Prosocial Behavior, Aggression, and Prejudice

A collection of 170 flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on prosocial behavior, aggression, and prejudice.

Prosocial Behavior

Doing the good thing or something good for someone else or society.

Reciprocity

The exchange of resources, goods, and services among people of the same social system.

Intuition

Decision-making based on gut feelings rather than reasoning.

Trolley Problem

A moral dilemma where one must choose between saving 5 people or 1 person.

Morning Morality Effect

People's heightened moral behavior in the morning compared to later in the day.

Underbenefitted

Receiving less than is perceived as deserved; often leads to decreased prosocial behavior.

Overbenefitted

Receiving more than is perceived as deserved; often leads to increased prosocial behavior.

Darley & Batson Study

Examined how time pressure affects helping behavior in seminary students.

Prisoner’s Dilemma

A situation where if both parties cooperate, they both get a lesser penalty.

Altruistic Punishment

Agreeing to bear a cost to punish someone who isn't cooperating.

Gossip

Disseminating information about others, often to warn against non-cooperators.

Trust

Belief in the reliability and validity of a person or object.

Bell Curve of Trust

The optimal level of trust is represented in the middle of a bell curve.

Kin Selection

The evolutionary strategy favoring the reproductive success of one's relatives.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Altruistic

Helping others out of care for their well-being.

Diffusion of Responsibility

The bystander effect likely happens because the responsibility diffuses across the people. As the group grows, the level of responsibility on you decreases, then if it were just you. The mentality of someone else will help. 

Pluralistic Ignorance

When everyone in a group misinterprets whether a situation is an emergency.

Bystander Effect

As the number of people present increases, the likelihood of any one person helping decreases.

Hostile Aggression

Spontaneous aggression aimed at harming someone.

Instrumental Aggression

Aggression aimed at achieving a specific goal.

Relational Aggression

Harming someone through damage to their relationships.

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

The theory that frustration leads to aggressive behavior.

Aggression Theories

Includes instinct theory, learning theory, and biological influences on aggression.

Catharsis

A complex idea that acting out aggression might reduce the urge to aggress, but is ineffective.

Dark Triad

A personality model that includes narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy.

Social Dominance Theory

A theory suggesting that individuals desire their group to dominate others.

Scapegoat Theory

Using outgroup members as a convenient target for one's frustration.

Contact Hypothesis

The theory that regular interaction with outgroups decreases prejudice.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that require cooperation to achieve, reducing intergroup conflicts.

Outgroup

A group that one does not belong to, often leading to bias and prejudice.

Ingroup

The group one identifies with and feels a sense of belonging.

Objectification

Treating a person as an object rather than an individual with feelings.

Hostile Attribution Bias

The tendency to interpret others' actions as aggressive.

Subgroup

An exception in a stereotype that reserves cognitive resources for the general group.

Belief in a Just World

The belief that the world is fair, leading individuals to rationalize victims' suffering.

Beautiful Victims Effect

People are more inclined to help those they find attractive.

Learning Theory of Aggression

Aggression as behavior learned from observing and imitating others.

Similarity Effect in Helping

People are more likely to help those who are similar to themselves.

Biological Influence on Aggression

Hormones like testosterone can increase predilection for aggression.

Learning and Internalization of Stereotypes

Enduring stereotypes can shape one's identity over time.

Stereotype Content Model

Positively or negatively perceived groups are assessed along warmth and competence.

Stereotypes and Stress

Under stress, people are more likely to rely on stereotypes.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Beliefs or stereotypes about an individual can lead to behavior that confirms those beliefs.

Intergroup Bias

A tendency to favor one's own group while discriminating against others.

Hostile Expectation Bias

Expecting others to behave aggressively.

Male Aggression vs. Female Aggression

Men often use direct aggression, while women may use relational aggression.

Social Influence

We want other people to aggress, to either get something for ourselves or show control over them.

Urban Overload Hypothesis

Higher stimuli in urban areas may lead to reduced helping behaviors.

Learning Prosocial Behavior

Children learn prosocial behavior through observed actions by their parents.

Belief in a Just World

The assumption that people generally get what they deserve.

Fairness in Morality

 Valuing fairness typically leads to prosocial behaviors.

