Social Psychology Chapter 9

Empathy

Ability to experience other people's emotions, feel sympathy for them, and take their perspective. Three components;Emotional aspect, Cognitive component, and Empathic concern

Mirror Neurons

Allow us to feel what others are feeling Higher capacity to experience empathy

Diffusion of responsibility

Assume other people will do something when in a large crowd

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

Prosocial behavior

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

Kin Selection Theory

Evolutionary perspective - goal is gene propagation More likely to help people we're related to than unrelated others

Group Selection

Groups with altruistic members are more likely to survive

Negative State Relief

Helping reduces our own negative emotions Witnessing others' suffering makes us feel bad

People would be less likely to help others.

If people help in order to receive praise from others, then what would be expected under cover of darkness?

model

In an emergency, a helpful bystander can increase the helpfulness of others because the bystander serves as a social ________.

Kin selection theory

In general, we are more likely to help those whom we are closely related than others. Which of the following offers support for this?

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

a prosocial

Jenny, a 5-year-old child, may be MOST likely to exhibit helping behavior after playing ________ video game.

Overlap between Prosocial Behavior and Aggression

Motivation - Both often to boost status Actions - Some of both involve hurting others Effects - Sometimes both hurt others

Decisions Involved in Helping

Noticing something unusual is happening, correctly interpreting an emergency, deciding it's your responsibility to help, deciding you have the knowledge/skills to help, making the decision to provide help

Does altruism exist? Debate

One perspective - even when we get nothing physical in return, we still feel good This is a benefit - not altruism Other perspective - if you don't get anything physical in return, it's altruism Feeling good isn't a benefit

Empathic Joy

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

social

People who feel isolated from a particular group are experiencing ________ exclusion.

Factors that Decrease Prosocial Behavior

Social exclusion, darkness and time

Crowdfunding

Solicit money from others, use it for various purposes

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

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

motivated solely by the desire to help someone in need

The empathy-altruism hypothesis suggests that at least some prosocial behavior is ________.

taking another's perspective; sympathizing with another person

Two aspects of empathy are ________ and ________.

Competitive Altruism

We help because it boosts our own status and reputation

Mirror neurons

Which inherent neurological system allows most people to experience what others are experiencing automatically?

They have overlapping features.

Which of the following best describes prosocial behavior and aggression?

Being in a good mood can lead us to interpret emergency situations as not really serious.

Which of the following explains why a positive mood can decrease the probability of responding in prosocial ways?

Bystander Effect

individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. Ex. No one calling the police for Kitty Genovese