3/26-3/28: Pro-social Behavior ; Altruism

Altruism

• Altruism- desire to increase another person's welfare without self-interest  
• helping someone for no reward/self-gain
• Bystander effect- person less likely to provide help in emergency when others are present
• Darley Latane (1968) [bystander effect experiment]
• student seemed to seizure, heard via intercom- who helped
• conditions: 1 bystander/ 2 bystanders/3 bystanders; results:
• 1 = 85%
• 2 = 62%
• 3 = 31%
• Diffusion of Responsibility - responsibility shared among those present [impediment to step 1]
• when responsibility is shared, people feel less obligated; more people, less obligation
• Emergency 5 Step Model * print full version of bb Important
• Step 1- Notice something is happening
• Impediment = personal distractions
• Darley and Bateson (1973) [step 1 of 5 step Emergency model experiment]
• talk on Good Samaritan
• encountered person outside who needed help
• 3 conditions :  Ahead/On time/Behind
• Ahead schedule: 63
• On time : 45
• Behind schedule: 10
• most of time in this situation most didn't know there was an emergency
• Step 2- Interpret event as an emergency
• Impediments:
• Ambiguity
• is she/he in trouble or just sick?
• Relationship between attacker and victim
• they'll have to solve their own family quarrels
• Pluralistic ignorance
• no one else seems worried
• Latane and Darley [Step 2 experiment]
• Fire in room; who helps put it out
• Alone = 75%
• 2 Passive cofederates = 10%
• 3 naive subjects = 38%
• Pluralistic Ignorance- assume nothing is wrong because others seem unconcerned 
• Step 3 - Take responsibility for providing help
• Impediment: Diffusion of Responsibility -  assumption that others will help, so one isn't individually responsible
• someone else must have done/will do something
• Step 4 - Know how to help
• Impediment: Lack of Competence
• not trained to handle this
• Step 5 - Provide help
• Impediment:
• Audience Inhibition
• I'll look like a fool
• Costs Exceed Rewards
• what if I make it worse/ he sues me/ it costs me too much time
• Other Predictors of when we help
• Mood
• people who found money in pay phone more willing to help others pick up dropped folder
• more likely help - good mood
• Rewarded for prior help
• increased likelihood of helping rather than neutral/punishing reaction
• Modeling
• see someone helping another- more likely you'll help someone
• Deservingness of requester
• person deserves help- you'll more likely help
• Place we live
• live in rural area - more likely to help than urban area
• too much going on in urban areas
• are some cities more helpful than others?
• Levine (1994)
• 6 types of helping behavior in 36 US cities(rochester #1)
• hypothesis - depends on values and residential mobility 
• Explanations for Helping Behavior
• Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis
• Mood Management Hypothesis
• Social and Personal Norms
• Our Genes
• Empathy-Altruism hypothesis: feel Empathy------Help even if no personal gain
• Altruism vs. Egoism
• Altruism - without regard to self-interest
• Egoism- helping out of a consideration of one's own self-interest
• Mood Management hypothesis - help to Reduce own Negative Emotion [Form of Egoism]
• can be used to increase positive emotion but mostly used to reduce negative
• Batson (1981) 
• completed questionnaire, watched Elaine supposedly get random shocks
• Two Empathy conditions: High/Low Empathy
• High -told subject that Elaine is a lot like you
• Low - told subject that Elaine is not like you
• Two Escape conditions: Easy/Difficult Escape
• Easy- Leave
• Difficult- Switch places with her; Watch her
• Results
• High empathy group - Most helped her
• Low empathy group - Most left her
• Mood Management Group's Interpretation of Baston experiment
• Subjects felt sadness when saw Elaine shocked; helped to rid sadness
• Empathy-Altruism's Interpretation of Baston
• Two selves merge upon seeing similarity thus subject feels what she feels
• Norm- general standard for appropriate behavior
• 3 Norms Influencing Helping Behavior
• Norm of Social Responsibility-  responsibility help those who depend on you or has a reasonable request
• socially shared
• e.g. help old lady cross street
• Norm of Reciprocity- people help those who have helped them
• socially shared
• "scratch my back, i'll scratch yours"
• Personal Norms - personal obligation to help certain people based on our value system
• basis is what you've growed up learning - manners, honor, Christianity, etc
• unique to yourself
• Genes
• Kinship selection- help those who share our genes
• Predictions
• greater genetic similarity, more help
• help relatives rather than strangers
• more help from gene similar others in life threatening situations
• more help of young, healthy genetically similar others
• they can pass on their genes to next generation
• Threat-to-self-esteem model
• Self-supportive- recipient feels appreciated and cared for
• Self-threatening- recipient does not feel appreciated or cared for when:
• help conveys Inferiority or Dependency
• help Deviated from Socialized Values
• too much help imbalances social reciprocity which causes discomfort
• help does Not Increase Probability of Future Success or Decrease Need for Future Assistance 
• help doesn't fix situation, "band-aid solution"
• Double binds in helping behavior
• Recipient's Double Bind- Direct Benefit; Questions about Own Character or Ability
• Helper's Double Bind- Avoid Negative Message of Inferiority; Guilt if doesn't help