Chapter 8 - Helping and Altruism

Social Psychology

What term refers to any behavior that is designed to increase another person’s welfare, and particularly those actions that do not seem to provide a direct reward to the person who performs them?

Altruism

“If we are altruistic in part to help us pass on our genes, then we should be particularly likely to try and care for and to help our relatives.” This motive refers to what term?

Kinship

What is the idea that, if we help other people now, they will return the favor should we need their help in the future?

Reciprocal altruism

Reciprocal altruism is one example of the general principle of ____________.

Social exchange

True or false? We also help people who are not related or similar as the result of reciprocal altruism.

True

We frequently use each other to gain rewards and to help protect ourselves from harm, and ___________ is one type of benefit that we can provide to each other.

Helping

Reciprocity norm = what?

Expect return

What is a social norm reminding us that we should follow the principles of reciprocal altruism (“if someone helps us, then we should help them in the future, and we should help people now with the expectation that they will help us later if we need it”)?

Reciprocity norm

Social responsibility norm = what?

Not expect return

What is a social norm that tells us that we should try to help others who need assistance, even without any expectation of future paybacks?

Social responsibility norm

People are generally more likely to help others when they’re in a _____________, thereby maintaining our positive mood.

Good mood

True or false? Negative moods can also help people, too.

True

True or false? If a person thinks that helping is going to spoil the other person’s good mood, then people in good moods are likely to refuse to help.

True

What refers to the negative emotions that we may experience when we view another person’s suffering (because we feel so uncomfortable, when we feel this, we may simply leave the scene rather than stopping)?

Personal distress

What refers to an affective response in which a person understands, and even feels, another person’s distress and experiences events the way the other person does?

Empathy

What occurs when people think that others in their environment have information that they do not have and when they base their judgements on what they think the others are thinking?

Pluralistic ignorance

What occurs when we assume that others will take action and therefore we do not take action ourselves?

Diffusion of responsibility

What is a personality that some people have in which they are indeed more helpful than others across a variety of situations?

Altruistic or prosocial personality

What decision model represents the stages of helping?

Latane and Darley’s Stages of Helping

When there are more people around, it is ______ less likely that the people notice the needs of others.

Less

What occurs when people think that others in their environment have information that they do not have and when they base their judgements on what they think the others are thinking?

Pluralistic ignorance

What occurs when we assume that others will take action and therefore we do not take action ourselves?

Diffusion of responsibility

What is the fourth step of the helping model?

Knowing how to help

What is the personality in which some people are indeed more helpful than others across a variety of situations?

Altruistic or prosocial personality

People with altruistic personalities seem to be people who have a strong _________ (they like to be with, to relate to, and to help others).

Other-concern

Those who are more ___________ (those who really believe that helping is an important part of religious experience) - are likely to help even when doing so requires effort.

Quest-oriented

We tend to provide _______ help to people who seem to have brought on their own problems or who don’t seem to be working very hard to solve them on their own.

Less

What is partial and temporary and provides information to another, for instance, by giving instructions or guidance or providing ideas about how to help oneself?

Autonomy-oriented help

What is help in which the individual cannot help herself/himself?

Dependency-oriented help

It is often believed that if you help others…you have __________ compared to others.

Lower status

Research has shown that children and adults in the U.S. were _______ likely than children and adults in India believe that people have an obligation to provide assistance to others.

Less

One important difference between Eastern and Western cultures is that the importance of ________ is higher than _________.

Self-concern, other-concern

What defines a cultural view in which individuals focus on themselves and tend to be more independent?

Individualism

What defines a cultural view in which individuals focus on others and tend to be more dependent on other people?

Collectivism