social psychology chap 9

negative effects of social exclusion

undermines self-esteem, leads people to feel isolated, leads people to feel less satisfied with their lives

do men or women engage in more prosocial behavior

about the same amount - but different types of prosocial behavior, differences are due to gender stereotypes

prosocial behavior

actions by individuals that help others, often with no immediate benefit to the helpers

why does helping others confer status

because helping others is costly and this suggests to other people that the individuals engaging in such behavior have desirable personal qualities

pluralistic ignorance and diffusion of responsibility

because none of bystanders knows for sure what is happening, each dependent the others to provide clues

negative reactions to being helped

being helped can threaten our self-esteem, make it feel like the person who is helping is superior

what does darkness encourage besides anonymity

the idea that we do not have to follow social norms

crowdfunding as a prosocial behavior

contributors will receive virtually nothing in return for their help so this is prosocial

key step #2 in deciding to help

correctly interpreting an event as an emergency - if others are acting as though nothing is wrong then due to pluralistic ignorance we will think there is no emergency

example of empathy

crying because you feel bad for your friend whose parent just died

key step #3 in deciding to help

deciding that it is your responsibility to provide help - if responsibility is not clear, people assume that anyone in a leadership role will take responsibility

key step #4 in deciding to help

deciding that you have the knowledge and/or skills to act

research about adolescents who are higher in empathic accuracy

empathic accuracy led to students responding appropriately to others and in turn lead to better relationships and social adjustment

motives for prosocial behavior

empathy-altruism hypothesis, negative-state relief, empathic joy, competitive altruism, kin selection theory, defensive helping

defensive helping

help given to members of outgroups to reduce the threat they pose to the status or distinctiveness of one's own ingroup - helping them in order to put them down

example of prosocial behavior

holding a door open for someone, helping a friend study for an exam, pulling someone out of the way of a car

cultural differences in empathic joy

it exists in all countries but in varying degrees due to individualism vs. collectivism

key step #1 in deciding to help

noticing, or failing to notice, that something unusual is happening

positive emotions and prosocial behavior

people are more willing to help a stranger when their mood has been elevated by some recent experience

competitive altruism

people help others to boost their own status and reputation

darkness and disinhibited behavior

people often engage in actions they would be reluctant to perform in broad daylight in the darkness because they feel anonymous

why social exclusion leads to a reduction in prosocial behavior

reduced feelings of empathy, a tendency to see people who rejected them as hurtful or aggressive and seeking to harm them, strong negative affect

how can a positive affect decrease prosocial behavior

sometimes being in a good mood can lead us to interpret various situations (emergencies) as not really serious

empathic concern

the feeling of concern for another person after observing and being moved by that person's needs

empathy-altruism hypothesis

the idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain - we are only motivated by the desire to help someone in need

bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

diffusion of responsibility

the tendency for individuals to feel diminished responsibility for their actions when they are surrounded by others who are acting the same way

putting an economic value on our time

to the extent that we think about helping as a loss of time that could be spent on making money for ourselves, we may be less likely to engage in prosocial behavior

social exclusion

when you are excluded from social groups

crowdfunding

a process in which entrepreneurs use the money contributed to set up and then run their companies

paying it forward

person you help may not help you, but if you are in a similar situation you could hope for and expect someone to help you

Kitty Genovese

woman whose murder in front of witnesses led to research on bystander effect

empathic accuracy

Perceiving others thoughts and feelings accurately, plays a role in social adjustment

accessible relationship

appears everywhere with little or no variation

Kitty Genovese situation

assaulted in NY, screaming for help, 38 people witnessed whole situation around apartments but NO one called police and murder came back and murdered her

functional relationship

exists when a behavior naturally produces a consequence

what is necessary for empathic joy to occur

feedback that their action's impact on the victim

elation

feelings of inspiration, uplifted, optimism

empathic joy hypothesis

helpers enjoy the positive reactions shown by others whom they help - it is crucial for the person who helps to know that his or her actions had a positive impact on the victim

reciprocal altruism

helping others with the expectation that they will probably return the favor in the future - explains why we help those we are not related to

factors that increase prosocial behavior

helping people similar to us, exposure to prosocial models, playing prosocial video games, feelings that reduce self-focus, socioeconomic status

negative emotions and prosocial behavior

if the act of helping others generates positive feelings, people in a bad mood are more likely to help as long as the negative feels are not too intense and the emergency is clear cut

exposure to prosocial models

least to an increase in helping behaviors among the remaining bystanders - even the symbolic presence of one or more helping models can increase prosocial behavior

key step #5 in deciding to help

making the final decision to provide help - can be inhibited by fears of potential negative consequences

are prosocial behavior and aggression opposites?

no - they have similar motivations, specific actions, and effects

darkness and prosocial behavior

no research but if prosocial behavior sometimes occurs cease it can be observed by others and is believed to win their approval, then darkness should reduce or eliminate this motive

effects of crowdfunding

positive - entrepreneurs acquire the funds they need to get started and the companies they start often provide jobs and contribute to economic growth

playing prosocial video games

primes prosocial thoughts and schemas, repeated exposure can generate attitudes favorable to prosocial actions - effects are both strong and lasting

deinividuation

reduced state of self-awareness that encourages impulsive behavior - when people feel anonymous, they may perform actions they would not perform under other conditions

emotional empathy

the ability to feel what the other person is experiencing in a particular situation

empathy

the capacity to be able to experience others' emotional states, feel sympathetic toward them, and take their perspective

mirror neurons in empathy

the higher an individuals capacity to experience empathy, the greater activity in mirror neuron regions

negative state relief model

the proposition that people help others in order to counteract their own negative feelings

example of competitive altruism

volunteering and publicly showcasing it in order to gain status

example of empathic joy hypothesis

wanting to help someone carry their groceries to their car so that you get that satisfying feeling when they say thank you

defensive altruism

when an outgrip achieves success that threatens the in-group, the in-group will help the outgroup so that they seem dependent on help from a "superior" group

when are men more likely to engage in prosocial behavior

when the person they are helping is a stranger or a friend, more likely to risk their own lives

if a person is similar to you, are you more likely to help them?

yes - similarity to others increases our empathic concern for them and our understanding of what they are experiencing

do people of a lower SES engage in prosocial behavior more than those of a higher SES?

yes - the less financial resources people have, the more generous they will be because they feel more dependent on others also because they have less control over their lives which leads them to form stronger connections to others to face the same situation

factors that reduce prosocial behavior

social exclusion, feelings on anonymity, putting an economic value on our time

kin selection theory

the key goal for all organisms is getting genes into the next generation of species and because we want our genes to be passed on we are more likely to help young people that we are closely related to

mirror neurons in empathy with autism

people with autism are characterized by reduced capacity to experience empathy, and individuals with autism show reduced activity in the mirror neuron system

when are women more likely to engage in prosocial behavior

when these actions involve people with whom they have personal relationships with rather than strangers

feelings that reduce focus on ourselves and prosocial behavior

when we experience awe, our concern for ourselves and our worries, can increase our tendency to help others

feelings of elation and helping others

when we see another person engaging in a kind or helpful act it can trigger elation and increases our tendency to engage in prosocial behavior

example of the negative state relief model

you had to cancel a big trip and you are very disappointed so you are more likely to help someone jump their car than if you were in a good mood