Deck 13: Prosocial Behavior

Question 1

Which of the following activities or situations has been shown to increase prosocial behavior?

A) playing violent video games
B) being in a large group of people
C) playing prosocial video games
D) being in a hurry to get somewhere

Answer 1

playing prosocial video games

Question 2

Harold underestimates how painful it feels when other kids at his school are bullied or socially excluded. This is an example of:

A) altruism.
B) the negative state relief hypothesis.
C) empathy gap.
D) empathy underestimation.

Answer 2

empathy gap.

Question 3

If people feel like they are being watched, they are:

A) more likely to help.
B) less likely to help.
C) more likely to cheat.
D) less likely to feel empathy.

Answer 3

more likely to help.

Question 4

Prosocial behavior is:

A) an action by an individual that is intended to benefit another individual or set of individuals.
B) the idea that natural selection led to greater tendencies to help close kin over those with whom we have little genetic relation.
C) the idea that people learn to be helpful in a series of stages.
D) the desire to help another purely for his or her own sake, regardless of whether we derive any benefit.

Question 5

Positive mood:

A) increases helping.
B) decreases helping.
C) has no effect on helping.
D) increases social exchange motives.

Question 6

Hannah always weighs the costs and benefits associated with helping others. This is consistent with:

A) social exchange theory.
B) kin selection.
C) altruism theory.
D) empathy-altruism model.

Question 7

According to the empathy-altruism model:

A) people help others because it is the right thing to do.
B) people provide help to others to get certain psychological payoffs.
C) altruism only exists when people are being watched by others.
D) people only help those who are genetically similar.

Question 8

Altruism is:

A) an action by an individual that is intended to benefit another individual or set of individuals.
B) the idea that natural selection led to greater tendencies to help close kin over those with whom we have little genetic relation.
C) the idea that people learn to be helpful in a series of stages.
D) the desire to help another purely for his or her own sake, regardless of whether we derive any benefit.

Question 9

Children are more likely to be empathetic if their parents:

A) teach them about how cruel the world can be.
B) let them play violent video games.
C) ignore them.
D) display emotional warmth to them.

Question 10

Edward is more willing to help a brother or sister than he is to help a distant relative or a friend. This BEST supports the idea of:

A) altruism.
B) kin selection.
C) social exchange.
D) diffusion of responsibility.

Question 11

Julie was in a large crowd of people when she noticed a child that looked lost. She did not stop to help the child. This is an example of:

A) the bystander effect
B) prosocial behavior
C) urban overload
D) altruism

Question 12

The urban overload hypothesis is the idea that:

A) city dwellers learn to cope with the sounds that arise from population density by shutting out these sounds.
B) people in urban areas are more helpful because they have more opportunities to assist others.
C) city dwellers are around people more so they are more socialized to help people.
D) urban life increases negative affect which in turn leads to decreased helping.

Question 13

The negative state relief hypothesis is the idea that:

A) people help in order to reduce their own distress.
B) negative emotions do not motivate helping.
C) positive mood increases helping.
D) people who are high in trait negative mood are helpful.

Question 14

Collective guilt is when:

A) people feel guilty about something they are not personally responsible for.
B) a large group of people feel guilty.
C) a group of people refuse to accept guilt.
D) guilt is experience in collectivistic cultures.

Question 15

In situations that involve volunteering time on an ongoing basis:

A) men are more likely to help than women.
B) women are more likely to help than men.
C) men and women are equally likely to help.
D) neither men nor women tend to be helpful.

Question 16

Connor donated money to a homeless shelter because thinking about homeless people makes him upset and he wants to feel better. This example provides support for:

A) the negative state relief hypothesis.
B) the empathy-altruism model.
C) altruism theory.
D) kin selection.

Question 17

Kin selection is:

A) an action by an individual that is intended to benefit another individual or set of individuals.
B) the idea that natural selection led to greater tendencies to help close kin over those with whom we have little genetic relation.
C) the idea that people learn to be helpful in a series of stages.
D) the desire to help another purely for his or her own sake, regardless of whether we derive any benefit.

Question 18

People who are high in __________________ do not distinguish between what is theirs and what is someone else's.

A) kin selection
B) agency
C) narcissism
D) communal orientation

Question 19

They bystander effect is:

A) an action by an individual that is intended to benefit another individual or set of individuals.
B) when people feel guilty about something they are not personally responsible for.
C) the underestimation of other people's experience of physical pain as well as the pain of social rejection.
D) a phenomenon is which many people witness a need for help, and the knowledge that there are other witnesses makes it less likely that each particular witness will do anything to help.

Question 20

When people have been reminded of their mortality they are:

A) less likely to be religious.
B) more likely to aggress against an ingroup member.
C) more likely to help others.
D) less likely to experience empathy.

Question 21

What effect does playing prosocial video games have on behavior? Explain one study that demonstrates this effect.

Question 22

Describe the concept of collective guilt. Discuss the role collective guilt may play in helping members of an outgroup.

