Chapter 10 Helping Others

Question 1

Prosocial behaviours

Answer 1

Actions intended to benefit others

Question 2

Altruism

Answer 2

Desire to help another, to improve their welfare, regardless of whether we derive any benefit. Helping another without conscious regard for one’s self-interest

Question 3

kin selection

Answer 3

Preferential helping of genetic relatives, which results in the greater likelihood that genes held in common will survive

Question 4

Reciprocal Altruism

Answer 4

Altruism that involves an individual helping another (despite some immediate risk or cost) and becoming more likely to receive help from the other in return

Question 5

direct reciprocity

Answer 5

helping someone who may help you later

Question 6

indirect reciprocity

Answer 6

help someone; someone else helps you later

Question 7

Why do people engage in prosocial behaviours?

Answer 7

1. Norm of reciprocity
2. Norm of equity
3. Norm of social responsibility
4. Concerns about justice/fairness
5. Cultural norms

Question 8

Empathy

Answer 8

Understanding or vicariously experiencing another individual’s perspective and feeling sympathy and compassion for that individual

Question 9

Norm of social responsibility

Answer 9

• Sometimes helping due to peer pressure, social norms, social influence
• reluctant altruism
• prosocial media effects
• Role models

Question 10

Reluctant altruism

Answer 10

Altruistic kinds of behavior that result from pressure from peers or other sources of direct influence

Question 11

Empathy- Altruism Hypothesis

Answer 11

The proposition that empathic concern for a person in need produces an altruistic motive for helping

Question 12

egoistic

Answer 12

motivated by the desire to improve one’s own welfare

Question 13

altruistic

Answer 13

Motivated by the desire to improve another’s welfare

Question 14

Emotional components of empathy

Answer 14

1. personal distress
2. empathic concern

Question 15

Bystander effect

Answer 15

The effect whereby the presence of others inhibits helping

Question 16

Diffusion of responsibility

Answer 16

The belief that others will or should take the responsibility for providing assistance to a person in need

Question 17

Pluralistic ignorance

Answer 17

The state in which people in a group mistakenly think that their own individual thoughts, feelings, or behaviours are different from those of the others in the group

Question 18

You are more likely to help when you…

Answer 18

1. are paying attention
2. know what to do
3. assume responsibility
4. overlook risks
5. focus on others - not yourself
6. feel guilty and/or happy
7. think others will appreciate your help

Question 19

Social Exchange Theory

Answer 19

• Helping can be rewarding in a number of ways
• Helping someone is an investment in the future, the social exchange being that someday, someone will help us when we need it
• Gain social approval

Question 20

Costs of helping:

Answer 20

physical danger
pain
embarrassment
time consuming

Question 21

Benefits of helping:

Answer 21

Make us feel good
Avoid punishment for breaking social norms
Social approval of others
decreases stress
Be reciprocated in the future

Question 22

Motive to help because of personal distress

Answer 22

egoistic motive

Question 23

Motive to help because of empathic concern

Answer 23

Altruistic motive

Question 24

Steps to intervening in an emergency

Answer 24

1. Notice event
2. Interpret as emergency
3. assume responsibility
4. know how to help
5. Decide to help

Question 25

Problem with Step 1: Notice the event

Answer 25

World has distractions, we’re often in a hurry, so we don’t notice event or don’t have the time to help

Question 26

Problem with Step 2: Interpret emergency

Answer 26

Just because we notice an event, doesn’t mean we will interpret it as an emergency
especially if no one else seems worried (pluralistic ignorance)

Question 27

Problem with Step 3: Assume responsibility

Answer 27

Even if we have interpreted an emergency, we may think they are others who can help (diffusion of responsibility)

Question 28

Problem with step 4: Know how to help

Answer 28

We might not know how to help (e.g., don’t know CPR or how to swim)

Question 29

Problem with step 5: Decide to help

Answer 29

Even when there is an emergency and we know how to help sometimes we still don’t help due to fear for own safety, or embarrassed by rejected help

Question 30

How to reduce bystander effect

Answer 30

Reduce ambiguity and diffusion of responsibility
-Make it clear that you need help
- Single out individual