Prosocial Behavior
Prosocial behavior - a broad category of helping behaviors that are not chiefly motivated by personal gain or motives.
Altruism - type of prosocial behavior referring to acts that are carried out voluntarily by individuals without concern for themselves, and with no expection of any kind of reward.
Evolutionary Perspective - the norm of reciprocity referring to the expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood of recieving help in the future.
collective rates of survival increase when people are willing to sacrifice themselves for others.
a little transactional, but there must be balance
Social Exchange Theory - the idea that behavior is based on the desire to maximize outcomes while minimizing costs.
cost-benefit analysis
outcomes: things we get from the behaviors; rewards
improved social status, experience, strengthing relationships, money, self-enhancement/improve self-esteem
costs: negative reinforcers
danger, how much time it takes, loss of relationships, lose money, negative feelings
Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis - states that when we feel empathy for a person, we are more likely to attempt to help (even for purely altruistic reasons).
Empathy: the ability to understand what the other person is going through and understand why they are going through it.
the ability to understand and share the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of others.
putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Prosocial Behavior Online
Prosocial Behaviors Online:
Decrease anonymity → Increases liklihood of engaging in prosocial behaviors
Increase anonymity → Decrease liklihood of enaging in prosocial behaviors
Decreasing sense of anonymity foster more prosocial behvaiors online, even if the decreased sense of anonymity is only implied.
Mood as a motivating factor for prosocial behaviors
- positive moods (affective states) drive prosocial behaviors.
When we’re in good moods we’re more likely to help people.
- negative moods (affective states) drive antisocial behaviors
anxious, angry, upset
antisocial behavior: behavior that challenges or does not engage with the promotion of good, healthy, relationships.
micro-asks/donations: donating money in small amoutns like $1 - $5 is more successful than asking like $10,000; but you need like a helluva lot more of them.
________ refers to the phenomenon in which the presence of other people makes it less likely that any individual will help someone in distress because the obligation to intervene is shared among all the onlookers.
Diffusion of responsibility
Diffusion of responsibility often plays an important role in the: bystander effect
Which of the following people would be most likely to help you study for a history exam?
Person B, who is excited about the unexpected bonus she just received from her employer
Social loafing refers to the tendency for people to: exert less effort when they are pooling their efforts toward a common goal.
Your neighbor could not afford to repair the roof on her house, so you secretly hired and paid for a contractor to repair the roof. The neighbor never knew who was responsible. Your actions are best an example of:
Altruism
Person A donated money to a religious charity in order to boost her own feelings of self-esteem. Person B failed to contribute to the same charity because he was fearful of running out of money. Differences in their behavior are best explained in terms of:
Social Exchange Theory
A 2013 study found that after time spent interacting within their social networks on Facebook, individuals were _______ likely to offer help to _______ in a computer-mediated environment.
Less Strangers
Observers' responses to the tragic murder of Kitty Genovese outside her New York apartment is a textbook example of: the bystander effect
A 2008 incident in which more than 1,500 people witnessed the online suicide of a 19-year-old from Florida, but failed to act to prevent it is best an example of: the bystander effect