Social Behavior Overview

Prosocial behavior

Action intended to benefit another, can be motivated by external or internal rewards

Managing self-image

Prosocial behavior enhancing self-esteem, predictor for continuing to volunteer

Awareness of helping norm

Children starting at ages 6-9, help only if an adult is present

Explicit Prejudice

Conscious generalized negative attitudes towards a group

Group diversity

Productive groups have complementary members

Groupthink

Desire for group harmony over critical evaluation

Institutional discrimination

Discrimination embedded in social institutions

Diffusion of responsibility

Each group member diluting personal responsibility by spreading it among others

Cultural differences in willingness to ask for help

East Asians less likely to seek social support or mental health help

Minority Influence

Effect of a smaller group on the larger group

Empathy-altruism hypothesis

Empathy leading to altruistic behavior, empathic concern for a needy other

Familiarity

Encountering someone frequently

Stereotype threat

Fear of confirming negative stereotypes about one's group

Gaining status and approval

Generosity enhancing status, positive correlation with Socioeconomic Status

Group polarization

Group decisions becoming more extreme through discussion

Age differences in willingness to ask for help

Help-seeking drops at ages 7-8 and 60

Reciprocal aid

Helping in return for prior help

Arousal/cost-reward model

Helping more likely with strong arousal, connection to victim, and small costs

Reciprocity norm

Helping others who have helped us

Desire for approval

Higher need for approval linked to donating more money in public

Social identity theory

Identity influenced by group memberships

Social trap

Immediate rewards leading to long-term negative outcomes

Self-esteem differences in willingness to ask for help

Impact of self-esteem on seeking help

Prisoner's dilemma

Individual and group interests may conflict

Labeling

Inducing compliance by labeling in line with a request

Personal norms

Internalized beliefs forming inner standards for behavior

Ingroup bias

Preference for ingroup members over outgroup members

Social facilitation

Presence of others enhances performance on mastered tasks

Similarity

Looking like us, having similar personalities

Deindividuation

Loss of individual identity leading to uninhibited behavior

Individualist

Maximizes personal gains without group consideration

Inclusive fitness

Measure of success in passing on genes directly or indirectly by assisting relatives

Implicit Association Test

Measures strength of mental link between concepts

Sex differences in willingness to ask for help

Men seek less help compared to women

Jigsaw classroom

Method to address racial tension in mixed-race groups

Feeling Thermometer Scale

Method to measure explicit prejudice

Pluralistic ignorance

Misperceiving beliefs of others due to inconsistent actions

Tragedy of the Commons

Overuse of shared resources leading to depletion

Altruist

Prioritizes group benefits over personal gain

Social loafing

Reduced effort when working in a group

Command-and-control policy

Regulation using punishment for compliance

Social responsibility norm

Responsibility to help those in need, children aware between 6-9

Social dilemma

Selfish choice benefits individual, harms the group

Pure altruism

Special type of prosocial behavior not motivated by a reward

Bystander effect

Tendency to be less likely to help in an emergency with other onlookers present

Majority influence

Tendency to conform to the majority opinion

Outgroup homogeneity effect

Tendency to overestimate similarity within outgroups

Group selection

Traits benefiting the group selected for, regardless of individual fitness

Sexual selection

Traits making us more attractive likely to be passed on

Implicit Prejudice

Unconscious generalized negative attitudes towards a group

Misperceptions of others' willingness/feelings

Underestimating others' willingness to help, overestimating unpleasantness

Mood management hypothesis

Using helping to manage moods tactically

Cooperator

Works together for joint self and group benefits