prosocial behaviour Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is prosocial behaviour?
Behaviour that has positive social consequences and contributes to the well-being of another person.
What is helping behaviour?
Intentional actions that benefit another person.
What is altruism?
Helping others without expecting anything in return, even at a cost to oneself.
What does the evolutionary perspective say about prosocial behaviour?
Prosocial behaviour may have evolved to improve the survival of one’s genes through helping behaviours.
What is kin selection?
The tendency to help close relatives because it promotes inclusive fitness.
What did Burnstein et al. (1994) find about helping behaviour?
People are more likely to help close relatives, especially in life-or-death situations.
What is reciprocal altruism?
Helping others with the expectation that they might help in return later, which also boosts status and reputation.
How is helping behaviour learned?
Through observational learning, imitation, and reinforcement of rewarded behaviours.
What is the reciprocity norm?
The expectation that we should help those who help us.
What is the social responsibility norm?
The belief that we should help those who are dependent and in need, regardless of future exchanges.
What does the empathy–altruism hypothesis suggest?
Feeling empathy for someone leads to altruistic motivation to help them.
What happens when we help to reduce our own discomfort?
We are motivated by egoistic reasons, not true altruism.
What is the bystander effect?
People are less likely to help in emergencies when others are present.
What is diffusion of responsibility?
A belief that others will take action, which reduces personal responsibility.
What is audience inhibition?
Fear of looking foolish in front of others, which can prevent helping.
What is social influence in emergencies?
People look to others to decide how to react, which can delay help.
What are the steps in the cognitive model of bystander intervention?
- Notice the incident, 2. Interpret it as an emergency, 3. Accept responsibility, 4. Decide how to help, 5. Take action.
How does competence affect helping?
People are more likely to help if they feel capable of doing so.
How does mood affect helping?
Good mood and guilt both increase the likelihood of helping.
Who are key researchers on prosocial behaviour?
Penner, Dovidio, Piliavin, and Schroeder (2005); Hogg & Vaughan (2014).
What did Burnstein et al. (1994) study and find?
Burnstein et al. (1994) studied helping behaviour across kinship and situational contexts. They found people were more likely to help close relatives in life-or-death situations, and more likely to help sick people in everyday situations.
What did Barrett et al. (2002) find in relation to prosocial behaviour?
Barrett et al. (2002) provided evidence supporting kin selection, showing that humans are more inclined to help relatives than unrelated individuals.
What was Penner et al. (2005)’s contribution to prosocial behaviour research?
Penner et al. (2005) proposed that prosocial behaviour arises from both biological and social influences, and that helping others can increase one’s evolutionary success by improving reputation and reciprocal support.
What did Batson et al. (1987, 1991, 1997) demonstrate in their empathy–altruism hypothesis?
Batson and colleagues showed that people who feel empathy for others are more likely to help them altruistically. Those without empathy may help only to relieve their own distress, indicating egoistic motivation.
