sociocultural erq 1 Flashcards
Prosocial behavior versus antisocial behavior
Prosocial behavior is behavior that benefits others or has positive social consequences. Antisocial behavior is behavior that may cause harm to others.
Altruism
Altruism is selfless behavior that aims to help another person with no reward and sometimes at the expense of themself.
Kin Selection Theory
The Kin Selection Theory proposes that altruism can be explained through inclusive fitness. Inclusive fitness is a concept that states an organism’s genetic success comes from cooperation and altruism. The theory predicts that the number of genes you share with an individual will influence the degree of altruism shown towards them.
Hachlin and Jones study
Hachlin and Jones’ study involved 206 American university students being given 7 levels of social distance (for example, mother, partner, roommate, etc.) and were asked to identify a person in their life who best fits that role. Then, they were given a questionnaire where they were asked if they would give 75 dollars to the people they identified. The results found that participants were more likely to give the money to close relatives rather than distant relatives or non-relatives. This study supports the Kin Selection Theory.
Madsen et al study
Madsen et al’s study aimed to investigate the degree to which individuals self-sacrifice is influenced by biologically relatedness. The procedure involved students from the UK and South Africa being asked to supply a list of blood relatives and how related they were to them. The participants then sat in an uncomfortable position and for every 20 seconds they did so, a relative chosen by the researcher from the participant’s list, would be paid. The results found that participants suffered through pain for longer when the recipient of the money was a closer relative. This study supports the kin-selection theory because it shows that the greater the degree of biological closeness, the greater the degree of altruism.
Amygdala
The amygdala is involved in many social and emotional processes. The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for processing emotion, particularly fear and threat. The amygdala is also responsible for recognizing facial expressions.
Marsh et al study
Marsh et al’s study involved 19 individuals (who had donated a kidney to a stranger) and a control group. The participants underwent 3 stages of assessment including testing their emotional recognition, studying their brain structure, and testing their level of psychopathy and empathy. The results found that the group who donated their kidney to strangers had a greater average volume in their amygdala (which is responsible for recognizing and processing emotions) compared to the control group. This study supports the idea that there may be a biological basis for altruistic behavior.
Empathy Altruism Model
The empathy altruism model refers to there being 2 emotions when witnessing suffering: personal distress, which leads to egoistic behavior, and empathetic concern, which leads to altruistic behavior.
Bartal, Decety, and Mason study
The aim of Bartal, Decety and Mason’s study was to see if rats had empathy for other rats. The procedure involved placing a free rat inside a cage with a trapped rat, which was enclosed in a container. The experiment also involved 2 other conditions; one where the container had chocolate chips inside and one where the container had a fake rat inside. The results found that the free rat opened the container when the trapped rat and chocolate chips were inside, however did not open the container when the fake rat was inside. This suggests that the free rat received the same level of satisfaction from saving the rat and getting a treat. It also suggests that the rat did not open the container just because it enjoyed opening the container. This study connects to the empathy altruism model.
Batson et al
The aim of Batson et al’s study was to investigate motives to empathetic behavior. The procedure involved psychology students watching Elaine receiving electric shocks. In the easy to escape condition, participants were told they could either take her place or fill out a questionnaire about their experience. In the difficult to escape condition, participants were told they could either take her place or watch Elaine go through additional trials. The results found that in the hard to escape condition, most participants agreed to take her place, whereas in the easy to escape condition, most participants filled out the questionnaire. This study connects to the empathy altruism model.
