prosocial behaviour Flashcards
(15 cards)
Define prosocial behaviour
-Act positively to be accepted by society
What are 2 examples of pro-social behaviour?
-Helping behaviour = intentional and benefits another person
-Altruism = acts to benefit other rather than self, no personal gain
What are the 4 theories about why people help?
1: Evolutionary perspective
2: Learning to be helpful
3: Social norms
4: Empathy-altruism hypothesis
What is involved in ‘evolutionary perspective’?
-Evolutionary success = survival of genes in generations
-Existence of prosocial tendencies in humans due to = predispositions that encourage us to act prosaically and evolutionary success of people who acted this way
Define kin selection
-Evolutionary benefit in terms of inclusive fitness to those who help relatives
-Humans inclined to help relatives
What did Burnstein et al. (1994) find to do with kin selection?
-Tendency to help people who vary in kinship in 2 conditions; healthy v sick, life v death
-More willing to help closer kin than distant kin
-More likely to help healthy than sick in life and death situations
-More likely to help sick than healthy in everyday situations
Define reciprocal altruim
-Helping others increases likelihood that they’’ help us
What is involved in ‘learning to be helpful’?
-Observational learning
-Reinforcement
What is involved in ‘social norms’?
-Reciprocity principle = should help those who help us
-Social responsibility = should help those who are dependent and in need
What is involved in the empathy-altruism hypothesis?
-Perception that someone needs help = allows you to take on perspective of how they feel = emphatic concern = altruistic motive
Define the bystander effect
-People are less likely to help in an emergency when they are with others than when they are alone
Define the bystander intervention
-Individual breaks out of role of a bystander and helps another
How does the murder of Kitty Genovese support the bystander effect?
-She was killed on her way home
-Within 30 mins, no neighbours helped although 38 people admitted that they heard screams
What is the cognitive model of bystander intervention (Latin and Darley, 1970) ?
-Notice incident = interpret incident = accept personal responsibility for helping = decide what can be done
What person factors can have an impact?
-Competence
-Mood states e.g good mood/guilt means your more likely to help
