Chapter 11 - Prosocial Behavior Flashcards
Prosocial behavior
any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person
Kin selection
the idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection
Norm of reciprocity
the expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future
Social exchange theory
states that our behavior stems from the desire to maximize our rewards and minimize our costs
Empathy-altruism hypothesis
states that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attmept to help that person for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain
Altruistic personality
the qualities that cause an individual to help others in a wide variety of situations
Cultural differences in prosocial behavior
when it comes to helping, people are more likely to help in-group members, and not out-group members
Effect of mood on prosocial behavior
feel good, do good
- good moods make people look on the brights side of life
- helping others prolongs our good mood
- good moods increase the amount of attention people pay to themselves which makes people behave more according to their morals
Urban overload hypothesis
the theory that people living in big cities are constantly overloaded with stimulation and they keep to themselves in order to avoid being overwhelmed
Residential mobility
people who have lived in one place for a long time are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors that help their community
Bystander effect
the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely any of them are to help
Pluralistic ignorance
people think that everyone else interprets a situation in a certain way when that is not the case
Diffusion of responsibility
each bystander’s sense of responsibility decreases as the number of witnesses increases
