several of the citizen-heroes of September 11, 2001—for example William Wik, who refused to flee to personal safety because there were still people to be rescued. He died when a tower collapsed. Wik was willing to sacrifice his own life to save others, and his behavior could thus best be described as

a. altruistic.
b. prosocial.
c. evolutionarily adaptive.
d. an example of kin selection.

Answer 1

a

Question 2

________ refers to any act that someone performs in order to benefit another person.

a. Prosocial behavior
b. Altruism
c. Kin selection
d. Empathy

Answer 2

a

Question 3

Prosocial behavior is to ________ as altruism is to ________.

a. selflessness; pure motive
b. rewards; good mood
c. rewards; selflessness
d. feeling good; avoiding feeling bad

Answer 3

c

Question 4

Allen volunteers to visit the homes of AIDS patients because those visits help him forget about his own problems. This is an example of ________ behavior.

a. altruistic
b. self-sacrificing
c. prosocial
d. reciprocal

Answer 4

c

Question 5

Marla has revised her will to ensure that upon her death, all of her functioning organs (corneas, liver, kidneys, heart, and so on) will be used to help transplant patients. She’s told no one about her actions, and expects nothing in return. This is an example of a(n) ________ behavior.

a. altruistic
b. evolutionarily adaptive
c. self-sacrificing
d. normative

Answer 5

a

Question 6

________ refers to the desire to help another person, even if such help involves cost to the helper.

a. Prosocial behavior
b. Altruism
c. Empathy
d. Reciprocity

Answer 6

b

Question 7

Evolutionary psychology is the study of

a. how our environment modifies inherited characteristics.
b. the immediate influence our biology has on how we react to social situations.
c. social behaviors as a result of genetic factors and natural selection.
d. application of social psychology to the study of biological processes.

Answer 7

c

Question 8

14. Charles Darwin, an evolutionary theorist, found it difficult to explain altruism. From an evolutionary perspective, it would initially seem that over centuries and generations, altruistic behaviors would ________ because ________.
    a. increase; more unfit offspring might survive
    b. disappear; self-sacrifice would produce fewer offspring
    c. disappear; only the fittest, most selfless offspring would survive
    d. remain unchanged; the gene pool would become more variable

Answer 8

b

Question 9

The idea that natural selection favors behaviors that help a genetic relative is known as

a. kin selection.
b. familial selection.
c. kinship bias.
d. familial reciprocity.

Answer 9

a

Question 10

According to evolutionary psychologists, why would Doris be more likely to save her children than her parents in a life-threatening emergency? Doris’s children

a. are more likely to pass on her genes.
b. are less likely to be able to save themselves.
c. share more genes in common with Doris than do her parents.
d. are more likely to seek Doris out than are her parents.

Answer 10

a

Question 11

A giant tornado is bearing down on Dorothy’s farmhouse. She only has time to help one other resident. Based on research regarding kin selection, whom will Dorothy take with her to the storm cellar?

a. her sister, Glenda
b. her grandmother, Margaret
c. her beloved dog, Toto
d. her favorite farm hand, Ray

Answer 11

a

Question 12

Although evidence from studies presented in the chapter suggests that people are more likely to help family than strangers or friends in some situations, they also note that people are equally likely to help a friend or family member under which of the following circumstances?

a. a life-threatening emergency
b. a life-threatening nonemergency
c. any life-threatening situation
d. a non-life-threatening situation

Answer 12

d

Question 13

One consequence of living by the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is that if you help those in need, they might return the favor someday. This idea is best represented by

a. the norm of obedience.
b. the norm of reciprocity.
c. informational social influence.
d. normative social influence.

Answer 13

b

Question 14

In a group setting, one member could take advantage of the help that he/she receives from the other group members, thereby exploiting the reciprocity norm to his/her advantage. Some researchers believe that, instead, ________ evolved.

a. gratitude
b. diffusion of responsibility
c. bystander effect
d. volunteering

Answer 14

a

Question 15

Helga stops and helps Bjorn change a flat tire along the road because she figures that one day she’ll need help and someone will return the favor. This best illustrates the idea of

a. paying it forward.
b. reciprocity.
c. karmic law.
d. evolution.

