social psychology

Critiques of the frustration-aggression hypothesis

Aggression can also follow stimuli that do not directly block goal oriented behavior. Ex: bullying Frustration doesn't always lead to aggression.. Learned helplessness: the passive and depressive responses some people show when their goals are blocked and they believe that they have no control over their outcomes.

violent video games study

227 students- completed a measure of trait aggressiveness. reported aggressive behavior in the past, and reported video game habits- reported playing more violent video games engaged in more aggressive behavior.... correlational study confounds

video games statistics

90% of kids 2-17 years old play regularly. 85% of the most popular games contain violent crimes. majority of favorite video games reported by a sample of 4th graders were violent. - 59% of girls and 73% of boys favorite games were violent. may have stronger impact due to its interactive nature. first person shooters- players take an aggressive role.

media violence

98% of households have more than one tv. more television sets than toilets in the homes. average kid per week spends 40 hours a week consuming media. media is saturated with violence: approximately 60% of television shows contain violence. by the end of elementary school, average child has seen 10000 acts of violence and 8000 murders. 7/350 people are murdered on prime tv-population would be depleted in 50 days

Gender and aggression

99% of all people arrested for rape, 88% arrested for murder, 92% for robbery are men. Women exceed men in relational aggression. Evolutionary perspective: men were hunters and protectors, and almost exclusive the ones to engage in violent warfare. Women took care of children. High status men were much more successful than low status men in terms of reproductive success- how many offsprings. Men are socialized into different roles that differentials prioritize physical aggression.

Violent video games

A study found that participants playing the violent video game gave longer and intense burrs of white noise to their competitor than those with the golf game. Playing violent video games: 1. Increases aggressive behavior 2. Reduces prosocial behavior 3. Increases aggressive thoughts 4. Increases aggressive emotions 5. Increases blood rated and BP

reputation

- for publicity - to be liked by peers - to get a date

criticism of media violence

-direction of causality? confounds? -the majority of people dont commit violent crimes -violent games activate positive thoughts as well- achievement and mastery?

aggressive acts

-swinging a stick at someone and missing -insulting someone -hitting others in rage -in sports?

robbers cave experiment findings

1. neither difference in background nor differences in appearance nor prior histories of conflict are necessary for intergroup hostility 2. competition against outsiders increases group cohesion 3. to reduce hostility that exists between certain groups policy makers should think of ways to get them to work together to fulfill common goals.

violent video games study 2

210 students- participant either played violent video game of not violent video game. DV: the duration of noise blast gave to punish opponents. people who played violent video game gave longer more intense blasts

the robbers cave experiment

22 5th grade boys were taken to rovers cave state park- they were divided into two groups and taken to separate areas of the park the others didnt know they existed. they were brought together for a tournament- the winning team would receive a medal and highly coveted pocket knife. hurled insults at one another... internal dynamics of the group changed as they became locked into this competitive struggle: boys who were more athletic and advocated more aggressive stance became more popular. each group estimated that boys in their group had collected more beans than the other group. third and final part: devoting to assessing ways to reduce conflict between the two groups. they brought together in various noncompetitive settings- did not help. the investigators then contrived to confront the boys with a number of crises that could be resolved only through cooperative efforts of both groups. -superordinate goals- goals that could not be achieved by either group alone but achieved together. which did end the hostility.

The frustration- aggression hypothesis

Argued that the determinants of aggression is frustration- the thwarting of an individual's attempt to achieve some goal. Aggression increases in direct proposition to 1. The amount of satisfaction the person anticipates receiving from meeting the goal 2. How completely the person is prevented from achieving the goal 3. How frequently to person is blocked 4. How close the individual believes he is to achieving the goal. Ex: a confederate cuts in line to see a movie. The confederate cutting 2nd in line more aggravated than cutting 12th in line.

Social rejection and aggression

Concluding that school shooters tend to feel rejected by peers- given the many evolutionary benefits to be integrated into groups, social rejection came to activate a threat defense system, release of cortisol, defensive aggressive tendencies. Social rejection stimulates feelings of pain ex: ball-tossing paradigm. The confederates stop throwing the ball to you triggers the feelings of distress, shame, self-doubt, and a submissive, slouched posture. FMRI images revealed the region of the brain known as the anterior cingulate- processes physically painful stimuli. Acetaminophen diminishes social pain like physical pain.

