Prosocial Behavior & Altruism Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to prosocial behavior and altruism.

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.

Kin Selection

The evolutionary idea that behaviors aiding genetic relatives are favored by natural selection.

Norm of Reciprocity

The expectation that helping others increases the likelihood they will help us in the future.

Empathy

The ability to put oneself in another’s shoes and experience events and emotions as they do.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

The theory that feeling empathy for someone motivates helping them for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of personal gain.