Answer 15

b

Question 16

The groups of people who live among those who are ________ may be more likely to survive than those people who live among groups of people who are ________. This idea is referred to as ________.

a. selfless; selfish; altruism
b. selfish; selfless; natural selection
c. selfless; selfish; group selection
d. selfish; selfless; altruism

Answer 16

c

Question 17

A principal theory in social psychology is social exchange theory. According to this theory, we will be most likely to help others

a. when the benefits outweigh the costs.
b. who are closely related to us.
c. who have already helped us.
d. for whom we feel empathy.

Answer 17

a

Question 18

The main tenet of social exchange theory is that we will help others when

a. the rewards outweigh the costs.
b. the rewards are high.
c. the costs are low.
d. they have already helped us.

Answer 18

a

Question 19

Complete the following analogy. Reward of helping: ________ :: cost of helping: ________.

a. relieves distress; embarrassment
b. pain; time
c. danger; relieve distress
d. embarrassment; pain

Answer 19

a

Question 20

Elaine explains that she donates money to charity because, “It makes me feel like I’m investing in the future. It just feels good!” Her motive for helping is best described by which theory?

a. evolutionary
b. social exchange
c. kin selection
d. empathy-altruism

Answer 20

b

Question 21

Although George wants to help a stranded motorist he passed on the freeway, he passes by because he knows it would take too much time out of his busy schedule. What theory offers the best explanation as to why George did NOT help?

a. evolutionary
b. negative-state relief
c. empathy-altruism
d. social exchange

Answer 21

d

Question 22

A child starts to cry after she sees her best friend trip and scrape her knee. The child’s behavior is most likely an example of

a. fear.
b. confusion.
c. empathy.
d. shame.

Answer 22

c

Question 23

Every morning at the bus stop, Carlos encounters an old woman begging for change. She is clearly hungry and alone. Because Carlos feels very bad for this woman and can “feel her pain,” he makes a point of giving her some change each morning that he sees her. Which theoretical approach best explains Carlos’s behavior?

a. social-exchange theory
b. kin selection
c. the empathy-altruism hypothesis
d. the norm of reciprocity

Answer 23

c

Question 24

Which of the following statements is most closely related to the empathy-altruism hypothesis (Batson, 1991)?

a. “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”
b. “Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself.”
c. “Walk a mile in my shoes.”
d. “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”

Answer 24

c

Question 25

According to Batson (1991), when people experience empathy with another in need, ________ motivates helping.

a. maximizing rewards and minimizing costs
b. passing their genes to the next generation
c. making a difference in the world
d. helping others independent of self-interest

Answer 25

d

Question 26

The authors of your text tell a story about Abraham Lincoln in which Lincoln ordered a coach to stop so he could save some piglets from drowning. Lincoln claimed that he helped because “I should have had no peace of mind all day had I gone on and left that suffering old sow worrying over those pigs.” Lincoln argued that he was helping because of

a. altruism.
b. self-interest.
c. social exchange concerns.
d. the reciprocity norm.

Answer 26

b

Question 27

According to research by Batson and his colleagues, when empathy is ________, people ________.

a. low; will help when the costs of not helping are high
b. high; will help no matter what the costs
c. high; will pay attention to social exchange factors
d. low; only help when the costs of not helping are high

Answer 27

b

Question 28

Recall that participants in an experiment described in the text (Toi & Batson, 1982) listened to an (alleged) radio interview in which a student in their introductory psychology class described an accident that caused her to fall behind in the course. Some participants were encouraged to empathize with “Carol,” whereas others were encouraged to listen objectively to the interview. Some participants in each of these two groups were led to believe that Carol would be returning to their psychology course; others were led to believe that she would finish out the term at home, and that they would never see her again. These researchers found that when participants ________, their decision to help was guided by ________.

a. empathized with Carol; social exchange concerns
b. listened objectively; their own personal experiences
c. empathized with Carol; their own personal experiences
d. did not empathize with Carol; social exchange concerns

Answer 28

d

Question 29

The authors of your text offer three main motives as to why people help others. These motives include all of the following EXCEPT

a. evolutionary explanations.
b. social exchange theory.
c. the empathy-altruism hypothesis.
d. cognitive dissonance.

