Exam 3 Prosocial Behavior

How does kin selection explain why we may have developed prosocial tendencies?

What evidence do we have for it?

Genetically related individuals are more likely to help one another. Helping people with similar genes promotes inclusive fitness.

What is the negative state relief model?

What evidence supports it?

People might help others to feel good or feel less bad, to avoid feeling negative emotions and more of positive emotions.

Helping others provides emotional relief and improves mood. But, if given the choice to feel good by other means then they’re unlikely to help others.

Under what conditions might empathy promote helping behaviors?

If you empathize with someone, helping them can reduce your own guilt or pain.

Under conditions where there is either easy escape or hard escape*

What are the findings around the urban overload hypothesis?

Individuals in populated areas are less likely to help others.

What are the 5 stages of decision tree on whether we will engage in short term helping.

1. notice the event

2. interpret as an emergency

3. assume responsibility

4. know how to help

5. implement decision

What are the social, values, understanding, career, and protective motivations for volunteering?

(What things would someone be looking for based on their motivation?)

Values: express or act on important values

Understanding: seeking to learn or use unused skills

Enhancement: seeking psychological development and growth

Career: gain career experience or qualification

Social: build and strengthen social relationships

Protective: reduce negative feelings or address personal problems

What are the findings regarding functional motivations to volunteer and actual volunteer behaviors?

Functional approach assumes that we engage in volunteerism because we get something out of it.

Different people can get different rewards from the same behavior.

People can engage in different activities to satisfy one need.

People can satisfy multiple needs by engaging in a single activity.