Module 8: Prosocial Behavior
Make the distinction between egoistic and altruistic motives for helping behavior and recognize examples of each
Egoistic motives are when you help someone to enhance our own welfare and self gratification. Altruistic motives are when you help someone with the unselfish desire to enhance someone else's welfare. They use Perspective Taking and view the world in the eyes of another person.
Thoroughly explain Latane and Darley's model of Decision making as applied to helping in emergency situations, and the social psychological "short circuits" that interfere with that process
Emergency Situation Process -Notice the event -Interpret as emergency -Assume responsibility to act -Decide to help -Act on decision Short Circuits -Social Influence (use other people as information, look to others and see what they are doing) -Diffusion of responsibility -Audience Inhibition (fear of how others will judge you)
Discuss any personality differences that account for helping behavior
People with Altruistic personalities are more likely to help because they help others for the sake of helping them.
Explain how situational factors such as time constraints and the physical place might influence when people are likely to help
Situational factors include time and place. Time- people are most likely to help when they have time to help. In a study, 63% stopped to help when they were ahead of time. This dropped to 10% when people were a few minutes late. Place -Physical place has a stimulus overload: loud, crowded, crime
Compare and contrast the empathy altruism hypothesis and the negative state relief model, as well as be able to understand and apply the empirical evidence that supports each theoretical model
The Empathy Altruism Hypothesis is when the empathetic concern for someone who needs help creates an altruistic concern (Altruistic Motivation). The Negative State Relief Model suggests that we only help people to reduce our personal affect and make ourselves feel better (Egoistic Motivation).
Discuss the evolutionary explanation for helping behavior, to include the concepts of kin selection and reciprocal helping
The evolutionary explanation for helping behavior is based on the protection of species and race. The concept of kin selection is the idea that we are motivated to promoting survival of those who share our genetic make up, even at the risk of own demise. Reciprocal helping is our predisposition to help others because of the expectation that somewhere down the road that behavior will be reciprocated.
Discuss the four social norms that might influence our helping behavior, to include the norm of social responsibility, the norm of reciprocity, the norm of justice, and the norm of equity. Further, appreciate which of those norms are based on moral values and which are based on fairness.
The four social norms are based on Moral values and Fairness. The two moral values are norm of social responsibility and justice. -Social Responsibility is when you feel you should help people who are unable to help themselves -Justice is when you feel you should help good people who have had bad things happen to them The two fairness norms are norm of reciprocity and equity. -Reciprocity is when you feel you should help people who have helped you -Equity is when you feel well benefited people should help the under benefited people
Discuss how gender differences might affect helping behavior
There is no gender difference influencing helping behavior. Women are more nurturing and men are more protective. Men are more likely to help if - the person in need is a woman -there are people around to publicly observe -there is an element of danger
Understand the bystander effect
When people do not help a victim, the larger the crowd, it is less likely someone will step forward to help
