Week 8 Review - Helping others Flashcards
What are prosocial behaviors?
actions intended to benefit others
What are some biological explanations for helping behaviour?
helping as an evolutionary trait (protecting one’s kin and genes) sociobiological factors (e.g., how closely related + severity of need)
What are some learning explanations for helping behaviour?
Childhood- instructions: instructing children to be helpful (BUT ALSO providing a role model)
Modelling: Bandura’s (e.g., 1973) social learning theory: can learn to be selfless as well as selfish
What are some atribution explanations for helping behaviour?
if you believe you are a ‘helpful person’ this increases helping behaviours.
A belief in a just world can reduce helping behaviours.
What are some societal norm explanations for helping behaviour?
reciprocity norm (do unto others)
social responsibility norm (help people in need)
concerns about justice/fairness: perceived need.
Miller’s (1977) 2 types of needs:
- need extent (better if limited)
- need persistence (better if short-term)
What is empathy?
understanding or vicariously experiencing another individual’s perspective and feeling sympathy and compassion for that individual
What are some empethetic explanations for helping behaviour?
role of arousal: motivation to help = state of arousal (e.g., witnessing suffering) + empathy
‘true’ altruism: if altruism reduces arousal, is true altruism when people who help won’t be troubled by witnessing the suffering (e.g., aid workers)?
similar others: more likely to feel empathy for similar others
altruism (to improve another’s welfare) or egoism (to improve one’s own welfare)?
empathy-altruism hypothesis: empathic concern for a person in need produces an altruistic motive for helping
What is the bystander effect?
An effect whereby the presence of others inhibits helping
What is Latane and Darley’s cognitive model?
Latane and Darley outlined five steps that lead to providing assistance.
1- Notice that something is happening
2 - Interpret event as emergency
3 - Take responsibility for providing help
4 - Decide how to help
5 - Provide help
What processes underly the reluctance of groups to help?
diffusion of responsibility: assumption of others’ responsibility
audience inhibition: fear of overreacting
social influence: others provide model
What are the 3 steps to deciding to help or not according to Piliavin et el.’s bystander calculus model?
- physiological arousal at others’ distress
- labelling the arousal as emotion
- evaluation of the consequences of helping
What are the 3 steps to deciding to help or not according to Piliavin et el.’s bystander calculus model?
- physiological arousal at others’ distress
- labelling the arousal as emotion
- evaluation of the consequences of helping
In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a high cost of not helping combined with a low cost of helping accomplish?
Direct help
In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a high cost of not helping combined with a high cost of helping accomplish?
Either indirect intervention or avoidance
In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a low cost of not helping combined with a low cost of helping accomplish?
Depends on personal norms
In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a low cost of not helping combined with a high cost of helping accomplish?
Ignore
Deny
Leave scene
What are some personal factors in helping behaviour?
- mood (help more if good mood or feel guilty)
- relationship with victim: help people we know more
- urban vs. rural: people in smaller towns help more
- sense of mortality (terror management theory): fear of death promotes helping
- competency: if feel competent, help more
- responsibility: if feel more responsible, help more
- gender: males help female victims more (see Figure)
- culture: collectivist cultures (compared to individualists) help ingroup members more, outgroup members less
What should you do to prevent crime/ get help yourself?
To try to counteract the ambiguity of the situation by making it very clear you need help and to try to reduce the diffusion of responsibility, single out individuals in a crowd via eye contact, pointing at helpers, and direct requests
What was the ‘Smoke filled room’ experiment (Latane & Darley, 1970):
basic methodology:
o male participants in room completing questionnaire
o smoke poured into room from vent for 6 minutes
o alone vs. 2 unknown others vs. 2 confederates
% who took positive action: alone: 75%, unknown others: 38%, confederates: 10%
conclusions: presence of others inhibits emergency responses, ^ people: slower the response, persuaded there is no emergency
What was the falling filing cabinet experiment?
basic methodology:
o male participants in room completing questionnaire
o heard a woman in adjoining room struggling with filing cabinet
o alone vs. pairs (also: passive confederate or pair of friends)
results: % who helped: alone: 70%, pairs: 40%, confederate: 7%, friends: 70%
conclusions: friends ^ rate of helping
What was the Epileptic seizure experiment?
basic methodology:
o students communicated with each other via microphones
o told that either: 2 (self + victim) vs. 4 vs. 6 people
o ‘victim’ announced he experiences epilepsy then gasping, choking etc
results: % who helped: (before seizure ended) alone: 85%, 2 others: 62%, 4 others: 31%; (after 6 minutes) alone: 100%, 2 others: 81%, 4 others: 62%
