Social Psychology Chapter 9- Prosocial Behavior

Kitty Genovese

-Young woman assaulted and killed in the street in NYC -Neighbors all around but not one called the police

What role does empathy play in negative state relief?

Empathy isn't necessary in this case

Perspective on Altruisms: Altruism

Other perspective - if you don't get anything physical in return, it's altruism -Feeling good isn't a benefit

How do our brains effect empathy?

Our brains have a neural foundation for empathy

Elation

feeling inspired, uplifted, or optimistic about human nature

What is the evolutionary perspective regarding the kin selection theory?

goal is gene propagation

What does kin selection theory depend on?

how closely related

Similarity in the effects of aggression and prosocial behavior

Sometimes both hurt others

Why helping boost our status?

-Helping is costly -Signals that we're helpful to have around *Especially when helping involves public recognition

How does elation effect prosocial behavior?

-Increases likelihood of engaging in prosocial behavior -Seeing others help leads us to want to help

Perspective on Altruisms: Benefit

-One perspective - even when we get nothing physical in return, we still feel good -This is a benefit - not altruism

Empathic Joy

-Others feel good when we help them, we like their positive reactions -Necessary for us to know helping had a positive impact

How can negative emotions increase helping behavior?

-Helping others can make us feel good and improve mood only when negative emotions: *aren't too intense *the emergency is clear and not ambiguous *helping act is interesting and rewarding

Factors discouraging empathy

-Others' suffering -Costs of experiencing empathy

How do POSITIVE emotions effect prosocial behavior?

-People more likely to help when they're in a good mood -Mood elevated by some experience

Factors encouraging empathy

-Positive affect -Desire for affiliation -Social desirability

Factors that DECREASE Prosocial Behavior

-Social Exclusion -Darkness -Time

How can positive emotions decrease helping behavior?

-Less likely to interpret situations as emergencies -Helping in a serious situation reduces good mood

Who are you more likely to help in kin selection theory?

-More likely to help young relatives -But we do help non-relatives also

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

Darley & Latane (1968)

-During experiment where people were communicating via an intercom, a student had a seizure -Believed there were different numbers of people on the intercom line -Only bystander, one of two bystanders, one of five bystanders -More bystanders = less likely to help

Men as agentic

-Connect with large groups -Just as likely to help strangers as they are friends

Women as communal

-Connect with others in interpersonal relationships -More likely to help those they have a close relationship with

Factors effecting whether people help or not

-Decisions made very quickly -Might be more likely to help when others are around if can see each other directly -Hard to interpret emergency situations (have to figure out whats going on and what to do about it)

Gender Differences in Prosocial Behavior

-Don't differ overall, but differ in terms of situations -Women are more communal -Men are more agentic

Prosocial Behavior

-Efforts to help others -Usually with no immediate benefit to the helper

What are the three components of empathy?

1. Emotional aspect 2. Cognitive component 3. Empathic concern

Empathy

Ability to experience other people's emotions, feel sympathy for them, and take their perspective

5 Decisions Involved in Helping

1. Noticing something unusual is happening 2. Correctly interpreting an emergency 3. Deciding it's your responsibility to help 4. Deciding you have the knowledge/skills to help 5. Making the decision to provide help

Mirror Neurons

Allow us to feel what others are feeling

Diffusion of Responsibility

Assume other people will do something when in a large crowd

Similarity in the motivation for aggression and prosocial behavior

Both often to boost status

How does the location from which negative feelings were elicited effect negative state relief?

Doesn't matter whether negative emotions were elicited by incident or something else

How do NEGATIVE emotions effect prosocial behavior?

Negative moods tend to decrease helping

What does higher capacity to experience empathy lead to?

Greater activity in brain regions with mirror neurons

Group Selection

Groups with altruistic members are more likely to survive

Negative State Relief

Helping reduces our own negative emotions

Why do humans teach altruism?

Humans teach altruism (religion, ethics) to combat our selfish impulses

Is empathy automatic?

No

Defensive Helping

Ingroups vs. Outgroups -Outgroups sometimes succeed in ways that threaten the ingroup's sense of superiority -Help the outgroup to make them seem dependent (and consequently inadequate) -Goal isn't to help, but to take away status

Is there safety in numbers?

No

Kin Selection Theory

More likely to help people we're related to than unrelated others

Crowdfunding

Solicit money from others, use it for various purposes

Similarity in the action of aggression and prosocial behavior

Some of both involve hurting others

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

Some prosocial acts are motivated just by the desire to help someone in need

Examples of crowdfunding

Things like GoFundMe, Kickstarter, YouCaring, Fundraiser, etc.

Competitive Altruism

We help because it boosts our own status and reputation

How do our feelings motivate us to help others?

We help because we feel others' negative feelings and want to reduce them

How do we respond to witnessing others' suffering?

Witnessing others' suffering makes us feel bad

Reciprocal Altruism Theory

help other people because helping is usually reciprocated