Media violence

Exposure to media violence increased aggressive behavior. Ex: copycat violence- experiment watch a violent then have the opportunity to act in aggressive act. Exposure to violent porno increase the endorsement of aggression towards women. People tend to be more aggressive when they identify with the perpetrator of the act, movies that protest justified-violence. However, focusing on aesthetics less aggressive. Strong evidence for long term aggression. Men who liked watching aggressive movies at age 8, more likely to commit serious criminal acts at age 30 than men who watched low to moderate violence shows.

Weapons and violence

Guns serve as powerful cues that prime anger-related construals, making aggression more likely. People who were angry primed to think aggressive thoughts by the presence of the guns should partially aggressive towards confederate. These participants administered more shocks than those in the other groups. Only observed when they were made angry-

Violence in stepfamilies

Inclusive fitness- our own survival plus that of individuals carrying our genes. Step parents have the same cost as parents with no enhancement of their inclusive fitness-

Misperceptions

Inter group conflict and the misinformation campaigns that often foster can lead to dehumanization- the tendency to think of opponents in nonhuman terms. Often think the conflict is a fight between good and evil. These kind of construals amplify conflict and make peacemaking more difficult. Group members overestimate the differences between the two groups. A closely related tendency, group members assume that their opponents interests are the exact opposite of their own leads to reactive devaluation- the mere fact that the other side has offered a concession is enough to reduce attractiveness.

The culture of honor

Is prevalent in the US south, men in such cultures tend to be concerned about their reputations for toughness, machismos... Argued it is a culture among people who earn living by herding animals. Has to develop a tough exterior willing to stand against threat.

A neo-associationist account of aggression

It is how we interpret events that seem to have prevented us from reaching those goals. Anger related construal is the key process that makes people respond aggressively to aversive stimuli. Aversive event (pain, heat, goals blocked)-> anger (perceived injustice, thoughts of attack, elevated arousal)-> aggression (attacking physically, harming someone emotionally)

Instrumental and hostile

Many acts involve both. Ex: a football player who intentionally harms another might do so out of aggressive emotion or a variety of instrumental reasons: help his team win...

Heat

Moods and actions are closely related to the weather. Anger literally raises the temp of the body because of increased in BP. People are more violent during hot months. Why? Assigns a prominent role to attributional processes- people are aroused by the heat largely unaware source of their arousal.

moving toward a less violent world?

Pinker argues that we are enjoying one of the least aggressive, cooperative periods in human history. the world has become substantially more interconnected: our interest are more intertwined with those of people from other communities, states and nations. Globalization has made businesses multinational. This expanding interdependence has given rise to greater cooperation among nations, states, and communities has short-circuited more aggressive tendencies and given rise to greater prosocial behavior

Instrumental aggression

Refers to behavior that is intended to harm another in the service of motives other than hostility. Ex: to gain status, attract attention, acquire wealth, and advanced politically.

Hostile (emotional) aggression

Refers to behaviors motivated by feelings of anger and hostility primarily aim to harm another ex: genocides

Income inequality

Regional inequality correlates of different kind of violence. In countries characterized by high economic inequality, the average citizen is more likely to be murdered, assaulted, rapped than countries with less. Powerful feelings of social rejection felt by people at the bottom. Inequality undermines the cohesiveness of a neighborhood- the feeling of good will individuals have to one another. Inequality throws males into a competition for economic resources and access to females.

Situational determinants of aggression

Situational factors produce aggressive behavior- also a little personality. Ex: scientist have discovered that certain genes may predisposed people to aggression but these genes lead to aggressive behavior only when certain situations occur.

