Prosocial Behaviour key definitons Flashcards
Prodocial Behaviour definition
Behaviour which directly benefits another person
Helping behaviour vs. Altruism
Helping behaviour refers generally to behaviour which helps another person whilst altruism specifies behaviour which is helps another person AND does not benefit ones self
The Bystander effect
A sole observer is more likely to help in any social situation than any of several bystanders. The more people the less likely someone is to help
Bystander intervention
When someone breaks from their role as a bystander to help others in an emergency
Cognitive model
Latane & Darley’s (1968) Attend to situation => identify as an emergency => accept personal responsibility => decide what can be done.
Bystander Calculus Model
Pilivan et al. (1981) bystander-calculus model. Observers make a set of calculations including physiological and cognitive processes. 1.) physiological arousal to anothers distress. 2.) label the arousal as an emotion 3.) evaluate the consequences of helping and not helping. 4.) choose action which reduces personal distress the most
costs of not helping
empathy: not helping when you feel empathetic can increase anxiety the closer to the victim the higher the cost.
Personal: variety of effects such as self blame or public censure. Depends on the victims need for help, especially high costs if the person is at risk of death.
Empathy
Actively imagining how another person feels, will produce empathy and altruistic motivation. Alternatively imagining how you would feel will produce more egotistic responses as it will produce personal distress.
Acquisition of prosocial behaviour
Pro-social behaviour is thought to be a result of Social Learning theory and operant conditioning. Children rewarded for being nice so tend to continue to be nice. Learning by Vicarious Experience - learning as a result of observing the behaviours of other people and how they are rewarded
Smoke filled room study
Latane & Darley (1968)
- 75% took action alone
- 10% took action with two confederates who ignored the smoke.
Diffusion of responsibility
If alone there is no one else to help if the observer does not however with only one other onlooker it is possible to pass responsibility to help or not help to the other onlooker.
Social Influence
fear of social blunders; others onlooking can make people self-conscious about looking foolish for overreacting. They use other’s behaviour as a model therefore if no one else is bothered it doesnt appear a cause for concern
Moods definition
“transitory psychological states which influence how likely you are to perform helping behaviour.”
Effect of mood on helping
likelihood to help someone increases for those in a good mood and decreases for those in a bad mood. (Isen 1970)
Why do moods increase or decrease helping behaviour. Guilt.
Bad moods tend to make people more introspective, internally focused and worried about their own problems. Guilt an exception increases likelihood to help according to (Regan, Williams & Sparing (1972)