Question 23

Why does priming mortality tend to increase prosocial behavior?

Question 24

How does population density relate to helping behavior? Include one study that illustrates the role of population density and helping behavior.

Question 25

Describe the main idea proposed by social exchange theory. Develop one example demonstrating social exchange theory.

Question 26

What is the bystander effect? Give one research example of the bystander effect.

Question 27

How does a communal orientation influence prosocial behavior? Give one example.

Question 28

What is an altruistic personality?

Question 29

Discuss what research suggests about gender differences in helping.

Question 30

What role do causal attributions play in helping? Describe one example of how causal attributions may inhibit or encourage helping behavior.

Question 31

How does gratitude influence helping?

Question 32

Discuss how the diffusion of responsibility contributes to the bystander effect. Give one example of this effect.

Question 33

Discuss the difference between the kin selection and norm of reciprocity explanations of prosocial behavior. Give one example of each.

Question 34

What is prosocial behavior? Give one example of prosocial behavior.

Question 35

How does a person's similarity to you influence the likelihood that you will help that person? Explain how race or ethnicity may play a role in deciding to help.

Question 36

What does laboratory research suggest about the relationship between religiosity and helping?

Question 37

How does positive affect influence helping? Give one example.

Question 38

Describe the urban overload hypothesis and what it helps explain.

Question 39

Describe the negative state relief hypothesis. Explain one example demonstrating the negative state relief hypothesis.

Question 40

What is the empathy gap? Describe a situation which illustrates the empathy gap.

Question 41

Carl buys a homeless man lunch. He does this purely because he wants to help the man, not because he expects anything in return. This is an example of:

A) altruism.
B) kin selection.
C) the norm of reciprocity.
D) a social exchange.

Question 42

Research indicates that exposure to prosocial media increases helping because it increases:

A) positive mood.
B) feelings of connectedness.
C) empathy.
D) arousal.

Question 43

The social psychologist Dan Batson argued that we are altruistic when we feel:

A) angry at ourselves.
B) guilty about how much we have.
C) regret for not acting morally in the past.
D) empathy for another person.

Question 44

According to ______________, people learn to be helpful in a series of stages.

A) social identity theory
B) evolutionary theory
C) learning theory
D) the negative state relief hypothesis

Question 45

Infants as young as ______________ prefer others who are helpful rather than hurtful.

A) 2 years
B) 3 months
C) 1 year
D) 1 month

Question 46

The idea that natural selection led to greater tendencies to help close relatives over helping those with whom we have little genetic relation is:

A) prosocial behavior.
B) altruism.
C) communal orientation.
D) kin selection.

Question 47

Which of the following is the BEST example of altruism?

A) Claire is a paid employee at a local nonprofit organization that helps homeless families.
B) John helps his brother with his chores when his brother is willing to help him with his homework.
C) Roberto anonymously donates money every year to a local food bank.
D) Julie volunteers at a local hospital after school because she thinks it will help her get into a good college.

Question 48

_______________ is the desire to help another purely for his or her own sake, regardless of whether we derive any benefit.

A) Prosocial behavior
B) Altruism
C) Communal orientation
D) Kin selection

Question 49

________________ is an approach that maintains that people provide help to someone else when the benefits of helping, and the costs of not helping, outweigh the potential costs of helping and the benefits of not helping.

A) Social exchange theory
B) Kin selection
C) Altruism theory
D) Empathy-altruism model

Question 50

Which of the following examples is consistent with the norm of reciprocity?

A) James loans his friend some money because he knows his friend is struggling financially.
B) Monique thinks her boyfriend should drive her to work because that is what good boyfriends do.
C) Nick helps his friend move because he knows he himself will need to ask for help moving later in the semester.
D) Joan tries to guilt her parents into giving her money to buy a new car.

Question 51

_________________ is an action by an individual that is intended to benefit another individual or set of individuals.

A) Prosocial behavior
B) Altruism
C) Communal orientation
D) Kin selection

Question 52

Which of the following is the BEST example of altruism?

A) Lisa volunteers at a local food pantry because she wants her neighbors to see her as a good person.
B) Jim buys gifts for poor children because he knows it will make them happy.
C) Rick donates money to charity so he can claim it on his taxes.
D) Veronica volunteers at her child's swim meet because it is a required part of team membership.

Question 53

People's prosocial behavior is influenced by:

A) only one's genes.
B) only by ones experiences.
C) neither genes nor the environment.
D) both genes and the environment.

Question 54

________________ is the idea that people provide help to others to get certain psychological payoffs.

A) Social exchange theory
B) Empathy-altruism model
C) Kin selection
D) Altruism theory

Question 55

Research suggests that:

A) species other than humans can engage in prosocial behavior.
B) only humans have been reliably shown to be prosocial in nature.
C) humans are rarely prosocial.
D) nonhuman species will help others as long as they are rewarded for their behavior.