Answer 29

d

Question 30

Complete the following analogy about helping behavior. Rewards outweigh costs: social exchange theory :: ________: ________.

a. helping those in need: evolutionary theory
b. evolutionary theory: empathy-altruism hypothesis
c. helping others: helping yourself
d. feeling empathy: empathy-altruism hypothesis

Answer 30

d

Question 31

Raphael volunteers as a Big Brother. He donates money to charity, and he helps his elderly next-door neighbor with weekly shopping and home repairs. Raphael’s personality is

a. altruistic.
b. egoistic.
c. controlling.
d. prosocial.

Answer 31

a

Question 32

62. In order to best predict whether people will help another person, it is best to know something about ________ and ________.
    a. their personality; the particular situation in question
    b. their parents’ disciplinary practices; their personality
    c. their relationship with the other person; their personality
    d. the costs and rewards of helping; the particulars of the situation in question

Answer 32

a

Question 33

64. When it comes to helping behavior,
    a. men are more helpful than women.
    b. women are more helpful than men.
    c. there is no difference between men and women.
    d. either gender might be more helpful, depending on the help needed.

Answer 33

d

Question 34

A woman’s car is stuck in the snow and she needs a push to get free. ________ is more likely to stop to help her out because ________.

a. A man; the situation calls for sustained helping
b. A woman; the situation calls for sustained helping
c. A man; the situation calls for an act of chivalry
d. A woman; women in general are more altruistic than men

Answer 34

c

Question 35

Andrew would be more likely to help than Carol in which of the following situations, based purely on the gender differences discussed by the authors of your text?

a. volunteering at a soup kitchen
b. helping a terminally ill relative with daily tasks for several years
c. diving in and saving a child who appears to be drowning
d. donating money to a charity

Answer 35

c

Question 36

Based on information presented by the authors of your text, complete the analogy about gender differences in helping behaviors. Men: ________ :: women: ________.

a. chivalry; long-term nurturing
b. volunteering; long-term nurturing
c. long-term nurturing; chivalry
d. volunteering; chivalry

Answer 36

a

Question 37

Research has demonstrated that people will help in-group members because

a. helping will earn them a reward.
b. they can make a good impression on others.
c. they have feelings of empathy.
d. it is an instinct.

Answer 37

C

Question 38

The text discusses a cultural value, simpatía, prominent in Spanish-speaking countries. Although simpatía has no direct English translation, it generally refers to

a. being sympathetic.
b. being friendly, polite, and helpful.
c. acting in a paternalistic fashion.
d. being similar in temperament to others around you.

Answer 38

b

Question 39

According to research presented by the authors of your text, in which of the following cities would you be the most likely to be helped if you needed help crossing a busy street?

a. New York City, USA
b. Taipei, Taiwan
c. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
d. Cairo, Egypt

Answer 39

c

Question 40

The “feel good, do good” effect in studies of prosocial behavior refers to the idea that

a. helping puts people in a good mood.
b. people in a good mood are more likely to help.
c. in adults, helping is self-reinforcing.
d. helping in emergencies relieves distress.

Answer 40

b

Question 41

A number of studies have revealed that doing well on a test, receiving a gift, and listening to pleasant music can increase helping. These consistent findings across investigations suggest that there is a ________ relation between ________ and helping.

a. negative; self-attention
b. positive; rewards
c. negative; positive mood
d. positive; positive mood

Answer 41

d

Question 42

Aidan has just received notice that he’s been admitted to the law school of his choice. As he walks along, he’s in a good mood. He sees a worker fall off a ladder, and rushes over to assist. Why did Aidan help in this case? Good moods

a. change our interpretations of social rewards and costs.
b. make our ability to empathize unimportant.
c. tend to focus our attention inward, on our attitudes and values.
d. increase our tendency to process information systematically.

Answer 42

c

Question 43

Malika and Alicia are out shopping when they are asked to contribute to AIDS research. Malika has just received an A- on her psychology exam; Alicia has just received a D. According to your text, who is most likely to contribute?

a. Malika, because she’s in a good mood
b. Alicia, because she’s in a bad mood
c. Malika and Alicia are both likely to help, but for different reasons.
d. Neither Malika nor Alicia is likely to help.