Rape-prone cultures

When women experience an unequal status, women are more vulnerable to patterns of negligence and violence. Rape is often used as an instrument of terror during war. Rape-prone cultures: 1. An act of war against enemy women 2. A ritual act 3. A threat against women. Rape not equal to repressed cultures. Rapeprone culture were more likely to have high levels of violence, a history of frequent warfare, and an emphasis of machismo and male toughness. Women in rape-prone cultures wee less likely to participate in education and political decisions.

social identity theory

a motivational theory that a person's self concept and self esteem derive not only from personal identity and accomplishments but also from the status and accomplishments of various groups to which the person belongs

Simplistic reasoning and rhetoric

adversaries in conflict can reason and speak to one another in relatively complex or simple fashion. This is defined by two variables: 1. the level of differentiation or number of principles and arguments in the position and 2. the level of integration or connections drawn between them. extremist on both sides are less complex in their public rhetoric than moderate liberals or conservatives. With presidents speeches using mainly simplistic rhetoric. complexity or reasoning and rhetoric may actually pave the way for more effective peacemaking.

communication and reconciliation

aftermath of aggression, the adversaries tend to stop communicating- that by simply allowing adversaries too communicate reduces levels of competition and aggression and increases the chances of finding satisfying resolutions to conflict. Process of reconciliation is a powerful tool for reducing conflict and aggression. "restorative justice" the law mediation between victims and offenders

evolutionary theory

aggression can be adaptive, organisms who successfully aggress gain resources, which gives them an advantage in the struggle for survival. necessary for reproduction (win out mate, protection). evidence: less likely to aggress against own kin, aggression among animals suggests that it has some survival value and is sex-linked

positive reinforcement

aggression produces desired outcomes

negative reinforcement

aggression stops or prevents undesirable outcomes

nonbiological nurture theory

aggressive behavior is learned, aggression can be positively and negatively reinforced.

incidental similarity study

alumni solicited for donations able to match callers by same initials, field of education, association female alumni with first names and field of study similar to the caller most likely to donate male alumni same^ Both male and female alumni with first names similar to the name of the university donated more often

biological theory

amygdala: area in the brain associated with aggressive behavior, activation occurs during aggression testosterone: so called male sex hormone is positively correlated with aggression (weak though) sex difference in aggression: men are more aggressive in any crime research on transsexuals: suggests that increases in male hormones cause an increase in anger proneness; many fail to find any increase of aggression though

the minimal group paradigm

an experimental paradigm in which researcher creates groups based on arbitrary and seemingly meaningless criteria and then examine how the members of these minimal groups are inclined to behavior towards one another. the majority of participants are interested more in maximizing relative gain for members of their ingroup than in maximizing the absolute gain for their ingroup.

benevolent racism and sexism

are ambivalent containing both negative and positive features. study found that benevolent sexism often coexists with hostile sexism. ambivalent sexist or racist attitudes are particularly resistant to change- those who hold ambivalent attitudes tend to act positively towards members of outgroups only if they fulfill their idealized image of such people should be like- happy housewife those who deviate tend to be treated with hostility

anonymous altruism

asked female participants to form an impression of another based on some information that person wrote while seated in another cubicle. In the low empathy condition, the participant was told to be objective as possible when reading the notes. In the high empathy, the participant was told to imagine vividly a possible how the other person felt. people in the high empathy condition, volunteered to spend more time with her, even when no one would know of their actions.

direct aggression

behavior aimed to hurt face-to-face physical: hitting, kicking, pushing verbal: insulting, curing, threatening

aggression

behavior intended to physically harm someone physically or psychologically -dont have to be angry -must be intended and purposeful -aimed to hurt -

situational determinants of altruism

being late, audience effects, friends present, victim characteristics

stereotypes

beliefs that certain attributes are characteristics of members of particular groups. they can be positive negative true or false..

gender differences in aggression

boys more directly aggressive- verbal and physical ex: fighting and yelling girls are more indirectly aggressive- verbal relational aggression; intended to damage relationships \ physical aggression peaks for M- 18-30, F- 11-17

social learning theory 2

by watching aggression models: people learn specific aggressive behaviors. develop more positive beliefs about aggression in general. they also construct aggressive scripts: see the world as an aggressive place. interpret unintentional behaviors as intentional. react to a wide range of situations with aggression

audience effects

bystander intervention- that is how likely it is for people to intervene in an emergency- has found people are less likely to help when other people are around. reduces the likelihood to help because of diffusion of responsibility- a reduction of sense of urgency to help someone under the assumption that others who are also observing the situation will help. study: students sat in separate cubicles discussing problems associated with urban environment... one starts having a seizure. in one group the participants were led to believe that it was just them talking to the confederate and the other groups had more people. 85% of the people who were in the two-person condition left their cubicles to help. 62% in the three person. and 31% in 6 person.

