Social T9

Question 1

What are altruism and helping behaviours in contrast to prosocial behaviour

Answer 1

Subcategories of prosocial behaviour whereby helping behaviours are acts that intentionally help others and altruistic acts aim to benefit others at the possible detriment of oneself

Question 2

What are prosocial behaviours?

Answer 2

Voluntary and intentional acts that are valued positively by society – having positive social consequences and contributing to the physical or psychological well-being of another person.

Question 3

What is empathy

Answer 3

Ability to feel another person’s experiences; identifying with and experiencing another person’s emotions, thoughts and attitudes.

Question 4

What is social loafing

Answer 4

decreased group performance because of group workings and diffusion of responsibility

Question 5

When is an act truly altruistic (Batson, Duncan, Ackerman, Buckley, & Birch, 1981)

Answer 5

act is truly altruistic only if people seek to help even when they will no longer be troubled by observing the suffering of another person (e.g. turning back to help after pass- ing a stranded motorist). This invites a different perspective on the Genovese case. The bystanders felt disturbed, but not enough to act: perhaps they could not identify with the victim Probably occurs in situations easy to escape

Question 6

When is public self-awareness helpful to individuals and society?

Answer 6

• may prepare to perform better at a public event because they know others will be evaluating them.
• follow social norms that are in the collective interest to adhere to (i.e. not listening to loud music on public transport).

Question 7

What contributes to bystander apathy

Answer 7

• Diffusion of responsibility (social loafing): “he’ll do it”
• Fear of social blunders
• Audience inhibition
• Social influence: other people’s passivity correlated to one’s own

Question 8

What is the bystander effect

Answer 8

People are less likely to help in an emergency when they are with others than when alone. The greater the number, the less likely it is that anyone will help.

Question 9

What is the Bystander-calculus model

Answer 9

• In attending to an emergency, the bystander calculates the perceived costs and benefits of providing help compared with those associated with not helping.
• physiological arousal:
• The greater the arousal, the greater the chance that we will help.
• e.g. the quicker our heartbeat, the quicker we respond (Gaertner & Dovidio, 1977).
• Labelling the arousal as an emotion
• Evaluating the costs of helping against the plight of the victims