Chapter 11 - Prosocial Behavior

Question 0

What is altruism?

Answer 0

The desire to help another person even if it onvolves a cost to the helper.

Question 1

What is prosocial behavior?

Answer 1

Any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person.

Question 2

Mention the leading theories on altruism from an evolutionary approach.

Answer 2

• Kin selection
• The reciprocity norm
• Group selection.

Question 3

One of evolutionary psychology’s attempts to explain altriusm is the idea of kin selection. What is it, and what research has been done to prove this?

Answer 3

The notion of kin selection is an idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection. According to a famous study by Burnstein, Crandall & Kitayama (1994), people are likely to help people in a life-and-death situation by a function of their genetic relatedness.

Question 4

One of evolutionary psychology’s attempts to explain altriusm is the idea of the reciprocity norm. What is it, and what research has been done to prove this?

Answer 4

The reciprocity norm is the expectation that helping others wil increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future. Even though this is a social norm, it is thought to have become genetically based due to its survival value. Some researchers suggest that the emotion of gratitude evolved in order to regulate reciprocity (Barlett & DeSteno, 2006; Grant & Gino, 2010; McCullough, Kimeldorf, & Cohen, 2008)

Question 5

One of evolutionary psychology’s attempts to explain altriusm is the idea of group selection. What is it, and what research has been done to prove this?

Answer 5

Some argue that natural selection also operates at the level of the group. Theoretical work has been done, and it is possible to think of situations in which people sacrifising themselves for the good of the group is more beneficial for the survival of the species than protecting themselves.

Question 6

What does social exchange theory offer in understanding altruism?

Answer 6

Not much, really. Social exchange theory states that much of what we do stems from the desire to maximize our rewards and minimize our costs. People help when the benefits outweigh the costs. This is not what altruism is about.

Question 7

C. Daniel Batson is known for his work on …

Answer 7

Empathy as an explanation of altruism.

Question 8

What is empathy?

Answer 8

Empathy is the ability to put oneself in the shoes of another person and to experience events and emotions the way that person experiences them.

Question 9

What is Batson’s empathy-altruism hypothesis?

Answer 9

The idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person for purelt altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain.

Question 10

Now, why are some people more helpful than others?

Answer 10

A lot of factors have been uncovered that increase or decrease someone’s likelihood to help on a general basis. There are differences in gender roles, cultural differences, religions and mood (which can be relatively stable - therefore contributing to a personality factor)

Question 11

How does gender differences work in prosocial behavior?

Answer 11

In virtually all cultures, norms prescribe different traits and behaviors for males and females. In Western cultures, the male sex role includes being chivalrous and heroic; females are expected to the nurturing and caring and to value close, long-term relationships. 91% of those who has recieved medals from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commision for risking their lives to save a stranger have been men.

Question 12

How does cultural differences work in prosocial behavior?

Answer 12

It turns out that people often do help both in-group and out-group members, but for different reasons. We are more likely to feel empathy toward members of out in-groups who are in need. Empathy raises the chance that we will help. We tend to help out-group members according to a social exchange rule: if it makes us feel good about ourselves or makes a good impression on others.

Question 13

Since religions speak highly of helping others, do religious people more likely to help?

Answer 13

Yes, in situation in which helping makes them look good to themselves or others. They are not more likely to help, however, in private situations in which no one will know that they helped. (fun, do they not believe that God sees them?)

Question 14

How does your mood affects how likely you are to help people?

Answer 14

Feel good, do good:
Being in a good mood increases the chance that you’ll help for three reasons: you look on the bright side of life, you prolong your good feelings, and we are more self-aware of ourselves when we feel good - making us more likely to uphold our values.

Feel bad, do good!

People act on the idea that good deeds cancel out bad deeds. Also, when people are sad they are motivated to engage in activites that make them feel better.

Question 15

We know that the tendency of helping others can be predicted by more stable, personality factors. What about the situation? When will people help?

Answer 15

Rural vs Urban environments
How long they've lived where they live
The Bystander effect
Communal relationships vs exchange relationships
Priming

Question 16

The situation influences how likely we are help someone. One such situational difference was suggested by Stanley Milgram. Which and why?

Answer 16

Stanley Milgram (1970) suggested that people living in cities are constantly bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves in order to avoid being overwhelmed by it. This is called the urban overload hypothesis and attempts to explain findings that people living in cities are less likely to help than those living in rural environments,

Question 17

What is the bystander effect?

Answer 17

The finding that the greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help.

Question 18

Latané and Darley (1970) created a model of five steps people go through in deciding whether to help someone in an emergency or not. Which?

Answer 18

1. Notice the event
2. Interpreting the event as an emergency.
3. Assume responsibility
4. Know appropriate form of assistance
5. Implement decision.

Question 19

What is Latané and Darleys first step of deciding whether to help in an emergency and what may keep you from passing this point?

Answer 19

Noticing the event. In a classic experiment, Latané and Darley had students either hurry or not in order to get to the other side of campus and hold a speech. Only 10% of the students in the hurry-condition noticed the man lying unconcious in the way over, compared to 63% in the control group.

Question 20

What is Latané and Darleys second step of deciding whether to help in an emergency and what may keep you from passing this point?

Answer 20

Interpreting the event as an emergency. Often there will be other people present, making us use informational social influence. In a study by Latané and Darley, a group filling out a survey was subjected to white smoke trickling into the room through a small vent in the wall. If they were alone 50% of them had left within 2 minutes and 75% within 6 minutes. If in a group the numbers were 12% and 38%. This effect is called pluralistic ignorance.

Question 21

What is Latané and Darleys third step of deciding whether to help in an emergency and what may keep you from passing this point?

Answer 21

Assuming responsibility. When there are many witnesses to an emergency a diffusion of responsiblity occurs.

Question 22

What is Latané and Darleys fourth step of deciding whether to help in an emergency and what may keep you from passing this point?

Answer 22

Knowing how to help. If you don’t know how, you’ll be less likely to help.

Question 23

What is Latané and Darleys fifth step of deciding whether to help in an emergency and what may keep you from passing this point?

Answer 23

Deciding to implement the help. Sometimes, helping people in an emergency means a danger to yourself.

Question 24

Mention some studies on priming (not by mood) in augmenting prosocial behavior.

Answer 24

A study where they had people play either a prosocial videogame (Lemmings) or a neutral (Tetris) predicted whether participants would later help others. Also, studies have found that people who listen to such songs as Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World” or the Beatles’ “Help” were more likely to help someone than people who listened to songs with neutral lyrics.

Question 25

What is positive psychology?

Answer 25

Positive psychology is a new field in psychology started by Martin Seligman. Seligman observed that much of psychology - particularly clinical psychology - had focused on mental disorders, largely ignoring how to define and nurture psychological health. Psychology should not just be the study of “disease, weakness and damage”, he argued, but the study of “strength and virtue”.

Question 26

How can positive psychology help us increase prosocial behavior?

Answer 26

Because the study of prosocial behavior also is a search after the conditions under which people DO help.