HC3. Prosocial Behavior

Question 1

Definition prosocial behavior

Answer 1

Helping others with the aim to give them benefits or to increase their wellbeing

Question 2

Why help? (4)

Answer 2

(1) evolutionary factors (survival)
(2) reciprocal altruism (return)
(3) situational factors
(4) individual differences

Question 3

Situational factors (when don’t we help, 6)

Answer 3

(1) diffusion of responsibility (bystander effect)
(2) lack of competence (don’t know how to help)
(3) pluralistic ignorance (coping others behavior)
(4) not spotting emergency (distractions/self-concern)
(5) audience inhibition (others judge)
(6) ambiguity (don’t know background)

Question 4

Definition online prosocial behavior (OPB)

Answer 4

Voluntary behavior carried out in an electronic context with the intention of benefiting particular others or promoting harmonious relations with others

Question 5

Online prosocial behavior concerns (2)

Answer 5

(1) Anonimity
>Increasing audience
inhibition, diffusion of responsibility
>Decreasing ambiguity
(2) Lack of non-verbal cues
>Decreasing empathy >Increasing ambiguity

Question 6

Why OPB important? (3)

Answer 6

(1) maintaining balance (risks vs. opportunities)
(2) social bonds/interactions
(3) societal norms

Question 7

Being in a good mood benefits (2) & theory (1)

Answer 7

(1) positive mood effect (more helpful when happy)
(2) happiness feedback loop (e.g., charity)

(1) broaden & build theory
- expands people’s mindset (“broaden”)
- think of others and do good (“building
relationships”)

Question 8

Spillover/crossover effects

Answer 8

Spillover: transmission emotional states between contexts (home/work)

Crossover: transmission emotional states between individuals (parent/child)

Question 9

Results study 1 (parents/children spillover/crossover, 4)

Answer 9

(1) spillover hypothesis confirmed
(2) crossover hypothesis partially confirmed (only between mother/daughter)
(3) happiness - OPB (only for girls)
(4) mediation effect (on days that girls felt happier after school or that their mothers were happier after work, they behaved more prosocially online)

Question 10

Mood maintencance process

Answer 10

People in a happy mood seek out positive

experiences to maintain or elevate mood

Question 11

Definition shyness

Answer 11

Emotional distress and inhibition that occur in the presence of others (les likely to help > anxiety/lack of social skills)

Question 12

(Social) self-efficacy & shyness

Answer 12

Individuals’ belief in their capacity to effectively handle interpersonal interactions, successfully initiate social contact, maintain and develop friendships (shy people lower OPB due to lack of self-efficacy)

Question 13

Empathy & shyness

Answer 13

Empathic individuals behave more prosocial due to their self-transcendence values (compared to self-enhancement values)

Shyness: tend to be easily overwhelmed and focus on their own negative feelings, lower empathy & OPB

Question 14

Results study 2 (shyness)

Answer 14

(1) shyness&OPB not directly related

(2) via mediators self-efficacy, perspective taking and empathy shyness indirectly related to OPB

Question 15

How to empower shy individuals to engage in OPB?

Answer 15

Increase self-efficacy

Question 16

Role model (what do they do?)

Answer 16

set an example for behavior for us to imitate or model (cf. social learning)

Question 17

Increasing involvement effects (2)

Answer 17

• message perceived as more relevant, interesting, important

- in combination with strong arguments > higher likelihood of behavioral/attitudal changes

Question 18

Self-referencing involvement

Answer 18

name-calling

Question 19

Involvement

Answer 19

A message’s degree of personal relevance to the recipient

Question 20

Empathy-altruism hypothesis

Answer 20

Altruistic motivation (i.e. the motivation to increase another person’s welfare) results from the experience of empathy with a person in need, and from the desire to increase this person’s welfare
> When someone feels more empathy for a person in need = altruistic motivation

Question 21

Reactance towards prosocial message

Answer 21

motivational state directed towards the re-establishment, threatened or eliminated freedom (autonomy threat)

Question 22

Results study 3 (personalization, 2)

Answer 22

> If people had a name, it was more relevant to themselves, and that made them have higher empathy. That in turn had an affect on prosocial outcomes.
Those who saw a jacket with their name on, had increased reactance