Ch. 10: Helping Behaviors Apr. 10, 2012

Helping (or not helping) Examples of people in distress who are ignored What determine why/when people help? – 1) Evolutionary factors: Role of ‘kin selection’ What research supports this?

Other evolutionary explanations: – Reciprocity – Empathy Cognitive component – Emotional component – Toddler empathy research - deWaal’s research on monkeys & empathy…

2) Cost-reward model – Social exchange – focus on rewards What are possible rewards? – Well-being – Following social norms – Related question of whether helping is altruistic or egoistic?

Voluteering Increases in volunteering after disasters (9/11, Hurricane Katrina…) – Penner’s research – possible theories: 1. Modeling 2. Threat to community 3. Just-world theory 4. Terror management theory 5. Negative state relief

Situational Influences on Helping Effect of crowds: The Bystander Effect – Research on this began w/Kitty Genovese murder in 1964 in NYC Details of the incident? How did bystanders react?

Darley & Latane’s follow-up experiments: Confederate appears to have seizure …either alone, with 1 other participant, or 4 other participants What is ‘Diffusion of Responsibility’?

– Obstacles to helping in these situations? Noticing Interpreting – Shotland’s research on intervening in male-female assaults – The role of pluralistic ignorance Responsibility Deciding how to help

Other situational influences on helping: – Rural/Urban areas: – Culture: – Role modeling: – Attractiveness:

Increasing Helping – Note that people do not always want help Increasing helping among bystanders - Avoid the overjustification effect – – Issue among volunteer orgs: