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Ch 11: Prosocial Behavior
Final Exam
25
Psychology
Undergraduate 3
12/10/2013

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Term
prosocial behavior
Definition
any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person
Term
altruism
Definition
the desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the helper
helping purely out of the desire to benefit someone else, with no benefit to oneself (heroes of 9/11)
Term
kin selection
Definition
the idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection
Term
norm of reciprocity
Definition
the expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future
Term
gratitude
Definition
the positive feelings that are caused by the perception that one has been helped by others. gratitude evolved in order to regulate reciprocity
Term
social exchange
Definition
much of what we do stems from the desire to maximize our rewards and minimize our costs
Term
difference between social exchange and evolutionary?
Definition
social exchange doesn't trace this desire back to our evolutionary roots, nor does it assume that the desire is genetically based
Term
pros of helping
Definition
- helping someone is an investment in the future, the social exchange being that someday someone will help us when we need it
- helping an also relieve the personal distress of a bystander
- people are aroused and disturbed when they see another person suffer and that they can help at least in part to relieve their own distress
- by helping others, we can also gain such rewards as social approval from others and increased feelings of self-worth
Term
cons of helping
Definition
- helping decreases when costs are high, such as when it would put us in physical danger, result in pain, or embarrassment, or simply take too much time
- true altruism does not exist according to social exchange theorists
Term
why are prosocial acts doubly rewarding?
Definition
they help both the giver and the recipient of the aid
Term
empathy altruism hypthesis
Definition
the idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain
Term
three basic motives underlying prosocial behavior
Definition
1. helping is an instinctive reaction to promote the welfare of those genetically similar to us (evolutionary psych)
2. the rewards of helping often outweigh the costs, so helping is in our self-interest
3. under some conditions, powerful feelings ofe mpathy and compassion for the victim prompt selfless giving
Term
altruistic personality
Definition
the qualities that cause an individual to help others in a wide variety of situations
Term
simpatia
Definition
a range of social and emotional traits, including being friendly, polite, good-natured, pleasant, and helpful toward others
Term
when are religious people more likely to help in situations?
Definition
when helping makes them look good to themselves or others
Term
why does being in a good mood increase helping?
Definition
- make us look on the bright side of life
- prolongs our good mood
- increase the amount of attention we pay to ourselves, and this factor makes us more likely to behave according to our values and ideals
Term
why do bad moods increase helping?
Definition
- belief that good deeds cancel bad ones out
- reduce guilty feelings
- motivated to engage in activities that make them feel better
Term
urban overload hypothesis
Definition
the theory that people living in cities are constantly bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves to avoid being overwhelmed by it
Term
are people in small towns or people in urban settings more likely to help?
Definition
small towns
Term
bystander effect
Definition
the finding that the greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help
Term
pluralistic ignorance
Definition
the case in which people think that everyone else is interpreting a situation in a certain way, when in fact they are not
Term
diffusion of responsibility
Definition
the phenomenon wherein each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases
Term
steps of helping
Definition
noticing an event
interpreting as an emergency
assuming responsibility
knowing how to help
deciding to implement the help
Term
communal relationships
Definition
those in which people's primary concern is the welfare of the other person
Term
exchange relationships
Definition
governed by concerns about equity - that what you put into the relationship equals what you get out of it
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