Answer 43

c

Question 44

In the grocery store one evening, Yolanda is in a good mood after earning a promotion at work, but Trudy is feeling quite guilty for stealing office supplies from work. When another shopper collapses on the ground unconscious, Yolanda would be likely to help according to the ________, while Trudy would be likely to help according to the ________.

a. kinship effect; feel bad, do good effect
b. feel good, do good effect; evolutionary explanation
c. feel good, do good effect; feel bad, do good effect
d. kinship effect; evolutionary explanation

Answer 44

c

Question 45

Julia, who forgot to return her best friend’s library books for her, may feel guilty. When someone is a nickel short of bus fare, Julia

a. will be too self-absorbed to help.
b. will give the stranger a nickel to alleviate her guilt.
c. will give the person a nickel, but only if she knows them.
d. doesn’t even notice that the person needs a nickel.

Answer 45

b

Question 46

Researchers found that churchgoers were more likely to donate to charity before they attended confession than after, presumably because the act of confession

a. reduced their guilt.
b. enhanced their self-esteem.
c. reduced their self-esteem.
d. made them feel guilty.

Answer 46

a

Question 47

Timothy just got into a big fight with his girlfriend, and as a result, he is in a bad mood. When Kate asks him to contribute to her charity organization, Timothy readily agrees, which makes him feel better. Timothy’s behavior can best be explained by

a. feel bad; do good.
b. feel good; do good.
c. feel bad; do bad.
d. do bad; feel good.

Answer 47

a

Question 48

Which of the following emotions is NOT associated with promoting helping behavior, according to research on feeling bad and doing good?

a. sadness
b. distress
c. anger
d. guilt

Answer 48

c

Question 49

Some have speculated that people in rural areas are more likely to help than are people in urban areas because “trust” and “being neighborly” are more valued in rural than in urban settings. Were this true, who would be most likely to help a stranger who needed assistance?

a. Carla, who has lived her whole life in Chicago
b. Jeanie, who moved from New York to a small town in Iowa
c. Tammie, who is visiting Chicago from a small town in Vermont
d. Connie, who never spent more than two years in any one place

Answer 49

c

Question 50

If the urban overload hypothesis (Milgram, 1970) is true, ________ to help a fallen pedestrian on the streets of New York City because ________.

a. Harold would be likely; he was born and reared in a small town
b. Alicia would be likely; urban areas are stressful and put people in bad moods
c. Roberto would not be likely; he was socialized with urban values
d. Ellen would not be likely; she tries to keep to herself amid all the stimulation

Answer 50

d

Question 51

100. Which of the following best describes the urban-overload hypothesis (Milgram, 1970)? People who
     a. live in cities feel out of touch with others, so use helping as a way to “reach out.”
     b. live in cities often feel overwhelmed, so simplify things by keeping to themselves.
     c. visit cities from rural areas feel overwhelmed, so avoid the urban dwellers.
     d. visit cities from rural areas feel isolated, so use helping as way to “reach out” to others.

Answer 51

b

Question 52

Based on information about the urban overload hypothesis, where would you be more likely to receive help finding a lost child?

a. a major city
b. a moderately sized city
c. any sized city during the day
d. rural or small towns

Answer 52

d

Question 53

Underlying the urban overload hypothesis is the idea that people become overwhelmed in areas which

a. have few other people and provide minimal stimulation.
b. are densely populated.
c. are full of media images.
d. there is nothing to think about except themselves.

Answer 53

b

Question 54

According to research, people who lived in the same area for a longer period of time are more likely to feel all of the following except

a. a greater sense of attachment to the community.
b. embarrassment and dislike for “rough” areas of town.
c. more interdependence with their neighbors.
d. greater concern for their reputation in the community.

Answer 54

b

Question 55

According to information presented by the authors of your text, people who have lived in the same place longer tend to be more likely to help. Why?

a. They feel more interdependent with their neighbors and attached to the community.
b. People who stay in the same place are usually altruistic.
c. They feel empathy more easily.
d. Because everyone around them is an in-group member.

