Understanding Bystander Intervention and Prosocial Behavior

These flashcards cover key terms related to prosocial behavior, bystander intervention, and the psychological factors influencing helping behavior.

Prosocial Behavior

Behavior that is oriented towards helping others and promoting positive social interactions.

Bystander Intervention Model

A theory that explains whether bystanders intervene in emergencies based on a five-step decision-making process.

Stimulus Overload Effect

The phenomenon where individuals cannot pay attention to all stimuli at once, leading to difficulty recognizing emergencies.

Audience Inhibition Effect

The reluctance of individuals to help in the presence of others due to fear of negative evaluation if their intervention is unnecessary.

Information Dependence

The process by which individuals look to the behavior of others to define a situation during a potential emergency.

Arousal:Cost-Reward Model

A model suggesting that witnessing an emergency creates emotional arousal, which individuals seek to reduce by weighing the costs and rewards of helping.

Just-World Belief

The belief that the world is fair and people get what they deserve, influencing social judgments and victim blaming.

Equity Theory

A theory proposing that individuals aim to maintain fairness in social relationships through balanced exchanges of resources.

Threat-to-Self-Esteem Model

The concept that receiving help can produce feelings of inferiority and undermine self-esteem if perceived negatively.

Social Norms

Implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members.