Responsibility to Help

The requirement to take action when witnessing someone in need.

Steps to Helping

1. Notice the event 2. Interpret the event as an emergency 3. Assume responsibility 4. Determine how to help 5. Provide help.

Beauty Bias

The tendency to favor attractive individuals for help.

Positive Psychology

Stresses the role of positive emotions in increasing prosocial actions.

Trust and Prosocial Behavior

Shared experiences within a group strengthen trust among members.

Emotional Contagion

Feeling empathy can lead one to engage in helping behaviors.

Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that people will respond favorably to each other.

Diffusion of Responsibility

A phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help when there are others present.

Social Layering

Tendency for groups to form hierarchies and rankings.

The Halo Effect

Assuming that someone who is good-looking also possesses other positive qualities.

Ethnic Determinism

How our preconceived notions shape our understanding of ethnic groups.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one's preexisting beliefs.

Implicit Bias

Attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.

Stereotype Threat

The risk of confirming negative stereotypes about one's group.

Social Comparison Theory

Individuals determine their own social and personal worth based on how they stack up against others.

Social Identity Theory

Individuals derive significant portions of their identities from social groups.

Minority Influence

How a minority can influence a majority group.

In-group Bias

Preference for members of one's own group over those in out-groups.

Outgroup Homogeneity Effect

The perception that outgroup members are more similar to each other than ingroup members.

Cognitive Misers

The term describing humans’ propensity to conserve cognitive resources by relying on heuristics.

Labeling Theory

The idea that labels assigned to individuals can shape their self-identity and behavior.

Marginalization and Exclusion

Policies or practices that disenfranchise certain groups.

Cultural Norms

The standards we live by, dictated by society.

Altruism vs. Egoism

The distinction between selfless helping behavior versus helping that benefits oneself.

Social Categorization

Classifying individuals into groups based on perceived shared characteristics.

Theories of Discrimination

Various frameworks for understanding the causes of discriminatory behavior.

Social Conformity

Changing one’s behavior to align with the group norms.

Attitudinal Change

Changes in individual beliefs or feelings in response to new information or social influences.

Motivation

Works off the approval motivation. If we’re being watched and don’t engage in prosocial behavior, we risk rejection.

Reciprocity

You did something for me, so I’ll do something for you. 

Obligation

Largely works off of obligation. I’m paying off this debt through this prosocial action.

Seeking Help

A lot less likely to ask for or seek help if we don’t think we’ll be able to repay it. 

Should Be Givers

We should be willing to give to other people, especially people we have a relationship with.

Outperforming

If someone is outperforming me, that affects my self-esteem, so I’m going to reject them to protect my self-esteem. And if we’re outperforming, we worry about being rejected.

Morality

Rules to encourage the best for others beyond yourself. Tend to be very personal.

Disapproval of Harm

Don’t approve of people or actions that cause harm to another individual.

Fairness

Prefer if things were fair.

Respect for Legitimate Authority

Showing respect or deference to an authority figure who has a reason for being an authority figure.

Loyalty to the Group

Loyalty to the in-group, to the groups that you belong to.

Purity/ Sancity

Quality of being virtuous or holy.

Cooperation

Working toward common goals, working with other people towards a goal you all share.

Group Membership

If we share group membership, it’s a lot easier to trust you. It’s harder to trust you if you’re a part of the outgroup.

Ease

The more we trust someone, the easier it is to engage in prosocial behavior towards them. If I trust you, I can believe you’ll reciprocate this prosocial behavior when I need it.

(r x b) > c

r = relatedness, the amount of genetics you share. That is multiplied by the benefits you receive from helping (b). Then c is the cost for you to help. r x b needs to be higher than the cost.

Egoistic

Prosocial behavior serves our egoistic self/ self-concept. Makes us feel good about ourselves. Focusing on the benefits helping has for ourselves.

Altruistic

You’re helping because you care for the other person. Engaging because of the benefit it gives to another person.

Environment

People are more likely to help in a small town than in a big city. In a small town, you know a lot of the people. If you don’t help someone, you risk not being helped in the future. Or if they helped you before, you feel inclined to help now. 

Aggression

Behavior intended to harm someone who does not want to be harmed.