Helping Behavior

Question 1

What is prosocial behavior?

Answer 1

Any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person

Question 2

What is an example of prosocial behavior?

Answer 2

Giving money to charity to go to benefit with celebrities

Question 3

What is altruism?

Answer 3

Unselfish behavior that benefits others without regard to consequences for oneself (there is often a cost to oneself)

Question 4

What is an example of altruism?

Answer 4

Giving money to charity anonymously

Question 5

Does Batson believe that there is true altruism?

Answer 5

Yes, he argues that pure altruism does occur, but only in certain situations; specifically, when we feel empathy for someone else

Question 6

What is empathic concern?

Answer 6

Selfless motive

Question 7

What are the 2 components to empathy?

Answer 7

1) Cognitive: perspective taking (see situation through someone else’s eyes)
2) Emotional: empathetic concern

Question 8

Does Cialdini believe that there is true altruism?

Answer 8

No, you are still doing it to reduce your own sadness

Question 9

What is the negative state relief model?

Answer 9

People help to counteract their own feelings of sadness
- empathetic concern makes us feel sad, and we are motivated to increase our mood by helping

Question 10

What are the physiological differences between personal distress and empathetic concern?

Answer 10

Personal distress –> pain, wince; heart rate increased (least likely to help)
Empathetic concern –> concerned gaze (eyebrows pulled in and up); heart rate decreased (most likely to help)

Question 11

What is the bystander effect?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What is the 5-step model of situational variables that someone has to take to help?

Answer 12

1) Notice the event
2) Interpret the event as an emergency
3) Assume responsibility
4) Deciding what to do
5) Providing help

Question 13

What are the problems with stage 1 (not noticing the emergency)?

Answer 13

If we don’t know there is a problem, then we have no reason to help
- Distracted
- Own self-concerns

Question 14

What did the Good Samaritan study find?

Answer 14

Those who were in a hurry helped significantly less than those who were on time or early (helped the most)

Question 15

What are the problems with stage 2 (not thinking it’s an emergency)?

Answer 15

When we are unsure of what’s going on, we use other people to help us define reality

Question 16

What is pluralistic ignorance?

Answer 16

A phenomenon by which bystanders assume that nothing is wrong in an emergency because no one else looks concerned

Question 17

What did the smoky room study find?

Answer 17

When you were in a room by yourself you were more likely to respond to smoke filling a room than if you were in a room with other people who had no reaction

Question 18

What are the problems with stage 3 (not assuming responsibility)?

Answer 18

We may realize there is a problem, but think someone else will take care of it

Question 19

What is the diffusion of responsibility?

Answer 19

Each bystander’s individual sense of responsibility decreases as number of bystanders increase

Question 20

What is the problem with stage 4 (not knowing what to do)?

Answer 20

You could lack the knowledge of what to do or the competence to carry it out

Question 21

What is the problem with stage 5 (deciding not to help)?

Answer 21

The costs of helping may outweigh the benefits of helping (danger to self, legal concerns, fear of making a bad impression on others (audience inhibition))