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Altruism vs. Prosocial behavior
Why do people help? Or not help?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43880728/n
s/world_news-europe/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9KuUR
2-p9Q
Do animals show prosocial behavior?
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Kin altruism/inclusive fitness
Direct reciprocity
Indirect reciprocity
Signaling theory
Group selection theory/genetic/group selection
Are these testable?
Are there other explanations for these findings?
What is the ultimate cause of prosocial behavior,
according to evolutionary psychologists?
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Negative state relief model—Cialdini
Arousal: cost-reward model—Piliavin
Social learning
Modeling
Norms: reciprocity, fairness
When do we help according to this model?
 Batson paradigm
 Aversive-arousal reduction, empathy-specific
punishments, empathy-specific rewards,
empathic joy, negative state-relief, feelings of
oneness (Cialdini)
 Benefits of altruism?
 Costs of altruism?
 How to measure/
manip. empathy
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90
80
70
60
50
See Carol
40
Don't see her
30
20
10
0
Low empathy
High empathy
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Penner Prosocial Personality Battery
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Ascription of responsibility
Empathic concern
Perspective taking
Personal distress
Other-oriented reasoning
Mutual-concern reasoning
Helpfulness
Gender
Genetic basis
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Women
Similar others
In group members
More attractive people
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See Table 2:
http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~ara/Manuscripts
/Levine%20et%20al%20helping.pdf
Cultural differences in 3 situations
More per capita purchasing power, less
helping
Hispanic countries tended to be higher
NO relationship to individualism/collectivism
What do Keltner et al. say about cultural
differences in helping?
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Population density
◦ Why?
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Time pressure (Samaritan study)
Bystander intervention
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Notice
70
Interpret as emergency 60
Assume responsibility 50
40
Know how to act
30
Act
20
10
0
plenty of time
on time
in a hurry
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Latané & Rodin results
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Alone
intervening
70
% pairs intervening
91
w/Confederate
7
14
Two strangers
23
40
Two friends
45
70
Social influence
Audience inhibition
Diffusion of responsibility
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjP22DpYYh8&feature=plcp&
context=C3476ef2UDOEgsToPDskISJjYGpPomMBNuGB34GTlt
Process
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Condition
(In %)
Alone
None
95%
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No contact
DR
84%
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Seen by other
DR & AI
73%
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See other person
DR & SI
73%
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See and be seen
DR,AI,SI
50%
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Help rate
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Latané, Harton, Bourgeois, Rockloff, etc.
Experimental conditions
Condition
Process
Alone
None
Back to Back
DR
Participant faces the confederate’s
SI + DR
back
Confederate faces the participant’s
AI + DR
back
Face to face
SI + AI + DR
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Percentage helping
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
alone
back to back seen not seeing see not seen
face to face
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Comments on the model/article?
What are advantages/disadvantages to the
model?
M * (D * (1+Bself) + K * Brecip – Cinact) > Caction
When does it say people will help?
Table 1
How can we tell who will help us later?
Is prosocial behavior “contagious”?
Is game theory a good way to investigate
prosocial behavior?
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How do the authors suggest that PB may be
related to biology?
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What leads people to volunteer?
Differences by country
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Don’t force it
Give kids a reason for behaviors
Say “you’re helpful”
Be a good parent/model positive behaviors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JfHB2cru
JU
Prosocial tv and video games
Educate about effects
Prime being watched or a higher power
Other ways?
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History
www.positivepsychology.org
What is it?
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What is happiness? How is it operationally
defined?
What is happiness made up of?
What things make us happy?
Why don’t other things we think would make
us happy work?
Why don’t life circumstances matter more?
Can we make ourselves happier?
What are moderators of happiness
interventions and why do they work?
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Should governments measure/care about
SWB?
What factors are related to more happiness in
a country?
How does the US do on those?
How can SWB be used in policy? Should it be?
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What is the relationship between income and
SWB?
When do we/do we not adapt?
Should we be really happy or just fairly
happy?
Is happiness always a good thing?
What does knowing about national happiness
do for us?
What is cause vs. effect? (does money cause
happiness or happiness, money?)
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Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered
from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top.
The top of the ladder represents the best
possible life for you and the bottom of the
ladder represents the worst possible life for
you.
On which step of the ladder would you say
you personally feel you stand at this time?
(ladder-present)
On which step do you think you will stand
about five years from now? (ladder-future)
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http://themythsofhappiness.org/discoverhappiness/
http://www.positivepsychology.org
https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.e
du/