Week 10 - Prosocial behaviour Flashcards
What is helping behaviour
All forms of interpersonal support
What is prosocial behaviour
The helping behaviour intended to improve the situation of the recipient. The helper is not motivated by professional obligation. The recipient is a person, not an organisation
What is psychological altruism
Prosocial behaviour where the helper’s motivation is driven by perspective taking and empathic concern
What is evolutionary altruism
A behaviour that is costly to the survival of the helper, but beneficial to the survival of the recipient.
What did Bierhoff say about altruism?
All (psychological) altruism is a helping behaviour, but not all helping behaviour is altruism.
What is altruism
- To help someone else at some cost to oneself
- The unselfish concern for other people
- Doings things simply out of the desire to help, not because you feel obligated out od duty, loyalty, or religious reasons
What is the Egoism VS Altruism debate?
Are we motivated by selfish ulterior motives whenever we help?
Or do we sometimes help, simply because we want to improve the circumstances of someone in need?
Batson and Colleagues
What is the Empathy-Altruism hypothesis
- Empathic concern produces altruistic motivations
- Helping behaviour that is motivated by empathic concern would be seen as altruistic
What is the evidence for Prosocial behaviour?
Levine et al., 2001:
- observed helping in large cities in 23 countries, 1198 observations, operationalised helping in 3 ways.
- Countries with lower economic productivity had citizens who were more likely to help
- when citizens walk faster, they are less likely to help
- Individualistic societies less likely to help than collectivist societies
Why did the Kitty Genovsese case occur (regarding witness behaviour)
Bystander effect: The finding that the greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any of them is to help
Diffusion of Responsibility: When other observers are present, responsibility is divided and each person feels less responsible for helping than when alone
How does mood affect prosocial behaviour?
- Sad people might help others to improve their mood
- Happy people are more helpful
1976
What is Benson’s study show regarding Attractiveness and Prosocial behaviour?
602 White participants
- Attractive people were helped more (47% vs 35%)
- White people were helped more (45% vs 37%)
Conclusion: we are more likely to help attractive people and those that are similar to us.
Private vs Public prosocial behaviour
Social image concerns are a primary motivator of prosocial behaviour
Public helping and attraction
- Helping makes you more desirable
- May explain why helping evolved