CH 9 Prosocial Behavior: Doing What's Best for Others

Why is Kitty Genovese's tragic death significant for social psychologists?

*Bystander effect* - people less likely to help when they are in the presence of others than when they are alone. -37 people watched what happened from their house windows and nobody said anything or call the police, social psychology find this interesting and maybe shows the by-standard effect has to do with peoples reaction since there were many people they probably thought someone must have called the police, some thought she was drunk.

What are norms? Why are norms important?

Are standards established by society to tell its members what types of behavior are typical or expected. - Norms that promote fairness can have an important influence on whether people contribute to the common good.

What is survivor guilt and in what situations can you expect that it will happen?

Feeling bad for having lived through a terrible experience in which many others died. -People get fired in a bad economy but you still have your job.

What is prosocial behavior?

Is defined as doing something that is good for other people or for society as a whole.

Discuss benefits and drawbacks of conformity?

Is going along with the crowd. -May be good or bad -Tends to be highest when others are watching.

What would you recommend to increase helping?

Obstacles to helping can be overcome when you -Reduce distractions -Reduce pluralistic ignorance -Reduce diffusion of responsibility -Reduce concerns about competence to help -Reduce audience inhibitions Helping can be increased by -Reduce uncertainties of obstacles -Educate others about bystander indifference -Model helpfulness

What is forgiveness? What are the effects of forgiveness?

Refers to ceasing to feel angry toward and ceasing to seek retribution against someone who has wronged you. -Forgiveness helps repair relationships by providing health benefits for both partners.

According to the research presented in the textbook, what are some conclusions in relation to forgiveness?

Research have shown that partners who forgave each other for doing something wrong were happier than other couples six months later. In contrast, earlier satisfaction with the relationship did not predict later forgiveness. This pattern of findings indicates that forgiveness leads to better relationships, not vice versa.

What is Tit-For-Tat?

Robert Axelrod once held a computer tournament designed to determine the most successful strategy for approaching the prisoner's dilemma. -the most successful strategy was loosely based on a pattern of reciprocity.

What evidence is presented in the textbook to support that we are born to reciprocate?

The sociologist Phil Kunz (1976) performed a study in which he sent 578 Christmas cards to a sample of complete strangers living in Chicago, Illinois. He received a total of 117 cards in return, as well as several phone calls—despite the fact that he did not know any of these people.

Explain the Milgram experiment in detail.

This experiment consisted in finding out whether people would in fact follow orders that might injure or kill someone. Fundamental people in this experiment was the teacher, learner, and doctor. The learner and doctors were actors (confederates), the actual participant to the experiment was the teacher who had to ask the learner a couple of questions and if the learner answer wrong which most of the time he did on purpose, the learner would get electric shocks. As more wrong questions were answered the teacher had to increase the number of volts. Some participants struggle to finish the experiment but still more than 50% went over the 450 volts just because a guy in a white suit told them so. So in conclusion participants still obey the authority.

Provide supportive evidence presented in the textbook to support the fact the people help others.

​*Empathy* Reacting to another person's emotional state by experiencing the same emotional state. -The book says you are more likely to help someone from your own genes like your parents or a sibling.

Explain the prisoner's dilemma? What is the role of communication?

​A game that forces people to choose between cooperation and competition. -Communication improves cooperation. -When communication is difficult, cooperation decreases.

What does the authors in the book mean by "sensitivity about being the target of a threatening upward comparison"?

​Interpersonal concern about the consequences of outperforming others. EXAMPLES -concern about outperforming others and having others resent you for it -"faking bad" so your friends don't become envious or feel bad because they can't be as good as you are at something.

What is obedience? How can obedience be studied?

​Is following orders from an authority figure. -Milgram's research represented obedience as a negative (negative outcome) -Without obedience, society would not function -Most of the time obedience has prosocial consequences -Obedience fosters Social acceptance Group life

What does research indicate about people who believe in a just world?

​The assumption that life is essentially fair, that people generally get what they deserve and deserve what they get. -People who hold belief in a just world will help if they think those people deserve help. EXAMPLE: "People who are in jail right now deserve to be there."

What does it mean to have an effective rule of law? What are the benefits? What are examples?

​When members of a society (including its most powerful leaders) respect and follow its rules. BENEFITS -A society in which people respect and follow the rules is said to have an effective rule of law. -Research indicates that in societies where there is an intact rule of law, people are happier. -Employees tend to help one another. EXAMPLES -Fairness and justice -Public circumstances.

What is needed for people to provide help?

*Five steps to helping* 1. Notice that something is happening 2. Interpret meaning of event -*Pluralistic ignorance:* looking to others for cues about how to behave, while they are looking to you 3. Taking responsibility for providing help -*Diffusion of responsibility:* the reduction in feeling responsible that occurs when others are present 4. Know how to help 5. Provide help

What do studies indicate in terms of people's ability to help?

*Helpful personality* people have higher levels of empathy and are more likely to endorse tolerance and equity. *Similarity* similar people, especially when the similarities are outwardly obvious, are motivated to help each other. Males are more helpful in broader public sphere, toward strangers in emergencies.

Compare and contrast underbenefited and overbenefited?

*Underbenefited* ​getting less than you deserve. -Leads to feelings of anger and resentment. *Overbenefited* ​getting more than you deserve. -Leads to guilt and depression.

Compare and contrast egotistic and altruistic helping.

*egoistic helping* ​when a helper seeks to increase his or her own welfare by helping another. *altruistic helping* ​when a helper seeks to increase another's welfare and expects nothing in return.

Compare and contrast empathy-altruism hypothesis and negative state relief theory.

*empathy-altruism hypothesis* empathy motivates people to reduce other people's distress, as by helping or comforting them. -"feeling another's pain" motivates us to help others . *negative state relief theory* the proposition that people help others in order to relieve their own distress.

What are the tradeoffs in the prisoner's dilemma?

-Choice is between cooperative response and an antagonistic response. -Choice is between what is best for one person versus what is best for everyone *Zero-sum game*: situation in which one person's gain is another's loss. *Non-zero-sum game*: an interaction in which both participants can win (or lose).

What are some examples of prosocial behavior?

-Taking your best friend to the hospital when she is sick -Stopping at red lights when driving -Patiently listening to your boss's feedback on a report that you wrote.