PRO-SOCIAL AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR: Factors influencing pro-social behaviour

Question 1

Describe the case study on which these factors were based upon.

Answer 1

Kitty Genovese murder in 1964

• After finishing work at 3am, was heading to apartment from car when she was stabbed by a man, she called for help
• 38 neighbours woke up, and only one called the police

Question 2

Name the 3 large categories of factors

Answer 2

Situational factors
Social norms
Personal factors

Question 3

Name the 3 situational factors

Answer 3

Noticing the situation
Interpreting the Situation
Taking responsibility for helping

Question 4

Describe how the 3 situational factors are related

Answer 4

Only considers helping after they notice the incident, interpret that help is needed and take responsibility of helping.

Question 5

Describe noticing the situation

Answer 5

• Must notice something is wrong in order to respond
• More likely to notice situation if on your own instead of in a group (where you’d be more likely to focus on your interactions with others)

Question 6

Describe interpreting the situation

Answer 6

-The less ambiguous the situation, the more likely help will be offered and vice versa
-eg. Bickman (1971): females inside a cubicle heard a crash and scream, those who interpreted it as a certain emergency were more likely to help than those who were not certain or thought it was a certain non-emergency
Clark and Word (1972): confederate maintenance worker fell off a ladder and either did or didn’t scream: 100% assistance when called for help, vs 30% assistance when they didn’t
-May be influenced by the way others respond to the situation

Question 7

Describe taking responsibility for helping

Answer 7

• Unlikely to intervene unless you believe it is your responsibility to do so
• May leave responsibility to others, even if we don’t think they have responsibility to help either
• Strongly influenced by the bystander effect
• eg. confederates dropped coins in a lift. When one person was present, the coin was picked up 40% of the time because they felt a personal responsibility to do so, and when 6 passengers were there they helped less than 20% of the time and rarely said they felt a personal responsibility

Question 8

Define: bystander effect

Answer 8

the tendency for individuals to be less likely to help another person in need when onlookers are present, or believed to be present, as compared to when they are alone

Question 9

Name the 2 social norms which influence pro-social behaviour

Answer 9

Reciprocity norm

Social responsibility norm

Question 10

Define: social norm

Answer 10

standards that govern what people should or should not do in different social situations

Question 11

How are social norms usually learned?

Answer 11

from observing the words and actions of others

Question 12

In most cultures, it is expected that we …

Answer 12

Do what we can to help others

Question 13

Define and describe the reciprocity norm

Answer 13

• Prescribes that we should help others who help us
• both socially acceptable and reasonable
• broken when receives without giving
• may be unable to reciprocate help (eg. elderly) so we are then influenced by the social responsibility norm

Question 14

Define and describe the social responsibility norm

Answer 14

• Prescribes that we should help those who need help because it is our duty to do so
• usually don’t expect anything in return
• subjective; usually only given to those not perceived to have brought hardship upon themselves

Question 15

Name the 3 personal factors influencing pro-social behaviour

Answer 15

Empathy
Mood
Competence

Question 16

Describe the effect of competence

Answer 16

• People with abilities or training that are relevant to the situation in which help is required are more likely to help
• Higher the competence, the more effective the help

Question 17

Describe the effect of mood

Answer 17

• Mixed/inconsistent results
• The happier you are, the more likely you are to help
• Being in a good mood may make us less egocentric - easier to empathise
• Helping someone in need can prolong one’s good mood
• If the individual feels that intervening will ruin their good mood, they might not intervene
• MIght feel guilty and compensate by helping (eg. netball thing)
• If we are focusing on our own negative situation we may be less likely to help

Question 18

Define and describe the effect of empathy

Answer 18

Def: the ability to identify with and understand another persons’ difficulties

• More likely to help others if we feel empathy for them
• Empathic people may help people in distress for egoistic or altruistic reasons
• The more distressed bystanders become when observing the distress of others, the more likely they are to help.