Answer 55

a

Question 56

110. When viewing a commercial for a local charity, who would be the most likely to later contribute to the charity?
     a. Joe, who is a wealthy traveler passing through
     b. Harry, who just moved to the community
     c. Laura, who has lived in the community for two years
     d. Sarah, who has lived in the community for her entire life

Answer 56

d

Question 57

Pluralistic ignorance is to ________ as diffusion of responsibility is to ________.

a. perceptions of competence; social exchange
b. evaluation apprehension; personal obligation
c. interpretation; personal obligation
d. incompetence; competence

Answer 57

c

Question 58

According to the bystander effect (Latané & Darley, 1970), if you just witnessed a mugging, you will be most likely to call for help if you

a. are the sole witness.
b. are one of seven witnesses.
c. are in a good mood prior to the mugging.
d. perceive yourself as similar to the victim.

Answer 58

a

Question 59

116. When Darley and Latané exposed participants to a faked seizure in one of three experimental conditions (participants were lone witnesses, one of three witnesses, or one of five witnesses), they found that
     a. although participants who believed they were lone witnesses took longer to help, more of them did eventually help than in the other conditions.
     b. when lone participants thought the experimenter also overheard the seizure, they took longer to help.
     c. participants who thought they were lone witnesses helped more and helped faster.
     d. helping is not substantially reduced when the number of witnesses increases from two to five.

Answer 59

c

Question 60

Recall that Darley and Batson (1973) conducted a study in which participants were provided the opportunity to help when they were on their way to deliver a brief speech on the Good Samaritan or on another topic. These researchers found that ________ because ________.

a. seminary students were more likely to help a man slumped in a doorway; they remembered the Golden Rule
b. participants in a hurry were less likely to help; they didn’t notice the man slumped in the doorway
c. participants who scored higher on empathy were more likely to help; they could take the suffering man’s perspective
d. participants who were to discuss the Good Samaritan were more likely to help; the norm of charity was more accessible

Answer 60

b

Question 61

120. According to Latané and Darley (1970), the first step in deciding to help in an emergency is
     a. pluralistic ignorance.
     b. noticing the event.
     c. knowing what to do.
     d. taking responsibility.

Answer 61

b

Question 62

Using the stage model of the decisions bystanders make before helping (or not helping) in an emergency, which of the following is NOT one of the stages in the model?

a. noticing the event
b. altruism
c. assuming responsibility
d. implementing the decision to help or not help

Answer 62

b

Question 63

The concept of ________ refers to the idea that when no bystanders to a possible emergency appear to be concerned, other bystanders assume that nothing is wrong.

a. the bystander effect
b. diffusion of responsibility
c. pluralistic ignorance
d. evaluation apprehension

Answer 63

c

Question 64

Joseph was on the subway when he noticed a man lying slumped over on the seat. Joseph looked around at the other passengers, who seemed calm and unconcerned. Joseph concluded that the man was probably okay. However, the other passengers may have been looking around at Joseph, to see how he reacted. This would be an example of

a. social reciprocity.
b. pluralistic ignorance.
c. false uniqueness.
d. conformity.

Answer 64

b

Question 65

Pluralistic ignorance is an example of the power of ________ to inhibit helping.

a. urban overload
b. diffusion of responsibility
c. negative-state relief effects
d. informational social influence

Answer 65

d

Question 66

Pluralistic ignorance is most likely to discourage intervention in an emergency when

a. the situation is ambiguous.
b. victims are dissimilar to the witnesses.
c. experts show the appropriate form of assistance.
d. an emergency occurs in an urban setting.

Answer 66

a

Question 67

According to reports (Rosenthal, 1964), many of Kitty Genovese’s unresponsive neighbors did hear her crying out, “Oh my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!” This suggests that the reason that her neighbors failed to intervene followed from

a. pluralistic ignorance.
b. the excessive costs of helping.
c. diffusion of responsibility.
d. urban overload.