combating pluralistic ignorance

bystanders are less likely to fall prey to pluralistic ignorance when they can clearly see one another initial expressions of concern- that seeing others spontaneous emotional expressions reduces the effects of pluralistic ignorance. to improve chances of getting help: 1. make your need clear 2. select a specific person

prosocial video game studies

college either played prosocial video game or neutral video game. ex boyfriend harass other participant (confederate). 10/18 intervened prosocial group only 4/18 intervened in neutral video games participants played either prosocial game or neutral game. listed prosocial thoughts and researcher knocked over pencils- 63% helped in the prosocial group and 22% only helped in neutral group

media violence study

compared frequency of crime in reality-based police shows with actual crime rate. 13% of US crimes are violent vs 87% of crimes of police shows are violent... less than the real world

situational determinants of cooperation

competitive people create more competitive interactions and thus come to construe their counterparts as being competitive. study: shown the prisoner's dilemma game and asked what the goal was to be competitive or cooperative. and were paired up with participants.. competitors made everyone more competitive.cooperatives were fairly accurate in judgments whether they were playing against cooperative or competitive person. competitive people thought everyone was competitive. reputation-as the beliefs, evaluations and impressions about an individual's character that develop within a group. if they know the person is competitive less likely to cooperate-

origins of aggression

evolutionary theory, preprogrammed, biological factors, parental investment, nurture theory

empathy vs personal distress

experiments are set up so that egotistical motives would lead to little helping behavior. The participant is led to empathize with the person in need. If an empathic concern produces helping, even in the face of egoistic opportunities, confidently infer that there is an empathy based form of helping that is not selfishly motivated. study: asked the participant willing to sit in for the confederate taking some of this person's shocks. Those participants who mostly felt distress and could escape the situation took few shocks on behalf of the confederate. However, the participants that who felt empathic concern volunteered to take more shocks.. identified using self reports whether emphatic or not, maybe to impress the experimenter, and social rewards because experimenter knew how they acted.

aggressive objects as cues

gave participants shocks- causing them to be angry. left them in the room with shot gun and revolver and badminton rackets. Presence of weapons increases aggressive thoughts, feelings, & actions

determinant for prosocial behavior

group membership- more likely to help kin (people who share your genes) -genetic overlap is not detectable itself (unconscious) However, -physical resemblance, common interests, history of reciprocity, proximity. -reputation

realistic group conflict theory

groups sometimes confront real conflict over what are essentially economic issues. according to this theory, prejudice and discrimination often arise from competition over limited resources. ex: people in the working class felt most threatened by black more likely to exhibit anti-black prejudice. ethnocentrism develops- the other group is vilified and one own group is glorified.

desensitize study

had 39 males rank top 5 video games then were listed as violent or nonviolent gamer. then assessed trait aggressiveness. Competed against a supposed other (button pressing task), and told slower person would receive a blast of noise Set by faster person the intensity and duration of noise. Using EEG, they recorded ERP while participants viewed and rated images on happiness and arousal elicited -Exposed to neutral images (e.g., man on a bicycle) -Exposed to violent images (e.g., man holding a gun to another man's head on a subway) -Exposed to negative nonvioolent images (e.g, baby with a large tumor on her face)

NOT AGGRESSION

harming someone by accident, pushy salesperson, women who initiate, being angry

helping in ambiguous situations

helping requires the potential helper to perceive first that person is suffering and that intervention is needed. the victim's behavior provides clues- if it isnt salient less likely to help. a form of pluralistic ignorance: occurs when people are uncertain about what is happening and assume nothing is wrong. study: smoke and participants filling out questionnaire. didnt report smoke as dangerous in the pluralistic ignorance group

prosocial behavior

how helpful a person is. what situations promote this..... what mood are you in? relationship to the person.. who else is present at the scene.

