Prosocial Behaviour, Evolutionary Motives, and Bystander Intervention in Social Psychology

What is prosocial behavior according to Wispe (1972)?

Behavior that has positive social consequences and contributes to the physical or psychological well-being of another person.

What are the key characteristics of prosocial behavior?

It is voluntary and has the intention to benefit others, including being helpful and altruistic.

Define altruism in the context of prosocial behavior.

Prosocial behavior focused on the well-being or benefit of others without thought of personal gain or reward.

What evolutionary explanation involves preferential helping of genetic relatives?

Kin selection.

What is reciprocal altruism?

Altruism that involves helping another despite risk or cost, with the expectation of receiving help in return, conditional on repeated interactions.

What does Batson's (1991) Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis propose?

People help others because they feel empathy for them.

What was the outcome of Batson et al's (1997) study regarding empathy and helping behavior?

Participants exposed to empathy-promoting background information were more likely to help (75%) compared to those who were not (50%).

What are the two potential motives behind helping behavior according to the empathy-altruism debate?

Altruistic motives (to improve others' welfare) and egoistic motives (to alleviate one's own distress).

What is the Bystander Effect?

A phenomenon where the presence of others inhibits helping, leading to a decreased likelihood of intervention.

What did Latane & Darley (1968) find regarding the number of people present during an emergency?

The more people present, the less likely any single individual will be to help.

What is pluralistic ignorance?

The state where individuals in a group mistakenly believe their own thoughts/feelings differ from others, leading to inaction.

What is audience inhibition in the context of bystander intervention?

The fear of embarrassment or negative evaluation that prevents individuals from intervening.

What was the method used in Latane & Darley's (1968) smoke-filled room experiment?

Participants completed a questionnaire in a room where smoke was pumped in, and their reporting of the smoke was recorded.

What were the reporting rates of smoke in Latane & Darley's (1968) experiment for the three conditions?

75% reported smoke when alone, 10% with confederates, and 38% with naive participants.

What is diffusion of responsibility?

The phenomenon where responsibility to help is diluted among bystanders, reducing the likelihood of intervention.

What did Fischer et al (2011) find in their meta-analysis regarding the inverse bystander effect?

In life-threatening emergencies where bystanders can communicate, additional bystanders can lead to more helping.

What ecological validity study did Philpot et al (2020) conduct?

They analyzed CCTV footage of public conflicts to observe bystander behavior, finding that in 90% of cases, people helped each other.

What factors contributed to the bystander apathy observed in the Kitty Genovese case?

Witnesses did not realize it was an emergency, had closed windows, were in bed, and lacked communication.

What was the outcome of the investigation into Kitty Genovese's murder?

The burglar who confessed to her murder was arrested after a neighbor reported suspicious behavior.

What does the term 'bystander apathy' refer to?

The phenomenon where individuals do not intervene in an emergency situation due to the presence of others.

What role does personal distress play in prosocial behavior?

Personal distress can lead individuals to avoid situations that require empathy, impacting their likelihood to help.

What is a common reason people give for not intervening in emergencies?

Fear of looking foolish or embarrassing themselves.

How does the presence of calm bystanders affect individual responses in emergencies?

Individuals may interpret the calmness of others as a sign that intervention is not necessary.

What is the significance of empathy in the context of helping behavior?

Empathy can increase the likelihood of helping, but whether this is driven by altruistic or egoistic motives remains debated.