Ch 11: Prosocial Behavior

Exam 2 Flashcards

Prosocial Behavior

Any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person.

Altruism

The desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the helper; a motive to increase another's welfare without conscious regard for one's self-interests.

Darwin’s theory of evolution

Evolution occurs by means of natural selection: heritable traits that promote survival are passed on.

Evolutionary psychology

The attempt to explain social behavior in terms of genetic factors that evolved over time according to the principles of natural selection. It suggests prosocial behaviors, including altruism, are rooted in our genes.

Kin Selection

The idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection. Based on this, natural selection should favor altruistic acts directed towards genetic relatives.

Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future. This norm would have survival value as groups who cooperated would be more likely to survive.

Gratitude

A positive emotional response to the receipt of help, which can motivate the recipient to reciprocate, strengthening relationships and promoting future cooperation.

Group Selection

The idea that natural selection can operate on a group level, favoring groups with altruistic members as they are more likely to survive and thrive compared to groups with purely selfish members.

Social Exchange Theory

The idea that people's social interactions are economic transactions based on weighing the benefits and costs of intervening. It argues that much of what we do stems from the desire to maximize our rewards and minimize our costs, implying true altruism does not exist.

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.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

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

Altruistic Personality

The qualities that cause an individual to help others in a wide variety of situations. However, individual differences in personality are not strong predictors of helping; situational factors are often more critical.

In-groups

Groups with which an individual identifies as a member.

Out-groups

Groups with which an individual does not identify.

Simpatia

A cultural value prevalent in Spanish-speaking countries that emphasizes being friendly, polite, good-natured, pleasant, and helpful toward others. Cultures high in simpatia are generally more helpful.

Urban Overload Hypothesis

The theory that people living in cities are constantly bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves to avoid being overwhelmed by it. This explains why they may be less likely to help.

Residential Mobility

The frequency with which people change residences. Higher residential mobility (frequent moving) can decrease helping behavior due to a weaker sense of community and less interdependence.

Bystander Effect

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

Bystander Intervention Decision Tree

A model outlining five steps individuals must take before helping in an emergency: 1) Noticing an event, 2) Interpreting the event as an emergency, 3) Assuming responsibility, 4) Knowing how to help, and 5) Deciding to implement the help.

Pluralistic Ignorance

The case in which people think that everyone else is interpreting a situation in a certain way, when in fact they are not. In an emergency, bystanders may look to others, see them doing nothing, and thus assume there's no real emergency.

Diffusion of Responsibility

The phenomenon whereby each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases. This is particularly likely to occur when people cannot see or identify other bystanders.

Overjustification Effect

The tendency for people to view their behavior as caused by compelling extrinsic reasons, making them underestimate the extent to which it was caused by intrinsic reasons. This suggests mandatory volunteerism could decrease intrinsic motivation to help.