Week 8 Review - Helping others

Question 1

What are prosocial behaviors?

Answer 1

actions intended to benefit others

Question 2

What are some biological explanations for helping behaviour?

Answer 2

helping as an evolutionary trait (protecting one’s kin and genes)
sociobiological factors (e.g., how closely related + severity of need)

Question 3

What are some learning explanations for helping behaviour?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What are some atribution explanations for helping behaviour?

Answer 4

if you believe you are a ‘helpful person’ this increases helping behaviours.
A belief in a just world can reduce helping behaviours.

Question 5

What are some societal norm explanations for helping behaviour?

Answer 5

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)

Question 6

What is empathy?

Answer 6

understanding or vicariously experiencing another individual’s perspective and feeling sympathy and compassion for that individual

Question 7

What are some empethetic explanations for helping behaviour?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

What is the bystander effect?

Answer 8

An effect whereby the presence of others inhibits helping

Question 9

What is Latane and Darley’s cognitive model?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What processes underly the reluctance of groups to help?

Answer 10

diffusion of responsibility: assumption of others’ responsibility
audience inhibition: fear of overreacting
social influence: others provide model

Question 11

What are the 3 steps to deciding to help or not according to Piliavin et el.’s bystander calculus model?

Answer 11

• physiological arousal at others’ distress
• labelling the arousal as emotion
• evaluation of the consequences of helping

Question 11

What are the 3 steps to deciding to help or not according to Piliavin et el.’s bystander calculus model?

Answer 11

• physiological arousal at others’ distress
• labelling the arousal as emotion
• evaluation of the consequences of helping

Question 12

In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a high cost of not helping combined with a low cost of helping accomplish?

Answer 12

Direct help

Question 13

In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a high cost of not helping combined with a high cost of helping accomplish?

Answer 13

Either indirect intervention or avoidance

Question 14

In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a low cost of not helping combined with a low cost of helping accomplish?

Answer 14

Depends on personal norms

Question 15

In Piliavin et al.’s bystander calculus model what does a low cost of not helping combined with a high cost of helping accomplish?

Answer 15

Ignore
Deny
Leave scene

Question 16

What are some personal factors in helping behaviour?

Answer 16

• 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

Question 17

What should you do to prevent crime/ get help yourself?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What was the ‘Smoke filled room’ experiment (Latane & Darley, 1970):

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What was the falling filing cabinet experiment?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What was the Epileptic seizure experiment?

Answer 20

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%