Social Psychology Chapter 11: Prosocial Behavior

altruism

the desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the helper

Religion

-_______________ helps to develop social bonds- which can lead to helping behavior among those in your in-group/with your same beliefs -People who attend religious services REPORT than they give more money to charity and engage in volunteer work -Religious people are more likely to help in situations that make them look good to themselves or others -They are not more likely to help in private situations in which no one knows that they helped

urban overload hypothesis

-According to ____________ ___________ ___________________, if you put urban dwellers in a calmer, less stimulating environment, they would be as likely as anyone else to reach out to others. -Research has supported the ___________ ___________ _________________ more than the idea that living in cities makes people less altruistic by nature. -A review of dozens of studies found that when an opportunity for helping arises, it matters more whether the incident occurs in a rural or urban area than where the witnesses grew up. (same word*)

Egoistic Alternatives:

-Empathy encourages helping because of concern about the costs to the self of not helping -Empathy highlights the potential rewards for helping others -The helper experiences empathic joy by helping another person

Deciding to Implement Help

-Even if you know exactly what kind of help is appropriate, there are still reasons why you might decide not to intervene: -You might not be qualified to deliver the right kind of help. -You might be afraid of: Making a fool of yourself Doing the wrong thing or Placing yourself in danger

Negative-State Relief:

-Feel Bad, Do Good -One kind of bad mood clearly leads to an increase in helping—feeling guilty. -People often act on the idea that good deeds cancel out bad deeds. -Since feeling happy leads to greater helping, it might seem that sadness would decrease it. -Surprisingly, sadness can also lead to an increase in helping, at least under certain conditions. -When sad, people are motivated to do things that make them feel better. To the extent that helping is rewarding, it can lift us out of "feeling blue."

Effects of Positive Moods:

-Feel Good, Do Good -84% of people who found coins a researcher left in mall pay phone slots helped a man pick up papers -Only 4% of those who did not find coins helped. -When people are in a good mood, they are more helpful in a variety of ways.

Western

-In _______________ cultures, the male sex role includes being chivalrous and heroic -Females are expected to be nurturing and caring and to value close, long-term relationships

interdependent

-In many ____________________ cultures, the needs of in-group members are considered more important -Thus to be helped by other people, it is important that they view you as a member of their in-group—as "one of them"

norms

-In virtually all cultures, _________ prescribe different traits and behaviors for males and females. -We learn these as young boys and girls.

Residential Mobility:

-It is not only where you live that matters, but how often you have moved from one place to another. -People who have lived for a long time in one place are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors that help the community.

Burstein & Colleagues (1994) Findings

-Kin are helped more than non-kin, especially in life-or-death situations -Females are helped more than males, except elderly females (post- menopausal) -Young are helped more than old -Healthy relatives helped more than non-healthy in life-or-death situations -In life-or-death helping, relatedness matters (this assures that our genes will continue) -In everyday helping, we may be guided more by social norms and moral rules (e.g., "help the sick")

Potential costs of helping:

-Physical danger -Pain -Embarrassment -Time -Basically, social exchange theory argues that true altruism, in which people help even when doing so is costly to themselves, does not exist. People help when the benefits outweigh the costs.

increasing the likelihood that bystanders will intervene

-Simply being aware of the barriers to helping in an emergency can increase people's chances of overcoming those barriers. -People who know about bystander effects can realize that if they don't act, perhaps no one will.

Norm of Reciprocity

-The expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future. -"I will help you now, with the agreement that when I need help, you will return the favor." -Reciprocity = survival value

Kin Selection

-The idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection. -People can increase the chances that their genes will be passed along not only by having children but also by ensuring that their genetic relatives have children. -Thus natural selection should favor altruistic acts directed toward genetic relatives.

emergency

-The next determinant of helping is whether the bystander interprets the event as an _____________—as a situation where help is needed. -If people assume that nothing is wrong when an emergency is taking place, they will not help. -When other bystanders are present, people are more likely to assume that an _____________ is something innocuous. (same word*)

Potential rewards of helping:

-The norm of reciprocity can increase the likelihood that someone will help us in return. -Helping someone is an investment in the future, the social exchange being that someday, someone will help us when we need it. -Helping can also relieve the personal distress of a bystander. -By helping others, we can also gain such rewards as social approval from others and increased feelings of self-worth.

Altruistic Personality

-The qualities that cause an individual to help others in a wide variety of situations. -Surprisingly, studies of both children and adults indicate that people with high scores on personality tests of altruism are not much more likely to help than those with lower scores.

Social exchange theory

-argues that much of what we do stems from the desire to maximize our rewards and minimize our costs. -assumes that people in their relationships with others try to maximize the ratio of social rewards to social costs.

Living for a long time in one place leads to:

-greater attachment to the community -more interdependence with neighbors -greater concern with one's reputation in the community

Being in a good mood can increase helping for 3 reasons:

1. Good moods make us look on the bright side of life. 2. Helping others can prolong our good mood. 3. Good moods increase self-attention (and we behave in accordance with our beliefs and values).

produce offspring

Any gene that furthers our survival and increases the probability that we will _______________ _________________ is likely to be passed on from generation to generation

Out-Group

Any group with which an individual does not identify.

Plurialistic Ignorance

Bystanders' assuming that nothing is wrong in an emergency because no one else looks concerned.

evolutionary theory

Darwin realized early on that there was a problem with _________________ _________________: How can it explain altruism? -If people's overriding goal is to ensure their own survival, why would they ever help others at a cost to themselves? -Genes promoting selfish behavior should be more likely to be passed on—or should they?

life-threatening diseases

Genes that lower our chances of survival, such as those causing _______-_________________ _____________, reduce the chances that we will produce offspring and thus are less likely to be passed on

small towns

Helping has been found to be more prevalent in ________ _________ in several countries, including the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, Turkey, Great Britain, and the Sudan.

Evolutionary Theory:

Helping is an instinctive reaction to promote the welfare of those who are genetically similar to us (one of three potential motives for altruism)

more likely

People in all cultures are ________ ________ to help anyone they define as a member of their in-group than those they perceive in out-groups.

Empathy

The ability to put oneself in the shoes of another person and to experience events and emotions (e.g., joy and sadness) the way that person experiences them.

Bystander Effect

The greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help the victim.

In-Group

The group with which an individual identifies as a member.

Negative-State Relief Hypothesis:

The idea that people help in order to alleviate their own sadness and distress.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

The idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person purely for altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain.

Diffusion of Responsibilty

The phenomenon whereby each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases.

Social Exchange Theory:

The rewards of helping often outweigh the costs, so helping is in our best interest (one of three potential motives for altruism)

Urban Overload Hypothesis

The theory that people living in cities are constantly being bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves to avoid being overwhelmed by it.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis:

Under some conditions, powerful feelings of empathy and compassion for the victim prompt selfless giving (one of three potential motives for altruism)

prosocial behavior

any act performed with the goal of benefitting another person

Factors that predict how helpful someone will be:

situational pressures, gender, the culture in which we grew up, current mood