Test Bank 9

The empathy-altruism hypothesis suggests that

at least some prosocial behavior is motivated to help someone in need

As the number of bystanders who are present at an emergency increases, the probability that any one bystander will help, ____and the length of time that passes before help occurs ____

decreases; increases

The consumption of moderate amounts of alcohol _____the probability that people will try to help in an emergency because____

increases; alcohol reduces anxiety about the reactions of others

Bystanders frequently fail to respond to an emergency because no one else is responding. We tend to rely on what others say and do when we are not sure of the nature of the situation or of what behaviors to engage in. This is known as

pluralistic ignorance

Jason is the owner of a furniture store in a small Southern town. He donated several hundred mattresses to the Red Cross immediately after hearing about the devastation caused in a neighboring state by a hurricane. He was motivated to do so by his desire to help others, by thoughts of the income tax deduction he could take, and by the recognition his store would receive from his act of charity. This is an example of

prosocial behavior

The idea that we sometimes engage in helping behaviors to reduce negative emotions that we might be experiencing from any cause is known as

the negative-state relief model

The empathic joy hypothesis suggests

we help others because of the positive emotions we anticipate experiencing as a result of our helping behaviors

Kin selection refers to

the idea that natural selection applies to behaviors that benefit other individuals with whom we share genes