Chapter 9 Key Terms

Question 1

doing something that is good for other people or for society as a whole

Answer 1

prosocial behavior

Question 2

when members of a society respect follow its rules

Answer 2

rule of law

Question 3

the obligation to return in kind what another has done for us

Answer 3

reciprocity

Question 4

a positive emotion that results from the perception that one has benefited from the costly, intentional, voluntary action of another person

Answer 4

gratitude

Question 5

standards established by society to tell its members what types of behavior are typical or expected

Answer 5

norms

Question 6

the idea that each person receives benefits in proportion to what he or she contributes

Answer 6

equity

Question 7

the idea that everyone gets the same amount, regardless of what he or she contributes

Answer 7

equality

Question 8

interpersonal concern about the consequences of outperforming others

Answer 8

sensitivity about being the target of a threatening upward comparison

Question 9

getting less than you deserve

Answer 9

underbenefited

Question 10

getting more than you deserve

Answer 10

overbenefited

Question 11

feeling bad for living through a terrible experience in which many others died

Answer 11

survivor guilt

Question 12

when each person does his or her part, and together they work toward a common goal

Answer 12

cooperation

Question 13

a game that forces people to choose between cooperation and compensation

Answer 13

prisoner’s dilemma

Question 14

an interaction in which both participants can win (or lose)

Answer 14

non-zero sum game

Question 15

a situation in which one person’s gain is another’s loss

Answer 15

zero-sum game

Question 16

ceasing to feel angry toward or seek retribution against someone who has wronged you

Answer 16

forgiveness

Question 17

following orders from an authority figure

Answer 17

obedience

Question 18

going along with the crowd

Answer 18

conformity

Question 19

a strong belief in the reliability and validity of someone or something

Answer 19

trust

Question 20

the evolutionary tendency to help people who have our genes

Answer 20

kin selection

Question 21

reacting to another person’s emotional state by experiencing the same emotional state

Answer 21

empathy

Question 22

when a helper seeks to increase his or her own welfare by helping another

Answer 22

egoistic helping

Question 23

when a helper seeks to increase another’s welfare and expects nothing in return

Answer 23

altruistic helping

Question 24

the idea that empathy motivates people to reduce other people’s distress, as by helping or comforting

Answer 24

empathy-altruism hypothesis

Question 25

the idea that empathy triggers the need for social reward (e.g. praise, honor, pride) that can be gained by helping

Answer 25

empathy-specific reward hypothesis

Question 26

the idea that empathy triggers the fear of social punishment (e.g. guilt, shame, censure) that can be avoided by helping

Answer 26

empathy-specific punishment hypothesis

Question 27

the idea that people help others in order to relieve their own distress

Answer 27

negative state relief hypothesis

Question 28

the assumption that life is essentially fair, that people generally get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Answer 28

belief in a just world

Question 29

the finding that people are less likely to offer help when they are in a group than when they are alone

Answer 29

bystander effect

Question 30

looking to others for cues about how to behave, while they are looking to you; collective misinterpretation

Answer 30

pluralistic ignorance

Question 31

the reduction in feeling responsible that occurs when others are present

Answer 31

diffusion of responsibility

Question 32

failure to help in front of others for fear of feeling like a fool if one’s offer of help is rejected

Answer 32

audience inhibition

Question 33

a planned, long-term, non impulsive decision to help others

Answer 33

volunteering