desensitize study 2

hypothesis: people who have played more aggressive games will have no EEG changes with violent images. "as if view neutralizes" less reaction than nonviolent players. more violent the games the more aggressive noise blaster was.

culture of honor studies

identified people from northern and southern states- participants were told to walk down a narrow hallway to drop off form. hits a confederate who says shit... the participant then has to walk down the hallway again and another big confederate is walking towards the subject. measured testosterone levels, self-report on masculinity, and behavioral measure- how many people backed down matters if it is in a public or private place. Public- for southerners it hurts them less likely to let person walk- amped up. In the control- more likely to let person walk (southern hospitality)

indirect aggression

inflict harm without face-to-face contact ex: gossiping

emotional aggression

inflicting harm for its own sake; impulsive ex: heat of the moment killing, mob rioting

instrumental aggression

inflicting harm to gain something valuable ex: mugging, a hit man, little kid hitting for toy

situational differences in aggression

large difference over a short time scales based on -population density, -heat, -economics and other frustrations rape, family disturbances, assaults, uprisings all occur more in the summer

social learning theory

learn from the examples of others. ex: "Bobo doll" children watched adults play with toys- either hit/kicked bobo doll or played with tinker toys. the children mimick the parents. engaged in novel forms of aggression- created new forms not displayed by the parents. ran different models: live, filmed model. cartoon model- closer to reality more likely to imitate

evolutionary theory-parental investment

males invest less in offspring- can engage in more risky behaviors females invest more in their offspring- can engage in low levels of physical aggression.

boosting the status of the ingroup

might be tempted to do what we cant to boost the status of our groups and their members because social identity theory. powerful cause of ingroup favoritism: feeling better about the group leads to feel better about ourselves.

religion, ethics and altruism

most religions pride themselves in the golden rule- treat others as we would like to be treated. all religions stress compassion and the need to treat others well. study: participants were asked to generate sentences with 5 words. in the religious primed condition, the 5 words always contained a word with religious meaning. in the neutral had no religious words. then participants were given 10 dollars and were asked to give some amount away to stranger. people who were primed with religious concepts were more than 4 times likely to treat a stranger as an equal by giving half the money to stranger (52% vs 12%) even secular treatments that focus on cooperative societies produce same effect.

discrimination

negative or harmful behavior directed towards members of a particular group. it involves unfair treatment of others- treatment based not on their character or abilities but their membership stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination often go hand and hand but can occur without. ingroup favoritism can arise in the absence of outgroup enmity.

how might media violence might affect behavior?

new information give you new ideas- illustrates how to perform violent acts. give the perception that the world is a violent place- more aggressive schemas in mind. desensitizes people to violence and removes normal inhibitions against aggression.

modern racism

old fashion racism has largely disappeared in the US but has been supplanted by a subtler more modern counterpart. one example of the shift is modern racism- prejudice directed at other racial groups that exists along side rejection of explicitly racist beliefs. People have strong egalitarian views however harbor unacknowledged negative feelings and attitudes towards minority groups that stem from ingroup favortisim and desire to maintain status quo. study: a participant was either in the position to help a white or black man in need of medical assistance. If they thought they were the only ones to help- then helped the black person more than the white victim and if other people were present less likely to help black person.

kin selection

one evolutionary explanation for altruism based on kin selection- the tendency for natural selection to favor behaviors that increase the chances of survival for genetic relatives. people should be more likely to help those who share more of their genes. mockingbirds have been observed to more likely to feed hungry nestlings that are not their own but that are closely related. ground squirrels when sense a predator- warn away relative or neighbor. people are more willingly to help closely related individuals.

construal processes and cooperation

participated in a prisoner dilemma task but before doing so the participants were subliminally primed with one of two different sets of stimulus words. one group got flash hostile words, list neutral words 84% of people exposed to hostile words defected on a majority of the trials while only 55% of participants with neutral words- the competitive and aggressive images we see in the media may foster more competitive society. study: tested the power of labels- people were either told the prisoners dilemma game was either a wall street game or community game. those playing the community game cooperated on the opening round twice as much as the wall street game.

