PSYCH 220 - Topic 10: Prosocial Behaviour

Prosocial Behaviour

Any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person; can be self-interested or altruistic (e.g., recycling, volunteering, saving a life).

Altruism

The desire to help others even if it involves a cost to the helper.

Kin Selection

Helping genetic relatives is favored by natural selection; increases the survival of shared genes.

Norm of Reciprocity

Expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood they will help us in the future.

Social Exchange Theory

Prosocial behaviour is a way of maximizing rewards and minimizing costs; helping is not necessarily altruistic.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

When we feel empathy, we help others purely for altruistic reasons, regardless of personal gain.

Altruistic Personality

Trait involving empathy, sympathy, and responsibility to help others consistently across different situations.

Gender Differences in Helping

Men are more likely to help in heroic situations; women are more likely to help in caregiving roles.

Socioeconomic Status and Helping

Low SES individuals may help more, possibly due to differences in self-concept; findings are mixed.

Cultural Differences in Helping

Interdependent cultures help in-group members more; individualists may help out-group members more often.

In-group vs Out-group Helping

Empathy is more often extended to in-group members; helping out-group members is more often driven by social exchange.

Religion and Prosocial Behaviour

Religious individuals are more likely to help, driven by communal values and moral norms; content of help may vary by religion.

Mood and Helping

People in a good mood are more likely to help (e.g., Isen & Levin, 1972); bad moods like guilt or sadness can also increase helping.

Isen & Levin (1972) Study

Participants given a coin were more likely to help a man who dropped papers, showing positive mood increases helping.

Rural vs Urban Helping

People in rural environments are more likely to help; urban-overload hypothesis explains lower helping in cities.

Urban-Overload Hypothesis

People in cities are bombarded with stimuli and thus may keep to themselves, reducing helping behaviour.

Residential Mobility

People who have lived longer in one place are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviours due to stronger community ties.

Place Attachment

Emotional connection to a location, which can increase prosocial actions.

Place Identity

The idea that a place becomes part of one's self-concept and identity, influencing helping behaviour.

Bystander Effect

The more bystanders present during an emergency, the less likely any individual is to help.

Latané & Darley (1968)

Famous study showing the bystander effect; presence of others inhibits helping behaviour.

Philpot et al. (2020)

Used CCTV to study real-life helping; found helping was the norm, and more people increased the likelihood of intervention.