Social Psychology Chapter 9
Empathy
Ability to experience other people's emotions, feel sympathy for them, and take their perspective. Three components;Emotional aspect, Cognitive component, and Empathic concern
Mirror Neurons
Allow us to feel what others are feeling Higher capacity to experience empathy
Diffusion of responsibility
Assume other people will do something when in a large crowd
Darley & Latane (1968)
During experiment where people were communicating via an intercom, a student had a seizure Believed there were different numbers of people on the intercom line Only bystander, one of two bystanders, one of five bystanders More bystanders > less likely to help
Prosocial behavior
Efforts to help others, Usually with no immediate benefit to the helper
Kin Selection Theory
Evolutionary perspective - goal is gene propagation More likely to help people we're related to than unrelated others
Group Selection
Groups with altruistic members are more likely to survive
Negative State Relief
Helping reduces our own negative emotions Witnessing others' suffering makes us feel bad
People would be less likely to help others.
If people help in order to receive praise from others, then what would be expected under cover of darkness?
model
In an emergency, a helpful bystander can increase the helpfulness of others because the bystander serves as a social ________.
Kin selection theory
In general, we are more likely to help those whom we are closely related than others. Which of the following offers support for this?
Defensive Helping
Ingroups vs. Outgroups Outgroups sometimes succeed in ways that threaten the ingroup's sense of superiority Help the outgroup to make them seem dependent (and consequently inadequate) Goal isn't to help, but to take away status
a prosocial
Jenny, a 5-year-old child, may be MOST likely to exhibit helping behavior after playing ________ video game.
Overlap between Prosocial Behavior and Aggression
Motivation - Both often to boost status Actions - Some of both involve hurting others Effects - Sometimes both hurt others
Decisions Involved in Helping
Noticing something unusual is happening, correctly interpreting an emergency, deciding it's your responsibility to help, deciding you have the knowledge/skills to help, making the decision to provide help
Does altruism exist? Debate
One perspective - even when we get nothing physical in return, we still feel good This is a benefit - not altruism Other perspective - if you don't get anything physical in return, it's altruism Feeling good isn't a benefit
Empathic Joy
Others feel good when we help them, we like their positive reactions Necessary for us to know helping had a positive impact
social
People who feel isolated from a particular group are experiencing ________ exclusion.
Factors that Decrease Prosocial Behavior
Social exclusion, darkness and time
Crowdfunding
Solicit money from others, use it for various purposes
Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis
Some prosocial acts are motivated just by the desire to help someone in need
motivated solely by the desire to help someone in need
The empathy-altruism hypothesis suggests that at least some prosocial behavior is ________.
taking another's perspective; sympathizing with another person
Two aspects of empathy are ________ and ________.
Competitive Altruism
We help because it boosts our own status and reputation
Mirror neurons
Which inherent neurological system allows most people to experience what others are experiencing automatically?
They have overlapping features.
Which of the following best describes prosocial behavior and aggression?
Being in a good mood can lead us to interpret emergency situations as not really serious.
Which of the following explains why a positive mood can decrease the probability of responding in prosocial ways?
Bystander Effect
individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. Ex. No one calling the police for Kitty Genovese