victim characterisitcs

people are most likely to help when the harm to the victim is clear and the need is unambiguous. The greater the costs associated with helping, studies reveal, the less likely people are to act altruistically. study: The researchers believed that the bystanders would find it more costly to help the bleeding victim who would likely expose the helper to greater trauma and might require greater medical care... less likely to receive help on 65% of the time women tend to receive more help than men. More attractive women and women dressed in conventionally feminine attire tend to receive more help by bystanders. this is because: women fit the stereotype of being dependent and helpless, possibility of romantic involvement later. More likely to help similar others- including those from their own racial and ethnic group.

incidental similarity study 2

people are motivated to distance themselves from negative targets associated with them. people who shared an initial with the hurricane felt more guilty- game more to relief efforts.

altruism in urban and rural settings

people in rural areas report higher levels of empathic concern. strangers significantly more likely to be helped in rural communities than in urban areas. after a town of 50,000 there is little effect on increasing population. more likely to help: correct ovverpayment, help injured pedestrian, help lost child, tell your name, give donation the participant current setting was am much stronger prediction of helping behavior than the person's rural or urban background. attributed to the amount of stimulus overload- also diversity hypothesis- more likely to encounter someone similar to yourself in rural environment, more people there to help in urban areas

meta analysis of violent video games

people were more aggressive, less helpful, more hostile thoughts and affects, and increased arousal the effect size is large .4 smoking .3 video games and violence

measuring attitudes about groups

public opinion polls frequently ask respondents about their attitudes toward members of other groups. a number of systematic attitudes scales have been developed for this purpose. However, many people may be unwilling or unable to express their convictions accurately. social psychologist have employed a number of physiological measures of prejudice and stereotyping and have developed some widely used indirect measures

preprogrammed for aggression?

rats raised in isolation attack new rats introduced to the cage

reciprocity

reciprocal altruism- then tendency to help other individuals with the same expectation that they will be likely to help in return at some other time. this reduces the likelihood of dangerous conflict, helps overcome problems arising from scare resources, and offers a basis for individuals to form alliances and constrain more dominant individuals. study: sent Christmas cards to numerous of complete stranger - about 20% reciprocated with their own.

prejudice

refers to an attitudinal and affective response towards a certain group and its individual members. involves prejudging others because they belong to a certain category.

genetic predisposition to help?

sampled twins identical and fraternal who ranged from 25 to 74. looked at volunteer hours per month. there is a genetic influence for females but lower than environment

social class and altruism

social class shapes the neighborhood you grow up in, the kind of schools you attend, the clubs your parents belong to, the food you eat... measure social class: your family wealth, the educational level that you and your parents attain, and the prestige of your work and that of your partners. Turns out people who have less give more relatively to their incomes. relative scarcity of resources leads lower-class individuals to be empathically attuned to others. more likely act in a prosocial fashion. when upper class are made to feel compassion respond in same prosocial fashion as lower class

cultural differences in aggression

southern states have higher homicide rates than in the north. -bathroom brawls, and lover's triangles... but not with other crimes anthropologist argues that a culture of honor develops when little centralized authority (police). males become more concern with reputation and honor.

evolution and cooperation tit-for-tat

study conducted the evolutionary origins of cooperation: ran a tournament in which players- academics, mathematics, computer hackers, and common folk were invited to submit computer programs that specified what choices to make on a round of prisoners dilemma- the winner was a tit-for-tat strategy: it cooperates on the first round and there after the individual mimics the other person's behavior.. 1. it is cooperative encourages mutually supportive action 2. it is not envious- person using this strategy can do some extremely well without competitive behavior 3. not exploitable- not blindly prosocial 4. forgives- 5. is easy to read- should not take long for others to know that the tit-for-tat is being played.

