Page 1: Introduction to Prosocial Behaviour

Course Details

• Course Code: PS20220

• Lecturer: Caitlin Baker (cab96@aber.ac.uk)

Page 2: Lecture Outline

Covered Materials

• Chapter 13 on Prosocial Behaviour from Hogg & Vaughan (8th edition)

Page 3: Key Concepts

Differences in Behaviour

• Pro-social behaviour: Broad range of positive actions valued in society, contributing to others’ well-being.

• Helping behaviour: Specific actions intended to benefit others.

Outline of Theories

• Altruism

• Person-centered theories

• Situation-centered theories

Page 4: Prosocial Behaviour

Social Bonds

• People may dislike others from different groups, but prosocial behaviours help in forming strong social bonds.

Page 5: Distinctions between Behaviours

Pro-social Behaviour vs. Helping Behaviour

• Pro-social Behaviour:

  • Encompasses acts that are positively valued.

  • Voluntary actions with intent to benefit others.

  • Influenced socially, may not benefit oneself.

  • Example: Altruistic sacrifice.

• Helping Behaviour:

  • Specific actions benefiting others, including personal gain.

  • Exclusive of accidental help and donations.

  • Instances of feeling good from helping; reciprocity may be involved.

Page 6: Reasons for Helping

Theories Explored

• Person-centered Theories (Why do people help?)

  • Empathy-Altruism Model

  • Competitive Altruism Hypothesis

  • Kin Selection Theory

• Situation-centered Theories (When do people help?)

  • Cognitive Model

  • Bystander Apathy

  • Calculus Model

Page 7: Person-Centered Theories

Focus

• Explores emotional and motivational aspects influencing prosocial actions.

Page 8: Empathy-Altruism Model

Key Concepts

• Empathy: Fostering empathy for those in need drives motivation to help.

Page 9: Competitive Altruism Hypothesis

Overview

• Prosocial behaviour increases status among peers, motivating individuals to help.

Page 10: Example of Competitive Altruism

Reference Case

• OceanGate incident highlights the competitive nature of altruism.

Page 11: Kin Selection Theory

Genetic Relationship

• Helping likelihood increases with genetic closeness to the potential beneficiary.

Page 12: Research Findings

Kin Selection Impacts

• More help is given to kin in both everyday life and dire situations.

• Preference to help healthy relatives and younger individuals.

Page 13: Kin and Helping Behaviour

Conditions Impacting Help

• Helping decisions are influenced by the health status of kin in contrast to strangers under different scenarios (e.g., life-threatening versus everyday).

Page 14: Similarities Between Humans and Animals

Cooperation Dynamics

• Reciprocity and sanctioning observed in humans.

• Consistent patterns across species with mutualism, kin selection, and pure altruism.

Page 15: Situation-Centered Theories

Focus

• Examines external circumstances that influence helping behaviour.

Page 16: Practical Considerations

Reflection Point

• Consider personal responses in hypothetical scenarios.

Page 17: Diffusion of Responsibility

Latane & Darley (1968) Findings

• Bystander presence affects willingness to help; more people present often leads to less help.

Page 18: Cognitive Model by Latané and Darley

Decision Process

1. Attend to the event.

2. Define it as an emergency.

3. Assume responsibility and decide to help.

Page 19: Experiment 1 – Smoking Room Study

Overview

• Conditions tested included presence of participants (alone, with others).

• Smoke incident noticed under different scenarios showed variances in responses.

Page 20: Results of Smoking Room Study

Impact of Presence

• Presence of others inhibited prosocial behaviour; striking differences in response rates:

  • Alone: 75%

  • Two Strangers: 38%

  • Two Confederates: 10%

Page 21: Experiment 2 – Epilepsy Study

Findings on Bystander Effect

• Response rates declined with increased bystanders.

  • Participant + Victim (2): 85% helped.

  • Participant + 4 Bystanders (6): 31% helped.

Page 22: Variables in Cognitive Model

Reasons for Reluctance to Help

• Influences include diffusion of responsibility, social loafing, and audience inhibition.

Page 23: Bystander-Calculus Model

Framework

• In emergencies, a three-stage process for evaluating whether to help:

  1. Physiological reactions

  2. Labelling arousal

  3. Evaluating costs of helping.

Page 24: Physiological Responses

Arousal's Influence

• Increased heart rates correlate with quicker helping behaviour.

Page 25-26: Pop Culture Referencing

Contextual Example

• Imaginary danger scenarios amusingly presented with pop culture references.

Page 27: Labelling Responses

Interpretation Influences

• External cues help determine interpretation of physiological reactions during emergencies.

Page 28: Evaluating Costs

Decision Dynamics

• Individuals weigh the costs of helping against the repercussions of inaction alongside personal costs, potentially leading to bystander apathy.

Page 29: Reward-Cost Matrix for Helping

Analysis of Helping Behaviour

• Help decisions influenced by perceived costs and personal norms.

Page 30: Study on Intervening Behaviour

Shortland & Straw (1976)

• Participants assessed danger predicting willingness to intervene based on circumstances (stranger vs. domestic).

Page 31: Perceptions of Danger

Study Findings

• Participants believed intervening in stranger situations was less dangerous than in domestic disputes, impacting willingness to help.

Page 32: Summary of Person-Centered Theories

Concepts

• Motivations for helping behaviours range from genuine concern (empathy-altruism) to selfish reasons (competitive altruism) with nuances in-between.

Page 33: Summary of Situation-Centered Theories

Overall Insights

• Contextual factors significantly inform helping behaviours; clear events assist in interpreting situations, highlighting the complexity of motivations and responses.