PSY 221 Chapter 14: Helping and Cooperation

Flashcards on prosocial behavior, cooperation, and related concepts.

Prosocial Behavior

Behavior whose immediate goal is to help or benefit others.

Antisocial Behavior

Behavior whose immediate goal is to hurt others.

Asocial

Avoiding social interaction.

Cooperation

Two or more people working together towards a common goal that will benefit all involved.

Superordinate Goals

Goals shared between groups that can only be attained by having the groups work together.

Altruism

Behavior intended to help someone else without any prospect of personal rewards for the helper; selfless behavior.

Egoism

Behavior intended to help someone else that is motivated by the desire to obtain personal rewards.

Norm of Social Responsibility

A norm that those who are able to take care of themselves have a duty and obligation to assist those who cannot.

Norm of Social Commitment

The shared view that people should honor their agreements and obligations.

Bystander Effect

The finding that the presence of more bystanders consistently decreases the likelihood of any one person giving help, caused by a diffusion of responsibility.

Negative-State Relief Model of Helping

The theory that most people hate to watch others suffer, so the ultimate goal of their help is to reduce the helper’s own distress; perspective argues that all helping is egoism.

Empathy-Altruism Model

The theory that feelings of empathic concern lead to a motive to help someone in need for their own sake; motivated to relieve the victim's suffering.

Superficial Processing

Leads to spontaneous helping influenced by strong negative emotions and time pressure.

Systematic Processing

Leads to planned helping where consideration is given to the victim’s need, personal costs, rewards, and feeling of personal responsibility.