culture and cooperation

study: cornell undergraduates who were majoring in economics and in a variety of other disciplines participated in a single trial prisoner's dilemma- 72% of economics major defected, while 47% of other majors did. the subcultures that people are immersed in appears to powerfully influence their inclination to cooperate with other or look out for themselves. study: recruited individuals from 15 different society to play the ultimatum game... how much the individual in a culture needed to collaborate with others to gather resources to survival- the more dependency the more they offered to allocators. interdependence increases peoples cooperation and generocity

physiological indicators of empathy

study: videotaped of women and her children who been in an accident to second graders, 5th graders, and college students. There facial expressions where recorded on video tape and continuous measures of heart rate. after watching the video, the participants were given the opportunity to help by taking homework to the recovering children during recess. Both children and college students who felt sympathy and concern in response to accident victims showed eyebrows that were pulled in and upwards, a concerned gaze, a heart rate deceleration

modern racism 2

study: white participants evaluated white and black applicants to college. when the applicant excelled on certain dimensions and were below average on others: the prejudice participants rated the black applicants less favorable than did the unprejudiced participants when prejudice is sufficiently strong- opposite result sometimes observed: bias directed at in group. study: read that some college admissions are known to be biased- when they looked at the black applicants they rated them more favorably than they rated comparable white applicants

good Samaritan

subtle situational factors such as whether you are on time or late, powerfully determines whether you will help someone. the topic of the talk had no statistically significant effect- seminary students that were not in a hurry were more than 6 times as likely to stop and attend to the suffering men as those who were in a hurry to give a talk.

empathetic concern: a case of pure altruism?

that in any altruistic action, several motives are likely in play: 1. social rewards motive: those motivated by social rewards act altruistically with an eye toward how it will look to others. 2. personal distress motive: people are motivated to help others in need in order to reduce their own distress. studies have shown when we watch someone else experience pain, the pain regions of the brain are activated. The resulting feelings lead us to act in ways that return us to a more peaceful state.3. empathic concern: the feeling people experience when identifying with the person in need, accompanied by the intention to enhance the other person's welfare.

IAT

the implicit association test:a series of words and or pictures are presented on a computer screen and the respondent is told to press a key with the left hand if the picture or word conforms to a rule and another key with right hand if conforms to another rule. argued that respondents would be faster to press one key for members of particular group and words stereotypically associated with that group. have shown that both young and older individuals show a pronounced prejudice in favor of the young over the old, and about two thirds of white respondents show a strong to moderate prejudice for white over black. about half of black respondents show some prejudice towards white. There is evidence that IAT responses to correlate with other measures of prejudice

evaluating the economic perspective

the successful integration in the military makes perfect sense in light of the lessons learned from robbers cave experiment. the whole purpose is to be ready to defend the US against a common enemy. what about college? the conditions of intergroup contact not as favorable in the classroom as they are on the battlefield. few feel a cooperative bond towards classmates. many students segregate themselves exclusively with other members of their own race or ethnic group

basking in reflected glory

the tendency to identify with a winning team. study: people wore the school colors significantly more often following a victory than after a defeat. also more likely to use first pronouns. as social identity theory predicts: the triumphs and the failing of the groups which we affiliate with affect our self esteem- use ingroup identity to bolster SE

in the presence of friends

those participants who had been exposed to their close friends name felt more empathic concern for the confederate when they were doing the unpleasant tasks than participants who were exposed to the other names. more likely to volunteer to hold spider.

altruism

unselfish behavior that benefits others without regard for the self.

priming and implicit prejudice

used priming- mental activation to measure prejudices. an implicit measure of prejudice can be derived by comparing a person's average reaction time to a positive and negative words preceded by faces of members of the target category.

prisoner's dilemma game

ushered into a small cubicle and are informed that here is another participant in a cubicle nearby. both you and the participant are required to make a simple decision- independently, you must choose to cooperate with each other. if yall both cooperate you get 5 dollars if not yall get 2. if one cooperates and the other defects than the defector gets 8 and the cooperator gets none. although game may seem sterile and artificial on the surface, it captures a great deal of real-world choice between cooperation and competition.

empathic concern and volunteerism

volunteerism- nonmonetary assistance that people provide with no expectation of receiving any compensation. Found that feelings of empathetic concern also predict the likelihood of volunteering. Volunteerism is good for you health- volunteerism increases longevity- people who gave more to other individuals were less likely to die during the 5 years better to give than receive. predictors of altruism: altruism and compassion were highly valued at homes, central theme in the books they read and teachings, invoked as an important ethical principle.