Prosocial behaviour and altruism

Question 1

prosocial behaviour

Answer 1

voluntary behaviour intended to benefit others

Question 2

altruism

Answer 2

unselfish motives for prosocial behaviour

Question 3

comforting

Answer 3

rate at which children comfort others

• increases over second year of life

Question 4

helping

Answer 4

18 months - help with simple tasks
chimpanzees also do this

biologically prepared for altruism

Question 5

sharing

Answer 5

12 months - will point out an object someone is looking for

Moore (2009) - children don’t choose to share all of the time but do more so than other primates

Question 6

inequity aversion

Answer 6

aversion to inequality

Blake et al (2015) - middle childhood
accepting or rejecting extra sweets
when division of resources is equal they accept the sweets (advantageous inequity - accept)
when it is resources are negative in the others favour - don’t accept the sweets (advantageous inequity - reject)

Question 7

Moore (2009)

Answer 7

4.5-6 years - drew pictures of:

classmate they liked
didn’t like
unknown

prosocial trials - 1 sticker for yourself now, or 1 for you and someone else later
sharing trials - 2 stickers for yourself now or 1 for you and someone else later

showed preference for friends
do share but it depends on who with

Question 8

factors influencing prosocial behaviour

Answer 8

Genetics - Mz and Dz twins (2 years) 
likely to be played out in differences in temperament
tendency to feel negative emotion
ability to regulate emotion
assertiveness

Environment - socialisation
family
secure attachment
modelling empathy, sensitivity and prosocial behaviour
discussing emotions and impacts of behaviours
constructive and supportive discipline

Question 9

discipline

Answer 9

reasoning and pointing out consequences of behaviour

warm and sensitive parenting

lack of sympathy - physical punishment, threats, authoritarian parenting and material reward

Question 10

inductive parenting

Answer 10

using an emotional tone when explaining what a child did wrong

Question 11

do intrinsic rewards undermine altruism?

Answer 11

Werneken and Tomasello (2008)

neutral, praise and reward conditions

material reward condition - less likely to help in second phase of study

Question 12

Apicella et al (2012)

Answer 12

reinforcement of prosocial behaviour

we live in social networks with others who are on the same level of altruism (hunter gatherers)
- peer support systems

Question 13

Whiting and Whiting (1975)

Answer 13

3-11 years - 6 different countries

Kenya, Mexico and Philippines acted more pro-socially due to household chores

Question 14

challenge of altruism

Answer 14

kin selection - help others that share genetic material (why do we help others?)

reciprocity - age 3 - become concerned with who benefits
Olson and Spelke (2008) - children think they should share resources with friends, family, people who have shared with them
- evolutionary origins of cooperation

group selection - benefit group as a whole
(selfish gene - those who are selfish will succeed)