Exam 11: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help

Justin sees a blind person in need of help crossing a busy intersection. If Justin does not feel empathy for the blind person, under what circumstances (according to Batson's empathy-altruism hypothesis) would Justin help?

Social exchange theory would have the most trouble explaining which of the following helping situations?

Allen volunteers to visit the homes of AIDS patients because those visits help him forget about his own problems. This is an example of ________ behavior.

In a series of studies, Latané and Darley discovered that the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any individual will help. Why is that?

Complete the following analogy. Reward of helping: ________ :: cost of helping: ________.

The authors provide the text of a UPI story describing the discovery of the bones of a disabled dwarf in a cave in northern Italy. The reporters speculate that over 12,000 years ago, early hominids would take care of the disabled members of their group. ________ would argue that the bones belonged to a dwarf who was related to the other cave inhabitants, whereas ________ would argue that the other inhabitants relied on the dwarf for some unknown purpose.

Several researchers have found that people are more likely to receive help in a rural environment than in an urban environment. Are urban dwellers simply more callous?

According to Milgram's (1970) ________ hypothesis, compared to rural dwellers, people in large cities are bombarded with stimulation and work to reduce it by keeping to themselves.

Do men and women differ in their tendency to help? If so, how?

According to research, people who lived in the same area for a longer period of time are more likely to feel all of the following except

Some social psychologists have argued that social exchange forces operate in both exchange and communal relationships, but that in communal relationships, relationship partners focus on long-term rather than short-term rewards. Other researchers, such as Clark and Mills (2011), have argued, however, that

Research on mood and helping found that people were ________ likely to help ________ they attended confession.

Folk wisdom might lead us to believe that recipients of help would (or should) be appreciative of assistance. This is not always the case, however. You see a fellow student struggling to send an e-mail message, without success. He looks frustrated, and you want to help him out. What can you do to ensure that he will be a grateful recipient of your help?

Some social psychologists, such as C. Daniel Batson (1991), believe that humans sometimes help for selfless reasons. According to Batson, when does this happen?

Your text discusses the idea of the altruistic personality. Explain what an altruistic personality is, and what research says about how this personality trait predicts behavior in helping situations.

Men are more likely to help in ________, whereas women are likely to help in ________.

How do evolutionary psychologists use the concepts of kin selection and the reciprocity norm to explain human prosocial behavior?

Why would gratitude evolve in a social group?

According to evolutionary psychologists, why would Doris be more likely to save her children than her parents in a life-threatening emergency? Doris's children

The crowded sidewalk is coated with ice. You feel a sharp pain and hear a cracking sound when you fall. You know that you've broken your leg. How might you overcome the bystander effect to ensure that you get help from passersby?