Helping Flashcards
What is prosocial behaviour?
Actions intended to benefit others.
What are the biological factors of helping behaviour?
Helping as an evolutionary trait- protecting ones kin and genes.
Sociobiological factors- how closely related we are to someone and severity of need.
How do modelling and reinforcement increase children helping?
Children were either reinforced or punished for behaving generously (giving or keeping tokens). Those that were reinforced would help more as a result of social learning theory.
In terms of modelling and the use of Bandura’s social learning theory, what is the tyre experiment and what did it teach us about modelling behaviour?
A lone woman (confederate) was on the side of the road with a flat tyre. Another would either help or not, manipulating altruism. Those who saw the behaviour to help were more likely to assist the woman. Finding people learn by vicarious experience.
What are the aspects of attribution that contribute to helping- both positive and negative?
It can both support and work against people helping.
If someone is a helping person it increases helping behaviour (positive).
Just world hypothesis- people get what they deserve (negative).
How do norms explain helping behaviour, what are some common types?
Reciprocity norm (do unto others)
Social responsibility norm (help people in need) - we can go against this by the minding privacy norm.
Concerns about justice/fairness
In terms of justice and fairness, what are Millers’ two types of needs?
Need extent- better if limited (work on a small area so you’re more likely to help)
Need persistence- better if short term
What is the obligation to help?
This is a duty to assist, such as the Good Samaritan laws that exist in some countries as well as professional obligations.
What is empathy and how does it play a role in helping behaviour?
Understanding or vicariously experiencing another individual’s perspective and feeling sympathy and compassion for that individual. We are more likely to feel this for similar others.
How does arousal impact an individual’s likelihood to help others?
Role of arousal: motivation to help = state of arousal (witnessing suffering)
‘True’ altruism: Altruism reduces arousal, argue that true altruism is when an individual helps without any individual gain.
What is the empathy-altruism hypothesis?
Empathic concern for a person in need produces an altruistic motive for helping. Where motivations can be either altruistic or egoistic.
What is the difference between altruistic and egoistic helping?
Altruistic helping; people adopt another perspective, have an empathic concern, are motivated by this altruism and reduce others’ distress.
Egoistic helping; They don’t adopt another perspective, the emotional response is personal distress, and the motive is egoistic and aims to reduce one’s own distress.
People are far more likely to help when there is empathy.
What is a common situational factors in helping behaviour?
The bystander effect plays a role - an effect whereby the presence of others inhibits helping.
“I wasn’t the first there but I was the first to help”
What is Latane and Darleys cognitive model of situational efforts for helping and the 5 steps involved in decision making?
There is a decision making process that exits when providing help to others with processes that inhibit these steps.
Emergency is preset
(counter- distraction)
Step 1: Notice that something is happening.
(ambiguity of event)
Step 2: Interpret event as an emergency.
(Diffuse responsibility)
Step 3: Take responsibility for providing help.
(Lack of competence)
Step 4: Decide to help.
(Audience inhibition)
Step 5: Provide help.
What is the ‘smoke-filled room’ experiment?
P’s filled out a survey in a room where smoke was slowly filling the room. People were either alone, with unknown others, or confederates doing nothing.
Individuals helped 75% of the time, unknown 38%, confederates 10%.
Presence of others inhibits the willingness to help and people find reasons to justify the behaviour.
