Lecture 9 - Helping and Co-Operation

Question 1

Define prosocial behaviour.

Answer 1

Behaviour intended to help someone else.

Question 2

What are two possible reasons for prosocial behaviour?

Answer 2

Altruism and egoism.

Question 3

Define altruism.

Answer 3

Behaviour intended to help someone else without any prospect of personal rewards for the helper.

Question 4

Define egoism.

Answer 4

Behaviour motivated by the desire to obtain personal rewards.

Question 5

What is the bystander effect?

Answer 5

The presence of others inhibits helping.

Question 6

What is pluralistic ignorance?

Answer 6

When people mistakenly believe their own thoughts and feelings are different from others, even though everyone’s behaviour is the same.

Freezes people into not acting, e.g. if nobody else is acting.

Question 7

What is audience inhibition?

Answer 7

Fear of appearing foolish in front of others (pervasiveness of social influence).

Question 8

What is diffusion of responsibility?

Answer 8

When other people are present, responsibility is divided and each person feels less responsible for helping.

Question 9

When do people help?

Answer 9

• When they feel responsible (no/little diffusion of responsibility)
• When norms make helping appropriate (nurse conference vs business conference)
• Benefits of deciding to implement help outweigh the costs.

Question 10

What is the negative-state relief model of helping?

Answer 10

Helping as a means to relieve personal distress.

Question 11

What is the empathy-altruism model of helping?

Answer 11

Helping as an expression of empathic concern, i.e wanting the victim to feel better.

Question 12

Why do people help?

Answer 12

• Biology: helping our own kin and ingroup is beneficial to our survival.
• Mastery: personal rewards
• Interpersonal connectedness: empathising with someone (e.g. victim)
• Intergroup connectedness: Identifying someone as part of your ingroup.

Question 13

In what conditions might you see a truly selfless act? What is the research which supports this?

Answer 13

When empathy with the victim/sufferer is high.

Batson et al., (1981), found that PPS who were low in empathy with the person being shocked only switched places if it was difficult for them to exit.
However, PPS high in empathy with the victim were much more likely to switch places, regardless of how difficult it was for them to escape.