Final Exam Flashcards
Altruism
The desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the helper
Kin selection
The idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection. (Idea that people can pass down their genes not only by having their own children but also ensuring that their genetic relatives have children)
Social exchange theory- (Cost and rewards of helping)
SET argues that many of the things we do stem from the desire to maximize rewards and and minimize cost. Helping can be costly (physical pain or danger or embarrassment) but also rewarding (reciprocation)
Empathy and Altruism- (The pure motive for helping)
The idea that peoples motives are sometimes purely altruistic, their only goal is to help the other person, even if doing so involves some cost to them.
Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis
(Batson) When we feel empathy for another person, we will try attempt to help the person for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain.
Gender differences in pro social behavior
Males sex role includes being chivalrous and heroic, while woman are expected to be nurturant, caring and to value close, long-term relationships. Women are also more likely than men to provide social support and engage in volunteer work that involves helping others.
Cultural differences in pro social behavior
People in all cultures are more likely to help people of their “in-group”. But interdependent cultures consider the needs of their in group much higher then those of their out group and thus when compared to individualistic cultures, these people are less likely to help out group members.
Effects of mood on pro social behavior
Feel good, do good. Or feel bad, do good.
Pluralistic Ignorance
People think that everyone else is interpreting a situation in a certain way, when in fact, they are not.
Increasing the likelihood that bystanders will intervene
Studies showed that students who learned about the bystander intervention research were more likely to intervene when placed in a situation when compared to students who did not know.
Is aggression instinctual? Situational? Optional?
The Evolutionary Argument: aggression is genetically programmed into men.
Aggression and Culture
Human culture varies widely in degree of aggressiveness. Some primitive tribes in New Guinea live in peace and harmony with acts of violence being very rare.
Neural and chemical influences on aggression
Amygdala controls aggressive behaviors. Serotonin (too little can lead to increase in aggression) Testosterone (more can increase aggression- or aggression increases testosterone)
Gender and aggression
Men are more aggressive than women. Women are are less likely to be aggressively in nonprovocative circumstances than men are. Women also feel more guilt when they do commit acts of overt aggression than men.
Alcohol and aggression
Alcohol increases aggressive behavior (because is reduces social inhibitions)
Frustration and aggression
Frustration can increase aggressive responses
Frustration- Aggressive theory
Idea that frustration- the perception that you are being prevented from a goal- increases the probability of an aggressive response.
Violence in the media
Effects on children: the more violence children watch, the more they exhibit later as teenagers and young adults. Watching violence also effects adults. There is also a numbing effect from this (men who watch a lot of violence showed little physiological evidence of excitement, anxiety, etc.)
Violent pornography and violence against women
Studies indicate that exposure to violent pornography promotes greater acceptance of sexual violence.
Catharsis and Aggression
Catharsis is the notion that “blowing off steam”- by performing an aggressive act- relieves built up aggression energies, hence reduces the likelihood of further aggressive behavior. But the truth is that if people commit acts of aggression, it increases the tendency towards future aggression.
