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
