Question 1

Annie works with AIDS patients to get an idea of whether she wants to pursue social work as a career. Bert volunteers at a mental hospital to fulfill a class requirement. Stacey paints a mural for her old school because her sorority requires her to do a community service project. George helps the elderly prepare their income tax returns because his accounting firm will not give him a Christmas bonus if he does not volunteer. Who is most likely to engage in volunteer work again in the future?

Accepted Answer

Annie is most likely to engage in volunteer work again in the future because she is volunteering for personal interest and to gain experience in her desired career field. Bert is fulfilling a class requirement and may not have a personal interest in continuing volunteer work. Stacey is completing a project for her sorority and may not be motivated to volunteer without external pressure. George is only volunteering for his own benefit (to receive a Christmas bonus) and may not have a genuine interest in volunteering.

Question 2

According to the "Use It" portion of the chapter, what should you do if you are in need of help?

Accepted Answer

According to the chapter, it is recommended to identify someone specifically and make that person responsible for helping you in order to increase the likelihood of receiving assistance. This reduces the diffusion of responsibility and makes it more likely that someone will step forward and offer help.

Question 3

To ensure that community service participation for a school or job does not undermine people's intrinsic motivation for helping, an administrator should do which of the following?

Accepted Answer

By ensuring that people feel that their help is voluntary, the administrator avoids the risk of external rewards eroding the intrinsic motivation for helping. Encouraging people to help in fields relevant to their expertise (choice A) or directing them to help strangers (choice B) may not necessarily guarantee that their motivation remains intrinsic, as these could still be seen as externally imposed requirements. Clarifying the need for help (choice D) may also be helpful, but ultimately ensuring that people feel they are choosing to help is the most effective way to maintain intrinsic motivation.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do evolutionary psychologists use the concepts...

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some social psychologists, such as C. Daniel...

Question 6

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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Your text discusses the idea of the...

Question 7

At Cornell and Vassar, students intervened in emergencies. In both cases they

Accepted Answer

The passage states that the students had learned about the barriers to helping in class, indicating that they had received education or training on the topic. There is no mention of cash rewards or any extrinsic motivation for helping. The passage also does not suggest that the students regretted getting involved or hesitated to help until someone else did.

Question 8

In research presented in the text, participants were exposed to a lecture on social-psychological factors which inhibit helping. Later, these participants were put into a potential helping situation. The results suggest that

Accepted Answer

Participants who learned about the factors that inhibit helping were more likely to help, as the awareness of these factors can lead to increased helping behavior by overcoming those inhibitions.

Question 9

If you were an employer who wanted to increase volunteerism among your employees, what strategy would you employ in order to increase the chances that the employees would continue to volunteer in the future?

Accepted Answer

Encouraging volunteerism while preserving employees' free choice to volunteer or not is the best strategy. This approach would show that the company values and supports volunteerism, but also respects the individual employee's decision to volunteer or not. By fostering a culture of volunteerism without mandating it, employees may be more likely to continue to volunteer in the future because they feel that it is something they want to do instead of something they have to do.

Question 10

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

The overjustification effect occurs when people feel that their behavior is being externally motivated (in this case, by a requirement from a school or business) and therefore, they may be less likely to engage in the behavior voluntarily in the future. This effect has been seen in studies on mandated community service programs, where students who are required to perform community service may end up perceiving volunteer work as less inherently valuable and may therefore be less likely to engage in it in the future.

Question 11

Briefly summarize the social exchange perspective of helping behavior.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly summarize the social exchange perspective of...

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of a topic related to positive psychology in the field of social psychology?

Accepted Answer

Prosocial behavior, such as helping others, altruism, and empathy, are all topics related to positive psychology within the field of social psychology. Positive psychology emphasizes strengths, virtues, and well-being, rather than just focusing on negative behaviors or issues. Prejudice, aggression, and obedience to authority are more often associated with negative aspects of social psychology.

Question 13

A primary focus of the field of "positive psychology" is the study of

Accepted Answer

The field of positive psychology focuses on the study of strengths and virtues, such as resilience, optimism, gratitude, and empathy, as well as the factors that contribute to human flourishing and well-being. It emphasizes the importance of positive emotions, relationships, meaning, and engagement in life, rather than simply trying to alleviate psychological problems and disorders. Positive psychology also aims to develop interventions and practices that can enhance people's positive qualities and help them lead more fulfilling lives.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Positive psychology focuses on promoting and enhancing positive aspects of human experience, such as happiness, well-being, and fulfillment. While depression may be a topic of interest within psychology, it falls outside the scope of positive psychology, as it is a mental disorder that involves negative symptoms and experiences.

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

The positive psychology movement is a reaction to the emphasis on weakness and disease in psychology.

Question 16

The overjustification effect suggests that providing _______for volunteering or community service can lead to _______

Accepted Answer

The answer of The overjustification effect suggests that providing _______for...

Question 17

It would seem reasonable to assume that people would be more likely to help others who are part of their in-groups than their out-groups. It is not quite as simple and straightforward as that, however. Explain.

Accepted Answer

The answer of It would seem reasonable to assume that...

Question 18

There is a stereotype that individuals who are described as religious will be more likely to help than others. However, the research demonstrates that this is not universally true. Describe the research findings.

Accepted Answer

The answer of There is a stereotype that individuals who...

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of Do men and women differ in their...

Question 20

Based on information from your text about the rates of volunteerism, which of the following countries has the highest rate of volunteerism in its population (47 percent)?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Based on information from your text about...

Quiz 11: Prosocial Behavior: Why Do People Help