Answer 67

c

Question 68

According to Latané and Darley (1970), a number of things must occur before witnesses decide to intervene in an emergency situation. According to this stage model, diffusion of responsibility is most likely to affect witnesses’

a. attention to their surroundings.
b. interpretation of an event as an emergency.
c. sense of obligation to intervene.
d. assessments of the costs and benefits of intervening.

Answer 68

c

Question 69

Even if it is clear that a person needs help, that you are the person responsible to help, and that you know how to help, you might still decide not to help. Reasons that people do not help in such cases include all of the following EXCEPT

a. the situation isn’t an emergency, and the Latané and Darley model isn’t applicable.
b. people fear that they might make fools of themselves if they help.
c. the cost of administering help might be too high.
d. people fear that they might make things worse if they try to help.

Answer 69

a

Question 70

In a study reported by the authors of your text, a participant in a chat group posed a question to the group asking for help. The results of this study showed that the participant was more likely to receive help faster when he or she

a. was a first-time visitor to the chat group.
b. was the leader of the chat group.
c. asked one specific person.
d. posed the request to the group as a whole.

Answer 70

c

Question 71

Dima just finished listening to a charity album filled with songs about helping and caring for others who are victims of war in Darfur, tornadoes in the American South, and famine in Somalia. Why would she be more likely to help the lady parked near her whose car has a flat tire?

a. Thoughts of helping are cognitively accessible after listening to the album.
b. Listening to the album increased her desire to get rewards and credit for being helpful.
c. As it turns out, she is related to the lady whose car has a flat.
d. She has nothing better to do.

Answer 71

a

Question 72

Greitemeyer and his colleagues have conducted a number of studies to examine the effects of video games on helping. They have some participants play a prosocial video game and others play a neutral video game. The dependent variable of this research is the

a. degree of helping.
b. type of video game.
c. participants.
d. temperature of the room where they play the game.

Answer 72

a

Question 73

On her first day of work in a new job, Amy would be most likely to feel resentful were a coworker to say to her,

a. “Hey, I remember my first day. Let me help you with that.”
b. “You look a little stressed out. Can I help?”
c. “I thought you learned that in training. Let me help you out.”
d. “I wish I caught on to most things as quickly as you. Looks like there’s a problem

Answer 73

c

Question 74

In research presented in the text, participants were exposed to a lecture on social-psychological factors that inhibit helping. Later, these participants were put into a potential helping situation. The results suggest that

a. participants who learned about factors which inhibit helping were more likely to help.
b. participants who learned about factors which inhibit helping were less likely to help.
c. learning about factors which inhibit helping has no effect on helping behavior.
d. learning about factors which inhibit helping can increase helping behavior, depending on the participant’s personality.

Answer 74

a

Question 75

When community service work is required by a school or business, there is the downside risk that people will infer that they are volunteering only because it is required and will be less likely to freely volunteer in the future. This risk is known as the

a. self-fulfilling prophecy.
b. spotlight effect.
c. overjustification effect.
d. door-in-the-face effect.

Answer 75

c

Question 76

To ensure that community service participation for a school or job does not undermine people’s intrinsic motivation for helping, an administrator should do which of the following?

a. Try to ensure that the venue for helping is in the venue of a person’s expertise.
b. Try to ensure that people are helping strangers rather than friends.
c. Try to ensure that people feel that their help is voluntary.
d. Try to ensure that people notice the need for help by clearly defining the situation.

Answer 76

c

Question 77

If you were an employer who wanted to increase volunteerism among your employees, what strategy would you employ in order to increase the chances that the employees would continue to volunteer in the future?

a. Make volunteerism of some sort a requirement for promotion.
b. Make volunteerism to a specific organization required.
c. Encourage volunteerism while preserving employees’ free choice to volunteer or not.
d. Make no mention of the value of volunteerism whatsoever.

Answer 77

c

Question 78

The positive psychology movement is a reaction to which of the following?

a. The attention paid to group research by social psychologists.
b. The emphasis on weakness and disease in psychology.
c. Political changes in the United States.
d. Advances in evolutionary theory.

Answer 78

b

Question 79

Which of the following is NOT a topic for positive psychology?

a. qualities that assist healthy human functioning
b. humans’ strengths
c. ways to improve people’s lives
d. treatments for depression

Answer 79

d