Lecture 8: Helping Behaviours Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is the case of Kitty Genovese?
Return home from work - stabbed by a man. Screams drove man away. Came back 30 mins later, raped and killed Kitty. 38 people heard her scream and didn’t help her
What is the Bystander Effect?
People less likely to help when with others than when alone
What is Pluralistic Ignorance?
Not realising it is an emergency
What is Audience Inhibition?
Not wanting to look foolish in front of others. Incorrectly interrupt situation as an emergency, not sure they have the ability to help
What is Diffusion of Responsibility?
Share responsibility for helping with others
What is Latane and Darley’s study on smoke?
In a lab, completed questionnaires either alone, 2 strangers or 2 confederates instructed to do nothing. Smoke entered the room, assessed how many people went for help
What is a finding of Latane and Darley’s smoke study?
Less likely to help in presence of others
What was Darley and Latane’s study?
In separate cubicles and communicated by microphone. Took part in pairs (self and victim), In group of 4 (self, victim, 2 others) or group of 6 (self, victim, 4 others). Heard ‘Victim’ having seizure over microphone. Assessed how many people went for help
What is a finding of Darley and Latane’s study?
Helping decreased with more bystanders.
What is the Subway Train study?
Field study on subway. Male would stagger and collapse on subway. Varied race - black/white. Varied intoxication - drunk/sober. Assessed helping
What are findings of the Subway Train study?
Lower helping drunk black person.
Number of bystanders did not affect helping
Does the Bystander Effect exist? (Fischer et al)
Meta-analysis - searched pre-existing literature. Used stats to determine if the effect exists. Found 53 studies looking at Bystander effect. Effect was robust and replicated across studies
Can we reduce the Bystander Effect? (Beaman et al)
Pps either received lecture on Bystander Effect or didn’t. Saw person who was in a bicycle accident. Bystander (Confederate) did nothing
What is a finding on Beaman’s study?
More likely to help when received lecture
What is Altruism?
Act motivated by the desire to help selflessly without benefit to yourself
What is Egoism?
Act motivated with desire to feel pride
What is Prosocial Behaviour?
Behaviour that benefits others. Not driven by personal obligations. Can be selfless or selfish.
What is the Negative-State Relief Model?
Seeing others in need causes distress, try to avoid distress. Help to remove feelings of distress. Helping is selfish
What was Manucia et al’s study?
- Neutral: Recall route to uni
- Happy: Recall happy event
- Sad: Recall sad event
All pps given pill to freeze their mood (other half not told this). Asked if would make the calls to established blood donors.
What is a finding of Manucia’s study?
Highest helping was when sad and mood was not fixed.
What is the Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis? (Baston)
Helping dependent on empathy. Shared feelings with the person in need.
Low empathy - selfish. Help when cannot escape situation. Unlikely to help when can escape
High empathy - selfless. Always help
What was Batson’s study?
Watch someone receive an electric shock. Manipulated difficulty of escaping. Told would only watch 2/10 shocks, told would watch all 10 shocks (difficult escape)
Also manipulated empathy - similar or dissimilar. Always help when high empathy, when low empathy only help when can’t escape
What was Shepherd et al’s study?
Sperm and egg donation. Measured egoistic motive (feelings of pride). Measured altruism (desire to help others in society)
What are the findings of Shepherd’s study?
Pride predicted intention to donate and behaviour in men.
Pride predicted intention but not behaviour in women.
