Ch. 9

What explanation did Bibb Latane and John Darley give for Kitty Genovese's murder in Queens New York City?

Diffusion of responsibility

What questions do people consider in deciding whether they should take responsibility for helping another person?

Do they deserve it? Expertise or competency to help? Do other bystanders share the responsibility? Noticing that something has happened Interpreting the event as an emergency Assuming personal responsibility

What term refers to the idea that human behavior is motivated by self-interest?

Egoism

What term refers to an emotional response that is oriented toward another person and involves concern for that person's welfare?

Empathetic concern

What is the telltale sign of altruism according to Daniel Batson?

Empathy

How does empathy differ from a social norm?

Empathy is the ability to understand the feelings of another person Act according to social norms because it is the expected behavior

What explains the anti-American attitudes of people living in countries that receive foreign aid from the United States?

Equity theory Countries are not able to give back the help that they receive

What theory best explains the research findings on bad moods and helping behavior?

Negative state relief model

What theory suggests that people will help someone else if they believe it will alleviate their own suffering?

Negative state relief model

What social norm tells us that we should help people who are dependent on us.

Norm of responsibility

What did Paul Amato's research on the helping behavior of 55 Australian communities show?

People in small towns are more likely to offer assistance than those in larger cities

To what does Isen's phrase "warm glow of success" refer?

People who feel good due to success are more generous and helpful than those who feel bad.

What is the defining trait of altruism according to Auguste Comte?

Selflessness or unselfish regard for the welfare of others

How does Eisenberg's model of prosocial moral reasoning resemble Kohlberg's model of moral development?

Similar Both involve stages Go from egocentrism of infants to the interpersonal orientation of adults Ability to take the perspective of others in both models

What theory suggests that no act is truly altruistic?

Social exchange theory

What term refers to socially constructed expectations for how we ought to act?

Social norms

What term did Latane and Darley use to explain the fact that 38 people saw the attack on Kitty Genovese but failed to act?

The Bystander Effect/diffusion of responsibility

What did Alice Isen's and Paula Levin's research with shoppers who found money in a public telephone booth show?

Those who found the money were more likely to help people later because they felt guilty

What theory explains the notion of unwelcome help?

Threat-to-self-esteem model

Who coined the term altruism?

Auguste Comte

What according to Georg Simmel contributes to the anonymity of matter-of-fact attitudes in metropolitan relationships?

Blasé attitude because of the intense stimulation of the city

In a crisis situation where many people are present individuals tend to assume that someone else will take responsibility. What term did Latane and Darley use to refer to this phenomenon?

Bystander effect

According to the negative state relief model the deciding factor in whether we help someone else is whether that will improve our own mood. This argument is consistent with what perspective on helping behavior?

Egoistic

Why are people motivated to help according to Batson's empathy-altruism model of helping behavior?

Egoistic motivation or altruistic motivation

What is the relationship between helping others and guilt? How do social psychologists explain this relationship?

Feeling guilty makes people more inclined to help others When a person is responsible for hurting someone else, they will take an opportunity to balance the scales Relates to acts of altruism so that even when they are not directed at the harmed person, they reduce a person's guilt

What does research on the norm of reciprocity show?

Golden rule and we do normally reciprocate especially if we anticipate future interaction with the person

What did Alice Isen's research on moods and helping behavior show?

Good moods have a positive effect on helping but bad moods aren't predictable. People led to believe they were successful on a test were more generous but those in a bad mood wouldn't help anyone if it exceeded their benefits.

What conclusion can we draw from research on the relationship between moods and helping behavior?

Good moods make us more likely to help Bad moods sometimes make us less sometimes more likely to help Guilt usually motivates us to help

Describe the kind of person who would be most susceptible to threats to their self-esteem.

High achieving individuals who place great value on their autonomy

What did the results of John Darley's and Daniel Baton's experiment with students from the Princeton Theological Seminary show?

If they were not in a hurry they would help. Reading the Good Samaritan parable beforehand made no difference in helping the injured man.

What might explain the research that shows a positive relationship between good moods and the tendency to help others?

Increases tendency to recall positive memories Good mood leads to optimism People like to stay in good moods and helping does that Leads people to expect the best possible outcome for an event or action

Identify three social norms that invoke rules of fairness.

Norm of reciprocity/"Golden rule" Norm of fairness Norm of equity (thinking we should get and receive the same amount in an interaction)

What does the "Good Samaritan" law illustrate?

Oblige people to give reasonable assistance to those who are injured ill or otherwise incapacitated In all cases protecting people who help against legal action Intended to reduce the bystander's hesitation to assist

Explain the threat-to-self-esteem model.

Offers of assistance can conflict with other important social norms When an offer of assistance collides with these internalized norms it can threaten a person's self-esteem If the giver somehow suggests that the relative inferiority or dependence of the recipient it sends a negative message that threatens self-esteem

The term, altruism, is rooted in the Latin word, alter. What does this mean?

Other

What did Hearold's review of the research on the impact of television programs with prosocial themes show?

Positive impact of helpful themes was far greater than the negative impact of antisocial themes

What did the experiment that manipulated subjects' guilty feelings about lying about their knowledge about the correct answers on a multiple-choice test show?

Respondents who had lied about knowing the answers (when a confederate told them the answers) then they were more likely to help the experimenter when they were asked if they will help score some questionnaires for them

Why might the Protestant work ethic cause someone to reject badly needed assistance?

Stresses the value of self-reliance and independence

Identify three factors that research shows is associated with helping others.

Time Presence of others Size of place Moods and emotions Guilt

What did Joan Miller's study of cross-cultural differences in perceptions of social responsibility show?

USA vs. India USA emphasizes individuality and in India their Hindu culture emphasizes interdependence Both countries felt a moral obligation to help in situations of extreme need Indians always felt a social responsibility to help regardless of the role of others or magnitude of need Americans were less likely to feel moral obligation to help under conditions of moderate or low need

In the United States

everyday behavior is guided by many rules. Which rules could threaten a person's self-esteem if someone else offered to help them?, Norms of fairness and equity Protestant work ethic Rule of unwelcome help

What does research on prosocial behavior show?

People are more likely to be helpful when rewarded instead of punishedChildren can learn from social behavior by observation