PSYC*2310 Chapter 12: Altruism and Prosocial Behaviour Flashcards
What is altruism?
Helping others without expectation of person gain
What is prosocial behaviour?
Any behaviour that has the goal of helping another person
In the study involving choosing between different amounts of electrical shocks and money, what pattern of behaviour did participants show with regard to their pain vs the pain of others?
Participants valued others’ pain more than their own
According to the evolutionary perspective, why do people act to help others, even at great personal cost?
To help ensure the survival of their genes, which can then be passed on
What is kinship selection?
The idea that we’re more likely to help those we are genetically related to
According to the reciprocal prosocial behaviour perspective, why do people help others?
To increase the odds that they, in turn, will be helped by those others
What do the gender differences in helping behaviour reflect, if not the innate assignment of gender?
Societally given roles
Are those who possess prosocial traits more likely to be intrinsically or extrinsically motivated to help others?
Intrinsically
What trait is described by the ability to understand other’s perspectives and respond emotionally to other’s experiences?
Empathy
What is moral reasoning?
The extent to which a person’s willingness to help depends on larger moral standards rather than the person’s needs and the expected consequences of helping
T or F: Those who hold strong and conservative religious beliefs are very likely to help anyone in need of.
False, they are likely to help only those who they believe are deserving
According to the decision-making process model, what are the five steps that must be taken to engage in a helping behaviour?
- Notice something happening
- Interpret the event as an emergency
- Take responsibility for providing help
- Decide how to help
- Provide help
Why is the first step in the decision-making process model often difficult to do?
Because people are often highly self-focused
Are people more or less likely to help in situations where public awareness and accountability are high?
More likely
In the context of helping, what is puristic ignorance?
The assumption each person makes that because others aren’t reacting, there is no emergency
What is diffusion of responsibility?
The assumption people make that others in the situation will assume responsibility so they don’t have to
What is the bystander effect?
Describes people’s tendency to be less likely to help in an emergency when others are present than if they were witnessing the emergency alone
In the context of helping, what is audience inhibition?
The fact that people may be reluctant to help because they fear making a bad impression in front of others
When surrounded by several friends, does diffusion of responsibility increase or decrease?
Decrease
What are three strategies for getting help?
- Identify one person in the crowd and call them out directly
- Clearly label the situation as an emergency
- Give instructions on how exactly the person should help
What does the arousal/ cost-reward model propose about helping behaviour?
Helping behaviour is caused in part by the physiological arousal experienced when witnessing someone in need of help and in part by the calculation of the cost and rewards of providing such help
According to the cost-reward model, why are people motivated to help?
To reduce the arousal experienced when they see others suffering
Does teaching someone about the personal costs of prosocial behaviour lead to an increase or decrease in helping?
Decrease
Were monetary incentives found to be more effective in increasing prosocial behaviour when the incentive was public or private?
Private
In the context of altruism, what is overjustification?
When receiving a reward leads to attributing altruistic behaviour to external factors rather than internal factors
What is the good mood effect?
The finding that when people are in a good mood they’re more likely to help