Prosocial Behaviour

Question 1

What is prosocial behaviour? (Essentially Altruism)

Answer 1

Any act performed with the goal of benefitting another person (or society as a whole)

Question 2

What is the concept of group selection when discussing the evolutionary bases?

Answer 2

Individuals organism behave altruistically (for the good of the species)
-falls apart rather quickly (only takes a few selfish people)

Question 3

What is the concept of kin selection when discussing the evolutionary bases?

Answer 3

Behaviours that help genetic relatives is favored by natural selection (i.e it will be passed on)

Question 4

What is the concept of reciprocity when discussing evolutionary bases?

Answer 4

We also help unrelated others

“One good turn deserves another”

Question 5

What is the concept of learning social norms when discussing evolutionary bases?

Answer 5

Cultures learn, pass down information

Can the ability to learn social norms be passed down genetically?

Question 6

What is the definition of empathy?

Answer 6

Experience events and emotions (e.g joy, sadness) as another person experiences

Question 7

What is the empathy-altruism hypothesis

Answer 7

Empathy —> helping (for altruistic reasons; regardless of gains of helping self)

Question 8

What is the urban-overload hypothesis?

Answer 8

In cities, we are bombarded with stimulation (therefore we keep to ourselves to avoid overload)

Question 9

What is bystander apathy?

Answer 9

Caused by the diffusion of responsibility

Many individuals tend to not become involved, especially when they believe someone else will.

Question 10

What happens when a group learns that their own group members induced harm to an outgroup

Answer 10

We tend to dehumanize the outgroup

Rationalizing our bad deed

Question 11

What happens when a group learns that their group members helped an outgroup

Answer 11

Humanizes outgroup

Justify the good deed