Prosocial Behaviour [D]

Question 1

Define : Prosocial Behaviour ?

Answer 1

Prosocial Behaviour : is a broad category that refers to acts that are valued positively by society - in contrast to antisocial behaviour.
- it is voluntary.

Question 2

What does Prosocial behaviour include?

Answer 2

It includes :

• Bystander intervention
• Helping
• Trust
• Sacrifice
• Attraction

Question 3

Define : Altruism ?

Answer 3

’ A special form of helping behaviour, sometimes costly, that shows concern for felloe human beings and is performed without expectation of personal gain ‘

[ Hogg and Vaughan 2005 ]

Question 4

Why do people help in theories ?

Answer 4

Theories :

• Empathy - Altrusim
• Evolutionary Theory
• Social Exchange Theory
• Social Learning Theory

Question 5

Bias in research and media ?

Answer 5

Research also concentrates more on conflict and anti social behaviour than on prosocial behaviour.

Emotions like anger and fear have been researched intensively but very little on happiness or contentment.

Question 6

What is Evolutionary Social Psych ?

Answer 6

Evolutionary Social Psychology :
A biological theory claiming that complex social behaviour is adaptive and helps - 
1. The Individual
2. Kin 
3. The Species

Question 7

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution ?

Answer 7

Darwin’s theory of evolution is used to explain why altruism is a positive trait, natural selection and adaptation -> Sociobiologists believe altruistic behaviour can be explained in terms of kin selection, e.g. bee colony -> Dawkins the ‘Selfish Gene’ - the most selfish gene survives -> Biologically determinist account -> however can this account for helping behaviour towards non relatives ?

Question 8

The Understanding of Pro-Social Behaviour ?

- Reciprocal Altruism.

Answer 8

Reciprocal Altruism :

A term used in evolutionary psych to explain the evolution of behaviour benefitting others who are not kin in terms of the adaptive value for our ancestors of mutual help.
- Depends on the skill of being able to monitor trustworthiness.

Question 9

Detecting Cheating ?

Answer 9

In evolutionary terms there could be benefits to the individual in accepting favours and not returning these in effects, cheating.
We have evolved the ability to compute benefits and in particular to detect non - Reciprocation or cheating.

Question 10

Social Learning in children ?

Answer 10

Exposure to models - modelling the desired behaviour, child helps to bring in the shopping then wants to put it away in the cupboards - observational learning.

Question 11

Learning by Experience ?

Answer 11

Adults also influenced by observational learning.

Bandura = it is the knowledge of what happens to the model that largely determines whether or not the observer will also help.

Question 12

Modelling appropriate behaviour ?

Answer 12

Experimental condition - female with flat tyre.

Control condition - male and female with a flat tyre.

Question 13

Define : Social Exchange Theory ?

Answer 13

’ The theory that human interactions are most accurately described as social transactions between people, where people exchange rewards and costs’
[ Myers at al. 2010 ]

Question 14

Social Exchange Theory?

Answer 14

• This pro and contra calculation characterises adult’s decision making generally not just with regard to helpful actions or deeds. - this works especially with personal relationships.
• Social exchange theory does not assume that we consciously monitor costs and rewards of every social transaction but that this weighing up guides our behaviour.

Question 15

Empathy - Altruism Theory ?

Answer 15

• A theory suggesting that people help others because they feel empathy towards them [ Batson 1998 ]
• Experiment where participants listened to an interview with a young woman who had lost her parents and was struggling financially to cope an bring up her siblings

Question 16

Define : Empathy

Answer 16

Empathy = refers to feelings of sympathy and caring for others.

• occurs when we focus on the needs and the emotions of the victim.
• we are more likely to feel empathy for those who are similar to us an those who did not cause their own distress

Question 17

Empathy :

Why do we help ?

Answer 17

There is a controversy over interpreting studies on empathy :

• Batson views empathy as increasing altruistic motivation.
• Cialdini argues that helping based on empathy is not entirely altruistic because the helper’s goal is to improve his/her own mood.

Question 18

Risk to Empathy ?

Answer 18

• Empathy induced altruism can be harmful.
• It can be risky to one’s own wellbeing.
• Can demotivate or humiliate the person who is being helped.
• It can promote favouritism and feed indifference to the larger common good.

Question 19

Empathy :

Personality and helping ?

Answer 19

Personality characteristics = there is no single type of ‘Helpful person’. rather particular traits and abilities lead people to help in different specific types of situations.

Question 20

Empathy :

Gender and helping ?

Answer 20

• Men are more likely to engage in helping that is heroic and chivalrous.
• Men are more likely to help strangers - especially if the person needing the help is female, if there’s an audience and if the situation is dangerous.
• women more likely to receive help, but more likely to engage in care-giving, emotional support, doing favours.

Question 21

Empathy : Why do we not help ?

Answer 21

Bystander effect = people are less likely to help [ and take longer to help ] the more people there are present.

• Diffusion of responsibility
• Personality of helper important.

Question 22

Bystander Effect ?

Answer 22

Kitty Genovese - 1964, was stabbed even though dozens of people heard her and saw no one helped or called police until after.
less help is given or it takes longer , when a crowd of bystanders is present than when a sinlge bystander is present to witness an emergency.

Question 23

Bystander Intervention ?

Answer 23

‘Good Samaritan’ [ Darley & Batson, 1973 ]

• Participants were seminary students asked to give a short sermon.
• Some were told to hurry across campus, others to take their time 63 % did not help.
• Time pressure particularly affected those who believe their research participation was of vital importance.

Question 24

Bystander Apathy ?

Answer 24

Lone bystanders more likely to help. why ?

When more people present individuals less likely to notice the incident less likely to interpret the incident as a problem and less likely assume responsibility.

Question 25

Experiment : Bystander Apathy

Answer 25

Smoke filled room experiment Latane and Darley [ 1968 ]
1 student = 5 seconds
3 students = 20 seconds