Question 56

Research found that playing prosocial video games:

A) increased prosocial behavior.
B) decreased prosocial behavior.
C) had no effect on prosocial behavior.
D) increased aggression.

Question 57

_______________ is an explanation for why we give help: If I help you today, you might be more likely to help me tomorrow.

A) Altruism
B) Kin selection
C) Norm of reciprocity
D) Diffusion of responsibility

Question 58

The principle underlying kin selection is that:

A) because close relatives share many genes with an individual, when the individual helps close kin, those shared genes are more likely to be passed on to offspring.
B) people are more likely to help similar others such as family members because they share the same personal values.
C) because close relatives spend a lot of time together, individuals are more likely to help members of their own family than people they spend less time with (e.g., strangers, coworkers).
D) humans are inherently selfish and will only help others if they share genetic traits or offer an opportunity to reproduce.

Question 59

Research showing that the closer the genetic relationship, the more likely a person is to help provides support for the idea of:

A) altruism.
B) kin selection.
C) social exchange.
D) diffusion of responsibility.

Question 60

Parents who display emotional warmth tend to have children who are _____________.

A) aggressive
B) depressed
C) empathetic
D) intelligent

Question 61

___________________ is the idea that people help in order to reduce their own distress.

A) Social exchange theory
B) The empathy-altruism model
C) The negative state relief hypothesis
D) Altruism theory

Question 62

Laura volunteers to tutor children who are struggling in school because she once struggled as a student and thus knows what these students are going through. This example provides support for:

A) the negative state relief hypothesis.
B) the empathy-altruism model.
C) altruism theory.
D) kin selection.

Question 63

Research indicating that people were less likely to offer help if they had first been given a pill that they were led to believe would prevent them from changing their current mood provides support for:

A) the negative state relief hypothesis.
B) the empathy-altruism model.
C) altruism theory.
D) kin selection.

Question 64

Studies suggest that people tend to offer:

A) less help to members of socially devalued groups.
B) more help to strangers than friends.
C) more help to members of socially devalued groups.
D) help to people in need regardless of who they are.

Question 65

The desire to believe in a just world tends to make people believe that:

A) people ultimately get what they deserve.
B) people are generally innocent and deserve help.
C) helping is never warranted.
D) helping should be based on a social exchange.

Question 66

Walter offered to help a woman who was crying because seeing the woman upset made Walter upset. This example provides support for:

A) the negative state relief hypothesis.
B) the empathy-altruism model.
C) altruism theory.
D) kin selection.

Question 67

Tim helps his mother do the laundry because she makes him feel guilty for not helping. This example provides support for:

A) the negative state relief hypothesis.
B) the empathy-altruism model.
C) altruism theory.
D) kin selection.

Question 68

If people see an outgroup as disadvantaged and believe this to be unfair, they are likely to experience _________.

A) collective guilt
B) disgust
C) ingroup bias
D) an empathy gap

Question 69

_________ is when people feel guilty about something they are not personally responsible for.

A) Altruism
B) The empathy gap
C) The guilt complex
D) Collective guilt

Question 70

Failing to live up to one's moral standards causes the feeling of _________.

A) disgust
B) anger
C) sympathy
D) guilt

Question 71

___________________ is the underestimation of other people's experience of physical pain as well as the pain of social rejection.

A) Altruism
B) The negative state relief hypothesis
C) Empathy gap
D) Empathy underestimation

Question 72

When something uncontrollable happens to someone, we tend to feel _________.

A) disgust
B) anger
C) sympathy
D) happiness

Question 73

Meta-analyses on altruism:

A) provide a great deal of support for the negative state relief hypothesis.
B) does not provide a great deal of support for the negative state relief hypothesis.
C) suggest that altruism does not exist.
D) cast doubt on the idea of kin selection.

Question 74

Some scholars have argued that when people help as a result of collective guilt, they are engaging in _________.

A) kin selection
B) negative state relief
C) altruism
D) ingroup bias

Question 75

Research by Batson and colleagues (1981) indicates that people low in empathy will only help someone if they:

A) would suffer by not helping.
B) had first played a prosocial video game.
C) are forced to.
D) are religious.

Question 76

Recent research suggests that observing groups such as the homeless and drug addicts triggers _________.

A) disgust
B) anger
C) sympathy
D) happiness

Question 77

Research suggests that people will choose to avoid experiencing empathy if:

A) they have the time to help. .
B) they know they will be asked to help someone.
C) helping someone is going to involve a small investment of time.
D) helping someone is going to involve a large investment of time.

Question 78

Rob is not very good at fully appreciating what others are going through when they are upset. This is consistent with the idea of:

A) an empathy gap.
B) kin selection.
C) negative state relief.
D) a communal orientation.

Question 79

Empathy makes people more likely to help when they focus on:

A) the expected social exchange.
B) their own suffering.
C) the suffering of a group.
D) the suffering of an individual.

Question 80

Studies indicate that guilt:

A) decreases helping.
B) increases helping.
C) has no effect on helping.
D) increases helping among children but not adults.