Question 1

Which of the following is the best example of altruistic behavior?

Accepted Answer

A)  Julie puts a dollar in the church collection basket because everyone else donates. 
B)  Lexy volunteers at her son's school to help out his class. 
C)  Robert anonymously donates a kidney to a twenty-year-old accident victim he will never meet. 
D)  Lou helps his wife with the dishes in the hopes that she'll cook dinner more often.

Question 2

You know that Susan is a very helpful person. She spends many hours each week volunteering at a local homeless shelter, she donates a lot of money to charities, and she is always the first person to volunteer to organize something when your group of friends wants to get together. According to the research on the altruistic personality, you ________ that Susan would help carry a neighbor's groceries if the situation arose because ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  can be very sure; individual differences in personality are the most reliable predictors of prosocial behavior 
B)  can be very sure; anyone would help in this situation 
C)  cannot be sure; personality is not necessarily the most reliable predictor of prosocial behavior 
D)  cannot be sure; very few people help others in today's society

Question 3

Joseph was on the subway when he noticed a man lying slumped over on the seat. Joseph looked around at the other passengers, who seemed calm and unconcerned. Joseph concluded that the man was probably okay. However, the other passengers may have been looking around at Joseph, to see how he reacted. This would be an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  social reciprocity. 
B)  pluralistic ignorance. 
C)  false uniqueness. 
D)  conformity.

Question 4

When other bystanders are present, people are less likely to interpret an event as an emergency. ________ best explains why this is so.

Accepted Answer

A)  Normative social influence 
B)  Informational social influence 
C)  The norm of obedience 
D)  The overload hypothesis

Question 5

In support for the empathy-altruism hypothesis, researchers (Toi & Batson, 1982) found that participants were most likely to help a student named Carol who was injured in an automobile accident when they were told

Accepted Answer

A)  to try to imagine how Carol felt about what happened to her and how it changed her life. 
B)  to be objective, and not to focus on how Carol felt. 
C)  that they would see Carol every week in class. 
D)  that they would never come face to face with Carol.

Question 6

________ refers to the ability to experience events or emotions from another person's perspective.

Accepted Answer

A)  Empathy 
B)  Identification 
C)  Altruism 
D)  Transference

Question 7

According to research presented by the authors of your text, in which of the following cities would you be the most likely to be helped if you needed help crossing a busy street?

Accepted Answer

A)  New York City, USA 
B)  Taipei, Taiwan 
C)  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 
D)  Cairo, Egypt

Question 8

In a group setting, one member could take advantage of the help that he/she receives from the other group members, thereby exploiting the reciprocity norm to his/her advantage. Some researchers believe that instead ________ evolved.

Accepted Answer

A)  gratitude 
B)  diffusion of responsibility 
C)  bystander effect 
D)  volunteering

Question 9

In ________ relationships, partners are less concerned with ________ and more concerned with the welfare of the other partner.

Accepted Answer

A)  communal; equity issues 
B)  exchange; costs 
C)  exchange; rewards 
D)  communal; empathy

Question 10

Sarah is excellent at the backstroke, and she is preparing for an important swimming competition. She has just been asked to help somebody improve on the backstroke. Based on the tenets of self-esteem maintenance theory, she will be most likely to help

Accepted Answer

A)  Sally, her best friend. 
B)  Amanda, her twin. 
C)  Katherine, a new team member. 
D)  Annie, who beat her last year in this same competition.

Question 11

If the urban overload hypothesis (Milgram, 1970) is true, ________ to help a fallen pedestrian on the streets of New York City because ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  Harold would be likely; he was born and reared in a small town 
B)  Alicia would be likely; urban areas are stressful and put people in bad moods 
C)  Roberto would not be likely; he was socialized with urban values 
D)  Ellen would not be likely; she tries to keep to herself amid all the stimulation

Question 12

________ theory predicts when there are exceptions to the general rule that we will be more likely to help friends than strangers.

Accepted Answer

A)  Cognitive dissonance 
B)  Self-verification 
C)  Social learning 
D)  Self-esteem maintenance

Question 13

Prosocial behavior is

Accepted Answer

A)  performed with the goal of benefiting another person. 
B)  appreciated by everyone we help. 
C)  performed without regard to a person's self-interest. 
D)  all of the above.

Question 14

Which of the following is not a topic for positive psychology?

Accepted Answer

A)  qualities that assist healthy human functioning 
B)  humans' strengths 
C)  ways to improve people's lives 
D)  treatments for depression

Question 15

Andrew would be more likely to help than Carol in which of the following situations, based purely on the gender differences discussed by the authors of your text?

Accepted Answer

A)  volunteering at a soup kitchen 
B)  helping a terminally ill relative with daily tasks for several years 
C)  diving in and saving a child who appears to be drowning 
D)  donating money to a charity

Question 16

When community service work is required by a school or business, there is the downside risk that people will infer that they are volunteering only because it is required and will be less likely to freely volunteer in the future. This risk is known as the

Accepted Answer

A)  self-fulfilling prophecy. 
B)  spotlight effect. 
C)  overjustification effect. 
D)  door-in-the-face effect.

Question 17

When viewing a commercial for a local charity, who would be the most likely to later contribute to the charity?

Accepted Answer

A)  Joe, who is a wealthy traveler passing through 
B)  Harry, who just moved to the community 
C)  Laura, who has lived in the community for two years 
D)  Sarah, who has lived in the community for her entire life

Question 18

The positive psychology movement is a reaction to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  The attention paid to group research by social psychologists. 
B)  The emphasis on weakness and disease in psychology. 
C)  Political changes in the United States. 
D)  Advances in evolutionary theory.

Question 19

A principal theory in social psychology is social exchange theory. According to this theory, we will be most likely to help others

Accepted Answer

A)  when the benefits outweigh the costs. 
B)  who are closely related to us. 
C)  who have already helped us. 
D)  for whom we feel empathy.

Question 20

Jim dives into the water to help his drowning sister; Ivan dives into the water to help a total stranger because he wanted to impress his new girlfriend and is a trained lifeguard. Jim's motive to help is best explained by ________, while Ivan's motive to help is best explained by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  evolutionary theory; kin selection 
B)  evolutionary theory; social exchange theory 
C)  social exchange theory; empathy-altruism hypothesis 
D)  kin selection; empathy-altruism hypothesis

Exam 11: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help